What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of techniques that help online stores improve their ranking in search results. With proper SEO, your online store can attract more visitors who are more likely to become paying customers. Together, we will explore how to improve your SEO and what to remember. SEO can be divided into several groups, which we will now discuss in more detail.

1. On-page SEO: Basic Optimization for Webpages

The first step is to optimize your e-shop itself. This includes:

1. Quality Content on Pages: Each product should have a detailed description that answers customer questions and includes relevant keywords for the product.
2. Image Optimization: Images should have the correct file name and alternative text (alt text) describing the image. This not only helps with SEO but also improves accessibility.
3. Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure that your e-shop is fully responsive, meaning it displays correctly on all types of devices, especially mobile phones. Studies show that up to 70% of visits to e-shops are made from mobile devices.
4. URL Structure Optimization: URLs should be clean, short, and contain keywords. For example, instead of "www.yourshop.cz/product?id=123", use "www.yourshop.cz/product-name". We know that you may be limited by the platform you're on, so if your platform doesn’t offer this option, skip this step.

2. Off-page SEO: Building Authority and Backlinks

Obtaining quality backlinks is crucial for increasing your site's authority. Backlinks signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. Here are some techniques:

1. Guest Blogging: Writing articles for external blogs where you can place a link back to your e-shop.
2. Collaboration with Influencers: Partnering with influencers who have sway over your target audience can bring in new customers.
3. Getting Reviews and Ratings: Reviews and ratings from satisfied customers not only improve your reputation but also can bring backlinks to your page. Collecting reviews on platforms like Heureka is ideal in this regard.

3. Technical SEO: Ensuring the Proper Functionality of Your E-shop

Technical SEO is about making sure your e-shop is easily accessible and well-structured for search engines. Key areas of technical SEO include:

1. Page Load Speed: Search engines favor fast websites. Optimize image sizes, use caching, and consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
2. XML Sitemap: Ensure that you have a correctly set up XML sitemap, which will help search engines index your pages. You can then immediately index this sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
3. Internal Link Structure: Keep your internal links well-organized so that search engines can easily find all the important pages of your e-shop.

4. SEO for Localized Search

If you are targeting a specific geographic area, you should optimize your e-shop for localized search. This includes:

1. Google My Business: Register your e-shop on Google My Business to appear in local search results.
2. Content Localization: Adapt the content on your e-shop to match the specific needs and language preferences of your target audience.

5. Measuring and Analyzing SEO Performance

Without proper measurement, you cannot know how well your SEO is performing. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to gather data on traffic, impressions, clicks, and search rankings. Based on this data, you can adjust your SEO strategy. We highly recommend using Google Analytics, as it provides insights, such as where visitors are coming from and which links drive traffic to your site.

A perfect analytical tool that immediately shows how your e-shop is performing is Google's PageSpeed Insights.

Conclusion

SEO is a long-term process, and the right techniques can help your e-shop achieve higher visibility and attract more customers. Implementing on-page, off-page, and technical SEO is key to ensuring that your e-shop is well-ranked by search engines and provides an excellent user experience.