Ecommerce websites need to get product page SEO right. Here’s a guide for what you should do when creating and optimizing product pages.
Having an optimized product page for ecommerce has always been important.
It’s even more essential during a pandemic when many people are going online to find products that they need rather than going to a brick-and-mortar store.
With many products competing for prime real estate in the search engine results pages (SERPs), it’s imperative your brand is on Page 1 in Google.
And in front of consumers who are using a plethora of different search terms to find the products your brand sells.
An optimized product page can not only drive traffic but help convert browsers into buyers.
In order to beat out the competition, you have to ensure your product pages are optimized for maximum exposure.
Here are some clear, actionable SEO guidelines for product pages, as well as the pitfalls you need to avoid.
Keyword research is the foundation for product page optimization.
When conducting keyword research, always use product-focused topics that users are searching for.
Don’t fixate on volume.
Instead, think about relevancy and what will actually convert.
If you have data from other channels like paid search, use it in your keyword and topic research and incorporate ad copy with high click-through rates (CTR) into meta descriptions.
Product pages have transactional intent so make sure your landing pages are optimized for searchers ready to buy because you want to sell the items on your site.
For example, someone looking for a specific product like “Series S60l & Expression E52 paintbrush” strongly indicates they are ready to purchase it, due to the detailed nature of their keyword.
Title tags and meta descriptions are very important in product page optimization.
Make sure you include details, like:
Home Depot does a great job of including the most important elements in their title tag and meta description.
It also uses structured data to highlight reviews with star ratings and price which leads us to the next tip…
Having the correct structured data type can help your brand show up as rich snippets.
All product pages should have product schema and review schema, which can:
Having high-quality content that meets the needs of users is key for ranking high in SERPs.
If users do not find your content useful, your bounce rates will be high, and customers may not buy from you.
Most category and product pages are light on optimized content and do not have an FAQ section that is marked up with FAQ structured data.
Instead, they tend to rely on user-generated content (UGC), which is a mistake.
Suppose I have a question about a product and do not want to talk to a chatbot or call customer service.
If the brand in question has built an FAQ section with answers to questions users commonly ask, I – and customers like me – can easily find the information we’re looking for.
That, in turn, helps the brand sell more products.
I cannot tell you how many times I have seen an ecommerce site use the same product description for all products.
This misses a huge opportunity.
Each item can rank for branded and non-branded keywords and should therefore include a unique description to take advantage.
Give consumers great information to encourage them to click on your listing and then drive more traffic and sales.
Genuine testimonials from customers who have tried your product speak volumes to in-market consumers trying to figure out whether or not to buy from you.
That’s why it’s so important to let customers share their experiences with your products and how they’ve helped solve problems.
Product pages with customer reviews convert 58% more visitors than their review-free counterparts, so this should be a no-brainer.
But there are other advantages, too.
Reviews help build trust – especially if you have an endorsement from a celebrity.
They also provide the fresh, unique content Google craves. Just be sure to mark them up with review schema, too.
Tools like Optimizely and Google Optimize provide an intuitive way to test even the slightest variations within product pages, which you should absolutely do to figure out the ideal configuration.
Changing the location of your call to action, for example, could drive more conversions.
Test your page layout options to see the impact.
One of the drawbacks of shopping online is you cannot physically touch or feel the product you are considering.
High-quality images and videos, however, can bridge that gap by providing end users the information they need to feel confident in their purchases.
Recently, I searched for a cordless drill.
Home Depot ranks very high for this term and its landing page is filled with good content like:
This was a great user experience because I wanted to know how many batteries came with the drill and if it contains a bag.
Your product pages must be optimized for mobile.
Fast-loading webpages will get your content in front of your target audience faster and provide a better user experience.
In turn, that helps increase sales, revenue, and pages per session – and it gives you a leg up on the competition.
It also decreases your bounce rates.
Product pages can often be duplicated because of faceted URLs, which can cause a lot of problems for SEO, like:
To avoid these issues, audit your pages to see which technical and content elements need to be optimized if any.
Elements to look out for include:
Credit: Winston Burton
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