Okay. So you want to overtake your competition when it comes to your Google ranking. Well, then you need search engine optimisation or SEO. This marketing strategy is crucial for developing your brand’s digital footprint, and it will see your discoverability skyrocket over time. But what does it involve exactly? Think everything from keyword research and backlinking to on- and off-page optimisation.
Feeling a little overwhelmed? Don’t stress. We’ve got years of experience in the industry. And we promise to make things super simple.
Get ready as we walk you through everything you need to know about SEO for the retail industry.
Why retail SEO matters for online stores
SEO matters. A lot. The simple answer is your customers browse and buy products using Google. If you’re not easy to find, then chances are you won’t get much business.
But don’t just take our word for it. Check out these numbers:
- 44% of consumers begin online shopping by using Google. Without a strong online presence, you have a slim chance of being discovered.
- eCommerce websites do big business. And organic search results account for 37.5% of their traffic. You need to be ranking in Google for the right keyword phrases to pop up in front of new shoppers.
- 23.6% of all online orders through eCommerce stores are linked to organic clicks. So not only are people finding their way to the big brands from online channels, but they are also purchasing products once they get there.
- Who clicks beyond the first page in Google, honestly? If you’re not one of the first 10 brands that people see, then you’ll struggle to attract attention.
A robust SEO campaign can boost your website and make your brand impossible to miss.
The benefits of SEO for online retailers
Not a numbers person? That’s okay! SEO offers businesses all kinds of benefits. And, the proof is well and truly in the pudding. Whether you’re a big, small or medium-sized eCommerce retailer, this marketing strategy can do wonders.
The benefits of SEO include:
You can spend as little or as much as you wish
SEO won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Instead, you can choose a plan based on your needs, and get great results regardless of your budget.
You can customise your approach
One of the best parts about SEO is that you can tailor your strategy to suit your goals. Want to boost your entire website? Optimise from the ground up. Want to boost the visibility of just your sale items? Focus on these relevant pages and keywords alone. It’s totally up to you.
You can boost your local SEO
SEO is a smart move if you have a brick-and-mortar store. And you’ll be glad to know that this approach will help you to stand out in some pretty nifty ways. Basically, Google populates its map pack results according to the geographical location of the searcher. If you show up in these types of searches, then that’s great news for you.
You can learn cool things about your customers
You’ll gain a world of insight when you start SEO. The reason? Because you can take advantage of powerful analytics about your customers. Use this information to tweak your marketing strategies and watch as your profits skyrocket.
Here’s how you can stand out from other retail websites with SEO
Want to really stand out from the crowd? There are a few important tips and tricks that you need to apply as part of your SEO strategy. Nail them all and the sky’s the limit.
Keyword research
To reach the right people, you need to be ranking for the right keywords. So be sure to plan ahead and think carefully about what types of phrases your target audience would be using. Then, thread these throughout your content to ensure your website ticks all the right boxes. When it comes to retail, you can add keyword-rich content across blogs, product descriptions and sale pages.
Remember, short-tail keywords (ones that contain one to three words) are great. But the best keywords to focus on are long-tail variants. These are specific phrases made up of three to four words. They are more descriptive and in turn, help you to narrow in on exactly what a shopper is hunting for.
On and off-page SEO
There are two key elements to SEO for retail businesses. On-page and off-page SEO. It’s critical that you get both right to really rank high.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO refers to everything that you can tweak and play with on the actual page itself. This relates to optimising headings and body copy, writing meta titles and tags, adding rich media and more.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO comes down to everything that goes on behind the scenes. Simply put, it’s about building your domain’s authority online. How do you do this? By acquiring high-quality backlinks from other websites.
What is local SEO, and why is it important for retail stores?
Great question. As mentioned above, local SEO is about making your brand discoverable to local searchers. This is critical if you have a physical store that you want to direct customers to. Basically, if someone types in ‘shoes for men’ on their smart device, instead of showing them all of the brands across the country, Google will show them a list of local retailers instead. From there, the shopper can easily navigate straight to your location.
The bottom line? If you’re not visible through local SEO, you’re missing out on a big piece of the pie.
ENLIST THE SUPPORT OF AN AWARD WINNING SEMRUSH PARTNER
Retail SEO Case Study: Impressive x Ivory & Deene
Who are Ivory & Deene, and what were their challenges?
Ivory & Deene are an eCommerce company that specialise in providing luxurious but affordable furniture, decor and lighting to customers in Australia who want to create beautiful spaces in their home. The brand approached Impressive in 2018 to help improve the organic visibility of its products and to increase organic traffic and online revenue.
What strategy did Impressive and Ivory & Deene follow?
Objective: improve organic visibility of products, increase organic traffic and online revenue
Our strategy: our approach was centred around better understanding Ivory & Deene’s target audience, so our team turned to studying the different target demographics to build a robust content strategy. We focused on working with the client to create a unique tone of voice that would instantly draw their target audience in.
Our keyword research was tackled in three phases – indexed keywords, competitor keywords and keyword variations – before being combined and reshaped into a content plan that our content team could tackle. This work was supported by ongoing technical SEO and keeping a close eye on performance to ensure that traffic, rankings and conversions were reacting in the way we hoped.
What were the results of our work?
Since 2020, Ivory & Deene have seen major organic traffic growth. Comparing the 9-month period before and after Impressive’s SEO and Content strategy, we found a massive 131% growth in organic sessions and a 99% growth in eCommerce organic revenue. More keywords have started ranking in the top 3 and 4-10 positions, and total clicks on the website have more than quadrupled.
Why work with Impressive?
Calling all retail stores. Want to work with a world-class SEO team? You’ve come to the right place!
The biggest brands from across the world look to us when they need help getting noticed. And it’s no wonder why. With a proven track record and the latest and greatest tools by our side – we always deliver Impressive results.
Book your free consultation today to find out more.
Hit your Goals
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A comprehensive audit
We’ll review all of your digital marketing channels and outline what’s working, and what needs to be improved.
Unique growth strategy
We’ll share our approach, covering how we’d scale your marketing – and how they relate to your objectives.
ROI projections
We’ll forecast the results you can expect, as well as your investment and the KPIs involved to get you there.
