SEO, or search engine optimization, is about making websites visible to Google and other search engines so that potential customers can find exactly your website. In this series of articles, we will explain what the difference between the different types of SEO is, and in this article we will briefly explain what SEO is, and why it is important for you who run an online store.
What is SEO?
SEO is the collective term for all activities that are done to highlight the website's visibility, essentially it is about answering the questions of the people who search in a good way, and ensuring a consistently good experience on the website. In addition to this, SEO is about making the website available to Google's crawlers who are constantly looking for good content to offer those who are looking for answers to their questions in the search engine.
Unlike Google ads, SEO is about earned visibility. You cannot therefore pay your way to a higher position in Google's organic search results, but by offering relevant content for the target group you can potentially achieve a better ranking.
Google keeps its cards close to its chest, but we know that there are at least 200 ranking signals they use to decide who ends up at the top of the search results.
Why is SEO important for eCommerce?
We know that 89% of customers start an online shopping journey with a search, and 81% do research online before shopping in store. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to answer the questions of those who search when they search, and with the help of good organic rankings for relevant search phrases, your potential customers find your website more easily. There are also several types of SEO, including on-page, technical, local and Youtube/video. In later articles, you will be able to read more about these different types of SEO.
What problems can arise with poor organic visibility?
If you are not visible on Google, it means that your online store is not present where a large proportion of your potential customers are looking for answers. If your competitors have worked purposefully with SEO over time, it will also be more difficult to catch up, as SEO is something you have to continuously work on.
A common challenge for many online stores is that much of the content is controlled by the product's manufacturer, and if there are several retailers selling the same product as your online store, it can be difficult to stand out in the crowd. This can complicate the work with SEO, which can initially seem difficult and unclear.
There are many considerations to take into account when working with SEO, and in the next article we will review how to work with on-page SEO.