As an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist at SEO.AI, I often work with e-commerce businesses using the BigCommerce e-commerce platform. This article tackles the frequent challenges these businesses encounter and offers practical solutions to improve their SEO performance.
"There are countless e-commerce stores worldwide. With effective BigCommerce SEO, you can be among the top stores that customers find when searching for products on Google." – Torbjørn Flensted, Co-founder, SEO.AI
Covering everything from optimizing page speed and crafting effective internal link strategies to utilizing long-tail keywords and setting up Google Business Profiles, this guide provides essential tips to enhance your BigCommerce store's visibility and rankings.
Additionally, I showcase the tools I recommend to clients and personally use. Whether you're aiming to resolve duplicate content with canonical tags or develop city-specific landing pages for your multi-store business, this comprehensive guide offers practical advice to help you thrive in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
SEO Basics for Ecommerce Businesses
First and foremost, it's essential to ensure you have the basics covered. Here are some crucial steps to get the fundamentals right:
1. Design a Logical Site Structure
Organizing your content effectively is crucial for SEO success. A well-structured site helps shoppers find what they need quickly, encouraging them to spend more time on your site and view more pages, which can boost your search engine rankings.
To make your site easier to navigate, simplify your structure. Avoid excessive categories and subcategories. A simpler site structure not only improves user experience but also makes it easier for search engines to crawl and rank your products.
An SEO-friendly, flat site structure might look like this:
Homepage » Category Pages » Product Pages
Homepage » Category Pages » Sub-Category Pages » Product Pages
This structure ensures that your products are only a few clicks away from the homepage, making it easy for both shoppers and search engines to navigate your site.
BigCommerce makes it easy to organize your content using these structures. Additionally, include essential pages like “About” and “Contact” to establish credibility and trustworthiness with both shoppers and search engines.
Finally, add a search box to your site. While it doesn't directly impact SEO, it helps visitors find what they're looking for, enhancing eCommerce optimization and increasing conversions from your existing traffic.
2. Set Up Google Search Console
Google Search Console is an essential, free tool for monitoring your website's search engine traffic, tracking search performance, and identifying issues that might hinder your site's ranking.
To get started, visit the sign-up page and create your Google Search Console account. Before you can access the services, you'll need to verify your domain to confirm ownership. This verification ensures that Google can provide accurate and secure services for your site.
3. Submit Your Sitemap
A sitemap communicates the structure of your site to Google and other search engines.
For BigCommerce store owners, a sitemap is automatically generated and can be accessed at www.domain.com/sitemap.xml. If you're using WordPress, you can create a sitemap by installing the Yoast SEO plugin, which will list all your website's individual pages.
Once your sitemap is ready, submit it to Google and Bing through the Webmaster Tools accounts you have set up. You can check out how to do that here.
4. Use SEO Tools
There are a wide variety of SEO tools that you can use to make your SEO efforts easier. Here are a couple of the top ones (both free and paid) for e-commerce websites:
Check out more great e-commerce SEO tools.
5. Verify Your Site's Indexing
For your website to appear in search results, it must be indexed by a search engine. The fastest way to check if your site is indexed is by performing a site search (e.g., site:yourdomain.com).
If no results appear, your site isn't indexed yet. Keep in mind that for new websites, indexing can take up to a week after submitting the sitemap.
BigCommerce stores are crawled and indexed, but make sure to remove password protection from your pages, even if you're still working on them. This allows Google to start crawling and indexing your site.
6. Offer a Diverse Range of Products
While the number of products isn't a direct ranking factor, a good product selection can greatly enhance the user experience on your site, increase engagement, and improve the overall quality of the site.
The chart illustrates the connection between SERP positions and the quantity of sleeping bags featured on the top 20 web pages. Red dots denote the number of products at each SERP position, while the green trend line shows the overall pattern.
As the SERP position rises, the number of products generally increases. This indicates that the quantity of products significantly influences your webshop's rankings on Google.
If you are interested in more statistics and more reasoning behind why this is, check out our article about how the number of products affects Google rankings.
7. Provide Competitive Pricing
While product price doesn't directly impact Google rankings, it can affect user behavior, which in turn influences SEO. Here's how:
- Clicks: Competitive prices can attract more clicks on your e-commerce product pages, indicating to Google that your page is relevant.
- Dwell Time: Affordable pricing can result in longer dwell times as users spend more time exploring your site. On the other hand, high prices may cause users to quickly leave your site and return to Google, negatively affecting rankings.
- Last Click: When users complete a purchase and don't return to Google, it signals a successful last click, potentially leading to improved rankings.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing individual web pages to improve their search engine rankings and drive organic traffic. Here are some of the important things you should take a look at:
8. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research
Use keyword research tools like SEO.AI or Ahrefs to find out the search volume of keywords and get keyword ideas.
Search volume is the estimated number of monthly searches for a keyword.
Pick keywords your target audience is likely to search for and understand the search intent behind each one. Then, match these keywords to the right content types. Different pages on your site, such as product pages, categories, blog posts, and the homepage, can rank for various long-tail keywords.
For example, blog posts can target informational searches (e.g., "what is kombucha"), while product pages can focus on keywords with lower volume but higher buying intent (e.g., "buy kombucha bottles").
9. Craft Compelling Title Tags
For beginners in content writing and SEO, it's crucial to understand that your page's title shows up as a blue link on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). To achieve this, you must use a title tag for your title. Here's what that should look like:
"Best Les Paul Guitars of 2024: Top Picks for Every Musician"
This is the barebones part of creating a title, to improve the CTR (Click-Through-Rate), it is essential to create a compelling title tag to stand out from your competitors. Here is an example for a guitar seller's blog post:
Title: "The 10 Best Les Paul Guitars of 2024" Primary Keyword: Les Paul guitars
Note: A title tag should ALWAYS contain the primary keyword of the page, preferably in the initial part, and should normally be between 30-65 characters long.
There are more things that you should consider when creating an SEO title, if you want to become an expert in the field of title tag writing, learn more in our article about how to write better SEO titles.
10. Enhance Your Meta Descriptions
A meta description is the brief snippet of text displayed below your title tag in the SERP. This text should clearly describe the page's content and be compelling enough to encourage clicks.
Meta descriptions have two key roles: they provide your target audience with a first impression in the search results and must be persuasive to attract more potential customers to click on your page link and visit your BigCommerce store.
Google has stated there is no specific character limit for displaying or truncating meta descriptions. However, research from Moz suggests that many meta descriptions are cut off around 155 to 160 characters.
To optimize your meta description, include your target keywords and strongest copy at the beginning, and aim to keep it between 100-200 characters, as getting it in the margin of 155-160 characters can be quite difficult.
11. Incorporate Keywords into Your Page URLs
Your URLs provide search engines with information about your page's content. To optimize them, include your target keyword and keep them concise by avoiding unnecessary words.
Both search engines and visitors read your URL, so it's important to follow these best practices:
- Make URLs easy to read.
Keep it intuitive and simple, the URL should state the keyword and not much more.
❌example.com/index.php?24551=p44=?
✅example.com/electric-guitar
- Use hyphens instead of underscores.
Hyphens are one of Google's URL structure guidelines; they make the concept of the URL easier to understand rather than underscores.
❌example.com/electric_guitar
✅example.com/electric-guitar
- Include target keywords.
Like SEO titles, H1's and meta descriptions, URLs should contain the target keyword of the page.
❌example.com/smallred-electric-guitar-for-beginners
✅example.com/beginners-red-electric-guitar
12. Create Descriptive Alt Text for Images
Name each image file descriptively to help your photos appear in image results (avoid names like "12345.jpg").
Writing descriptive alt text is also essential. It explains the content of each image, aiding search engines in understanding the image and making it accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.
13. Implement Schema Markup
Schema markup enhances Google's understanding of your website content by structuring data in a way that allows page information to appear directly in SERPs. This can lead to higher click-through rates and increased website traffic.
Implementing schema can be complex. You can follow the Getting Started guide by schema.org or seek assistance from a website developer.
SEO Content Essentials
The content marketing aspect of SEO is a significant part of building authority within your topic and elevating your site to the next level, so getting this part right is essential:
14. Start a Blog
A blog is essential for your e-commerce website for several key reasons:
- Boost SEO: Regularly publishing blog posts allows you to incorporate relevant keywords and long-tail phrases, improving your site's search engine rankings and driving organic traffic.
- Engage Customers: High-quality, informative content keeps your audience engaged and encourages repeat visits. Share expert insights, how-to guides, and industry news to build trust and credibility.
- Enhance Internal Linking: Blogs provide opportunities for internal linking, improving site structure and making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your pages.
- Establish Authority: By consistently sharing valuable content, you position your brand as an industry leader, making customers more likely to choose your products over competitors.
Incorporating a blog into your e-commerce strategy not only boosts SEO but also engages your audience and establishes your brand as an authority, ultimately driving more traffic and sales.
15. Utilize Topic Clusters
Topic clusters are an effective SEO strategy that involves creating a central "pillar" page on a broad topic and linking it to several related "cluster" pages covering subtopics. This helps organize your content and makes it easier for search engines to understand the relationships between different pieces of content.
How to Work Around Topic Clusters:
- Identify a Pillar Topic: Choose a broad, relevant topic for your industry as your pillar page.
- Create Cluster Content: Develop blog posts or pages on specific subtopics related to your pillar topic. Link each cluster page to the pillar page and vice versa.
- Interlink Strategically: Ensure all cluster pages link back to the pillar page, creating a network of related content.
- Optimize for Keywords: Use relevant keywords in both pillar and cluster content to improve search engine rankings.
- Update Regularly: Keep your pillar and cluster content updated with the latest information and trends.
Using topic clusters, you can create a well-organized content structure that boosts SEO, enhances user experience, and establishes your site as an industry authority.
Pro tip: To make topic clustering as easy as possible, use our AI SEO topic cluster tool
16. Focus on Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that often come with less volume than the short tail variant, but it also comes with less competition, making it easier to rank higher for smaller sites. These keywords are less competitive and can drive highly targeted traffic to your site.
Examples:
- Short-tail keyword: "guitars"
- Long-tail keyword: "best electric guitars for beginners 2024"
17. Use SEO Writers (Preferably AI)
Creating content can be a long tedious process, luckily, there are loads of writers out on the market for you to grab on to and get going. Some are however better than others, especially the ones that include AI.
AI content writers like SEO.AI not only help you get insight into what your pages should contain and remember all of the small things that this article suggests, but also help optimize and create in the fastest way possible, without letting the quality slip.
Try out SEO.AI for 1 week free here.
18. Setup Rank Tracking
When managing a lot of content, especially for e-commerce sites with many pages, it can be tough to keep track of your rankings. Monitoring so many pages at once can be overwhelming. That's why a rank tracker is a must-have tool for any serious SEO professional.
I recommend using SEO.AI. This platform offers an up-to-date rank tracker and a user-friendly SEO AI writer and editor. This combination helps you manage your rankings easily while creating high-quality content.
Technical SEO
To ensure that you get the most out of your content, it is important to have the technical aspects right. Here are some of the most important technical factors you should keep an eye on:
19. Check Mobile-Friendliness
Google is less likely to recommend your website in its search engine rankings if your pages load slowly or your site isn't mobile responsive.
BigCommerce themes are designed to be mobile-friendly, but you can use Google Lighthouse to check how your site appears on mobile devices. Ensure all pages are as readable on mobile as they are on desktop.
To verify your mobile optimization, try Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Simply enter your website page to see if it meets mobile-friendly criteria.
20. Optimize Page Speed
Page speed is crucial for both user experience and SEO. Slow-loading pages can frustrate visitors, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement. Search engines like Google also consider page speed when ranking websites, so faster pages are more likely to rank higher in search results.
To ensure your site loads quickly, use PageSpeed Insights. This tool analyzes your website's performance and provides actionable recommendations to improve speed. By optimizing images, optimizing browser caching, and minimizing JavaScript, you can enhance your page speed, leading to better user satisfaction and higher search engine rankings.
21. Develop an Internal Linking Strategy
An internal link strategy connects different pages within your website, helping search engines understand your site's structure and relationships between pages.
Start by identifying key pages like product and category pages. Add links within your content that point to relevant pages, using descriptive anchor text. For example, link a blog post about summer fashion trends to your summer clothing category.
Internal linking improves SEO by aiding search engines in crawling and indexing your site, boosts user engagement by guiding visitors to related content, and distributes page authority, enhancing the SEO value of linked pages.
22. Optimize Your Website Navigation
Your website's navigation is crucial for guiding visitors to the most important pages in your online store. Effective navigation helps users easily find blog posts, product pages, and landing pages, enhancing their overall experience.
From an SEO perspective, your global navigation links signal to search engine crawlers which pages are most important on your site, aiding in better indexing and ranking.
Common types of navigation links include:
- Single-bar Navigation: All links are placed in a single bar, offering a straightforward and limited selection.
- Double-bar Navigation: Features primary and secondary links stacked above each other, providing more options without cluttering the interface.
- Dropdown Navigation: When a user hovers over a navigation link, a list of additional links drops down, offering a more organized way to access various sections.
Optimizing your website navigation not only improves user experience but also enhances your site's SEO by clearly indicating the hierarchy and importance of your pages.
23. Fix Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can negatively impact your SEO by confusing search engines about which page to rank. It's crucial to address and resolve duplicate content issues to maintain your site's search engine visibility.
To fix duplicate content, start by identifying any duplicates using tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO tools. Once identified, consolidate similar pages or posts into a single, comprehensive page to eliminate redundancy.
Additionally, implement canonical tags on your pages. Canonical tags signal to search engines which version of a page is the preferred one, helping to consolidate ranking signals and prevent duplicate content issues.
By resolving duplicate content and using canonical tags, you enhance your site's SEO and ensure search engines prioritize the correct pages.
Link Building (Off-page)
Link building is one of the most significant ranking factors and will help you rank higher, as it provides Google with proof of your authority. Although link building is challenging, it is important to remain patient. Here are some ways you can get other sites to supply you with links:
24. Analyze Competitors' Backlink Profiles
Using tools like SEMRush or Ahrefs, can help you get a deeper look into your competitors' backlink profiles, more specifically, what trends there are in the backlinks that they have.
There might be a couple of specific types of articles that are the cause of 80% percent of their backlinks, try and figure out what these trends are, and adapt them to your own blog to get more links.
25. Write Guest Posts
Getting to writing guest posts can be hard, and valuable links can be hard to get to. But this comes as no surprise, since link building is considered the hardest discipline by over 50% of SEOs.
How to Get Guest Posting Opportunities:
- Identify Relevant Websites: Look for blogs and websites in your niche that accept guest posts. Use search queries like "write for us" or "guest post guidelines" along with your industry keywords.
- Build Relationships: Engage with site owners and editors on social media or through comments on their blogs. Building a rapport can increase your chances of being accepted as a guest contributor.
- Pitch Unique Ideas: Craft a compelling pitch that outlines your proposed topic and explains why it would be valuable to their audience. Highlight your expertise and provide examples of your previous work.
- Follow Guidelines: Adhere to the guest post guidelines provided by the site. This shows professionalism and increases the likelihood of your submission being accepted.
- Offer Value: Ensure your content is informative, well-researched, and tailored to the host site's audience. High-quality content is more likely to be published and shared.
By writing guest posts, you can build backlinks, enhance your online presence, and attract new visitors to your site, ultimately boosting your SEO and brand authority.
Prioritize Local SEO
You might think local SEO doesn't matter for e-commerce businesses, and it might not if you are a dropshipping site. However, many businesses started with a physical store and still have one, so you might as well use it to improve your SEO efforts if you do. Make sure to follow these simple steps:
26. Set Up a Google Business Profile
Setting up your Google Business Profile enhances your visibility, making it easier for local customers seeking travel services to find you on Google Maps and search results.
To claim your profile, enter your business name into the Google Business Profile Manager.
Complete your profile by:
- Choosing your business category
- Defining your service area
- Adding contact details, operating hours, and services offered
- Uploading engaging images of destinations and travel packages
27. Fill Out Your Contact Us Page Thoroughly
A lot of thought goes into creating your homepage and landing pages. For local businesses, your contact page is important for building trust and attracting local customers.
A contact form can provide shoppers with your name, address, and phone number. This is crucial for local SEO because Google values consistent, accurate information for searchers. The last thing you want to do is send someone to a closed store because your opening hours haven’t been updated.
INSERT EXAMPLE EXAMPLE OF CONTACT PAGE
28. Consider City-specific Landing Pages
For larger e-commerce businesses with multiple stores, creating city-specific landing pages can significantly enhance your local SEO and attract more targeted traffic. These pages cater to the unique needs and interests of customers in different locations, making it easier for them to find relevant information and products.
How to Create City-specific Landing Pages:
- Research Local Keywords: Identify keywords relevant to each city, including city names, local landmarks, and regional terms.
- Customize Content: Include information specific to each location, such as store addresses, contact details, and unique offerings.
- Use Local Imagery: Incorporate images of your stores and recognizable local landmarks to make the pages more relatable.
- Add Customer Reviews: Feature testimonials from local customers to build trust and credibility.
By implementing city-specific landing pages, you can effectively target local customers, improve your search engine rankings, and drive more traffic to your e-commerce stores.
BigCommerce SEO Tips FAQ
In case the article left you with some questions, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about BigCommerce SEO:
Is BigCommerce any good for SEO?
BigCommerce offers robust SEO features to help optimize your online store. With tools like customizable title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text for images, you can improve your product pages' search rankings. Its mobile-friendly design and fast loading speeds enhance user experience, crucial for SEO.
Advanced SEO apps available on BigCommerce assist with keyword analysis and backlink management, streamlining your SEO efforts. Regular platform updates ensure your store stays aligned with the latest SEO best practices, helping you maintain competitive search rankings.
What is the best SEO tool for BigCommerce?
One of the most powerful tools for BigCommerce SEO is SEO.AI. This AI content writer provides relevant insights for writing content, keyword research, rank tracking, and more.
If you want more answers than one tool, make sure to check out our article on the best e-commerce SEO tools.
How do I optimize my BigCommerce image for SEO?
To optimize your BigCommerce images for SEO, start by naming your image files with descriptive, keyword-rich names before uploading them. Use alt text to describe your images with relevant keywords, improving accessibility and search engine visibility.
Ensure your images are high-quality but compressed to balance quality and load time, using tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim.
Finally, implement schema markup to provide search engines with detailed context about your images, enhancing your SEO performance.
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