Three No-Brainer Ways to Optimize Your E-Commerce Site

Optimizing your e-commerce site to drive more business there is an integral part of creating a thriving e-commerce business. Taking these three ‘no-brainer’ steps will ensure you’re making the most of your site’s traffic potential and leading customers toward the conversion you want.

Think Locally and Update Your Meta TagMeta tags help search engines understand what your site is about and how to place your site in search results. Make sure you’re clear on what a ‘meta tag’ does and why it’s important. Consider carving out some time to draft a concise, short description, complete with keywords.

If you haven’t already done so, make sure your meta tag includes what region or major metropolitan area the site is located in. For Google, knowing where a site is located helps differentiate how to index that site in ranking. Including the region or area your business is based in creates a human element for a potential customer, and this adds credence they’re going to do business with a site serviced by actual people. Sites that include their region fair better in search results, so they have the potential for increased business through local customers. For most sites, you can updated meta tags by doing one of the following:

1. Select ‘Tools’ and then ‘Meta Tags’
2. Select ‘Format’ and then ‘Page Property’
3. Use a plug-in, like ‘Add Meta Tags’

Consider Mobile Design and Content

Most people are viewing your e-commerce site on a mobile device. If you make them work to find the information they need, chances are, they’ll leave the site fast. Many people still choose to think of mobile as a secondary part of optimizing their e-commerce sites, but this is one of the most costly mistakes you can make. So, one of the best use of time and money in optimizing your site is considering every facet of how that site shores up on a mobile device.

There are certain steps you must take to optimize for mobile:

1.Make sure your site can direct visitors to the mobile version. You should design your site so that if a consumer’s on a mobile device, they’re directed to the mobile version, ensuring they have a better user experience for their device. This is particularly crucial for an e-commerce site, where conversion is well-suited to a mobile site design, since the primary purpose is to click through to a cart for a product or service.

2. Bring the branding elements from your main site to the mobile site. It creates user confusion if the format, font or color choices are disparate from the main site. Many times, businesses focus on function forgetting form. They skimp on design elements and risk losing customers because their brand message is no longer clear. Instead, focus on a more streamlined, simple design. Keep sentences short and concise, font size larger and limit contact forms or flash elements, and highlight call to action buttons. In fact, doing so for your main site won’t hurt either.

Keyword Rich Content Counts

It’s tempting to overload your site with keywords. But resist the temptation. You should focus on five keywords for your brand and about two to three long-tail keywords for each page. This helps Google know that the site is legitimate and not spam. It helps the site rank faster and allows Google to index each page properly, according to keywords used.

If you take just these steps, you’ve set a sound foundation toward a sales generating s-commerce site. Paying close attention to your mobile design and content, your meta descriptions and well-researched keyword will help drive the traffic you want to your site for increased sales.