When interested in a certain product, a buyer's first instinct when he or she is unaware of where to buy is to turn to search engines. More often than not, the buyer would stick to the first few search results and settle for whatever content those websites have to offer - it's a very rare circumstance that they will continue past the first page. Because of this, businesses, especially newly established franchises, can find it difficult to gain traffic from search engine results as they are required to compete with companies who are paying for their place on the search ranks.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) an Internet marketing strategy and is the process of affecting website visibility in a search engine's unpaid results; this is often referred to as natural or earned results. Generally speaking, the earlier and more frequently a site appears the more visitors and exposure it will gain. SEO takes into consideration on how the search engines work, what people search for and the popular terms and keywords that are preferred by the target audience. These keywords are they used in websites, usually in the form of blog posts and high quality content in order to attract more search engine traffic and garner a heavier audience. In essence, it's a fundamental component to running an online business and more or less an important form of marketing online.

Read below for 10 important tips to use with SEO Magento to improve your ranking and attraction for your eCommerce website.

1. Descriptive title pages and meta description

Having descriptive titles and descriptions can result in a higher click through rate to your website as it specifically tells your audience what your website/page is all about (which is why we recommend using the magento seo feature for your magento website or store). A customer who is hastily looking for a product or service will be more attracted to search result that can specifically let them know what they will expect without the need of clicking through. Furthermore, when your page title includes keywords related to your product, the chances of your website appearing higher on the results page increases significantly

2. Product reviews 

Customers are more likely to be influenced by other fellow customers than your own opinion about your own company. Product reviews contribute to traffic of your online store and can shine a positive light on your company and products, enticing new customers and increase site traffic. It's advisable that you persuade your current customers to write reviews after making a purchase - providing incentives such as discounts or prize draws can assist with this.

3. Mobile and tablet optimisation 

In this digital age, no company or website can afford to not have a mobile-friendly website. With more and more people using smartphones and tablets as their primary electronic device for everyday needs including shopping and payments, it's imperative that your website is adaptable for their screen. A poorly optimised site for a mobile platform can do a great deal of harm to the traffic performance of online stores in search engine results.

4. Image optimisation 

Take the time to optimise your product images, both for search engines and the visually impaired. Appropriately label your image with a specific keyword that is unique to the image instead of a generic filename. Search engines use these file names when determining rankings so its useful to start making this into a habit. Not only does it help with ranking results, but it caters to the visually impaired - having a detail description of the product image will help the customer with all the information they need and the likelihood of them walking away with a purchase increases.

5. Add a blog to your Magento store 

Successful companies usually offer customers more than just the obvious products and services. By providing your audience with relevant advice and blogposts, it encourages interaction and content sharing and increases a positive attitude towards your company. By keeping your Magento website frequently updated with interesting and high quality content, it can quickly generate traffic and receive a valuable SEO boost.

6. Backlinking strategy 

Much like references on a resume or essay, providing backlinks on your content will help you establish a good repertoire with the search engine when its determining your position. Back-linking - or having your website available on other sites - can help boost your site's rank. This can include getting links by publishing press releases, articles, off-site blog posts, social media posts as well as links from industry related sites willing to help you out.

7. Use social media to your advantage

Don't underestimate the power of the "Share" button. By opening up social media accounts that are relevant to your specific audience, you allow your content to be much more accessible and shareable to your fellow customers, giving them a chance to interact with your company. If your content is widely talked about, search engines take this into consideration and can result in a positive ranking boost. Publish blog posts on new products, relevant industry advice and important events happening within your company are a good start to creating content that will receive a positive customer buzz.

8. Set up RSS feeds 

Encourage your customers to be kept in the loop by setting up multiple RSS feeds. Updates can include newly published blog posts, new products or regular sale periods or specials. This can get your users talking and sharing your content to their peers and social media audiences, which will only benefit your ranking further.

9. Clean up your mess

Attempted SEO in the past and realised after this article you've been doing it all wrong? Take the time now to go through your pages and content and fix up all the errors - although you may have impacted your search ranking negatively, theres still time to start pumping out new content that will allow your company to climb the SEO ladder.

Foe more information about SEO, specifically about magento search engine optimization, please contact us today.