SEO Best Practices for eCommerce

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SEO for eCommerce Best Practices Presented by Richard Chavez, PM Digital

description

SEO is a constant changing process. Search engine updates keep the SEO community on its toes, and have caused the industry to reshape itself a lot over the past few years, even months.While SEO is an evolving industry / practice, certain best practices have held true and will continue to do so for many years.This presentation will provide a summary of long-term value SEO tactics that can be shared / evangelized throughout the organization for long-term growth of SEO for your brand.http://www.pmdigital.com/our_services/search_engine_optimization/

Transcript of SEO Best Practices for eCommerce

Page 1: SEO Best Practices for eCommerce

SEO for eCommerce Best Practices

Presented by Richard Chavez, PM Digital

Page 2: SEO Best Practices for eCommerce

OverviewSEO is a constant changing process that has caused the industry to reshape itself. While SEO is an evolving industry / practice, certain best practices have held true and will continue to do so for many years.

About PM Digital Why SEO is so important for eCommerce Best Practices

Technical Keyword Strategy Local SEO Competitive Analysis Analytics Cross-Channel Integration

Case Study Key Takeaways 2

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About PM Digital

Digital Agency servicing clients in retail, financial services, non-profit, CPG and more

Primary service offerings: SEO, SEM, Email Marketing, Social Media and Creative

Clients include The North Face, Ulla Popken, dELiA’s, Steve Madden and many more

20 clients in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Based in New York with offices in

Minneapolis, Columbia, SC and Scottsdale, AZ

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Why SEO is so important for eCommerce

Natural Search is “most commonly used resource to navigate websites,” 61% of website traffic – Forrester1

In March 2012 search drove 26% of all traffic to retail sites2

Natural search is an earned media that can provide low-cost, long-term returns over time

Natural search is a larger barrier to entry for competitors

41. How Consumers Find Websites in 2011, Forrester2. March 2012 Hitwise Clickstream (upstream, sites driving traffic to Shopping Sites)

Paid Search (SEM)

Natural Search (SEO)

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SEO Best Practices – Three-Step Continuum

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Crawl•Create entry paths for search engines to access product and category content

•Site analysis to identify and solve technical obstacles

•This is the first critical step for a successful SEO program

Walk•Conduct keyword research to understand how consumers search for your products/services

•Apply researched keywords to the major page elements (titles, page copy, etc.) ensuring the site’s content reflects the consumer voice

Run•Create connection points from other on-topic relevant sites to yours

•Monitor competition•Analyze performance•Make refinements as necessary

• Integrate with other marketing channels

•Constant evolving process

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Technical

First critical step of SEO success! Search engines cannot access

sites/content/keywords if technical barriers exist

Search engine bots only read content and follow links, they can’t click or enter content

“Content cannot be viral unless it’s visible!”

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Crawl• Create entry

paths for search engines to access product and category content

• Site analysis to identify and solve technical obstacles

• This is the first critical step for a successful SEO program

Walk• Conduct keyword

research to understand how consumers search for your products/services

• Apply researched keywords to the major page elements (titles, page copy, etc.) ensuring the site’s content reflects the consumer voice

Run• Create connection

points from other on-topic relevant sites to yours (link acquisition)

• Monitor competition

• Analyze performance

• Make refinements as necessary

• Integrate with other marketing channels

• Constant evolving process

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Most Critical Technical Obstacles

Duplicate Content: two or more web pages containing the same content on different URLs

Primary Causes: Session IDs Mirrored Sites Repetitive Meta Data and Titles Mobile Sites Products merchandised in multiple

categories (main category, new arrivals, sale, etc.)

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Most Critical Technical Obstacles

Products merchandised in multiple categories (main category, new arrivals, sale, etc.)

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Eye Care (Category) http://www.h2oplus.com/categ

ory/skin+care/eye+care.do

Anti-Aging (Sub Category) http://www.h2oplus.com/categ

ory/skin+care/anti-aging.do

Dark Circles (Sub Category)

http://www.h2oplus.com/category/skin+care/dark+circles.do

Sensitive Skin (Sub Category)

http://www.h2oplus.com/category/skin+care/sensitive+skin.

do

Sea Results Eye Defense Fortifying Serum (Product) http://www.h2oplus.com/product/sea+results+eye+defense

+fortifying+serum.do

Source: PM Digital search ranking report (1-10 = page 1, 11-20 = page 2, 21-30 = page 3, beyond page 3 =0)

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Most Critical Technical Obstacles Flash: search engines have difficulty capturing

content within the Flash movie Most smartphones and tablets do not

render Flash Site Migrations: search equity gained from legacy

site (rankings, links, traffic, revenue) can be lost Search Equity Migration Strategy:

Redirect old URLs to new Develop for Visibility (incorporate

technical SEO best practices into site build

Integrate keyword strategy into taxonomy

Start early!9

Viewed as Googlebot

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Keyword Strategy

Gain an understanding of the consumer vernacular around core products and the needs they support to understand the consumer’s journey and the search terms they use when shopping online (brand speak vs. consumer speak)

The outcome is a view of the consumer decision process / sales funnel. The data can be used to align the keyword data to taxonomy, URL structure, navigation and product naming (e.g. “denim” vs. “jeans”)

The end results goal is brand awareness at each stage of the sales funnel (think Progressive Insurance) 10

Crawl• Create entry

paths for search engines to access product and category content

• Site analysis to identify and solve technical obstacles

• This is the first critical step for a successful SEO program

Walk• Conduct

keyword research to understand how consumers search for your products/services

• Apply researched keywords to the major page elements (titles, page copy, etc.) ensuring the site’s content reflects the consumer voice

Run• Create

connection points from other on-topic relevant sites to yours (link acquisition)

• Monitor competition

• Analyze performance

• Make refinements as necessary

• Integrate with other marketing channels

• Constant evolving process

General Interest

Investigational

Narrowing

Conversion

Jeans Denim

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

Search Demand1

1. Estimated monthly search demand, exact-match, local, Google

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Keyword Strategy Recommended Actions:

Apply researched keywords to titles, meta data, body copy, links

Monitor and continue to improve rankings Rankings matter!

Optimize for your brand Maintain ownership of your brand

over retail partners, eBay and more Create content based on search

demand (FAQs, education articles, comparison tools, etc.)

Modify SEO tactics/strategy as needed11

1. Keyword Share of Voice (highest amount of first-page rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing)2. Downstream Websites (organic clicks, 12-wks), Hitwise, sites receiving highest amount of SEO traffic

SEO Visibility SEO % ClicksSEO % of

OrdersSEO % of Rev.

Pg 1 (1-3) 91% 93% 93%

Pg 1 (4-10) 7.83% 6.50% 6.59%

Pg 2 0.22% 0.17% 0.13%

Beyond Pg 2 0.95% 0.33% 0.28%

Source: PM Digital SEO Performance Study by Keyword Ranking

0

100

Keyword Share of Voice1

2

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Linking Strategy

Search engines consider links from other relevant sites as votes of trust for the site in question

Creating new connection points from on-topic relevant sites to your site will not only create new relevant entry points for search engines but help introduce the brand to new customers

The most important element to consider when obtaining links is Quality over Quantity

Think about the placement of your brand in terms of link partners. If the site supports/compliments your brand then it may be a good placement (i.e. a fashion blog for a women’s retailer)

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Crawl• Create entry

paths for search engines to access product and category content

• Site analysis to identify and solve technical obstacles

• This is the first critical step for a successful SEO program

Walk• Conduct

keyword research to understand how consumers search for your products/services

• Apply researched keywords to the major page elements (titles, page copy, etc.) ensuring the site’s content reflects the consumer voice

Run• Create

connection points from other on-topic relevant sites to yours (link acquisition)

• Monitor competition

• Analyze performance

• Make refinements as necessary

• Integrate with other marketing channels

• Constant evolving process

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Linking Strategy Recommended Actions for Linking:

Secure links from business partners (be transparent as to why), avoid Home Depot’s recent linking mistake

Develop relationships with influential bloggers in your industry (fashion, health, etc.) offer to share content for them to publish (this takes time)

Optimize social profiles and videos and link to your site (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest)

Local sites (Yelp, Urbanspoon, IYPs, Local.com, BBB)

Top rated directories Never pay for links or offer discounts for links

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Local Search

“To succeed, marketers need to craft a comprehensive local search advertising strategy to reach consumers who hop, for example, from MapQuest to Internet yellow pages (IYP) and then to their favorite search engine.” ~Forrester Research

While primary KPIs/goals may be for online conversion, several consumers search online and purchase offline (~63%)1

Local store options do appear frequently in broader searches

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1. Importance of Search in Influencing Offline Buying, comScore

Crawl• Create entry

paths for search engines to access product and category content

• Site analysis to identify and solve technical obstacles

• This is the first critical step for a successful SEO program

Walk• Conduct

keyword research to understand how consumers search for your products/services

• Apply researched keywords to the major page elements (titles, page copy, etc.) ensuring the site’s content reflects the consumer voice

Run• Create

connection points from other on-topic relevant sites to yours (link acquisition)

• Monitor competition

• Analyze performance

• Make refinements as necessary

• Integrate with other marketing channels

• Constant evolving process

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Local Search Recommended Actions:

Create pages for each physical store, link internally and optimize for the following: Local searches by state and city

(target geo-specific keywords [brand and non-brand])

Submit store listings to Google, Yahoo and Bing Places with individual store URLs

Benefits: More real estate in search result pages More brand ownership/corp. content Directs users to store page vs. home 15

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Competitive Analysis

The competitive landscape is always shifting. Reviewing competitors’ strengths and weaknesses relative to our own will help create a roadmap to grow natural search share of voice

Primary metrics to measure: Keyword Rankings (individual keywords and

share of voice) Natural Search Traffic

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Brand Comp 1 Comp 2 Comp 3

Page Optimization

STRONG

MODERATE

WEAK

VERY

STRONG

Visibility

MODERATE

VERY

STRONG

WEAK

MODERATE

Technical

MODERATE

MODERATE

STRONG

STRONG

Traffic

MODERATE

VERY

STRONG

VERY WEAK

STRONG

Link Analysis

STRONG

STRONG

VERY

STRONG

MODERATE

Average Score

MODERATE

STRONG

MODERATE

STRONG

1. Keyword Ranking Share of Voice (highest amount of first-page rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing)2. Downstream Websites (organic clicks, 12-wks), Hitwise, sites receiving highest amount of SEO traffic

0

100

Top Keyword Rankings1

2

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Competitive Analysis Recommended Actions

Leverage third-party sources to identify linking opportunities, keyword strategies, content strategy, etc.

Review competitor and dealer partner sites for optimization tactics Page titles Meta data On-page copy

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1

2

1. Website Search Share (Shopping, Health & Beauty), organic clicks, 12-wks, Hitwise, sites receiving highest amount of SEO traffic2. Search Terms driving natural search traffic to Sephora, organic clicks, 12-wks, Hitwise3. Top Backlinks Report (sites linking to Sephora.com), Majestic SEO

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Analytics Like any digital marketing channel, SEO online performance

is 100% measurable Demonstrating tangible success is critical to grow the

channel, gain enterprise support and integrate with other marketing channels

Most analytics software programs (Google Analytics, Coremetrics, Omniture) track SEO performance very well based on traffic, orders, conversion rates, revenue sitewide, by URL and keyword

Third-party SEO tools (SEO Clarity, SyCara, BrightEdge, SEOMoz, Majestic SEO) also provide valuable insights for more advanced SEO measurement (brand vs. non-brand, link analysis, % of SEO contribution and more)

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Crawl• Create entry

paths for search engines to access product and category content

• Site analysis to identify and solve technical obstacles

• This is the first critical step for a successful SEO program

Walk• Conduct

keyword research to understand how consumers search for your products/services

• Apply researched keywords to the major page elements (titles, page copy, etc.) ensuring the site’s content reflects the consumer voice

Run• Create

connection points from other on-topic relevant sites to yours (link acquisition)

• Monitor competition

• Analyze performance

• Make refinements as necessary

• Integrate with other marketing channels

• Constant evolving process

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Analytics Recommended Core KPIs for SEO Measurement: Sitewide

Traffic, Orders/Conversions, Revenue Brand vs. Non-Brand % of SEO to total traffic % of SEO to total revenue % of SEO to total conversions Average Order Value Growth in inbound links

By Keyword Rankings across Google, Yahoo, Bing Top driving keywords (brand/non-brand)

Traffic and Revenue Keyword Share of Voice1

Natural Search Traffic Share of Voice2

Create monthly dashboard to share throughout the org. 19

1. Available via SEO Clarity, Sycara, BrightEdge, Conductor2. Available via Hitwise, comScore, Compete and others

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Cross-Channel Integration

In March 2012 search drove 26% of all traffic to retail sites, Social media drove 6% of all traffic to retail sites1

Several brand campaigns no matter the channel can create significant buzz / search demand. Digital Marketing (SEO, SEM, Social) are great mechanisms to support that demand

While part of the same channel, paid and natural search have unique strategies, tactics and KPI’s

Social media, PR also have significant influences on SEO

201. Clickstream (sites visited before), Shopping, Hitwise, March 20122. Search demand growth trend, Google Insights, Jan 2010 – Jan 2012

SEO VisibilitySEO % Clicks

SEO % of Orders

SEO % of Rev.

SEM % Clicks

SEM % of Orders

SEM % of Rev.

Page 1 (1-3) 91% 93% 93% 58% 73% 73%

Page 1 (4-10) 7.83% 6.50% 6.59% 10.08% 9.91% 9.91%

Page 2 0.22% 0.17% 0.13% 3.56% 2.03% 2.03%

Beyond Page 2 0.95% 0.33% 0.28% 28.68% 14.90% 14.90%

Source: PM Digital SEO / SEM Performance Study by Keyword Ranking

Search Demand Growth: Easy Button2

Crawl• Create

entry paths for search engines to

Walk• Conduct

keyword research to

Run• Create

connection points from other on-topic relevant

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Cross-Channel Integration Recommended Actions:

SEO / SEM data sharing SEO / SEM Blended Reporting (Quarterly) Optimize press releases (links, release elements, images, etc.) Optimize social profiles for core brand message and top non-brand

keywords and link to site (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest) Upload and optimize videos (YouTube, Vimeo) Upload product images to Flickr and Pinterest Leverage customer reviews (on your site [Power Reviews, BazaarVoice]) Encourage customer reviews on their experience with your brand

(Bizrate, Epinions, etc.) data is integrated in search results Leverage search / keyword data to inform marketing strategy for other

channels, product naming, etc. Optimize for core messaging of marketing campaigns (top-down

approach)21

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Case Study

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CHALLENGE: A site platform migration and rebuild:

SEO risks based on loss of search visibility from new URLs, content changes, links

SOLUTION: PM Digital partnered with client to develop a SEO-friendly site structure that would

improve upon previous SEO efforts Conducted extensive keyword research and optimization that was integrated into the site

build process Migrated all existing brand-site URLs to the new site via 301 redirects transitioning all

existing search equity (rankings, link value) to the new site

RESULTS: Greatly improved SEO technical infrastructure Natural search traffic increased 98% (Q3 2010 – 2011 YOY) Natural search revenue increased 147% % (Q3 2010 – 2011 YOY)

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Key Takeaways

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Remove technical obstacles to ensure proper search engine access Develop new sites with SEO as the foundation

Use keyword search behavior data to optimize site, develop taxonomy, create content Monitor keyword ranking and modify SEO tactics as needed to increase visibility and

competitive share of voice Develop quality links over time from relevant sites Create pages for store locations and ensure they are linked internally

Submit store listings to Google, Yahoo and Bing local Monitor competitors regularly for the following: keyword rankings, share of voice, traffic

and links Measure traffic, revenue and all pertinent KPIs via standard analytics and other tools if

necessary and share throughout the organization Share data from other channels and integrate learnings into SEO strategy and inform

other channels from search data

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Thank You

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Richard ChavezSr. Director, SEOPM [email protected]: http://blog.pmdigital.com/ Twitter: @PMDigital, @richardachavez