8 strategic tips for e-commerce websites.
Newcomers to E-commerce sites have it tough. Their very nature means that their linkgraph is all too often weak in comparison with larger competitors. With domain age also playing a big part in Google’s algorithm, all too often it’s a case of whoever was around first, and has the most links will win.
However there are bits and bobs that you can do to win online against larger competitors, often by being nimble and small, and having less red tape you are in a better position to take them on.
I’ve spoken before on how some sites have a build it and they will come mentality – which doesn’t actually result in traffic for the website, this follow up showcases a couple of my own strategic ideas if I was trying to generate more e-commerce traffic and further business.
1) Link requests in order confirmation emails
Links are currency online – and the more you can get the better. Better still, receiving a link from a customer puts you in good stead with Google for a number of reasons. Firstly it is indicative of a online / offline relationship, which is perfect. The social web is playing an increasingly important role in SEO, and this sort of linking pattern puts you right at the head of the pack. Its very simple to insert one link in your order confirmation email.
“Are you a blogger or do you run a website? Link back to us if you are happy with your purchase..Every link helps us to grow”
2) Review requests in order despatch email.
Reviews and endorsements are also playing a part in Google’s algorithm. Particularly within local search ranking factors. Ask your customers (or better still incentivise) them to create positive reviews of your product(s) and service on the various review sites out there. If there are local ones that you know of catering towards your local market, that’s better again.
Google base also integrates ratings and reviews into their algorithm. Notice that Google doesn’t actually use its own data here; but instead favours integrating these from trusted review sites. If you happen to already have reviews on your own site, you may stand a chance of these making their way in here if you can refactor the html being output to look more like a rich snippet. Alternatively you may want to implement the XML format.
Here are some of the site Google is using to pull its reviews from:
Epinions
Google Checkout Reviews
Mr. Rebates
PriceGrabber.com
PriceSpider.com
ResellerRatings.com
Shopzilla.com
3) Chase the longer tail
Everyone knows that the long tail – in terms of search engines converts better. You should be embracing this fact, when you are small, to position your site in a niche for an area. For example, instead of using Blue Widgets in your product description, you should be thinking in terms of the target audience, and existing customers, to get a feel for their wants and desires.
Were the majority of people buying Blue Widgets in the past year doing so to solve a problem? Were they using them for a sport for example? Blue Widgets for fishing near Placename maybe a particularly long tail phrase, but it will result in more targetted traffic. When you’ve built up good positions in the SERP’s for longer phrase keywords, you can move towards shorter ones using the existing link profile to aid you.
4) Add a local address and telephone number
Something as simple as adding a local address and telephone number can assist Google in knowing your whereabouts – if you are selling locally, this sort of thing is vital, as more targetted visitors will convert much better. If on the other hand, you are targetting a global audience, its even more important, as trust can influence sales.
5) Embrace free traffic where you can
There are a number of ways that e-commerce sites can gain traffic for free. This sure as hell beats PPC for generating sales, and is often missed by many independent retailers. Social media sites now also offer a decent stream of traffic for followers / fans of a particular brand. Again, this is something that could be easily integrated into order confirmation emails. A new fan or follower on a social networking site may not result in revenue directly, but it should be treated as a metric to measure. As well as bloggers – some of these are also relevant to e-commerce sites.
6) Know thy customer
As I mentioned earlier, knowing exactly why a customer purchases, is your single greatest asset. Market research of customers can provide you with insight into how and why someone uses you over your competitors. Use that feedback to further improve your site, and the rewards will come.
7) Be transparent
Larger companies have an annoying habit of losing transparency, with the exception of a few. Show your policies clearly, and make sure that they aren’t putting the customer at financial risk. Offer answers to any questions your receive quickly, openly and honestly. This is where Twitter can work wonders for a brand, as it facilitates one to one contact with the customer.
8) Add extra touches
Larger brands are often too focused on sales to add the extra touch that a small business can. Sending out personal touches such as happy birthday emails along with discount vouchers would be too much of a cost for a larger site such as Amazon with millions of customers. Small details like this can go a long way in building a relationship with the customer.
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Filed in: E-commerce
About the Author (Author Profile)
Paul is a regular 28 year old web bloke / programmer with a penchant for online marketing. This blog is a personal outlet, with an eclectic mix of articles.Subscribe
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