Molsoft
E-retails now account for 14.1% of the total retail sales, and the figure is expected to grow to 22% in 2023. That said, the online market has expanded so much that the options nowadays are limitless. The marketing is getting saturated, and it's hard to keep up. With the traffic distributed over a lot of eCommerce websites, it is hard to get your online shop noticeable.
Marketers and Experts have found many ways to promote business online, and on top of it all is SEO.
What is SEO?
How many of you have ever been to the 3rd page of Google to find something? Yes, little to none. We never move ahead of the first page. We look for the content we need, and if we don't find it, we research it by changing the keywords. That's exactly what SEO is. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a process where you try to rank your website higher on search engine ranking. That way, people will easily find your website as soon as they search for something that relates to your website. Search engine’s algorithms see if your website covers the topics searched by the user. Then it ranks it according to how related it is to the topic. In layman terms, it is a way to bring your website on the first page of Google results so more traffic can land on your website. What you need is to optimize the website as per the search engine. If the search engine finds your website informative, it will rank it higher in the listings. However, things are not that simple.
White Hat and Black Hat SEO
You might get your website ranked high on the search engine listings, but you must do it the right way. White Hat SEO is the SEO technique that abides by the laws and regulations. Black Hat SEO is a spamming technique that tries to fool the search engine. Using a black hat technique might rank you higher, but it might result in your website being penalized. It may also be deindexed. Hence, better safe than sorry. The right kind of SEO will not only rank your website higher but also do it the right way.
Importance of SEO
Driving traffic in online stores is relatively tough. With almost no barriers to entry, the competition is cut-throat. In order to make sure your business survives, you need SEO. Despite so many other ways to promote your eCommerce website, the best is still SEO. Compared to paid ads, social media campaigns, and other marketing techniques, SEO brings in the most ROI.
Better and Cheaper Than Paid Ads
Using social media and paid ads are good, but it's not good in the long run. These require constant effort and money. However, SEO requires less effort with almost no recurring expense. Once you obtain a good ranking on the search engine, everything is automatic after that. A study showed that search drives 300% more traffic than social media to a website. This makes it the number 1 driver of traffic.
Website Optimization Is More Attractive
For eCommerce, traffic is a significant concern as well as the conversion rate. For that, you need your website fully optimized. Customers like a well-organized website that loads in a couple of seconds. A vivid, eye-catching description, along with colourful images, videos and themes, impress the users instantly. A sophisticated website will ensure that the user does not leave without getting anything. Moreover, this builds a certain level of trust with the brand. Once your website is optimized, it will align with the search engine’s algorithms. The search engine will recognize it as relevant and pop your website when a user asks for some similar content. The key is using the right keywords to do that. The engine will recognize the keywords and the information you provide.
Link Building
SEO is also essential in building PR. Now, you might not have connected the two together, but they can be integrated to bring maximum results. If you want people to recognize your website and like your content, you need effective PR which can be done through SEO. Through effective link building, you can present your brand more enticingly. Through prominent publications and with the help of influencers, people will recognize your content.
More Effective than PPC (Pay per Click)
61% of marketers consider SEO their top priority while working to enhance the business. SEO brings in the most organic results. Even though we see a lot of PPC at the top of the organic search, 71.33% of the searches get the first click on the organic search. This shows how SEO is more effective than PPC. If your website is SEO optimized, it wouldn't be dependent on other sources like Paid ads, etc. A good SEO strategy will help get far ahead of your competition. Inbound TrafficOne of significant importance of SEO is that it brings in inbound traffic. Advertising on social media channels often brings in traffic that doesn't really like your brand. They are not interested in what your shop offers. Inbound traffic is the quality of traffic that is interested in what you sell. With SEO, people who come to your website are mostly people who searched for it. You are exactly what they are looking for. Inbound traffic is customer-oriented. And the research found that 59% of the marketers think inbound traffic is vital for great leads. In short, SEO is mainly a one-time thing. Once your website ranks the profits will just snowball from there. You do not have to pay recurring payments for advertisements. Traffic will naturally flow through the search. All you have to do is rank well in the search.
Without a doubt, SEO is the best way to get your online shop running and selling. Hiring an SEO expert is a one-time investment that will be beneficial in the long run, especially for small businesses.
