If your business relies on an eCommerce site, then you know it’s important to appear in the organic search results ahead of your competitors; especially if your competitors are selling the same products online. Having top rankings for an eCommerce website is crucial for long term success in the online marketing [...]]]> Online sales need online visibility!

If your business relies on an eCommerce site, then you know it’s important to appear in the organic search results ahead of your competitors; especially if your competitors are selling the same products online. Having top rankings for an eCommerce website is crucial for long term success in the online marketing world.

On-Page Optimization

Optimizing an eCommerce site isn’t that different than optimizing any other type of web site. To make a page rank well in the organic search results, it needs a good title tag (that includes the keywords you’re targeting); and good content on the page that includes the appropriate keywords. Here are some more tips for on-page optimization:

• Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.
• To achieve good keyword focus, limit yourself to just one or two keywords per content page. You can even create a page for each product in your store so that you can take advantage of long-tail keyword phrases.
• One reason why product pages on eCommerce sites appear in the search engine indexes and then disappear is because they are duplicating content (which the search engines catch on). Keep content and tags unique.
• If you’re selling products that your competitors are also selling, then your product descriptions need to be unique and different from theirs. Don’t just copy the generic product descriptions of items that are provided by the manufacturer. You’ll risk having your page considered a duplicate page by Google and other search engines.
• Add links to related products or accessories, or perhaps a testimonial about the product. Adding ‘related products’ type of navigation on your product pages will help visitors stay on your site.
• Product Reviews can increase your visibility and improve your page rankings. This gives the search engines more content to read and also creates a third party endorsement for your product.

Online shoppers are using search engines to compare product features and prices, and if your eCommerce site isn’t positioned in the top search engine results, you’re missing out on a lot of potential online sales!

Off-Page Optimization

Offsite optimization is all about acquiring quality inbound keyword links. It is best to get links from high ranking websites and web pages, but internal repeating links within your own website also count. Here’s how to improve off-page SEO:

• Submit articles to various article directories for syndication and curation, making sure your content contains many keyword links back to your other content pages.
• Go social! Create profiles on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networks to get links from existing customers.
• Cross-reference related items between individual product pages (include accessories or similar products). This creates healthy internal links.
• Create and share video content to attract more visitors.
• Create a blog and be active in forum discussions in the area of your business.
• Issue press releases and PR briefs about product launches, events and promotional offers regularly.

Just starting out as an online retailer with a few products to sell? Selling thousands of products online for many years now? Either way, make sure your eCommerce site is optimized for the search engines so you are most visible to your potential customers.

WSI Chester can help optimize you eCommerce site for higher page rankings, better conversions and increased sales. Contact us today on 01928 787026  to drive greater search engine traffic and more conversions (sales) on your eCommerce website.

According to Yahoo, [...]]]> Yahoo! has finally announced a date for when its main European properties switch to Microsoft’s Bing search engine for their results. For european site owners, this represents the end of a long wait as the planned migration to Bing search results was first announced in the Microsoft-Yahoo collaboration agreement signed back in early 2009.

According to Yahoo, from August 3rd the organic search transition will begin for Yahoo properties in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The impact on the rankings for individual sites will obviously vary, and it is unclear how fast this switch over will be.

Pay-per-click advertising through Yahoo! in Europe is unaffected by the transition of its organic search results to Bing.

For more information and assistance in optimising your site for Google and Bing, why not call WSI Chester today on 01928 787026.

Of course, as an Internet Marketing consultant, I’m biased. But is it a coincidence that sites where SEO is an after-thought tend to perform less well than ones where [...]]]> For many new sites, or site rebuilds, it’s worryingly common for search engine optimisation to be the last thing considered. Often ignored until after the site is launched.

Of course, as an Internet Marketing consultant, I’m biased. But is it a coincidence that sites where SEO is an after-thought tend to perform less well than ones where  they have thought about SEO while the site was being planned?

If you’re looking to build (or rebuild) a site, here are a few of the reasons why you should think about SEO from the start (before the designer arrives!):-

1. Get the right site structure

Planning for optimisation means planning how best to link the content together and how to make your navigation work well for search engines, as well as for your visitors.

You can make sure that you can reach important pages in as few clicks as possible from your homepage, and you can generally build in a way that’s most likely to perform best.

When the site has been built, the underlying site structure can be one of the hardest things to change. So SEO involvement means you get it right first time!

2. Keywords drive content

Keyword research is the foundation of optimisation. Keywords are your link into the mind of the potential visitors and their intentions. If you identify the keywords most important to your target visitors then you can build relevant content-rich pages which will appeal to those visitors. Keyword research can therefore define which pages should be built. Too often, the converse happens.

3. Accessibility

Search optimisation considerations can steer the web development team to use the most appropriate Content Management Systems and design techniques. Too often, designers will use graphics to display text in unusual fonts rather than styling them properly. Is the complete site visible to the search engines or are pages inaccessible due to ‘clever coding’?

In summary, I’m a firm believer that if you consider and address search optimisation issues before your site is built, you should find that your site will perform well for both search engines and human visitors. You will avoid the technical pit-falls and the need to play SEO catch-up later.

To answer the headline, SEO helps defines the functional and technical specification of a site, the graphic design comes along later.

WSI regularly works alongside creative agencies and web designers to help define the information needs and outcomes for new sites. If you are planning to invest in a new website, why not give WSI Chester a call today?

A common situation that many business people will recognise. However for most businesses, they are actually [...]]]> The plea is a common one “How do I get my business website to no. 1 on Google?” , and the follow up comment is often “My friend tells me it needs search optimisation, but I don’t know what SEO is!”

A common situation that many business people will recognise. However for most businesses, they are actually asking the wrong question!

The real question is “How can I get more leads or sales from my website and the internet?”. Because those are actionable business outcomes, which can directly impact profitability. These are the real objectives of internet or digital marketing

So what is wrong with a high Google ranking, you may ask?

Absolutely nothing and it can be a very powerful business enabler once you define who the target client is and understand what their search objectives are likely to be. Will they looking for a specific product or service e.g. tree surgeon, or help or information about a particular problem e.g. remove invasive plants?

Worrying this problem to come up with a list of  words and phrases is called ‘keyword research’ and is arguably the most important aspect of search optimisation and search marketing generally.

Ideally you are looking for

1. Keywords or phrases that are relevant to both your target clients, and your business proposition. AND
2. People are actually using those keywords for searching

For example, being ranked No1 for your company or brand names may be flattering, but will not bring any visitors to your site unless people actually know those names and search for them.

However, being ranked highly for a relevant search term e.g. “wedding dress shops chester” will bring well-targeted visitors to your site. It is then the responsibility of the website to convert that initial visitor interest into the actionable outcome e.g. filling in a contact form.

If you want to get your business website found on Google and delivering results, then WSI offer a range of consultancy and implementation services, including search optimisation (SEO).

However we need to understand your business and its objectives, before we can advise you on the best way to get the internet working for your business.  So call WSI Chester (01928 787026)  today for a free initial discussion and review of your website. For many businesses, search optimisation is often not the right answer and certainly is never the only answer!

(You may also be interested in reading this SEO Whitepaper produced a little while ago to accompany a WSI webinar.)

So if you are…. • Frustrated that your competitors appear above you on Google? • Confused about how the search engines decide what is important? • Unsure how to get your business onto Google Maps or the Shopping Results? • Fed up with SEO ‘false claims’ and ‘exclusive offers’ ….then this [...]]]> WSI is hosting a half-day workshop on October 21st at the Crowne Plaza in Chester.

So if you are….
• Frustrated that your competitors appear above you on Google?
• Confused about how the search engines decide what is important?
• Unsure how to get your business onto Google Maps or the Shopping Results?
• Fed up with SEO ‘false claims’ and ‘exclusive offers’
….then this workshop is for you!

Entitiled ”D-I-Y Optimisation”, it is designed to help businesses to get their website visible in Google and the other major search engines, and is specifically to meet the needs of business owners, and not ‘techies’.

No prior knowledge needed, just a desire to get your website working harder!

It will provide a solid understanding of how search engines make decisions and we’ll look at the steps you can take to improve the ranking of your own site.

The delegate fee is £95 (incl. VAT).

Call Andy Wooles (01928 787026) or click here for more information.

This workshop can also be run for an individual company or private group, contact us if this could be of interest.