When someone searches for a product or service, search engines like Google display a list of results, with ten organic listings below paid ads. Getting your ecommerce site ranked on the first page—ideally at the top—is critical for attracting visitors and converting them into customers. Simply having a functional website is not enough. To gain organic traffic, it’s crucial to implement the right SEO strategies for ecommerce sites. Let’s dive into how you can optimize your ecommerce site for better visibility and success.

The Importance of SEO for Ecommerce Websites

Ecommerce SEO goes beyond basic website optimization—it’s about ensuring every aspect of your store, from product pages to blog content, is discoverable by search engines. Let’s get into why this matters and understand the benefits of ecommerce SEO:

• Increased Organic Traffic: SEO helps your website rank higher for relevant queries, driving more organic traffic.
• Higher Brand Awareness: When your ecommerce site ranks on the first page of Google, it increases the visibility and credibility of your brand.
• Cost-Effective Marketing: SEO-driven traffic provides long-term results without continuous ad spend. When done right, it attracts highly targeted users who are more likely to engage with your products.
• Better User Experience: A well-optimized site improves site speed, navigation, and overall user experience, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and retention.

How to Build an Ecommerce SEO Plan

To succeed in SEO, you need a well-rounded strategy. If you’re new in the biz or just looking to refine your strategy, here are 8 SEO tips for ecommerce sites that will set you up for success. 

1. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of any effective SEO strategy. It involves finding out what potential customers are typing into search engines and optimizing your site to rank for those terms. For ecommerce, keyword research plays a pivotal role in identifying high-intent search terms that are likely to convert. Your research should focus on both commercial, Transactional, and informational keywords.

• Commercial keywords: These keywords often include phrases like “best,” “top,” “review,” or “comparison,” as potential buyers are evaluating their options, such as “top hiking shoes online” or “best moisturizer for dry skin”
• Transactional Keywords: These are keywords used when a user is ready to make a purchase. Examples include “buy Nike black hiking shoes” or “buy SPF 50+++ moisturizer for dry skin under Rs.500” indicating high purchase intent.
• Informational keywords: These are queries that don’t always have a purchasing intent but show interest in a topic, such as “how to style leather jackets” or “benefits of wearing SPF indoors.

Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner can help identify relevant search terms, offering a data-driven approach to creating content that resonates with your target audience. Don’t forget to target long-tail keywords, which may have lower search volume but often have higher conversion rates due to their specificity.

Incorporate keywords across your website in areas such as:

• Meta titles and descriptions
• Headers (H1, H2, H3)
• Product descriptions
• URL structures

2. Technical SEO for Ecommerce Sites

Technical SEO is the backbone of your ecommerce site’s ability to rank. While many aspects of SEO are visible to customers, technical SEO happens behind the scenes. When technical SEO for ecommerce is well-optimized, fast-loading, and mobile-friendly, Google rewards the website with higher rankings.

Here are some Technical SEO Tips for Ecommerce:

• Page Speed: Slow-loading pages hurt both user experience and rankings. Compress images, enable browser caching, and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to improve your store’s speed. 
• Mobile Optimization: With mobile commerce on the rise, having a responsive design that adapts to various screen sizes is critical.
• Secure Site (HTTPS): Users and search engines prefer secure websites. Make sure your site uses HTTPS encryption.
• Crawlability: Search engines need to easily crawl and index your site. Utilize tools like Google Search Console to monitor your site’s performance and identify any crawl errors.

For more in-depth technical analysis use Screaming Frog which can help identify crawl depth, redirect chains, broken links, and much more

3. Optimize Product Pages

Each product page is an SEO asset and should be designed to rank well while converting visitors into customers.

• Unique product descriptions: Craft detailed, original descriptions that focus on the features and benefits of your products. Include keywords naturally to enhance SEO.
• Clear CTAs and high-quality visuals: Use strong call-to-actions and professional images to entice users to make a purchase.
• User reviews and ratings: Display customer reviews and ratings on product pages to build trust and provide valuable social proof, which can boost both conversions and rankings.
• SEO-friendly URLs: Ensure each product page has a short, descriptive URL that includes target keywords relevant to the product.

4. Optimize Site Architecture

An intuitive site structure is key for both search engines and user experience. It ensures that search engines can easily crawl and index your site while guiding users smoothly through your product offerings.

• Clear category hierarchy: Organize your products into logical, keyword-rich categories and subcategories that reflect your users’ search intent.
• Flat structure: Keep your site’s hierarchy flat, making sure users can reach any page within three to four clicks from the homepage.
• Internal linking: Use internal links to strategically connect categories and product pages, helping users discover more of your inventory while improving search engine crawlability.
• Breadcrumb navigation: Add breadcrumb trails, aids that help users track their path through the site and improve navigation which shows structure to search engines, enhancing crawl efficiency.

5. Content Marketing 

Content marketing is a powerful strategy to attract and engage potential customers while boosting your SEO efforts. By creating high-value content, you can rank for a wide variety of keywords and establish your site as an authority in your niche.

• Blog Posts and Articles: Create informative, keyword-optimized blog posts that address common questions or problems your customers face. This can drive traffic and improve on-site engagement.
• Product Guides and Tutorials: Develop detailed guides or how-tos related to your products. These can help customers make informed buying decisions and target long-tail keywords.
• User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to create content, such as reviews or social media posts featuring your products, which can improve both engagement and search rankings.
• Video Content: Consider incorporating product videos, tutorials, or even live-stream events. Video is increasingly important for SEO and can keep users on your site longer, boosting your rankings.

6. Link Building for Ecommerce SEO

Link building is a crucial element of ecommerce SEO that helps establish your site’s authority and credibility. Search engines view backlinks—links from other reputable websites—as a signal of trust, this improves your rankings making your ecommerce site more competitive.

• Focus on Quality, Not Quantity: Prioritize high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry over a large number of low-quality links.
• Guest Blogging: Write guest posts for relevant blogs in your niche to earn backlinks while reaching a broader audience.
• Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers or industry experts who can promote your products and provide backlinks from their sites or social media channels.
• Earn Natural Backlinks: Create valuable content such as infographics, case studies, or industry reports that others will want to link to naturally.

7. Use Schema Markups to Improve SEO

One of the most effective technical SEO for ecommerce tactics is schema markup. Schema markups are a type of structured data that helps search engines understand the content of your site. Imagine it as a language between your website and Google that provides more context about your pages. When implemented correctly, schema enables “rich snippets” in search results. These enhanced listings show more information than standard search results—like product prices, ratings, and availability—making your pages more attractive and clickable. Common types of schema for ecommerce sites include:

• Product schema: Displays product-specific details like price, stock, and description in search results.
• Review schema: Shows customer reviews and star ratings directly in the search results, improving trust.
• Video schema: Highlights video content related to your products, such as tutorials or demos.

Using schema markup is a key part of ecommerce SEO plans and can significantly improve click-through rates from search engines. By giving search engines more detailed information, your listings will stand out, helping to drive traffic and increase conversions

You can implement schema through Shopify plugins or by manually adding the relevant code to your pages. Tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool allow you to verify if the schema has been properly added and is functioning correctly.

8. Implement Ecommerce SEO Plans for Long-Term Success

SEO for ecommerce is not a one-time effort; it requires ongoing maintenance and strategy adjustments. Regularly auditing your site ensures it remains optimized as search engine algorithms evolve. Key areas to monitor include:

• Website performance: Regularly check page speed and mobile responsiveness.
• Keyword performance: Use tools to track how well your targeted keywords are ranking.
• Content updates: Refresh outdated product descriptions and blog content to reflect new trends or offerings.

A comprehensive ecommerce SEO plan should include both on-page and off-page strategies, as well as technical SEO, to ensure long-term success.

Best Ecommerce SEO Tools

To implement a successful SEO strategy, you’ll need the right tools. Here are a few to consider:

• Semrush: Comprehensive keyword research, backlink analysis, and SEO audits.
• Google Analytics: Track and measure the performance of your SEO efforts.
• Google Search Console: Helps monitor and improve website search visibility and performance.
• SEOAnt: Provides automated SEO audits and helps with broken links and image optimization.
• Avada SEO & Image Optimizer: Helps optimize images and page speed.

Conclusion

Adopting these SEO strategies for ecommerce sites can greatly enhance your store’s visibility, attract more qualified leads, and drive more sales. By focusing on keyword research, technical SEO, and content creation, your site can stay ahead in the highly competitive ecommerce space. Consistent effort and optimization will yield sustainable growth over time. 

Remember, SEO for ecommerce websites is a marathon, not a sprint. 

E-commerce and retail strategies are influencing conventional shopping, but physical stores continue to play a vital role. Digital-first brands recognize the importance of brick-and-mortar locations for providing direct product experiences. The changing retail environment is molding interactions between consumers and brands, affecting market positions. Contemporary consumers anticipate smooth experiences and wish for their preferred brands to have a ubiquitous presence.

In the content of the Indian retail scenario, the overall market is anticipated to reach 2 trillion by 2032, with e-commerce anticipated to exceed $350 billion by 2030, growing at a 23% CAGR and a 12% market penetration. 

It is crucial to integrate e-commerce with traditional approaches, as underlined by findings from a Harvard Business Review survey, revealing that 73% of participants incorporate multiple channels in their shopping journeys. This trend signifies a blend of physical and online shopping habits, emphasizing the need for a holistic retail experience. To remain competitive in the evolving e-commerce market, brands need to swiftly embrace omnichannel retail strategies.

Omnichannel retailing integrates various shopping channels for a unified customer experience. It ensures consistency across marketplaces, D2C websites, and physical stores. According to the Unicommerce Trends Report 2023, omnichannel technology adoption in India witnessed an impressive 58.4% growth during FY2023, reflecting the changing dynamics of the retail landscape in the country.

• 50% higher growth was seen in omnichannel retail.
• 73% of customers used multiple channels to arrive at their purchase decision.
• 50% of customers consult three channels for high-value purchases.
• There was a 3.5x higher engagement with omnichannel retail.

Digital Transformation through Omni-channel Retail & its advantages

In the omnichannel evolution of a footwear brand, the “Endless Aisle” strategy is key. This involves using in-store stock to fulfill online orders, reducing excess inventory in specific locations while meeting demand elsewhere. Integration of inventory management systems provides real-time visibility, optimizing inventory and enhancing operational efficiency. This also comes into play in cases of unavailability of size, say a size 8 is out of stock on the website but available in the nearest store, it can be delivered seamlessly. The endless aisle concept streamlines inventory management, ensuring a smooth supply chain for both in-store and online customer demands. 

The “Ship-from-store” strategy offers significant advantages. By fulfilling online orders from nearby stores instead of a centralized warehouse, the brand can achieve reduced shipping costs. This minimizes the product’s travel distance, resulting in significant savings in shipping and freight costs. Brand can leverage its stores’ proximity to customers to enhance operational efficiency, providing faster and more economical shipping options. Aligned with the brand’s omnichannel initiative, this strategy contributes to a seamless customer experience while optimizing logistical and financial aspects of the supply chain.

It’s clear that numerous brands that originated online are increasingly embracing physical retail spaces. A notable example is Mamaearth. However, having a physical presence is one thing, but getting into EBOs and modern trade means competing with the likes large established players. A distinct pricing strategy and product assortment are also essential, considering that consumer preferences change when they have the opportunity for hands-on interaction with a product. Moreover, this must be executed on a large scale by establishing numerous outlets across various geographical locations. Otherwise, the incremental value generated may be too minimal to warrant the investment. Here’s an article from The Ken on how roll ups brands are testing out and acing the game of physical stores while maintaining a strong online presence.

In the omnichannel journey in the fashion segment, faster delivery timelines are a crucial advantage. Leveraging the proximity of local stores enables the brand to significantly reduce delivery times for online orders, offering same-day or next-day delivery. This swift and responsive model aligns with brand’s omnichannel strategy, meeting customer expectations for convenience and immediacy. As the footwear brand enters omnichannel retail, the emphasis on faster delivery enhances the overall customer experience and positions the brand competitively in the market.

Implementing services like buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) or buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS) attracts more customers to brand’s physical stores. As customers visit for pickups or returns, additional in-store purchases become an opportunity, boosting sales and engagement. This strategy not only increases foot traffic but also creates seamless integration between online and offline channels, enriching the overall customer experience. Encouraging customers to visit stores for various services allows brand to enhance brand presence, foster customer loyalty, and capitalize on cross-selling opportunities in the physical retail space.

In essence, the omnichannel journey is more than a technological upgrade; it is a strategic imperative for brands aiming to thrive in the evolving e-commerce landscape. The emphasis on providing a seamless, unified, and efficient customer experience across all touchpoints is key to meeting the expectations of today’s consumers and securing a competitive edge in the retail market.

Although ecommerce sales strategies have been dominated by B2C businesses, B2B brands have also become adept at leveraging it to sell their products or services. Thanks to the increased internet penetration across the country and the pandemic’s influence on changing customer preferences, B2B ecommerce is looking at a bright future. It is however important to note that selling to individual customers and selling to organizations are two different ball games, especially when it comes to internal processes, sales and marketing, format of messaging, and customer experience. 

What if there was a way to transform the way your B2B business functions, allowing you to expand your distribution network, sell across existing channel partners seamlessly, and efficiently integrate every business application you will ever need on a single platform? 

To help you navigate the complexities of the B2B world, we at Tenovia developed a fully hosted and integrated platform suited for all kinds of businesses – whether you’re a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor. 

Switch up your B2B ecommerce gameplan with 10commerce 

With 10commerce, you can expand your B2B business, find new channel partners, quicken your time to market, and improve your catalog discovery among your distribution network. You can also expose your entire inventory across your value chain to boost sales and ROI. 

Our platform can help scale your business in an agile and sustainable manner. In addition to effective B2B ecommerce planning and marketing strategies, our platform also offers best-in-class features, in-built integrations, and applications such as CRM, POS, ERP, etc. to give you an end-to-end solution that can future-proof your business. 

• Tailored B2B ecommerce solutions 

What makes 10commerce particularly effective is its flexibility and scope for customization. With the help of our personalized services, you can: 

• Boost ecommerce sales and ROI by moving existing customers online
• Discover potential new customers
• Boost revenue through omni channel sales
• Streamline distribution channels
• Optimize marketing costs and efficiency
• Integrate seamless data transfer with numerous business applications 

Depending on what you need, you can choose from the numerous features, applications, and services such as:

That’s not all. 10commerce also allows your B2B business to:

• Maximize inventory exposure by enabling retailer discovery and advertising through integrations across the ERP
• Customize your interface that helps a retailer or distributor to browse and find products 
• Customize your brand catalog by region and channel partner, while including differential pricing to minimise online-offline conflict 
• Reach out with in-built messaging to communicate offers with retail/distributor network, real time
• Onboard new sales partners and dealers that you couldn’t have found through traditional sales channels 
• Streamline the onboarding process by integrating Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and credit scoring partners
• Support existing sales teams and enabling them to take orders, set pricing, and leverage inventory 

We also provide customized solutions regardless of your existing platform infrastructure. If you don’t have a platform, don’t worry. We can directly integrate our smart B2B-capable ecommerce platform with other backend applications. If you’re in need of seamless integration, our platform offers bi-directional sync of data and business objects between applications. If you have multiple applications that need to be integrated onto a single ecommerce platform, 10commerce can do that too!   

• Superior customer experience 

10commerce allows you to effortlessly enhance customer experience through omni-channel support, including: 

1. Quick and efficient order fulfillment: With 10commerce, we provide seamless and end-to-end order life cycle solutions on a single B2B ecommerce platform. Our management system can execute complex business functions and facilitate movement between multiple warehouses, enabling a streamlined and distributed order.  

2. Streamlined distribution channels: Our platform facilitates seamless scaling of your B2B ecommerce business by allowing you to manage and sell your products or services across various channels – be it your website, a marketplace, or even a physical store.  

3. Dedicated self-service portal: We also offer a service portal module that allows B2B merchants to provide digital support to their customers. One noteworthy feature of the self-service portal is warranty management – a crucial task for B2B organizations.   

• Best-in-class B2B ecommerce features

10commerce helps you handle a wide range of complex B2B scenarios with top-tier ecommerce features such as: 

• Advanced search and filters
• Dedicated account management
• Product category management
• Customer-specific catalog
• Personalized product recommendations
• Complex pricing and bulk discounts
• Credit limits
• Custom shipping methods
• Purchase orders
• Flexible payment options

This list doesn’t cover even half the number of cutting-edge features 10commerce offers! There’s a world of features and applications for you to discover. 

The bottom line is this – 10commerce helps you control every aspect of your business. It can help you categorize and showcase digital catalogs, launch new products faster, eliminate backorders and delayed orders, scale your web store alongside your business, and boost your order processing prowess by three times and accuracy by 80%. By giving your accurate product data, 10commerce also helps you maintain live inventory and plan your procurement better. Till date, Tenoia has worked for over 100 global brands, including Levi’s, Puma, Aditya Birla, Paragon, Apollo, Raymond, Caprese, and more. 
So if you’re ready to take your B2B marketing strategy and ecommerce planning to the next level, it’s time to leverage the power of 10commerce. Reach out to the experts at Tenovia and we’ll guide you on reimagining your business.

Think back about a decade and a half ago. If you needed groceries, you could just walk to the convenience store at the end of the road and be home in about 10 minutes. Then, with the advent of supermarkets, grocery shopping became a weekly affair as people made larger purchases. Once ecommerce came into play, it became more convenient to order online than visit the store – even if you had to wait a little longer to get it delivered. 

In the early days, an ecommerce delivery service would take about 2-3 days to fulfill an order. Cut to today when same day grocery deliveries have become the new normal. But if you thought that’s fast enough, you’re mistaken. The Indian startup ecosystem is now switching to the next gear with 10-minute deliveries, except this time the convenience store comes home to you. 

How much potential does it really have?

Usually, retail commerce is shaped by consumer behaviors. But in the case of ultra-fast deliveries, quick commerce is actually changing purchase behaviors of consumers and transforming the retail market from the inside out. And this change is happening fast. According to a report by Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), the quick commerce market in India will grow 15x in the next three years, with a market size of $5.5 billion. In the past two years alone, it has seen a rise in major cities across the country, especially Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Chennai. 

A community-based online platform LocalCircles surveyed 30,000 people across 272 districts in the country and revealed that 25% of households bought their groceries online, specifically through a quick ecommerce delivery service. 71% of participants also admitted to using these ecommerce shipping solutions for last-minute purchases of essentials and impulse buys. 

RedSeer, a market research firm based in Bengaluru, also shared some significant findings. The quick commerce segment in India was valued at $300 million in 2021 and, even with the most conservative estimate, is expected to jump to $3.1 billion by 2025. As of today, quick commerce’s total addressable market (TAM) in India is estimated to be $45 billion.

Unsurprisingly, startups of all sizes are jumping onto this bandwagon, as are investors. Perhaps the most noteworthy example is that of Zepto – a relatively quiet name that suddenly took the quick commerce world by storm and secured a $60 million funding for its 10-minute ecommerce delivery service. Soon, bigger names announced similar services – including Blinkit (formerly Grofers), Swiggy Instamart, Dunzo (backed by Reliance), Ola Dash, and BigBasket BB Now. It’s no wonder that Amazon Prime’s next-day delivery pales in comparison. 

So, how does it work?

To ensure ecommerce shipping and delivery in 10 minutes, wide scale distributed inventory is essential. That’s why quick ecommerce startups are setting up smaller warehouses – known as dark stores – closer to customers’ homes. But dark stores aren’t the only way quick commerce companies are achieving efficiency. Using technology, these startups are considering various other factors such as TAM (i.e., the number of households in the area), road and traffic conditions, location accessibility, local weather patterns, etc. 

What’s more, these dark stores are also focused on keeping smaller stock keeping units (SKUs) of <2,000, compared to over 1 lakh units usually kept in larger warehouses. To optimize the inventory and shipping cost, these SKUs are decided based on order patterns of nearby customers. Each dark store only serves a radius of 2-3 km and stocks high-frequency items pertaining to its service region. In contrast to traditional supermarket models, quick commerce relies on fewer options in order to optimize speed of ordering and delivery. For example, offering customers a smaller range of day-to-day products such as bread, eggs, tea, etc., can simplify inventory and reduce the time taken to make a choice and place the order. 

Aadit Palicha, Zepto’s CEO and Cofounder in conversation with The Indian Express, revealed that with this accelerated ecommerce shipping model, the process of packaging to dispatch takes less than a minute on average. Blinkit’s CEO Albinder Dhindsa said that all their partner stores are placed within 2 km of their customers. He also claimed that the density of their dark stores makes it possible for their delivery executives to meet 90% of their orders within 15 minutes even if they’re riding at just 10 kmph. In the past six months, more than 1,000 dark stores have popped up around the country. 

How can your startup gain an edge?

Despite being fairly new, the number of players in the quick commerce segment is growing aggressively. For a smaller startup to go up against industry giants can be a challenge. But there are a few steps you can take to improve your chances of carving a niche. 

• Focus on scale: An experimental ecommerce model in its nascent stages isn’t going to be the most profitable at this time. Your best bet to enter and sustain yourself in this market is to play the long game – scale up and capture market share. 

• Push for subscription models: If your 10-minute ecommerce delivery service deals with everyday groceries or another segment with high-frequency ordering, introducing a subscription model can help you further streamline your processes and boost revenues.   

• Invest in technology: Be it warehouse and inventory management, supply chain logistics, metric tracking, real-time analytics, or regional utilization, let technology do the work for you.   

• Bring in the experts: A dedicated team of ecommerce experts can help you better strategize your communications and cut the clutter in an increasingly crowded space. It is ideal to find an experienced ecommerce partner who can provide comprehensive services in analytics, marketing, marketplace support, and more.   

Some believe the 10-minute delivery model is the future, some think of it as a passing fad, while others believe it will simply become another option in the growing gamut of ecommerce services. Regardless of how it plays out, it is definitely a path worth exploring.