Why Ecommerce SEO Matters Now More Than Ever
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every area of life, including our nation’s shopping habits. Seemingly overnight, retail stores across the country shuttered their doors. Images of empty malls appeared on the evening news. Some small retailers hurried to set up local delivery and curbside pickup options, while others simply called it a day and went home.
With little warning, Americans had their daily routines confined to the walls of their homes. Work, fitness, beauty, self care, dining, and entertainment all become solitary at-home activities. “Social distancing” transitioned from a media buzzword to our new reality.
The Rise of Online Shopping During COVID-19
Amidst the stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders, Americans didn’t stop shopping; quite the opposite, in fact. Between early-March and mid-April, ecommerce spending in the United States was up more than 30% compared with the same period last year.
Shopify was reporting Black Friday levels of traffic day after day by mid-April. Meanwhile, ecommerce giant Amazon reached an all-time high stock price as the company celebrated record-breaking sales. News of nation-wide toilet paper shortages made headlines and became a running joke on social media.
But as it turns out, the human tendency to stock up on supplies during a crisis doesn’t just extend to essentials like paper products and hand sanitizer. Entertainment items experienced some of the highest year-over-year growth in online shopping dollars this spring: book sales alone surged 295% compared to last year’s numbers.
Other winners in the pandemic-induced ecommerce boom included sports equipment, toys, games, electronics, pet supplies, home improvement, and health and beauty products.
As Americans began to adapt to the new normal of life in quarantine, they turned to products that foster feelings of comfort and joy. Scented candles, massage appliances, hand mixers, and bakeware—all items that offer a mental escape from these stressful times—experienced significant year-over-year growth during March and April.
Sadly, not all businesses have flourished in the wake of COVID-19. In a time where retailers have been left to sink or swim by their own efforts, many have failed to keep up with the rapidly changing market—and for some, this has meant closing their doors for good.
Ecommerce SEO: A Key to Success
While there are many factors that could impact a retailer’s success during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most important is the performance of their website. In simplest terms, ecommerce SEO is the practice of optimizing an ecommerce website around targeted keywords with the goal of helping that website rank higher on search engine results pages.
Unlike paid search marketing, SEO focuses on increasing the amount of organic traffic your ecommerce site receives from search engines. Common strategies include keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO fixes.
Of course, retailers have a lot to think about when building their online marketing strategies: paid ads, social media, email marketing, influencer collaborations…so just how essential is it to drive organic traffic from search engines?
According to a 2019 report, organic search accounts for 43% of all traffic to ecommerce websites. By comparison, social media and email—two channels that online retailers often dedicate a significant portion of their marketing dollars to—make up 5% and 4% of ecommerce web traffic, respectively.
Perhaps even more compelling is the knowledge that a whopping 75% of web users who perform a search query either click on the first one or two results, visit multiple results from page one, or scan page one looking for the most relevant answer to their question. In other words, 75% of users only look at the first page of search engine results.
Here’s what that all boils down to: organic search has the potential to become a goldmine of free, recurring traffic—if you know how to leverage it to your advantage. On the other hand, if your website isn’t ranking on page one for the products you sell, you could be missing out on thousands of dollars in sales per month.
This is especially true in the wake of COVID-19, when millions of consumers have shifted their focus toward online shopping. Even as states ease their stay-at-home restrictions and allow retailers to reopen, the brick-and-mortar situation continues to look grim. Consumers are cautious about returning to pre-virus habits, and shopping malls remain largely empty. Some retailers have opted to keep their stores closed until capacity restrictions are lifted completely.
Get Started with Ecommerce SEO Today
As society continues to adapt to life during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we keep observing the its' impact on e-commerce, SEO for ecommerce websites will only become more essential. Now more than ever, it’s critical to get your website into the best shape possible to take advantage of this surge in online shopping. If your site isn’t optimized, you could be losing thousands of potential sales to your competitors.
Does your ecommerce business have a strong SEO strategy? Do you have any questions about how to integrate ecommerce SEO best practices into your business? Leave them in the comments below, and let’s discuss.
Rather leave SEO to the experts so you can focus on managing your online retail business? Request your free, zero-obligation SEO quote today to learn more and get started.