Tons of ecommerce brands publish content just for the sake of publishing content. They miss the fact that on its own, content doesn’t do much.
You’ll never connect with potential customers that way.
Ecommerce content optimization is all about striking that balance to connect with your target audience.
Why Content Matters for Ecommerce Businesses
A lot of DTC brands focus primarily on the look and feel of their ecommerce store. They create a great website and run ads for their product pages. They might have a few wins in search engine results because of their existing brand awareness.
But, without a targeted SEO strategy, none of that content ranks or converts as well as it could.
There are a few reasons optimized content is so essential to growth in the ecom space:
- More traffic = more sales. Especially when it’s targeted traffic (e.g., your customer wants to find an answer to a problem, then they come across your blog post answering that question), you’re automatically top-of-mind when they want to buy. This might be as soon as they finish reading. Or, it could be months down the line.
- SEO is a zero-sum game. If you aren’t getting traffic, we promise you your competitors are.
- Being a source of information is the best way to build trust. When you help customers solve their problems before they even buy your product, you set yourself up as the expert in your space.
- Customers spend more when they’re happy with the experience. A higher average order value (and, by extension, customer lifetime value) follows right behind high-quality content that connects with your target audience.
Research from the Content Marketing Institute reveals that 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of their B2C counterparts use content marketing in their overall strategy. And 91% of those who do report having success, according to a Semrush survey.
Ecommerce content optimization ensures your content reaches its full potential. Since you’re already investing in it, that’s obviously the end goal, isn’t it?
What Types of Content Should You Create?
Since DTC entails short sales cycles and ad hoc purchases, ecommerce content is primarily geared toward helping shoppers with decision-making and completing a purchase. It’s less focused on nurturing than SaaS content, for example.
The main goals of ecommerce content are to:
- Solve customer problems (or bring them to their attention)
- Explore user experiences with products or services
- Compare and contrast competing solutions
- Share stories of successful customers using the product
- Offer tips, tricks, advice, and best practices for current and potential customers
Let’s look at a few types of content that can help you achieve these goals.
Product Pages, Descriptions, and FAQs
Ecommerce product pages are the cornerstone of ecommerce websites.
They’re the pages you’ll use to sell your customers. They’re also the pages they will use to buy the product (if they’re convinced, that is).
Because of this duality, product page optimization requires you to strike the perfect balance between functionality and storytelling.
There are a few different elements of ecommerce product pages. The exact layout and type of content you’ll include in them will depend on the type of ecommerce site you’re running.
Marketplaces like Amazon will have more generalized content, while unique brands typically get more creative with their website and how they communicate their product’s benefits.
In general, you’ll have the following elements:
Product descriptions. These are the main places to communicate what the product is and why it’s useful. They appear before the first scroll and are meant to highlight the most critical information about your product (e.g., main use cases, who it’s for, problems it solves, unique selling propositions).
Images. On the left-hand side of the page, you’ll include multiple photos from different angles to help customers visualize the product in use. Your main image will be a basic, frontal view of your product. Your other images will be more creative (e.g., lifestyle images).
Product-specific information. This could be ingredients, technical specs, usage instructions, quality guarantees, or product innovation. You might make these clickable on the first scroll, or scrollable like a landing page.
Reviews and ratings. This is a great way to show potential customers that others have had positive experiences with your product. More than 90% of today’s customers trust reviews as if they’re personal recommendations. Without great reviews on your site, fewer people will buy.
Suggested products. Helping customers find more of what they like based on their past purchases or behavior is a great way to increase their chances of making a purchase (or spending more).
FAQs. This section belongs at the bottom of your page. It helps customers learn more about the product and answers common questions they might have.
Category Pages and FAQs
A category page is a landing page that helps shoppers navigate through related products. It can be a good way to showcase your best offerings or display top-selling products of a certain variety.
They typically include the following elements:
- Product title
- Hero image
- Basic product info (e.g., sizes)
- Quick view
- Call to action button
- Side navigation with filters and sorting options
- FAQ section
The main goal when optimizing category pages is navigability. You want shoppers to be able to find the product they’re looking for quickly and without any hassle. There generally isn’t much written content on these pages because their main purpose is to help customers narrow down their search.
Product Lists, Comparison Pages, and Best-Ofs
A product list displays multiple products at once. It’s typically used to show related or trending items, but it can also be a great place for discounts or promotions.
Product comparison pages let customers look at two or more products side by side. This is especially useful with digital shopping experiences, where customers can’t physically compare multiple products and may not know which one suits their needs.
Best-ofs are typically used to show your highly rated or trending products. You might also include best-ofs in product categories if you have multiple models of the same product type.
Blog Posts, Tutorials, and Videos
Blog posts are a great way to provide helpful content around the product you’re selling. You can use blog posts to show:
- How your product works
- Why it’s unique
- How people can use it to solve specific problems
You can also use your blog to cover top-of-the-funnel topics surrounding your product. Scrub Daddy, for instance, uses its blog to provide helpful cleaning tips and tricks.
Tutorials and videos teach customers how to use your products (or get the most out of them). If your product is complex or innovative, you should include tutorials on your product pages in addition to a dedicated page.
How to Get Started
There are two sides to ecommerce content optimization:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Ecommerce SEO is all about maximizing your site’s visibility on search engines.
When someone types a word, phrase, or question into Google, you or a competitor will show up. Most of the time, they’ll click one of the options they see first. SEO ensures it’s your brand at the top.
To simplify, there are a few key things you can do to get started:
- Do an audit. First and foremost, you need to understand where your site stands currently. Audit your pages, keywords, backlinks, and more to see what’s working and what needs improvement. Use free SEO tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to get an idea of how your existing content is performing.
- Fix simple errors. Fixing 400/500 errors, broken links, or a missing meta description could help you start ranking higher almost immediately.
- Conduct keyword research. Then, separate them based on search intent. Match product and category pages to commercial keywords and blog posts to informational ones.
- Look into your competitors. Research the keywords they target and how they optimize their product pages. This can help you understand what tactics are successful in your niche and how to differentiate yourself.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Traffic is worthless if you don’t convert it. Ecommerce conversion rate optimization is all about finding out what customers want and how you can give it to them. That’s how you drive sales.
To get started with CRO:
- Start A/B testing. A/B testing is a great way to figure out which elements of your site are working (and which ones aren’t). You can test things like call-to-action buttons, headlines, product images, and more.
- Analyze user behavior. Use tools like Hotjar or Google Analytics to understand how users interact with your site. Are they abandoning their cart before checking out? Do they click the CTA button but not buy? These insights can help you optimize your pages for better conversions.
- Gather customer feedback. Ask customers directly what they think about your ecommerce website and why they’re choosing to buy (or not). You could also find out how helpful they found th
Really, the best route is to hire a reputable ecommerce SEO agency to manage all that. That way, you can focus on making your product great and growing your business.
Content Optimization for Product Pages
Once you’ve ironed out the basics, start here. Every product that doesn’t appear on a search engine results page for a certain keyword is thousands (or millions, depending on the size of your company) in top-line revenue you’re missing out on.
Descriptions
Most importantly, your description should be on-brand. Focus on the main features and benefits of your product. This is also a great place to include keywords, but you have to make them natural-sounding.
Whether or not you include one key phrase in your description won’t really impact your rankings, all things considered, so don’t fall into the trap of keyword stuffing.
Headlines (Product Titles)
If you can, include your main focus keyword in your product title. This should be done after you’ve finished the rest of your page, as it will help inform other elements, like meta titles and descriptions.
How-Tos
Companies using video have 34% higher conversion rates, on average. It’ll have an even greater impact if:
- Your product requires assembly or installation
- You’re selling a complex and/or technical product
- Your target audience is tech-savvy
- The product has special use cases or unassuming features
Images
Use high-quality images, but don’t use images that are too large. Compress them for faster loading times. And use alt text so search engine crawlers can understand what the image is about.
CTAs
Make sure your product page’s CTAs are easy to see. On mobile devices, they should be large and centered. On desktop interfaces, they should be at the top of the page or on either side.
“You May Also Like…”
The easiest way to increase your average order value is by including a “You May Also Like” section on each product page. This includes items customers frequently buy together or related products based on your customer’s browsing history.
If you have multiple models of the same product, feature them here. If you’re selling complementary products, use this section to promote those too.
Product Reviews
Social proof sells. Seeing reviews for a product helps shoppers make informed purchase decisions.
You can also use customer feedback to inform future content (in addition to product improvements).
FAQ Section
This is your chance to add keywords (and rank for certain questions) while guiding your customers toward an informed decision.
Put your FAQ section at the bottom, and make each question easy to skim using a clickable drop-down interface. Keep your answers concise — a couple of paragraphs at most.
Ecommerce Blog Content Optimization
Blog content optimization is different from optimizing product pages. Someone visiting your online store to shop is different from someone looking for information.
While these pages should be short and sweet for conversions, you can focus on keyword optimization much more heavily on your blog. Customers are likely to enter more specific queries, and they’re willing to read content if it answers their questions.
Here are a few ideas for content you should focus on:
Product Roundups and Buyer’s Guides
Write product roundups and buyer’s guides to help your customers shop more effectively.
For instance:
- “The Best Laptops for College Students under $500”
- “How to Choose the Right Mattress”
- “The Ultimate Guide to Buying a Refrigerator”
- “5 Signs You Need a New TV”
- “3 Ways to Clean Your Bathroom in Under 10 Minutes”
This type of content is great for SEO because people are always searching for information on how to make purchase decisions.
They’re also fantastic for conversions because you can position your product as the best option and directly place internal links to product pages.
Seasonal Content
If it’s one thing shoppers love, it’s the holidays. Prepare seasonal content a few months in advance to capitalize on holiday traffic.
Here are a few examples:
- “Gift Guide for Mother’s Day”
- “The Ultimate Holiday Shopping Checklist”
- “8 Essential Décor Ideas for the Fall Season”
The key here is to create content you can use to highlight your product’s benefits. For example, an athletic wear company could write a blog post about what to wear to stay cool during the summer or how to dress for a winter workout.
Tutorials and How-To Guides
Just as with product pages, how-to content is great for selling because it helps people make informed decisions.
You could create content like:
- “How to Care for Your Leather Shoes”
- “5 Tips for Decorating a Small Space”
- “The Best Way to Clean Your Kitchen Sink”
- “How to Cut Your Own Hair”
These helpful guides not only show customers that you’re an expert in your field, but they also give them a sense of ownership over their purchases by helping them understand how to care for and use their products after buying.
Tips for Optimizing Ecommerce Content
We’ve talked about the types of content you can create and how to structure it, but we haven’t discussed the full extent of ecommerce optimization.
Most online stores get at least one of the following areas wrong:
Include keywords, but don’t stuff them.
The most common issue we see with ecommerce content is keyword stuffing. Tons of ecommerce website owners think they need to add every specific keyword into a piece of content to rank for it. And they rely too heavily on content optimization tools that can help them do this.
Don’t sacrifice readability for optimization. Write in a way that makes sense, and always prioritize the customer experience.
Don’t sleep on UGC.
User-generated content (UGC) is the best kind of video content. It’s authentic. It’s relatable. It shows off your products in real-life situations (from real users).
70% of customers say they consider UGC when making purchases, and it’s the easiest type of content to make because all you have to do is post it.
If you have a sizable customer base, you might have UGC content out there already. Search brand/product-related keywords on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube first.
Then, solicit content from influencers, brand evangelists, and past customers. Ask them to create content, or offer incentives for users who tag your store in their own posts.
Add schema markup.
Schema markup makes it easier for search engine crawlers to interpret the data on your product pages. This helps them understand what you’re selling, how much it costs, and any other information they need to crawl your website.
When your relevant products appear for search queries, it will include some of this data in the form of rich snippets. Your customers can immediately continue their purchase journey on the right track without having to navigate through your whole ecommerce store.
The end result is better on-site conversions and a way higher CTR.
Use internal linking for cross-selling and upselling.
Internal linking is essential for ecommerce SEO. It helps Google crawl and index your website more effectively. Plus, it makes your site more navigable and helps buyers continue shopping.
You can add internal links in a few places:
- “You may also like…” section
- In blog posts (to other content and product pages)
- In product descriptions (but do so sparingly)
- On reviews and FAQs
The most important thing to remember when linking to other website content is to do so without compromising the user experience. It’s incredibly valuable when it adds context (such as a blog post that elaborates on an FAQ question or a product suggestion that relates to what the customer was looking at).
If you try to internally link everything on the page that’s a keyword match, you’ll have an ugly page with tons of links and buttons, but no real value.
Focus on featured snippets.
Featured snippets are SERP entries that appear above regular organic listings. They contain a brief answer to a search query and tend to stand out from the rest of the page.
To get featured snippets, you’ll need to optimize your content for them. This means creating short (but authoritative) answers between 40 and 50 words, adding FAQ schema markup, and using proper headings and other formatting to make it easier for Google to pick up and display your content.
Again, it’s way easier to let an agency handle all this…
…especially once you get into more technical areas of ecommerce optimization like link building and technical elements that require development skills.
Working with us means you’ll have a team of seasoned pros in your corner to help you:
- Identify content gaps
- Create relevant content
- Optimize it for SERP visibility
- Develop a content calendar
- Build links to your money-making pages to supercharge your search rankings
- And most importantly, measure its impact on revenue
Even if you think you have ecommerce content optimization down to a T, you’re probably missing something.
Chat with us to leave no stone unturned.
