Having great product pages is important for your sales. After all, it’s where people decide to click that buy button. Besides optimizing your product pages for user experience, you also want to make sure these pages work for your SEO. You might think this is obvious. That’s why we’ll show you a few less obvious elements of product page SEO in this post. And we’ll explain why it’s so important to take these things into account. Let’s go!
1. The basics of product page SEO
First things first: a product page on an online store is a page too. This means that all the SEO things that matter for your content pages, matter for your product pages as well. Of course, there’s a lot more to product page SEO. But for now, this will be your basic optimization. Tip: If you offer not-so-exciting products on your site, you may want to read our post on SEO for boring products.
Let’s start with the basics.
1. A great title
Try to focus on the product name. And include the manufacturer name, if applicable. In addition, if your product is a small part of a larger machine (screw, tube) for example, you should include the SKU as well. People might search for that specifically.
2. A proper and unique product description
While it might be tempting to use the same description as the product’s manufacturer, you really shouldn’t. That description might be found on hundreds of websites, which means it’s duplicate content and a sign of low quality for your website (to Google). Remember, you want to prevent duplicate content at all times!
Now, you might think: “But all my other content (content pages, category pages, blog) is unique!” However, if the content on hundreds of product pages isn’t unique, then the majority of your website’s content still won’t be up to par. So make time to create unique content! And if you need help, the Yoast WooCommerce SEO plugin comes with a product-specific content and SEO analysis that helps you produce great product descriptions.
3. An inviting meta description
A product page usually contains a lot of general information, like the product’s dimensions or your company’s terms of service. To avoid Google using that unrelated text in a meta description, you want to add a meta description to your product pages. It’s arguably even more important than adding one to your content pages!
Next, try to come up with unique meta descriptions. This can be difficult sometimes. You might come up with a sort of template, where you only change the product name per product. That’s okay to start with. But ideally, all your meta descriptions should be unique.
4. Pick a great and easy-to-remember URL
We recommend that you use the product name in the URL. However, make sure that the URL is still readable for site visitors! Keep it short and simple.
5. Add high-quality and well-optimized images with proper ALT text
Include the product name in at least the main product image. This will help you do better in visual search. Also, don’t forget video — if applicable.
6. Focus on your product page UX
Last but not least: UX, or user experience. This is an important step, because it’s all about making your product pages as user-friendly as possible. Plus, it’s an important part of holistic SEO. There are many parts to UX, which is why we wrote a post with product page UX examples. Give it a read!
Read more: Write great product descriptions with WooCommerce SEO »
2. Add structured data for your products and get rich results
Structured data is an essential part of a modern SEO strategy. You simply can’t do without structured data for your product pages anymore, because they help your product page stand out. For example, there is a specific Product
schema that helps you get highlighted search results, so-called rich results. These are great for your site’s visibility, and they can also increase your click-through rate! And if you mark up customers’ reviews with Review
structured data, they will show up in the search results. Seeing those beautiful stars underneath a product page will convince people they should check out your site!
Another reason to add it is to manage expectations from customers. Your visitors will know your price up front and that the product is still in stock. How’s that for user experience!
Search engines will understand your page better
Structured data is also important for your product page SEO because the major search engines came up with this markup, not the W3C consortium. Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex agreed upon this markup, so they could identify product pages and all the product elements and characteristics more easily. Why? So they could a) understand these pages a lot better and b) show you rich snippets like this:
The Product
schema tells the search engine more about the product. It could include characteristics like product description, manufacturer, brand, name, dimensions, and color, but also the SKU we mentioned earlier. The Offer
schema includes more information on price and availability, like currency and stock. It can even include something called priceValidUntil
to let search engines know that the price offer is for a limited time only.
Many options to add structured data for product page SEO
Schema.org has a lot of options, but only a limited set of properties are supported by search engines. For instance, look at Google’s page on product page structured data to see what search engines expect in your code and what they can do with it.
This is why you want to add Schema.org data for product page SEO: It’s easier to recognize for Google, and it makes sure to include important extras in Google already. If you have a WooCommerce shop, our WooCommerce SEO plugin takes care of a lot of this stuff behind the scenes.
Keep reading: Rich results, structured data and Schema: a visual guide to help you understand »
3. Add real reviews
Reviews are important. In fact, 95% of consumers say that they check reviews before buying anything online. Although not everyone trusts online reviews, a lot of people do, so they can be very helpful.
If you are a local company, online reviews are even more important. Most reviews tend to be extremely positive, but it might just be the negative reviews that give a better sense of what is going on with a company or product. In addition, getting awesome testimonials is another way of showing your business means business.
Try to get your customers to leave reviews, then show the reviews on your product page. Do you get a negative review? Contact the writer, find out what’s wrong and try to mitigate the situation. Maybe they can turn their negative review into a positive one. Plus: You’ve gained new insights into your work.
If you’re not sure how to get those ratings and reviews, check out our blog post: how to get ratings and reviews for your business. And don’t forget to mark up your reviews and ratings with Review
and Rating
schema so search engines can pick them up and show rich results on the search results pages.
4. Make your product page lightning fast
People don’t like to wait. Especially in today’s mobile-focused world, every second counts. Even more so if you spend a lot of time and energy trying to get that potential customer to your product page in the first place. People expect a fast page, and Google does too. Of course, there’s a lot you can do to improve your site speed. To get you started, here’s a post about how to improve your Core Web Vital scores.
5. User test your product page
Looking at numbers in Google Analytics, Search Console or other analytical tools can give you insight into how people find and interact with your page. These insights can help you improve the performance of a page even more. But there’s another way to ensure that your product page is as awesome as it can be: user testing.
How user testing can help you
Testers can find loads of issues for you: terrible use of images (including non-functioning galleries), bad handling of out-of-stock products, or inaccurate shipping information and return information, which can lead to trust issues. Now, you might be thinking: Surely, my website doesn’t have those issues! But you’d be surprised.
In their 2021 Product Page UX research project, the Baymard Institute found that “the average site has 24 structural UX issues on its product pages, and only 18% of the 60 top-grossing US and European ecommerce sites have a “good” or “acceptable” product page UX performance. The vast majority of benchmarked sites — 82% — have a “poor” or “mediocre” performance. And no sites have a “state of the art” product page UX performance.” You can read this fascinating study on their Product Page UX site.
While you compare your product pages to external user research, don’t forget to do your own user testing! Doing proper research will give you eye-opening results that you probably wouldn’t have found yourself.
Bonus: Build trust and show people your authenticity
Getting a stranger to buy something on your site involves a lot of trust. Someone needs to know you are authentic before handing you their hard-earned money, right? Google puts a lot of emphasis on the element of trust — It’s all over their famous Search Quality Raters Guidelines. The search engine tries to evaluate trust and expertise by looking at online reviews, the accolade a site or its authors receive, and much more.
This is why it’s so important that your About us and Customer service pages are in order. Make sure people can easily find your contact information, information about returns and shipping, payment, privacy, et cetera. This will build that trust for your customers. So, don’t forget!
Conclusion: Be serious about your product page SEO
If you’re serious about optimizing your product page, you shouldn’t focus on regular SEO and user experience alone. You’ll have to dig deeper into other aspects of your product pages. For instance, you could add the Product
and Offer
Schema, so Google can easily index all the details about your product and show these as rich results in the search results. In addition, you should make your product pages fast, add user reviews, and try to enhance your website’s trustworthiness. And don’t forget to test everything you do!
Need a helping hand? Be sure to check out our ecommerce SEO training course. Learn what ecommerce SEO entails, how to optimize your site and boost your online presence. Want to get your products ranking in the shopping search results? We’ll tell you how. Start your free trial lesson today! Full access to Yoast SEO academy is included in Yoast SEO Premium.
Check out our overview of product page must-haves
To help you stay on top of your product pages, we created a PDF that you can use to optimize your product pages. Most of what’s discussed in this blog post can be found in the PDF, plus more tips! Just click on the image to go to the PDF and download it.
Read on: 7 ways to improve product descriptions in your online store »
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One Reply to “Product page SEO: 5 things to improve”
In the ever-competitive world of e-commerce, having an effective Product Page SEO strategy is vital for driving organic traffic, attracting potential customers, and ultimately boosting sales. Your product pages serve as digital storefronts, and making them search engine-friendly is essential. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into five critical aspects of Product Page SEO, utilizing relevant keywords and best practices extracted from the web, to help you enhance your online store’s visibility and conversion rates.
1. Keyword Research and Optimization
The foundation of any effective Product Page SEO strategy is keyword research. Conducting thorough keyword research enables you to identify the search terms and phrases that potential customers use when looking for products similar to yours. Here are the key steps to consider:
Keyword Selection: Choose relevant keywords that accurately describe your products. This includes primary keywords (e.g., «running shoes») and long-tail keywords (e.g., «men’s lightweight running shoes for marathon»).
Competitor Analysis: Analyze the keywords your competitors are targeting. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can provide insights into competitor keywords.
Search Volume: Evaluate the search volume and competition level for your chosen keywords. Aim for a balance between high search volume and manageable competition.
Keyword Placement: Once you’ve selected your keywords, strategically place them on your product page. Include them in the page title, meta description, headers, product descriptions, and image alt tags.
User Intent: Understand the user intent behind each keyword. Are users looking for product information, reviews, or ready to make a purchase? Tailor your content to match their intent.
2. High-Quality Product Descriptions
Compelling product descriptions are not only essential for SEO but also for convincing potential customers to make a purchase. Here are some tips for creating product descriptions that excel in both areas:
Unique and Detailed: Avoid using manufacturer-provided descriptions. Craft unique, detailed descriptions that highlight the key features and benefits of your products.
Use Bullet Points: Organize information using bullet points for easy readability. This format is favored by both users and search engines.
Keyword Inclusion: Incorporate your chosen keywords naturally within the product description. Avoid keyword stuffing, which can lead to penalties from search engines.
Answer Questions: Anticipate and answer common customer questions within the product description. This can improve user experience and reduce bounce rates.
3. High-Quality Product Images and Alt Tags
Visual appeal is a crucial factor in online shopping, and product images play a significant role in attracting and retaining customers. Here’s how to optimize your product images for SEO:
High-Resolution Images: Use high-quality, high-resolution images that showcase your products from various angles.
Image Alt Tags: Assign descriptive and keyword-rich alt tags to your images. Alt tags not only improve accessibility but also help search engines understand your images.
File Names: Rename image files to be descriptive and include relevant keywords. Avoid generic file names like «IMG12345.jpg.»
Image Size and Compression: Optimize image size and use compression to ensure fast page loading times. Slow-loading pages can negatively impact SEO and user experience.
4. User Reviews and Ratings
User-generated content, such as reviews and ratings, can significantly impact your product page’s SEO and credibility. Encourage customers to leave reviews, and here’s why they matter:
Increased Trust: User reviews build trust and provide social proof, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
Fresh Content: Reviews add fresh, relevant content to your product pages, indicating to search engines that the page is regularly updated.
Long-Tail Keywords: User reviews often contain long-tail keywords and phrases that potential customers use in their searches. These can contribute to better rankings.
Structured Data Markup: Implement structured data markup (e.g., schema.org) to enhance the visibility of ratings and reviews in search engine results.
5. Mobile-Friendly Design and Page Speed
Mobile optimization and page speed are integral to both SEO and user experience. As mobile shopping continues to grow, having a mobile-friendly product page is critical. Consider these factors:
Responsive Design: Ensure that your product pages are responsive and display correctly on various devices and screen sizes.
Page Speed Optimization: Improve page loading times by optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing HTTP requests.
Mobile Usability: Test the mobile usability of your product pages and address any issues that may hinder user experience on mobile devices.
Structured Data for Rich Snippets: Implement structured data to enable rich snippets in search results, which can enhance your product pages’ visibility.
In conclusion, optimizing your product pages for SEO is an ongoing process that involves meticulous keyword research, compelling content creation, user-generated reviews, and technical considerations like mobile-friendliness and page speed. By focusing on these critical aspects and incorporating relevant keywords and best practices, you can significantly improve your product pages’ visibility in search engines and create a seamless shopping experience for your customers. Remember that SEO is a dynamic field, so stay updated with the latest trends and adapt your strategy accordingly to maintain a competitive edge in the e-commerce landscape.
Team marketingratis.com https://marketingratis.com/2023/09/03/advertising-in-the-united-states-ads-united-states/