You’ve set up an ecommerce store, possibly on Shopify or Woocommerce, and you’re ready for the customers to start pouring in. In this two part series, we’ll discuss Search Engine Optimization (SEO) basics for your store so that you can be found in search engine results. In this first half of the series, we’ll discuss keywords and meta data for each page.

Keywords

SEO is all about keyword phrases. A keyword is a phrase that is relevant to your website because your customers might use it to describe something you sell. Keywords can be as short as one word and as long as several, but it’s been proven that “long-tail” keywords, which include more words, are better for most businesses.

Creating a list of keywords can be a process that comes together over time, but there are questions you can ask yourself to get your SEO process off to a good start right away.

First ask: what products do we sell? Then create a list of products, using several words to describe each. For our company XYZManufacturing, which sells storage containers, we might create a list like this:

• Plastic storage container with attached lid
• Clear plastic shipping bin with metal hinges
• Collapsible plastic shipping container with attached lid

Second, ask: what problems do our potential customers have that we help solve? Then phrase the SEO keyword in the words those customers might use. For our company XYZManufacturing, we might say:

• Reusable shipping containers
• Tough storage bins
• 55 gallon storage tote

Take the list of SEO keywords you come up with and check for similar keyword ideas by typing the phrases into the Google search bar and seeing what autocomplete suggests. Google also offers a Keyword Planner you can use for free. Once you come up with a long list, narrow it down by researching how often certain terms are searched by typing each one into the Keyword Planner and reviewing the traffic numbers. 

Meta data for pages 

Every page in your store has a section at the bottom called “Search engine listing preview” where you can enter a title tag and meta description.  These two page elements are essential to your SEO efforts because they are telling Google what your page is about. They also help entice customers to choose to click on the link to your page over others. 

Title tags are the primary link your webpage will show in a Google search result. They are no more than 70 characters in length and should include your keywords. Use as many of the characters as possible to include the primary purpose of your page and, if there is room, descriptive words and your company name.  For example, the About page of XYZManufacturing could be titled:

“About XYZManufacturing | Plastic Storage Containers” 

The meta description should be no more than 160 characters. Use it to write a compelling description of the page. An example for our page could be:

“About XYZ Manufacturing and the team behind the name. We are passionate about making plastic storage containers that hold up in extreme conditions.”

 A good start

Congratulations! You’re now on your way to bringing visitors to your store via organic Google searches. For more SEO tips, keep reading this two part series.

If you’d like additional assistance with your SEO efforts, please submit the form below. We’re here to help you realize your full potential as a manufacturer — let’s chat about your opportunities!