Learn the basics and how to utilize optimization online
Here at Spaceshop, we believe that sugarcoating things delays the process, and in an industry such as eCommerce, falling behind can lead to your demise. That being said, we are going to put it plain and simple: you are your business. Modern marketing tools include things such as keyword research and your business must know how these searches work, what your consumers are typing in, and how to show up in the right places at the right times. You are the starting point for finding this information, but you must also follow the data and listen to what the customers are telling you with performance metrics. We’re going to breakdown the basics and how companies are utilizing consumer data.
What Is An SEO?
So as the title suggests, you may be wondering what exactly SEO stands for and what it does. SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization, and the way it works is actually quite fascinating:
- As an overview, search engines (for sake of example, we will be using Google) pull up a list of websites based on a person’s search, and ranks them from top to bottom in terms of importance and relativity.
- A brand’s first step in utilizing SEO is to figure out what their target audience searches for on Google. The keywords and phrases that are used by consumers when searching for a product are stored into a database; these are called common search terms.
- Common search terms and their prevalence on a website will determine your place on Google’s list of websites, but it doesn’t stop there. Many websites who have established their place on the list won’t give up their spot so easily.
- Website age and the number of pages they have play a large role in getting ranked on Google’s list, but the main factor is keeping your common search terms in the important places on your page. Google is smart however, and simply riddling your page with keywords or abusing the meta keywords tags won’t get you ranked higher. So what do you need? Links.
- “But Spaceshop, how do links help?” We’re glad you asked! When other sites link back to your page, Google infers that your site is legitimate, well received, and relevant. This increases your spot on their list, and saves you from the dreaded second search page that very few dare to visit.
Optimizing Your Brand on Amazon
Now that SEO has been explained, we’d like to delve deeper into how Amazon utilizes SEO and what it means for your brand.
Become Content with Your Product Content
The very first thing we want to say is that every brand should have an Amazon storefront. Yes, every brand.
With 55% of consumers starting their searches on Amazon, and 90% using Amazon at some point to price check products, storefronts are crucial. Storefronts act as brand pages, a place for businesses to tell consumers who they are, what they’re selling, and why they should choose them. Your products should be front and center, should feature lifestyle photos, and be easily navigable. Below is an example of a great storefront:
Above is another storefront that we think highlights all the points we’ve made thus far. In pink, we have a navigation that is straight-forward and easy to use, giving customers access to this brand’s product listing gallery. In red, we have a lifestyle photo that gives customers an idea of how the product will look in their home. In blue, we have the product name, and highlighted in yellow beneath that, we have keywords and phrases that customers will search for. Finally, in orange (and in the white space above), there is a variety of photos of products this brand sells. This is a great example of a well-made storefront.
Storefronts present your business with a great opportunity to capitalize on internal and external traffic sources as well as a chance to look at metrics that measure advertisement success. Remember when we talked about how Google ranks websites during searches? Well Amazon does the same thing, and as storefronts draw in more attention, Amazon ranks your product higher and higher.
Amazon gives you many ways to fully optimize your brand, including tools such as:
- Storefronts (of course)
- Marketplaces
- A+ Pages
- Product Listing Galleries
- Amazon Live
“Alexa, Buy My Brand”
The last thing we would like to touch on is optimizing for the one and only–Alexa. While Alexa is always available to answer your questions without judgement (been there, done that), she is programmed to also add things to your cart directly from Amazon.
A few years ago nearly every Amazon listing was four lines long and stuffed with keywords. Now more and more categories are getting title templates assigned to them. This isn’t just to satisfy an Amazon exec’s OCD; it’s to make voice ordering easier.
Amazon is using their giant catalog and ubiquitous voice devices to create new habits. By asking Alexa for deals, you get some customized sale items, which leads to a shopping habit that is even less friction-less than ordering on mobile devices. After listing deals, Alexa will ask if you’d like to add the product to your cart, and if you have any questions about the product, she will attempt to answer you, provide reviews, and more.
Our handy-dandy friend Alexa can also review your order history and pull products directly from it. For example, if one were to say, “Alexa, order dog treats,” she would respond with:
“Ok, based on your order history, I found Milk-Bone Marosnacks Dog Treats. It’s $8.38. Would you like me to buy it?”
Think about Alexa and Echo devices when adding content. Your question answers, descriptions, bullets, and titles can all help you present well on voice enabled devices.
We understand that this may be a lot of information to take in at once, and applying it to your business can take time, effort, further research, and costs that you simply may not have, but no worries: we’re here for you. Spaceshop Commerce is part of the Amazon Solution Provider Network and has a team of experts ready to help you optimize your brand across multiple channels. Reach out to us today, and let us create a storefront for you that is out of this world.
