TOP 5 FIVE WAYS TO A MORE VISIBLE STORE
EMMA
July 12th, 2019
Feeling a little overshadowed and underwhelmed. Feeling like others are hogging the eCommerce limelight. Here are the top five ways to a more visible online store.
1. OPTIMIZE
This is the first step, and arguably the most important, in pleasing Google algorithms. It’s one of the most important rules of being seen. The Google search facility is biased towards websites that are designed for ‘optimization’. What that means is: your site must be easy to use and view across any kind of device, particularly mobile. If your website isn’t optimized for the multiple devices we all use, you’re not competing in your market. That’s especially true if your store is an online-only store.
How do you optimize? Start with your design. Magento V2.3 offers performance-optimized themes and layouts to support a move to a more visible and search-friendly site.
Top tip: Try it out yourself. Load your website on your phone, your tablet, your laptop, and your desktop and notice the difference.
2. EMBRACE VIDEO
Alongside Google’s preference for mobile optimization comes a penchant for video. Video is great for your SEO rankings and customers are far more engaged with video content than reams of text. In fact, embracing video is a healthy way to climb the visibility rankings.
With Magento 2.3 it’s is easier to upload video content from YouTube and other hosting sites than if you’re running your store on an older version. Put simply, if you’re on Magento 1 and you want to make full use of video, it’s advisable to upgrade your Magento site first. That way, you’ll find it easier to incorporate them into your campaigns and your site – ultimately increasing your site visibility.
New to video? No worries. If you have a high performing blog post, consider reworking some of the content to make a short explainer. It doesn’t have to be a Blockbuster. Keep it relevant.
Top tip: Keep your video titles succinct. They need to be SEO friendly but be aware that on mobile they’ll appear truncated
3. SPEED UP YOUR PAGES
While more than half of online purchases are carried out on mobile, load times are notoriously slow. This causes friction for the user. If half of your buying audience is having to wait for your page to buffer, your chances of losing them, or of them clicking away before they’ve even seen your site, is even higher. Anything slower than a couple of seconds could lose you customers. This is particularly crucial if you are using video. In fact, it was reported by mobile provider Ericsson, in their consumer research, that slow video load times caused underlying stress akin to that of being held up in the worst traffic in the world.
The simple solution to slow load? Faster technology. You’ve heard the saying: “a tradesman is only as good as his tools”? If you’re running an eCommerce site, it pays to have the latest version and the best technology. You don’t have to completely overhaul your site, but a Magento upgrade will definitely improve page load. Magento V2.3 boasts a 0.5-second load time. That’s going to beat any 2- or 3-second wait for anyone on version 1.
Top tip: Don’t forget to check your Cache Management. In Magento, this is in System. Check it’s green and on. Sudden delays in load time are sometimes the result of an ‘off’ cache setting.
4. THE KEYWORDS
Keywords and phrases are like the coordinates to a map. By plugging in the right ones, people can find exactly where your website, landing page or splash page is. They are narrative directions.
Magento V2.3 can integrate an app like Keywords Everywhere that can help you know just what words work. It will pull the data from your site and visitors to show you your search volume and cost per click. Feed this information back into great content and you’ll increase visibility and traffic.
Quality content is paramount. No keyword stuffing please; your customers will notice, as will the search engines.
Top tip: Don’t forget to label your images. Magento enables image optimization, and Google values those alt texts.
5. PREDICT WHAT YOUR BUYERS ARE SEARCHING FOR
We’re talking literally here. Start typing a word into Google and it reads your mind, right. Or at least it tries to and then suggests what you may be searching for. It’s helpful if you don’t want to type a whole phrase, letter by letter. It’s the same function that corrects your spelling or searches for what you should have typed. In short, it reduces friction, by helping customers discover what they need faster than they type it.
So, if there’s ever been a reason to upgrade your Magento site, Elasticsearch is it. This is a functionality that was previously only enabled on Magento Commerce, but now that’s Open Source it’s a beneficial part of Magento V2.3.