Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t easy for any website, and e-commerce sites have some unique SEO challenges to overcome.

These 11 SEO tips can help you tackle your e-commerce site’s SEO so you can rank higher in search engine results, and get more visitors, customers and sales for your online store.  Many of these tips apply to just about any type of website, too.

1.     Create unique content on each of your product and product category pages.
2.     Discover what shoppers are actually searching for.
3.     Create pages for categories people are searching for.
4.     Interlink your pages using good anchor text.
5.     Allow people to share your products on social media sites.
6.     Get valuable backlinks.
7.     Avoid duplicate content issues.
8.     Use descriptive URLs.
9.     Let visitors leave reviews.
10.     Include a sitemap to help Google find all your pages.
11.     Update your website content regularly.

Having a great website is not necessarily easy. Free templates tend to be generic and not compelling where paying for a website design is like a shot in the dark for most companies. At DWHS we highly recommend taking on the task on yourself. Try to just be patient, eventually it will all make since and get easier the more you do it. Here is some tips for you do it yourself website owner.

1.   Enhance Credibility: A professional and easy-to-navigate website conveys credibility to prospective and returning customers.
2. Differentiate your Brand: The look and feel of your website distinguishes your company from your competitors. The content and design of your site can play a major role in establishing your company’s identity. If done effectively, customers will remember you and you can build customer loyalty more effectively.
3. Expand Market Reach: Can your brick and mortar store in your town compete with a retailer in Manhattan? The Internet has leveled the playing field in the marketplace. You can sell your products and services to people anywhere in the world. Multilingual websites allow you to communicate with non-English speaking consumers and merchant processing and ecommerce solutions make it easy and safe to conduct transactions with individuals globally.
4. Increase Lead generation: A website is a great tool for generating sales leads. Content is key in this instance. An easy to navigate, clutter-free site can help drive sales. Tools such as pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can effectively drive traffic to your site and result in high conversion rates if you choose the right keywords. Google™ and Yahoo™ both offer conversion tracking or ad tracking software.
5. Provide Free Market Research: If you want to know what your inventory should look like, just check your site’s activity. What do your customers want? They tell you with every click. If you need specifics, conduct an online survey.
6. Enable Real-Time, No-Cost Promotions: You can promote new or enhanced products or services quickly, effectively and inexpensively online. Your customers can find, redeem and/or print out coupons online. This substantially reduces high printing and distribution costs, as well as the wait involved for printed material.
7. Open your doors 24/7: A winning website should allow you to transact business and provide customer assistance around the clock, 365 days a year.