Unlock the potential of your online store with BigCommerce SEO! In the fiercely competitive e-commerce landscape, SEO is your secret weapon. These powerful BigCommerce SEO tips will propel your business to new heights, improving search rankings and driving growth.
Table of contents
What is BigCommerce SEO?
BigCommerce SEO aligns with standard SEO principles. The platform provides users with a range of built-in SEO features, including:
- Optimized URLs: Automatically generates SEO-friendly URLs and allows customization.
- Unique URLs: Prevents duplicate content by ensuring each page has a single unique URL.
- Microdata: Includes “rich snippets” on product pages for enhanced search result listings.
- 301 Redirects and URL Rewrites: Auto-updates URLs when products are renamed and sets up redirects.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN): Enhances site speed for better search engine rankings.
BigCommerce recognizes the significance of search optimization for the growth of e-commerce businesses.
SEO Tips for BigCommerce to Enhance Your Search Rankings
Implementing these suggestions will elevate your rankings and fine-tune your content, ensuring that your target audience discovers your website.
1. Enroll in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
Ensure Google and Bing know about your BigCommerce store by registering it with these services and allowing them to crawl your site. Here’s how:
- Google Search Console: Create an account, then click on + Add Property and follow the provided instructions.
- Bing Webmaster Tools: Similar to Google Search Console, select Add a Site, and follow the given directions.
After registration, submit an XML sitemap to assist Google and Bing in indexing your website effectively.
Your sitemap is like a catalog of essential pages for search engine crawling, and BigCommerce generates it automatically. You can access it at [yourdomain].com/xmlsitemap.php.
Check out these resources for sitemap submission guidance:
2. Key Page Optimization
Prioritize the optimization of high-traffic pages, including your homepage, category pages, and product pages. These pages play a crucial role in attracting more visitors to your website, and effective on-page SEO can significantly enhance their search engine visibility. Using tools like Google Analytics and Ahrefs Site Explorer can help you identify which pages receive the most traffic.
3. User-Centric Content
Your content acts as a vital link between you and your customers, and it plays a crucial role in SEO. To make it work effectively:
- Create original, engaging content for blog posts, videos, images, and product descriptions.
- Avoid excessive keyword use, keeping your content natural.
- Ensure relevance by aligning your content with your audience’s interests.
By delivering an excellent shopping experience and appealing to both customers and search engines, you’ll boost your rankings.
4. Keyword Research
Conduct comprehensive keyword research to identify high-volume and relevant keywords for your products and content. Create lists of both head terms and long-tail phrases that relate to your products, categories, and business. Understanding the search queries your audience uses allows you to optimize your store to align with their intent.
This improves your brand’s search visibility and increases the likelihood of attracting potential customers.
5. Backlink Building
Build a strong backlink profile by earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites. Collaborate with industry influencers and leaders to create valuable and shareable content. These backlinks serve as endorsements for your BigCommerce store, signaling to search engines that your content is trustworthy and relevant.
It can have a positive impact on your search engine rankings and overall SEO performance.
6. Optimized Page Titles
- Page titles, visible in SERPs and social media shares, are vital.
- Aim for both short-tail and long-tail keywords in titles, keeping each under 60 characters.
- Write titles with the audience in mind, not just search engines.
- Your page title creates the first impression, enticing users to click.
Note: BigCommerce includes title tags automatically.
7. Effective Meta Descriptions
Crafting concise meta descriptions is vital for attracting users and indirectly impacting your SEO. In BigCommerce, optimizing these descriptions is simplified. Here’s how:
- Write clear and compelling meta descriptions within 160-165 characters.
- Avoid keyword stuffing and focus on engaging users.
- Meta descriptions don’t directly impact SEO ranking but can affect click-through rates.
- BigCommerce offers specific fields for meta descriptions, eliminating the need for code adjustments.
- Customize unique titles and descriptions for each product, utilizing relevant keywords.
- Optimize metadata for categories, products, landing pages, and blog content to enhance organic search visibility.
- Keywords in meta descriptions are boldfaced in search results, attracting user attention and potential clicks.
8. Rich Snippets Utilization
Implement rich snippets to enhance your search listings by providing additional information such as brand, ratings, reviews, stock levels, and pricing. Rich snippets help your listings stand out in search results and can improve click-through rates. They appear below your page title and meta description and offer users quick access to relevant information.
By using BigCommerce’s support for rich snippets, you can enhance your SEO and attract more traffic from search engines.
9. Clean URL Structures
Simpler URLs are great for SEO, and BigCommerce does this for product and category pages. To customize them:
- Go to the URL Structure tab.
- Click on Settings in the General section.
- Options vary by page type (e.g., product pages).
Product page URL settings:
Option for category page:
For webpage contents
10. Category Page Optimization
Optimize category pages to ensure smooth navigation for users and establish relevance between products and categories. Properly implemented breadcrumb links help users and search engines understand the hierarchy of your site.
Category pages are an essential part of your site’s structure and should be well-optimized for both search engines and user experience.
11. Heading Structure
Use headings effectively to structure your content and improve readability. Proper heading usage aids search engines in understanding the content hierarchy on your pages. By using BigCommerce’s WYSIWYG Editor, you can easily add headings to your content. Limit your usage to a single H1 heading per page and ensure it doesn’t duplicate your page title.
Clear and structured headings make your content more accessible and enhance the overall aesthetic of your site.
12. Image Optimization
Enhance image optimization by adding descriptive alt text and using appropriate file names. Alt text provides information about the image’s content and context, making it accessible to search engines and users, including those with visual impairments. Properly optimized images can also appear in Google’s image search results.
BigCommerce’s WYSIWYG Editor makes it easy to add alt text to your images.
13. Page Load Speed
Page load speed is vital for SEO and user experience. Google values faster-loading websites, especially on mobile. To optimize your BigCommerce store, consider these factors:
- Use essential scripts and minimize custom code to keep your site efficient.
- Be selective with third-party apps to avoid slowing down your site.
- Opt for web fonts that load quickly and don’t overuse them.
- Compress images for faster load times, but maintain image quality.
- Enable Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for faster mobile search results.
- Implement cache plugins to reduce dynamic loading and consolidate apps.
- Audit and simplify redirect paths to improve load times.
14. Embrace a Mobile-Friendly Design
As e-commerce expands, so does the mobile user base. Approximately 8 out of 10 Americans shop online, with 79% making online purchases in 2020, a 22% increase since 2002. Mobile devices, like phones and tablets, are increasingly popular for shopping and initial research, accounting for 72.9% of total e-commerce sales.
To tap into this traffic and satisfy search engine preferences, it’s essential to optimize your store for mobile users. BigCommerce simplifies this by offering responsive, mobile-friendly themes through the Stencil theme platform.
15. Enhance Website Security
Neglecting security measures can harm your site’s SEO rankings. Unsecured sites trigger browser warnings, eroding visitor trust. A crucial step is securing an SSL Certificate, visible as “https://” instead of “http://.” BigCommerce provides its Encryption Everywhere product to all plans, offering free SSL Certificates, which activate upon fulfilling requirements.
16. Track SEO Progress
Measuring SEO performance is crucial to assess what works and what doesn’t. Analyze metrics, such as sales, marketing activities, and customer data using BigCommerce’s built-in e-commerce analytics suite. For more comprehensive insights, consider complementing it with Google Analytics.
17. Monitor Page Permalink Changes
Over time, products and landing pages may be moved or deleted, potentially leading to broken links. BigCommerce automatically sets up 301 redirects for changes made to live pages. For deleted pages, manually create relevant redirects or custom landing pages to prevent user confusion and maintain engagement.
Saufter.io: The Best E-commerce Customer Service Solution
Saufter.io is the ultimate e-commerce helpdesk, exclusively crafted for your needs. It excels in streamlining your customer service processes by seamlessly integrating support channels. Moreover, it provides advanced order tracking and offers proactive support.
Key Features
- Multi-Channel Support: Handle customer inquiries from email, chat, social media, and more within a unified platform.
- Order Management: Easily access order information, tracking, and history to assist customers efficiently.
- Automated Responses: Create automated responses and workflows for common queries, saving time and improving response times.
- Knowledge Base: Build a comprehensive knowledge base with FAQs and self-help resources to empower customers.
- Analytics: Gain valuable insights from data analytics to enhance customer service strategies and performance.
Final Words
In summary, BigCommerce SEO is your ticket to e-commerce success. Implement these tips to boost your online business, enhance visibility, and attract more customers. Stay ahead in the competitive digital market – optimize, enhance, and watch your business flourish.
