5 Ecommerce SEO Trends That Have Emerged This Year Video. Sharing. Mobile. Long-form content. How hip are you to today's all-important trends?
By AJ Agrawal Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Each year brings a series of changes to the world of SEO in ecommerce. Much has been made about the position of SEO and whether you still should be using Google to boost your website over alternatives like social media. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, you should learn about the value SEO has for boosting your ecommerce business.
Related: Companies Will Spend $65 Billion on SEO in 2016, Much of it Will Be Wasted
Here are the main ecommerce SEO trends that have emerged this year for successful entrepreneurs to take advantage of.
1. Off-the-shelf SEO is improving.
Previously, the only SEO product you used was one tailored to you. Anything else simply wasn't good enough. But those off-the-shelf alternatives are getting better. An off-the-shelf package can include anything from apps to widgets to tools produced for a generalized market. These products require almost no input from you.
One of the best examples of this is Yoast SEO. Yoast is one of the standout WordPress plugins, which allow you to handle on-site SEO by simply filling in boxes. No longer do you have to have any technical expertise. A good SEO strategy is accessible to every business.
These products won't do everything for you, but they'll cover most of it.
2. Long-form content is integral to your content marketing strategy.
Content marketing used to be the next big thing. Now, it's not just the next big thing, it's the current thing. But don't stop there: Look deeper into content and you'll learn that 2016 is the year of long-form content. Short product pages with a few images thrown in are no longer going to cut it. People want as much information as possible so they can choose what to pay attention to.
Take Amazon, for example. One of the reasons why Amazon has stood out from other retailers is that it has been producing long-form content for years. You'll notice that every single product page is jam-packed with information on features, flowery descriptions and specifications, along with at least five images.
So, increase the amount of information you yourself have available, and allow your customers to choose what they pay attention to.
Related: The Top 4 Reasons SEO Is Dead
3. Sharing is caring.
Social media is important because your shareability will have a direct impact on how much money you make. Many businesses have already discovered this; in fact, 52 percent of online marketers said on one survey that they were seeing a positive ROI from marketing. Even those that aren't yet hitting a profit say that social-media sharing will only become more important for ecommerce.
And this is happening all over social media -- with every business in every industry. Facebook may be the old favorite, but Instagram and Snapchat are quickly catching up among younger-generation consumers.
Whenever you publish anything, include a product page and encourage people to share. Give them a reason to forward your content to someone else.
Do you know what the most effective way is to do this? Just ask!
4. Video content is king.
Video had been steadily coming up, but now it has completely taken over. Study after study has demonstrated how video content is outperforming practically every other piece of content. There's still a place for a mix of content types, but video is the most effective.
Shooting a video has also become more accessible. Video doesn't have to cost a lot of money, so even the smallest of companies can manage it.
There are many ways to make video marketing work for you. Shoot some of your previous reviews using previous actors, tell a story showing your product in action or show some of what's going on behind the scenes at your company.
5. Think about the importance of mobile optimization . . . again.
Do you remember the Google mobile-friendly update? It has been some time since it was released. The intention was to penalize companies that didn't produce mobile-friendly websites. Every year, in fact, Google has been making these penalties harsher. So, if you haven't yet optimized for mobile, now is the time.
But that isn't something to do out of fear. Instead, recognize that mobile has the power to help you produce better content, superior functionality and an overall better experience to mobile users.
It's easier than ever to optimize for mobile because practically every website theme already has mobile built-in. Get started today and begin reaping the rewards right away.
Related: 6 Essential SEO Strategies to Incorporate in 2016
Last word -- be aware of the trends.
It's vital to keep up with the trends in ecommerce and SEO today. If you are unable to understand what's going on around you, your competitors are always going to be way out ahead of you. Stay aware of the trends and make sure you react to them in the right way.
