SEO for Ecommerce sites is a vitally important factor which should be integrated from the development stage of the project.

The following information provides the baseline foundation of SEO related factors.

Host Platform – Dedicated
Host Location – UK Based
(Note: Host site in the country most relevant to your targeted customer base)

Navigation Structure
• Top section and left hand side of all pages.
• Must be search engine friendly.
• To include keyword text links in Navigation.
• Highly scalable for adding addition pages.

Complete control over the following Meta tags. All tags should be unique.
• Title
• Description
• Keywords

Install editable H1 and H2 headers on all pages static and dynamic

Page URL naming structure to contain product related keywords (mod re-write enabled) to remove all non essential characters (session IDs) from all dynamic pages.

Image ALT tags to contain relevant terms.

Automated XML Sitemap Generation and RSS Feed Generation (products and landing pages)

Integrated .html sitemap page.

The ability to create additional static pages from site template layout.

The homepage requires sections to include a reasonable amount of text (minimum 200 words), without spoiling the graphical look and feel of the site.

Avoid and Test for; Page duplication issues.

Utilise the robots.txt file to control spider accessibility and page indexing.

Add popular social bookmarking buttons to all pages of the site.
The coding of these buttons should include rel=”nofollow” and target=”_blank” in the link structure.

Check site for browser interoperability.

The site should conform to the W3C standards.

Extensive Keyword Research should be performed prior to starting the development of the Internet marketing campaign.

Choosing the most appropriate keywords that relate to either your products or services will have a direct impact on your return on investment.

The wrong keyword choice will create non converting traffic to your website.

So how do you choose the best keyword phrases to target for your business ?

 Loading ...

SEO > Increased Conversions > Measurable ROI

Achieving high positions within the natural SERPs is one element of SEO.

The second and possibly the most important element of SEO is Conversions.

Website conversions will be measured by the client.

The information will be used by the client to evaluate their investment (ROI) in search engine optimisation (SEO) and Internet marketing.

The following elements should be considered for all commercial websites and can significantly improve traffic (visitor) conversion rates. 

Graphic Design

1. A professional website design should be appealing to the targeted customer base.
2. The design should be a reflection of your corporate image and branding.
3. The design should indicate or position your company within an established vertical market or industry sector.

Corporate Identity

1. The company name (logo or trademark) should be positioned within the top section of the page layout design.
2. The company name should be easily identifiable by visitors.
3. This can be achieved quite simply by using slightly larger font or logo graphics, which compliment the overall graphical design and colour scheme.

Contact Information

1. Include the main company or sales telephone number on all pages.
2. Create a contact form which allows visitors to fill in all relevant sections relating to their enquiry.
3. Develop the form to include key information related to the visitor.
4. Use a unique email forwarding address for each form.
5. Include the full company postal address.
6. Include company registration number and VAT number. 
7. Include relevant departmental contact numbers within the main contact page.

Site Navigation Structure

1. The site navigation structure should be positioned within the top section of the website layout.
2. Additional navigation menus should be added to the top section left hand side column.  
3. The navigation buttons should be clearly labeled with user friendly terms relating to page content.
4. Sites with hundreds or even thousands of pages will also require sub menu navigation structures.
5. Site navigation must be very user friendly.

Search Tools

1. Large sites or certainly ecommerce sites should have an integrated search tool.
2. The search tool should be positioned within the top quarter section of the page.
3. The search tool should provide options to Users regarding the level of keyword accuracy required.
4. The default search option should be based on any keyword any order.

Establish User/Visitor Trust

1. Create a client testimonials page which contains true statements from existing customers and checkable references.
2. Publish snippet information on the home page from the client testimonials.
3. Publish company accreditation’s and certifications on the home page.
4. Publish corporate membership information on the home page.
5. Ecommerce sites should publish security details relating to the payment and checkout systems on the home page.

Marketing Message

1. The website needs to deliver the marketing message in clear and concise terms.
2. Consider animated Flash graphics containing both images and text.
3. Consider using animated video
4. Consider using broad-cast or HD quality video content with professional presenters.

Live Chat

1. Live chat software can be integrated within a website structure and enables real time user engagement.
2. Live chat can be used to answer simple visitor enquiries in real time.

Special Offers

1. Information relating to special offers should be positioned within the top quarter section of the web page.
2. Notifications of special offers should be designed to attract the visitor attention on page load. 
3. Special offers and promotional offers should include the duration of sale and expiry date.

Ecommerce Sites

1. Publish the full terms and conditions of sale.
2. Publish the full goods return policy.

On Page SEO is a term commonly referred to by SEO practitioners. The term refers to the SEO techniques that can be configured or coded within a website.

As a guide to the basics, the following elements should be included.

<title>Insert a meaningful title including primary targeted keywords</title>

<meta name=”Description” content=”Insert a description relating to the page content. This tag should be compelling to Users, as it could be seen within the SERPs.” />

<meta name=”Keywords” content=”Not used by most search engines, include primary keywords.” />

<meta name=”author” content=”Insert authors name” />

Note 1: A well formed meta-title and meta description can increase click through rates.
Note 2: The meta title, description and keywords tags should be unique for each page.

The URL structure for category pages should include a short descriptive set of keywords, which relate directly to the page content. For example the full URL structure for this page is http://www.b1seo.co.uk/on-page-seo/

The site Navigation Structure needs to be optimized for Users.
The navigation should be located at the top of the page.
The navigation should contain short meaningful links to all category pages.
The navigation should be constructed using search engine friendly code.

H1 (Header Tags) Used for the main header or title of the page. Include the primary targeted keywords within the H1 tag.

H2 (Header Tags) Used for Sub-category headers within the page content. Include primary and variation keywords within the H2 tag.

Page Content – Needs to be inserted into the page using real text.
The content should be written using natural sentences and paragraphs.
The page content needs to include the primary targeted keywords at a ratio of approx 4%

Note 3: Do not use images with embedded text, or animated Flash Graphics for your main content.

Utilise keyword based anchor text links within the main body of the page content. These internal anchor text links can be used to navigate between pages. They could also be used to link out to other relevant websites.

When Linking Out to other websites use the  <a rel=”nofollow” option.

For example a Link Out should be coded as follows;

<a rel=”nofollow” href=http://www.linkpartner.com target=”_blank”>Link Partner

Using the <a rel=”nofollow” option will reduce PageRank leakage from your website.

SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimisation. (Optimization)

SEO is a service that should be provided by competant professionals, who have extensive knowledge and practical experience in the subject of Search Engine Optimisation.

SEO is a technical method of improvement and enhancement which can be deployed on a website.

SEO will significantly increase the visibility or positioning of a website within the natural SERPs (search engine result pages)

SEO will target and attract high levels of relevant traffic.

SEO will improve the User experience and conversion rate of a website.