As we all know, ecommerce is here to stay: it’s thought 95 per cent of purchases will be conducted using ecommerce by 2040. But creating a functional and beautiful website is only half the battle. You need to attract visits to your site using methods that extend beyond a keyword strategy and on-page content. Enter off-page SEO. Off-page ecommerce SEO does exactly what it sounds like: boosts your page’s SEO rankings by using strategies on other websites and platforms. To stay competitive, it’s a must to focus on your off-page SEO strategy as much as you focus on your on-page efforts. Below we discuss five off-page SEO tactics for ecommerce.
Understanding Backlinks
For those of you who aren’t too familiar with SEO, this section is for you.
Backlinks (links from other websites that direct users back to your own) are the key to your off-page SEO strategy. 66 per cent of websites don’t have backlinks. Your website will instantly become more competitive, even if you just gain one backlink.
When a backlink leads to your website, search engines like Google interpret the link as a sign of trust between the external website and your own. Think of it like this: they view your content as valuable enough that they will include it within their own.
There are two elements you need to think about when it comes to backlinks: quantity and quality. Having more links is better, but only if they are from quality sources. Therefore, it’s a good idea to spend time researching the sites that you want to appear on and then reaching out accordingly.
Now, we’ll discuss the five tactics for improving off-page SEO, all of which aim to gain backlinks.
1. Social Media Engagement
Harness your social media to gain more traction with your off-page SEO. If you’re new to SEO, building your social media presence is a great place to start. You can create social trust (which matters to search engines) while boosting your brand profile at the same time.
Social media lets you win over your audience on your terms. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram all offer different features for different audiences. You can personalize your message based on the platform and your target audience.
And because you control your social media platforms, you can strategically reference pages on your website. Say you recently published a blog post announcing a new product. You can link to this page within a social media post.
Using social media to succeed with your off-page SEO is all about these two words: be responsive. You need to engage with people on your page to generate traction and boost your rankings.
Even more importantly, you’ll establish your brand as one that cares about its customers.
Click here to learn how you can create a successful ecommerce strategy using social media.
2. Google My Business
If you’re a business with a physical location, you can use Google My Business.
This service from Google gives you the benefits of off-page SEO while displaying your website directly from the search engine: it’s the best of both worlds.
You can add helpful details to your business listing like your phone number, address, business hours, and pictures. When someone looks for key information about your business or similar services, the answers will pop up right away, making it easy for users to click through to your website.
3. Blog Submissions
Guest posting, when your write content that is featured somewhere else, can attract an audience that may otherwise never find out about your site.
For this reason, it’s worth researching online publications in your market that accept guest blog posts. What platforms will benefit both you and the publisher? They’ll gain value from your content, and you’ll gain value from more views.
For instance, if you’re a homewares retailer, you may want to look for relevant home improvement publications. Write a post about a topical issue, and your piece will be viewed by all of their website visitors.
The trick with guest posting is to write something worth reading. No one wants 1000 words of spammy content or heavy advertising.
Reference your business name (with a backlink) once or twice within the article where it fits naturally. This will establish you as a professional resource, which is the goal, of course.
4. Web Design Gallery Submission
Don’t underestimate the aesthetic value of your ecommerce website.
If you have a website with a unique look, you may want to think about submitting your designs to a web gallery.
For example, the Ecommerce Showcase will consider your submission and potentially add it to their curated gallery of ecommerce sites. Some of these types of sites may charge a small fee to submit your website.
5. Link Sharing on Marketplaces
Research from the UK, the US, and Germany reveals a valuable insight for your off-page SEO strategy: marketplaces are the most common source for product searches.
44 per cent of people use marketplaces to begin their product search, while 19 per cent use search engines. These statistics suggest that your presence on marketplaces could rival the importance of your SEO rankings.
Building your off-page SEO with marketplaces can be done in a simple step. Just link your website within your profile or product listings on this site.
Within a listing, write a short description telling the user that you have more products and information on your private website. Users then will be encouraged to exit the marketplace to your page.
Leveraging Off-Page SEO Tactics for Ecommerce
Although off-page SEO tactics will require time and resources to get right, they can transform your digital marketing strategy. You’ll reach new audiences that you may never have had access to before.
