Running an e-commerce website can be challenging. You have to deal with logistics, sourcing products and human capital challenges. On top of this, you also need to focus on getting enough traffic and customers to your site.
You probably already know the basics when it comes to increasing website traffic, done Search Engine Optimization (SEO) yourself, used social media channels and worked with influencers.
But what if there was something missing from your e-commerce website that could help you generate the traffic you need so that you can get the sales and lead that is needed to grow your business.
Therefore, the collection page as it is called in Shopify is also popularly known as the category page depending on the store choice of platform.
That is where an SEO company can help. But before you consult an SEO company, here are some pro tips to help your business.
Know what an e-commerce category page
This is a page that lists all the products in one specific category or subcategory of your store.
These pages can be used to organise your products into easily navigable sections and help customers find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently.
Having clearly laid out category pages also helps search engine bots crawl your product page faster, easier and better. This leads to your product page ranking better on Google
But the main challenge remains. Most businesses ignore their category page and focus more on the product page. This is understandable.
After all, the product page is where the transaction takes place. Unfortunately, they forget that without a good and well optimized category page, the full potential of their online store may never be reached.
How to solve this problem and start growing your traffic
Now that you know that you need to focus on your category page to 10 times your traffic and sales, here is a step by step guide on what to do
Identify the right keyword to chase
Start by doing keyword research that lets you identify the right keywords to target on your category page. Category pages are also transactional pages. This means the right keyword for your category/collection page should be transactional in nature and not informational. Targeting keywords like “best of” on your category page is not going to help you drive the qualified traffic you need.
Optimize your category page titles and meta Tags
Title tags and meta descriptions help inform search engines of what your category page is about. Include relevant keywords in titles and meta descriptions, make sure they are both SEO-friendly and customer-centric.
Write at least 300 words for each category page
Make sure each category page has at least 300 words of compelling and optimized content. This should contain the necessary keywords to help your category page rank better on Google.
Also, make sure you focus on providing helpful content that would entice customers to shop from you. Content on the category page should describe what the user should expect when they shop your product and entice them to check out relevant product pages.
Include call-to-action buttons in your content on the category page
Adding call-to-action buttons in your category page content is key to driving more traffic and sales. Use phrases like “Shop Now” or “Buy Now” that encourage customers to click and buy the products they are interested in.
Use heading appropriately
Use the right header tag on your site. I have seen some platforms that did not have good header tags such as this e-commerce store for B2B but by fixing it, we were able to grow their traffic exponentially.
Don’t let speed kill your site
Pagespeed is important. The faster your category page loads, the easier and happier your customers will be. On mobile phones, customers don’t like to wait for more than three seconds or so for a page to load. So make sure you optimize your page speed.
Use Images and Videos
Using images and videos on category pages can be a great way to engage customers and keep them coming back for more. Make sure you use the right images and videos that represent your brand.
Conclusion
Category pages play an important role in the success of any eCommerce business. By optimizing your category page titles and content, using the right images and videos, adding call to action buttons, optimizing page speed and more you can grow your traffic multifold. So make sure you start focusing on improving them today!
Adegboye is an e-commerce SEO specialist helping businesses drive traffic, ranking to their stores.
