Hitsearch’s Top 9 Ecommerce SEO Trends for 2024

1. Optimize for Voice Search

Speaking is far more natural than typing, so it is no surprise that voice-activated services and devices, such as Alexa, Google home, Siri, and Cortana, are becoming increasingly popular for ecommerce searches.

A recent study by Narvar found that 29% of people have used voice search when making a purchase while research from Chatmeter found that 71% of people say they’d rather use voice search to find out the price of products.

This makes it clear how important it is that you optimize your ecommerce site for voice search. There are a few simple things you can do to get started with voice search optimization. To begin with, focus on long-trail keywords. These are keywords consisting of three or more words. This is because people tend to be use more words and be more specific when talking, for example “black steel toe boots”. In fact, voice search phrases often contain 6 to 10 words or more.

Many voice searches phrased as questions.

Video: Optimize Your SEO Strategy for Voice Search

Rather than search for “black steel toe boots,” people might ask, “Where can I buy black steel toe boots?” Therefore, you should optimize for question-based queries and use the type of language that customers do when searching.

You could also consider using regional dialects and slang terms in order to effectively target local audiences.

To optimize for voice search, adapt your ecommerce SEO strategy to include:

• Long-tail keywords:

  Focus on keywords with three or more words, as voice searches tend to be more specific and lengthy. For example, “black steel toe boots” clearly indicates what the user is looking for. Voice searches often contain 6-10 words or more, so adapting for long-tail keywords helps your business appear in relevant searches.

• Questions:

  Voice searches are often phrased as questions. Instead of just “black steel toe boots,” users might ask, “Where can I buy black steel toe boots?” Optimizing for question-based queries ensures you capture the language users are likely to use.

• Slang phrases:

  Consider regional dialects and slang terms. For instance, some regions say “soda” while others say “pop.” Using the right vernacular helps you connect with local audiences effectively.

2. Build a Stronger Brand

Brand recognition is vital to ecommerce success. People instinctively trust well-known brands and will return to them time and time again.

Of course, it takes time to become a well-known brand, but if you try to build relationships with bloggers, social media influencers, trade magazines, and so on, then it can go a long way to enhancing your reputation.

When building a brand, consistency is hugely important. This means being consistent with your brand’s appearance, the tone you use, and the message you are conveying, no matter the medium. Be sure to use the same color schemes, design concepts, and fonts in all your content. This makes your brand recognizable and reinforces its identity.

You also need to try to engage visitors as soon as they arrive at your site or content. One way of doing this is with special offers for first-time visitors.

First impressions are hugely important and the more positive and engaging it is, the better.

To strengthen your brand:

• Consistency:

  Ensure your brand’s appearance, tone, and message are consistent across all platforms. Use the same colors, design, and fonts in your content. Visual consistency helps reinforce your brand identity.

• Engagement:

  Make visitors feel welcome immediately, perhaps with a special offer or discount for first-time visitors. Engage your audience from the moment they land on your site to build a positive first impression.

• Influencer partnerships:

  Collaborate with influencers and bloggers in your niche. Their endorsement can introduce your brand to a broader audience and build credibility.

3. Create a Positive User Experience (UX)

If you want someone to stay engaged with your site, then they have to have a positive experience from the get-go. There is simply no way of avoiding this truism. The most obvious first step to achieving this is through your site’s design.

Keep it clean, easy to understand, and easy to navigate. Make sure people can find what they need with the minimum of hassle so they are not left floundering and frustrated.

However, this doesn’t mean that your site has to look plain and boring. You can use engaging photos, infographics, videos, and so on to keep visitors interested. Breaking up text with visual content helps to make your site more appealing.

You should also make sure that the site loads quickly.

If a page isn’t loading, most users will simply give up and leave. Therefore, be sure to optimize loading speeds as much as you can.

Enhance your UX by:

• Improving page speed:

  Slow-loading pages can drive users away. Ensure your site loads quickly. Fast page speed keeps users engaged and reduces bounce rates.

• Focusing on UX design:

  Make your site easy to navigate with a user-friendly layout. Clear and intuitive navigation helps users find what they need quickly.

• Adding engaging elements:

  Use visuals like photos, infographics, and videos to keep users interested. Visual content breaks up text and makes your site more appealing.

4. Monitor Your Analytics

If you want to understand your customers’ behavior and find areas where your site can be improved, then tracking your site’s analytics is essential.

Tools such as Google Analytics are hugely helpful for monitoring key metrics such as impressions, click-through rate (CTR), dwell time, and conversions. If you work to improve these metrics, then you can boost both your site’s ranking and user experience.

Regularly reviewing analytics makes it possible to identify trends in how users interact with your site, which in turn allows you to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Furthermore, by measuring performance through metrics such as dwell time and bounce rate, you can gain insights into how well our content is performing and the effectiveness of the overall user experience.

Regularly review analytics to:

• Identify trends:

  Understanding how users interact with your site helps you spot trends and adjust your strategy accordingly.

• Measure performance:

  Metrics like dwell time and bounce rate provide insights into the effectiveness of your content and user experience.

• Optimize content:

  Use data to refine your content strategy, focusing on what resonates most with your audience.

5. Secure Your Site

Modern customers are highly security conscious, which is a good thing. You must ensure you’re your site is secure both to protect customer data and to build trust. Customers will turn away from a site that has had a security breach.

One of the first steps you should take is to obtain an SSL certificate, which adds “https” to your website link, demonstrating that your site is secure.

Displaying security badges prominently on your site is a good way to reassure customers. Furthermore, you should be conducting regular security audits and where possible, making the results public. These will help you identify and fix vulnerabilities and build trust in your brand.

Steps to secure your site:

• Obtain an SSL certificate:

  This is essential for encrypting data and protecting customer information.

• Display security badges:

  Showing security certifications on your site can reassure visitors that their data is safe.

• Regular security audits:

  Conduct routine checks to identify and fix vulnerabilities, ensuring ongoing protection.

6. Use Product Schema Markup

Product schema markup, also known as structured data, helps search engines understand your site and this may result in better search result listings. Schema markup can display additional information, such as product ratings and prices, directly in search results.

This makes the results more attractive and more likely to receive clicks.

There are free tools such as Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper that will help you create and test your markup. By enhancing search listings with product schema, you can highlight important details such as prices, reviews, and availability, which makes your listings more informative and attractive.

Video: Product Schema Markup: How to Create

To implement product schema markup:

• Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper:

  Create and test your markup using this tool to ensure accuracy.

• Enhance search listings:

  Product schema can highlight prices, reviews, and availability, making your listings more informative and appealing.

• Developer assistance:

  If you’re unfamiliar with HTML, a developer can help implement and test the markup effectively.

7. Embrace Augmented Reality (AR)

This is very much a trend in its infancy. However, Augmented Reality (AR) is an exciting and unique way to engage potential customers with 3D versions of your products. It truly makes your site stand out, provides an enjoyable user experience, and can help customers make decisions about whether a product is right for them.

One way of using AR in your ecommerce strategy is to apply for Google’s Early Adopters Program to gain early access to AR features in search results. You will need to properly prepare your website to support AR and ensure that the user experience is smooth.

It is advisable to start with your best-selling products and then gradually expand to the rest of your catalogue based upon customer feedback.

To incorporate AR:

• Apply for Google’s Early Adopters Program:

  Gain early access to AR features in search results.

• Prepare your website:

  Ensure your site can support AR experiences by updating necessary infrastructure.

• Focus on key products:

  Start with your best-selling items and gradually expand AR capabilities to more products based on user response.

8. Achieve ADA Compliance

Ensuring that your site is ADA compliant not only broadens your customer base by making it accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, but it also protects your business from potential lawsuits and fines. Achieving ADA compliance can be a complex task, so it may be worth hiring a specialist agency.

Automating compliance efforts through tools and plugins is another effective approach, as it reduces manual effort and the risk of errors. It is also important to keep your site updated with the latest ADA standards, ensuring that you maintain compliance and continuously enhance the user experience for all visitors.

Steps to achieve ADA compliance:

• Hire specialized agencies:

  Agencies with experience in ADA compliance can help you meet the required standards efficiently.

• Automate compliance efforts:

  Use tools and plugins to automate ADA compliance, reducing manual effort and errors.

• Regular updates:

  Keep your site updated with the latest ADA standards to maintain compliance and enhance user experience.

9. Start Video Marketing

Video content is an incredibly powerful tool for engaging users and improving SEO.

Videos can occupy prime spots in search results, increasing visibility and driving more traffic to your site. To begin with video marketing, you can start simple by using smartphones to create genuine, engaging videos.

Focus on delivering valuable content rather than prioritizing production quality.

To maximize the impact of your videos, make sure that they can be used across different platforms and pages, such as testimonials or product demonstrations. Furthermore, leveraging social media to share your video content will help you reach a broader audience and drive more traffic back to your site.

For effective video marketing:

• Start simple:

  Use smartphones to create genuine, engaging videos. Focus on delivering valuable content over production quality.

• Create versatile videos:

  Develop videos that can be repurposed across different platforms and pages, such as testimonials or product demonstrations.

• Leverage social media:

  Share your video content on social media to reach a broader audience and drive traffic back to your site.

Stay Trendy with Hitsearch

By staying updated with these trends, your ecommerce business can thrive in the competitive online marketplace. Keep these strategies in mind as you plan your SEO efforts for the year ahead. For comprehensive Seo solutions, consider working with us at Hitsearch, as we have the expertise to ensure your ecommerce site stays ahead of the curve.