eCommerce SEO: Build Traffic and Sales with a Strategic Content Approach

eCommerce SEO: Content and
Link Strategies
STEPHANIE CHANG

STEPHANIE CHANG
Consultant, Distilled
stephanie.chang@distilled.net
@stephpchang

eCommerce Sites are
Challenging

They can contain legacy
URL structures that are difficult to
change

resulting in ugly URLs like this
http://www.site.com/lists/nonbrowseskussetgrid.aspx?SkusetId=813166&cm_sp=W13_09_902_LYSOL-_-Na-_-
Na&web_track_id=103708553&position_id=7&promocode=99999&lcb=1

That cause massive duplicate
content issues across thousands of
product pages.

But URLs aren’t the only reason why
duplicate content exists on
eCommerce sites

These product pages have the same
content as other eCommerce sites
because the only content they contain comes from
the manufacturer’s product description.

Thin and duplicate content
significantly increases your site’s
chances of getting hit by Panda

It’s about having unique content.
Not unique as in what % of my content
is different from every other site

Unique as in standing out. Here’s a
great article on redefining unique
content.

Not to mention eCommerce sites are
known
Stephanie Chang@stephpchang
for having “boring” category pages that few sites
want to link to.

Why? Many eCommerce sites lack a
unique value proposition.
Think about your site.

Short-Term
Tactical/Strategic
Content Ideas

Encourage Product Reviews
Make it obvious for customers to write product reviews. Remind
users to write reviews, while also offering them incentives to do so
(especially for the first reviewer).
Amazon Email
Amazon Incentive

Or Analyze the Reviews Yourself
Like Revoo’s Just Buy This One

Look Into Utilizing Product
Review Vendors (for English-speaking
audiences)
http://www.seoverflow.com/ecommerce-product-reviews/ by
@balibones
Make sure review content
appears within the code
and mark up aggregate
reviews using schema.org

Sell “Unique” Products.
Get press coverage based on the interest it receives
Coverage = links!

Example of a Unique Product
Zombie Apocalypse Shopping Experience from
wish.co.uk

Or a Unique Twist on Common
Products
Robot Tea Infuser generated 789 Links from 201
LRDs for Modcloth

These Products Aren’t One-Time
Opportunities
Leverage new opportunities by
pitching fresh angles
Original product released in 2011

Produce Product Videos – Increase
Conversions and Rankings
Should be placed on product pages (not on
YouTube). Utilize rich snippets.
Example of rich snippets appearing in
the Google SERPs

Videos Can Also Be Transcribed
Video transcriptions are considered unique
content.

Receive Credit for Photos
Make photos embeddable. Add a script to images, so if
someone right clicks on it, they’ll get an embed code with a link.
http://www.paddymoogan.com/embeddemo/

Incentivize and Intrigue Customers
Plant Konami codes on the site to reveal product discounts. Change
it every day to a different product - generate traffic, awareness, and
links.
Received links from:
www.independent.co.uk
ww.gizmodo.co.uk
www.buzzfeed.com

Want More Tips?
http://www.linkbuildingbook.com/link-building-
resources.html#Ecommerce

These work for awhile,
but have limited potential.
It’s time to start thinking
long term.

Short-term strategies usually involve
getting links, but not necessarily the
acquisition of customers.

Our end goal should be to acquire
BOTH links and customers

by growing long-term organic traffic
through content that speaks to our
brand.

So That We Can Create This!
via Adria Saracino, Head of Outreach at Distilled
http://www.slideshare.net/DistilledSEO/adria-saracinosearchlove-san-diego-2013why-
your-cm-is-failingfinal

You Need to Gather Data
Using existing data from Google Analytics, various
SEO Tools, and conducting competitor analysis
1. Google Analytics
2. SEO Metrics
3. Keyword Research
4. Competitor Analysis
5. Existing Content
Review

Obtain Customer/Product Insights
By surveying/interviewing existing customers and
going through the sales process yourself

Figure Out Your Audience
Now, it’s time to put together some customer
personas based on the data we collected.

Understand Your Brand Voice
http://voiceandtone.com
A great brand voice guide by MailChimp

And Incorporate that Brand Voice
Into Your Content
Ensure your content speaks to your audience
personas (example: Bonobos.com)
Email campaigns Lookbook

Create a Content Plan
An editorial calendar will keep all planned content
organized and make sure everyone is on the same page.
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2010/08/content-marketing-editorial-calendar/

Future of Commerce - integration of
commerce and content
Example: Whole Foods puts together an online
magazine

And Red Bull
http://contently.com/strategist/2012/01/24/red-bull-media-house/

Here’s What You Create
With This Data
Mr. Porter Video Series. This specific video received 108,918 views
– perfect way to leverage brand awareness utilizing YouTube

And there’s more from Mr. Porter
These numbers did not come from link building, but
from a cohesive content strategy.

Other Types of Content
You Can Create
Customized Products From Polyvore and
Kate Spade Saturday

When Putting Together This Content, Think
about How PR and SEO Can Work Together
Integration helps in identifying keywords to target and the type
of stories to pitch that will generate organic search value.

Asking for Links from Journalists
Be gentle when asking for a link. Ask for attribution/credit and
be sure to ask for the followed link at the beginning.

Don’t Forget to Think Outside the
Box and Have Fun!
http://producten.hema.nl/

Create an eCommerce Tracking Plan
http://cutroni.com/blog/category/ecommerce/
A great resource for all your Google Analytics ecommerce tracking needs.

Metrics to Measure Success
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing-2/the-4-types-of-content-metrics-
that-matter/
Organic Traffic, Page
Views, Downloads
Facebook
Likes, Shares, Tweets
Trials/Demo/Email
Sign ups
Revenue, Lifetime
Value of Customer

Content Funnel + Metrics
Consolidation of Content Based on
Where It Sits in the Funnel
Consumption
Metrics
Share Metrics
Lead Generation
Metrics
Sales/Retention
Metrics

• LCV / RFM
• Churn %
• Retention %
• Repeat visits
• Net promoter score
• Purchases
• LCV / RFM
• CPA
• Avg. $/user
• Latency
• Sign-ups
• Inquiries
• Downloads
• Referrals
• Assisted leads
@stephpchangStephanie Chang
CONSUME LEAD
SELL/RETAINRETAIN
• Mentions
• Shares
• Links
• Traffic
• Rankings
• Affinity
http://www.slideshare.net/DistilledSEO/adria-saracinosearchlove-san-diego-2013why-your-cm-is-failingfinal

See, Think, Do
http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/see-think-do-content-marketing-
measurement-business-framework/

The Content Marketing Framework
Keep iterating and learning throughout this process.

Have clarity on what content speaks
to your site’s core audience

This will ultimately garner both
customers and links.

Thanks.
Any questions?
STEPHANIE CHANG
stephanie.chang@distilled.net
@stephpchang

eCommerce SEO: Build Traffic and Sales with a Strategic Content Approach

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