In this competitive industry, it pays to be ahead of the competition

When you take a step back and think about it, it’s pretty amazing how the concept of buying products and services online has changed the way humans view consumerism. Retailers and customers are no longer limited in what they can buy based on geographic location, transportation, or anything else of that nature. People can now buy just about anything they want while sitting on the couch and it will show up to the front step.

There’s no denying that starting an e-commerce business of your own is a very tempting prospect. If done right, it can be an awesome way to earn some passive income without a giant investment upfront. However, there are hundreds of thousands (maybe more) of people who have the same idea. Breaking into this crowded landscape is not as easy as it might seem.

Also read: 3 lessons I learned balancing a successful e-commerce business with a full-time day job

While there are many, many factors that go into a high-performing e-commerce website, there are three major ones that all startups in this industry need to get right if they want to gain traction. Let’s discuss.

1. Implementing a Healthy Link Building Strategy

You can build the most beautiful e-commerce platform the world has ever seen. But if you want people to know it exists, you’ve got to develop a cohesive SEO strategy. Now, when people use the term SEO, keyword research is typically one of the first things to come to mind. However, link building is equally important (some may argue it’s more important). Understanding the ins and outs of link building and how to use it to your advantage can be a bit challenging. However, if you play your cards right, it can be one of your most effective strategies for gaining qualified traffic and boosting your rankings on the SERPs.

The major goal of link building is to get credible websites to link to your content. The more quality links you get, the more your domain authority will ideally increase. Domain authority is a scale from 1-100 that measures how credible your website is in the eyes of the search engines.

Now, the most important thing to remember about link building is it’s a game of quality over quantity. Search engines value relevancy over anything else. Do not accept any and all links, as this could potentially hurt your rankings. For example, if you are an e-commerce site selling camping gear, having a website that sells weight loss supplements linking to you isn’t likely going to be seen as relevant in the eyes of the search engines.

So how can you go about getting qualified links to your e-commerce website?

For starters, you need to have a website that’s worth linking to. Your e-commerce platform should look appealing and have plenty of useful content. Make it a point to produce consistent blog posts that provide valuable and actionable information about your industry. From here, you have more leverage when asking website owners for links.

In terms of outreach, start with the people you know. This could include friends, partners, suppliers, dealers, manufacturers, etc. See if they would be willing to include a link to your content on their website.

Next, try to network with bloggers and influencers in your industry. Make it clear in your correspondence how your content can provide value to their readers. You can also ask to see if these website operators accept guest posts. This involves writing full blog posts on other websites with a link back to yours included.

Keep in mind, there are many different ways you can build links for an e-commerce site. The most important thing is that it adds value and doesn’t lead to any broken pages or toxic content.

2. Understanding the Value of Customer Review Management

If you’ve ever bought anything online, chances are, you have looked at the reviews. Product reviews are essentially the lifeblood of e-commerce businesses these days. According to a study by ReviewTrackers, 4 out of 10 consumers filter their searches around star ratings.

Getting people to leave reviews needs to be near the top of the priority list for an e-commerce website. Now, it’s very important to note that the concept of customer reviews is very different than it was just a few years ago; authenticity is everything.

Also read: 4 ways to maximise the impact of reviews and other user-generated content

Customers can tell in an instant when a review seems fake or manufactured. The purpose of customer reviews is to provide real insights from real people with no ulterior motives. That being said, choosing a third-party review management platform that places genuine feedback at the forefront can make all the difference.

First of all, you want to make sure the program is a verified Google Review Partner and can be integrated into your product pages. This means that the all-powerful search engine sees the content posted on the platform as authentic and credible – which positively impacts your SEO.

Next, you are wise to choose an open platform that allows you to send review invitations. While most people won’t leave reviews of products and services on their own, studies say that 7 out of 10 will, if they are invited.

Given the sheer power and influence reviews have over purchasing decisions, you might be hesitant to dive head first into gaining as much feedback as you can. However, keep in mind, negative reviews aren’t entirely bad. If customers are looking at your e-commerce website and only see glowing reviews, it might look like you are cherry picking or paying people to write fake ones. Moreover, responding to negative reviews on your public website is a chance to show the world your business values and commitment to making sure customers have a good experience.

Customer reviews serve many different purposes these days, both on the backend and frontend of e-commerce sites. Establishing a good system early on is one of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success.

3. Accommodating Voice Search

Unless you’ve been living on the moon for the past decade, you surely know how big voice search is becoming. According to eMarketer, this trend is showing no signs of slowing down, regardless of the age group.

By 2020, it’s estimated that nearly half of all searches will be done via voice.

There is simply no hiding from the fact that you need to optimise for voice search, both now and in the future.

Also read: This multi-lingual speech-to-text app can identify accents and voice modulation even in noisy places

When you are optimising your pages for voice, there are a few crucial things to remember. For one, voice searches are generally longer than text. Therefore, long tail keywords play a much bigger role in how your website is ranked and needs to be a significant part of your keyword research process.

Another thing about voice search is most queries are made in the form of questions. A big mistake that many e-commerce websites make is writing their web content in accordance with keywords that only pertain to their products or services. In the world of voice search, the content you create must be written in a way that answers the types of questions a typical consumer would ask.

For instance, going back to the example of selling camping gear, let’s say one of your product categories is cold weather sleeping bags. Instead of searching for -30 degree sleeping bags, a potential customer might phrase a voice search like: “What is a good sleeping bag for hiking in Canada in the winter?” So, it would be wise to include a line on your product page such as “ideal sleeping bag for winter hiking in Canada!”

Lastly, and this should come of no surprise, voice searches are very natural. Therefore, the content throughout your e-commerce site needs to be conversational and adhere to common speech patterns. Before you publish anything, be sure to listen to it aloud.

Voice search is not just a fancy trend, it’s now a part of people’s everyday life. Both new and existing e-commerce sites need to accommodate this or be left behind.

Conclusion

Launching an e-commerce website is very exciting. Who wouldn’t want a website that makes money for them while they sleep?

However, it’s important to note that success probably won’t come overnight. You need to be very patient and take the time to adhere to both the search engines and consumer preferences. These three factors are going to play big roles in e-commerce success for the foreseeable future. Be sure to keep these concepts close and you will begin to see traction, and ultimately, sales.

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