Category

SEO

Our huge library of search engine optimization articles addresses strategies and tactics for ecommerce businesses. Our 12-part “How-to” series explains the basics. Advanced topics include faceted navigation, crawling and indexing, cross-border optimization, and much more.

Keyword Research | Link Building | On-page SEO | SEO Tools | Technical SEO
  • Image of the Microsoft logo on a building On-page SEO

    What Bounce Rates Mean for SEO

    March 10, 2022 •

    Bounce rates only indirectly impact organic rankings. High bounces could indicate slow page loads, poor content, and other flaws — all of which do affect SEO.

  • Google Trends logo on a smartphone SEO Tools

    How Google Trends Improves SEO

    March 3, 2022 •

    Google Trends and autocomplete both use data from actual searches. But unlike autocomplete, Trends is not personalized or filtered. It's a valuable source of keyword optimization opportunities.

  • Image of a browser bar with "www.domainname" appearing Technical SEO

    How Domain Names Impact SEO

    February 24, 2022 •

    SEO myths surrounding domain names include age, registration length, embedded keywords, and more. Contributor Ann Smarty debunks those while addressing a name's importance in this helpful piece.

  • Bing logo on a smartphone screen SEO Tools

    SEO Tools from Google and Bing

    February 17, 2022 •

    Many independent tools emulate the behavior of search engine crawlers. But the best tools come from the search engines themselves: Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

  • Google logo on a smartphone screen Link Building

    Stop Using Domain Authority for SEO Backlinks

    February 10, 2022 •

    SEOs have devised metrics, such as "domain authority," to assess a site for backlink solicitations. Those metrics have nothing to do with Google, however. That's the problem.

  • Image of a magnifying glass with "keywords" behind it SEO Tools

    My Favorite SEO Keyword Tools

    February 3, 2022 •

    Keyword research is knowing what consumers are searching for and their words to describe those items. Contributor Ann Smarty lists her go-to tools, with explanations.

  • Illustration of a word cloud for SEO and related terms Technical SEO

    How to Use Google Autocomplete for SEO

    January 27, 2022 •

    Google autocomplete is a staple for identifying keywords to optimize organic rankings. The tool's functionality has expanded to include refinements and entities.

  • Google logo behind a magnifying glass on a computer screen SEO Tools

    SEO: 6 Critical Search Console Reports

    January 20, 2022 •

    Google Search Console provides essential tools to improve traffic from organic search. The data comes from the source: Google itself. Here are six reports to monitor frequently.

  • Photo of a Google office building with the name and logo on the outside Technical SEO

    SEO for Google’s ‘People also ask’

    January 12, 2022 •

    Google's "People also ask" section is a treasure trove of questions from potential customers. It's an optimization opportunity — for rankings in Google as well as conversions on an ecommerce site.

  • Image of a keyword with "Google" imposed on the return key On-page SEO

    SEO: How to Optimize Title Tags for Ecommerce

    January 6, 2022 •

    Google once relied heavily on title tags to match search queries to web pages. That's no longer the case, as Google can discern a searcher's intent and deliver results accordingly. Nonetheless, titles remain important, as contributor Ann Smarty explains.

  • Illustration of the letters S E O Technical SEO

    How HTML Headings Help SEO

    December 30, 2021 •

    HTML headings are phrases or short sentences introducing a new section of content. Google has confirmed that headings help communicate the content's purpose. But search engine optimizers often debate how, exactly, Google uses those headings.

  • Screenshot of Google logo on a computer screen Technical SEO

    SEO: Drive Clicks with Video Rich Snippets

    December 23, 2021 •

    Video rich snippets are enriched organic search results in Google. They're an opportunity to generate more clicks, especially on mobile. Publishers often mistake video rich snippets with video carousels.

  • Google logo on a keyboard Technical SEO

    SEO for Brand-name Queries

    December 16, 2021 •

    Organic search results on brand-name queries can influence the buying journey. Brand-driven search results on Google appear in multiple sections, although brands have limited control over their appearance and ranking.

  • Screenshot of a tablet with Google logo on the screen Technical SEO

    SEO: Updating Content for Higher Click-throughs

    December 8, 2021 •

    Google claims that it shows dates in organic search snippets when its algorithm determines they would be relevant and helpful. In reality, dates are extremely common and have a big impact on click-throughs. Google offers clear guidelines as to how to communicate dates to its algorithm.

  • Google logo on a smartphone screen Technical SEO

    How to Generate Traffic from Google Discover

    December 2, 2021 •

    Google is not just a search engine. It's also a discovery engine. The difference is huge. Searchers have an idea of what they are looking for. They know what they need. But the discovery engine attempts to discern the interests of searchers regardless of their queries. In a sense, Google Discover informs searchers of what they need before they realize it.

  • Image of Google search on a tablet screen SEO Tools

    3 Ways Google’s Search Console Improves Organic Clicks

    November 25, 2021 •

    Google's Search Console is one of the most helpful search-engine-optimization tools. Moreover, Search Console provides data straight from the source: Google. It is also free. Here are three ways to use Search Console to generate more clicks from your organic listings.

  • Screenshot from YouTube of a video thumbnail reading "Which Laptop?" Technical SEO

    SEO: Google’s Video Carousels Are a Big Opportunity

    November 18, 2021 •

    Google's search result pages have greatly changed over the past decade. In addition to clickable listings, we now see highly visible, often interactive results in diverse formats. One of the newer sections is video carousels.

  • Image of Google logo under a magnifying glass Technical SEO

    Structured Snippets: The Low-hanging Fruit of SEO

    November 11, 2021 •

    I addressed rich snippets last week, explaining how they can enhance organic search listings for ecommerce product pages. Structured snippets are similar in concept, but they don't receive as much attention in the context of organic search. I'll address structured snippets in this post.

  • Image of a how-to video in a rich snippet Technical SEO

    Using Rich Snippets for Ecommerce Product Pages

    November 4, 2021 •

    Rich snippets are additional details in organic listings that stand out in search results. Ratings, prices, FAQs, videos — all are examples of rich snippets. "Structured markup" is programming code that creates rich snippets. Any website can contain structured markup — Schema.org is the most popular type.

  • Illustration with the words SEO Link Building

    Ask an Expert: Is Disavowing Spammy Backlinks Still Necessary for SEO?

    August 25, 2021 •

    “Ask an Expert” is an occasional feature where we pose questions to ecommerce practitioners. For this installment, we’ve turned to Bill Sebald, a longtime search engine optimizer, who addresses the effect of low-grade or spammy inbound links on organic search rankings.

  • Illustration of a male with a briefcase from Swisscows site SEO

    23 Search Engine Alternatives to Google

    August 23, 2021 •

    Google Search dominates global search with a market share of approximately 90%. However, alternative search engines offer many benefits, such as enhanced privacy, niche content and users, and new growth areas. Here is a list of alternative search engines.

  • Screenshot from GatherUp showing a male and female looking at a bicycle SEO Tools

    16 Tools to Manage Your Reputation

    July 20, 2021 •

    Reputation management is essential for any brand. Your company's future may depend on what’s been said about it in posts, comments, reviews, and rankings. Fortunately, there are affordable tools to help. Here is a list of tools to manage your brand’s reputation.

  • Screenshot from video of James Wirth and Armando Roggio Link Building

    CommerceCo Recap: A Process for SEO Link-building

    July 8, 2021 •

    Link building could be the most daunting search engine optimization task. It requires near equal portions of research, creativity, and outreach resembling cold calls. It's also critical for prominent organic search rankings.

  • Image of Bill Sebald and James Wirth Link Building

    CommerceCo Recap: SEO Link-building Is Hard

    June 10, 2021 •

    Link building is among the most important search engine optimization techniques. It is foundational and essential. Just about every successful commerce business wants or needs to build links, but it is hard to do well. Moreover, there is no easy way to "hack" link building.

  • Image of a smartphone with YouTube logo on the screen SEO Tools

    12 Tools for YouTube Search Optimization

    April 12, 2021 •

    YouTube is the second most visited website, after Google. Success on YouTube requires compelling videos, but it’s equally important to optimize them. Fortunately, there are tools to help. Here is a list of tools to optimize your video content on YouTube.

  • Illustration of gears with the letters SEO SEO Tools

    The SEO Benefits of Web Scraping

    April 6, 2021 •

    In "SEO for Google Shopping," I addressed the need to optimize product feeds. I stated that including keyword product descriptions and titles in the feeds was scalable with "scraping." But I didn't describe it further. In this post, I’ll explain scraping.

  • Screenshot of CommerceCo video interview with Bill Sebald SEO

    CommerceCo Recap: SEO Entities vs. Keywords

    March 31, 2021 •

    Some search engine optimizers believe “entities” have supplanted keywords as the foundation for organic rankings. But it doesn’t mean that keywords are irrelevant. Within SEO, entities are the people, places, things,

  • Illustration of computer devices with the word "Links" superimposed Technical SEO

    SEO: 10 FAQs for Internal Links

    March 9, 2021 •

    Internal links benefit search engine optimization. But knowing how to use them and understanding their value is not always clear. What follows are 10 frequently asked questions for internal-link management for SEO.

  • Image of a male and female in a podcast interview SEO

    10 SEO Tips for Podcasts

    February 23, 2021 •

    Podcasts have gone mainstream — 37 percent of Americans over the age of 12 listen to at least one podcast per month. But podcasts are often poorly optimized for search engines. Drive more organic search traffic to your podcast with these 10 tips.

  • Screenshot of Menard's dog food products Keyword Research

    SEO: Keyword Research for Product Content

    February 14, 2021 •

    For many commerce businesses — omnichannel retailers, ecommerce-only merchants, wholesalers — attracting a steady flow of site visitors from organic search results is vital for success. But achieving high rankings in those results requires optimizing a site with relevant content.

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