How do I optimise an Ecommerce website? Answer by Matt Cutts

27th March 2009 · Paddy · No Comments »

A few weeks ago, Matt Cutts opened up a Q&A session where webmasters could ask questions related to SEO. Matt picked out the most popular ones and answered them via YouTube.

I asked a question which Matt was kind enough to answer (kinda!).

How do I optimise an Ecommerce site without rich content?

Well as with most answers from Google, not giving away too much!

The first time I watched the video I didn’t really think Matt answered the question too well and I wasn’t sure what he meant. However on a second watch I think I understood a bit better how an everyday user feels when they search Google for a product and see tons of results. Essentially you need to find a way to stand out and make yourself different. Maybe this is through adding product review pages, videos of the product in action etc. Something to help in the buying process rather than just the product and a Buy Now button.

I also think he was trying to say that you should look at ways of pulling in traffic to an Ecommerce site via other means. He used the term “find a hook” so I see this as meaning adding additional content to the website which serves as a way of getting traffic to the site.

I’d actually been thinking about this a lot since I asked the question and trying out a few experiments. I think its all about finding a balance between adding rich content (videos, how to guides, product reviews) without that drawing attention away from the point of an Ecommerce website – selling. So thought needs to be given to the layout and design of an Ecommerce website so that it is clearly a shop site, but still offering features which a user would find useful even if they decide not to buy.

I realise that the last few words there contradict the point of an Ecommerce website but if you are thinking long term, then providing great content and features will ensure that your brand is remembered by the user and they are more likely to come back in the future.

You are also creating a useful resource that other website owners will want to link to – this leads to more traffic and a probable increase in rankings for this page as well.

So I think the underlying message of all this is to try and think a bit creatively about the needs and wants of your user. If you can provide interactive features on a product page and incorporate it into your design so that it doesn’t distract too much from buying, you have the right balance.

Thanks Matt for answering the question and certainly for making me think a bit harder about how users feel about searching online for products.