It would be tough to outline all the different standards for optimizing your site for Google to chew on but we need to start somewhere – lets do the basics.
- Out of Stock Items
When items go out of stock do you let your customers know about that or do you remove that item? Some might sway that its bad to show an item that should be for sale but then not allow it. I think the best thing to do is to leave it there and simply say “Out of stock, check back soon.” And then show either items that are very similar or the parent category for that item. Think of that product page as territory. You stuck a flag in the ground and the idea as to have the best, largest property out there right? Some other good ideas:– Definitely let them know when it will return if you can.
– Allow for back orders.
– Compensate on its return…maybe you captured some emails while the product was away. 10% off might make things right. - Permanently Discontinued Items
In the ever pressing land grab of the web, this raises a valid issue: dead products. Some might argue that its a good idea to treat these products as ‘Out of Stock’ (Did you read the one above?) but I don’t think that’s a great option. Its simply not as genuine due to the fact that its never going to come back. That’s ok though, we have other means to deal with this.- Use a 301 redirect and send the customer to proper place : Meh, not great. I have had bad experiences with redirects slowing sites down significantly.– Redirect to parent category: again, that’s a mediocre solution.
– Permanently delete the item: Unless you really need to make sure that you are completely disassociated with the item this is generally not a great idea either.
– Reuse the url: Maybe you did some pre-planning and you can make a case for the url to be vague enough to be reused?
– Leave the page intact: What if you take the opportunity to use that page to explain the product, why its gone and a link to a better alternative? Its frustrating to find a url that looks like its going to go one place and then does the ol’ switch-a-roo. - New Products
Google likes to think that you would put your most important info on the front page, so it prioritizes it a little more than the rest of your site. New products should spend a majority of their introductory time on the front page. This goes for services as well. - Simple Products with Nothing Special to Describe It
We know that Google likes fresh dynamic content but what if its simply not there? You have to get it somehow. Going to the original description might sound ok but its really not. Some of that content is ok but one thing to keep in mind is that search engines across the board hate duplicate content.- Go ahead and start with the generic description but take the time to grind away into unique territory.– Stay relevant but don’t drone. If this was easy, everyone would be doing it.
– What about user comments? Can you tell a story about the item? - Product Variations
This can get hairy if you aren’t careful. If the only thing that changes is the color and/or size, you might need to change the way you present your products. Remember – no duplicate content. Google gets bored fast. - Category Pages
Aside from the home page, category pages are the next most important. You should be providing info on those pages or at the very least an overview of what the customer will be going on to. Its a part of the url and I know I sometimes back up urls and look around sites. Its nice to read content specifics when in a category.– If you have a Category Description field in your CMS, use it.
– When potential customers find themselves at category pages, they are usually in the beginning stages of purchasing. Use this opportunity to present useful, descriptive content.
-Make your category urls pretty and functional: site.com/category/sub-category/product/ Just don’t try to keyword stuff here. Google is smarter thanyouthat. - Internal Link Building?
What the heck – first I need to get others to link to my site, now I need to link from within my own site? Why? While internal links are helpful for the search bots to get around and be personally introduced to the deeper parts of your site, its also a good idea from a usability standpoint. Customers that can swing quickly from one part of your site to the next will be much happier (ergo, inclined to buy) due the empowerment they will feel.- Offer sub-category navigation when possible– Use breadcrumbs if it fits your site – if not, consider it on your next redesign.
- I’m Nervous About Comments and Reviews
If you are providing a legitimate service or product and are proud of what you are providing, allow it. In the end, the conversations will increase your conversion rates. It also contributes to that whole “freshness” thing I have been harping on about. - Location, Location, Location
– Don’t waste precious real estate on items that don’t perform very well.
– Bundle like items together but do some research…some items might seem neighborly but aren’t.
– Don’t clutter too much. You might think your cross-sell or up-sell is genius but did it send your customer in a frustrated circle? This will lead to cart abandonment. - Images are Tools
I am amazed at how fast Pinterest is growing. Getting a following on there can be tough but the reach is deep. We are visual creatures, leverage that.- Use high quality pictures, but don’t post the raw images. You can have high quality AND optimized images.– Make the file name pretty, use the alt text/title tags and even captions. Google sees this stuff.
– A/B test. This is a whole nother article but basically see which image performs better. - Mobile?
Yup – its here to stay. Not only stay but its growing and an incredible rate. Check these guys out on mobile ecommerce growth (its free, but there are ads). Again, A/B test here to see what works in your neck of the woods but keep in mind that some people have devices with high enough resolution to see your site in desktop mode just fine. If you don’t want a full blown responsive site, you can use strict mobile version as well.