In today’s digital age, the World Wide Web is constantly changing and updating in all sorts of new ways, and with it a wide variety of e-commerce SEO trends. Of course then, e-commerce businesses will need to stay up to date on these trends in order to stay in the game and keep business lucrative.

With a new year just starting out, now is the time to familiarize yourself with the following trends so that you can get the most out of your e-commerce business.

1. Voice Search

Whether on the go or at home, virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Cortana are becoming a widely used part of day-to-day life for many people. Naturally, this is affecting the way consumers search for information about potential products and services.

For example, the way customers conduct voice searches differs from the way they might type it.

Rather than just rattling off a string of keywords to find what they’re looking for (ex. “e-commerce SEO in Cleveland”), the user will be much more likely to conduct the search in the form of a question or command (ex. “Hey Siri, find me an E-Commerce consultant nearby”).

Because of the specific nature of voice search, it’s all the more important to obtain Position Zero, or the featured result intended to summarize the overall search result.

Position Zero is placed above any other search result on the page, meaning it will attract more click-throughs then any other result.

To ensure that your e-commerce business’s website has a chance of earning that top spot, be sure to keep the keywords that are the most relevant in the page title, URL, and H1 tag, and compatible with the naturally-worded voice searches.

2. Conversions And Brand-Building

For e-commerce business owners, conversions are just as important as rankings – if not, even more important.

While rankings can bring traffic to the website, conversion marks the difference between a website’s visitor and a paying customer.

Of course, link-building has always been a vital part of e-commerce business SEO. But now, more attention is being given to developing brand-building relationships with websites and blogs within the same line of business.

In addition to aiding general SEO, link-building can attract a substantial amount of referral traffic to your website, which increases overall website traffic.

When you develop strong business relationships with similar establishments, you strengthen your overall standing as a business, which can in turn improve your overall web presence.

3. User Experience

Another important factor to give attention to is user experience.

Google’s ranking algorithm actually favors websites that are quick to load, easy to understand, and convenient to use.

A website that’s overly complicated, unclear, or inconvenient runs the risk of quickly losing whatever traffic it happens to attract.

Users who find a website isn’t meeting their needs won’t hesitate to drop the site and move onto the next one, which is why having a readable website is so important. When a site is unclear or difficult to use, it loses visitors and likely won’t see them return.

On the other hand, when a site offers a positive user experience, visitors will be much more likely to continue using the website.

The whole purpose of your business’s website is to inform and to communicate with potential customers, so providing a favorable user experience on both desktop and mobile should be top priority.

With the growing number of mobile searches especially, websites need to be optimized for all platforms in order to truly maintain the best possible user experience.  

For some tips on making your website more mobile responsive, check out our blog on the topic!

4. Website Security

Finally, website security needs to be given special attention in today’s world.

If a website begins with an HTTPS, it shows the visitor that it’s secure and trustworthy, which will make them much more comfortable with carrying out business transactions with sensitive bank information, and that means more sale opportunities.

In addition, Google favors websites that are safe and secure with better rankings and visibility across the search results page, which of course is exactly what e-commerce SEO aims to accomplish.

So naturally, taking steps to bring your website from HTTP to HTTPS will make all the difference in improving your e-commerce business’s profitability.

With all trends changes impacting the e-commerce world, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the game and competitors by staying up to date and making the fullest use of e-commerce SEO services.