It’s everyone’s favorite topic: search engine optimization. 😆 You know you need it, but actually implementing SEO on your website feels like learning a foreign language. Not surprisingly, a lot of my clients are disappointed when they learn that SEO is also a part of creating their WooCommerce shop. Luckily, product SEO isn’t as complicated as it sounds, and with just a few simple steps, you’ll be driving organic traffic to your digital products!

Product SEO making your head spin? Pin to save!

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a way of driving unpaid, organic traffic to your website. In conversations about SEO, you’ll often hear people talk about ranking. This means that your site is showing up on search engines.

However, ranking can be a little misleading. Just because your website is “ranking” doesn’t mean it’s on the first page or even the first five pages! It just means that the search engine is associating your website with certain keywords. Furthermore, just because you rank doesn’t mean people are clicking on your website. This is what is referred to as impressions vs. clicks.

Ways to Improve Search Engine Optimization

Obviously, you want your products to rank! You want to show up for key terms, and you want people to find them through organic search. This will increase the amount of traffic, and hopefully sales, to your products.

Let’s talk about ways to improve your search engine optimization so your products are more likely to be found online.

#1 Find Relevant Keywords

Just like writing a blog, you need keywords to enhance your product SEO! You can use tools like UberSuggest or Keywords Everywhere for keyword research.

When doing keyword research, think about how a customer would describe the product or what search terms they would use to find your product. Then, type those into the SEO platforms and look for keywords you can easily rank for. These will be keywords with high search volumes and low competition. Find one to five keywords for each product.

#2 Use Keywords to Enhance Product SEO

After you’ve identified your keywords, it’s time to put them to work. This isn’t the time for keyword stuffing. Actually, Google hates that. Instead, look for natural and strategic ways to input the keyword.

There are a few places in particular that you want to include your keywords, when possible: 

• URL Slug – Make your slug short and sweet, and include your main keyword.
• Title – The product title should include your main keyword.
• Descriptions – When writing your product description, be sure to include your keywords in a natural way
• Meta Description – This is the paragraph readers see on Google. Include your main keywords inside that description.
• Alt Text – All of your images should include alt text for accessibility. If possible, also include the keyword.
• Headings – If you have any headings in your product description, use keywords when possible.

#3 Use the SEO Yoast Plugin for WordPress

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with product SEO, Yoast is a great place to start. This SEO Yoast plugin for WordPress checks your product pages and provides you with a rating for your search engine optimization.

Yoast doesn’t actually rank your website or improve your SEO. Instead, it makes it easy for you to check that you’ve done all the essential items to ensure your website is optimized. Don’t panic, though, if Yoast gives you an orange light (versus the green light). It’s not a perfect tool!

Ready to set up your WooCommerce site?! Join the waitlist for the Settin’ Up Shop with WooCommerce course! Inside Settin’ Up Shop, I’ve included step-by-step instructions for uploading your products, customizing your store, and a waitlist-only SEO bonus. With this guide, you’ll be able to DIY your own eCommerce store and begin selling products on your website! 🙌🏻