E-commerce has emerged as a thriving industry, with exponential growth predicted in the coming years. In fact, experts believe that global retail sales on various ecommerce platforms and websites are set to skyrocket by a staggering $6 billion (20.8%) this year alone, and is projected to reach a monumental $8 billion by 2025, reflecting a growth rate of 24.0%.
These figures encapsulate the immense potential that lies within the market. Whether you’re a seasoned e-commerce business owner or just venturing into the online marketplace, the question that begs to be answered is: How can you carve out your slice of this pie?
In this article, we’ll explain why it’s time to consider investing in an SEO agency and how it can help ecommerce businesses succeed. However, unlike the usual blogs you’ll see online, this article will also provide you with tips on what to look out for when you decide to hire an SEO agency for your online store.
Ecommerce SEO: Professional VS DIY
Let’s address the elephant in the room; “do I really need an SEO agency when I can probably do it myself?” Frankly, the short answer is yes.
We live in an age where everything can be done by yourself. The internet has become so comprehensive that you can learn everything if you put your mind to it. However, just because you can learn it quickly doesn’t mean that great results are guaranteed, right?
You could spend countless hours and dollars trying to do something that an experienced agency can do in a fraction of the time—and at a fraction of the cost too.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t undertake any DIY efforts; by all means, we highly encourage you to get informed and optimize your ecommerce website.
However, when it comes to more complex tasks like keyword research, site audit, on-page SEO, content marketing, and technical SEO audit, we’d highly recommend investing in an experienced agency for your ecommerce business.
Common Problems with DIY Search Engine Optimization
When you decide to go the DIY route, you’ll be exposed to certain risks that could decrease traffic and/or sales. Here are some of the common issues associated with DIY SEO and how SEO professionals can help you avoid them:
1. Limited Organic Traffic
This is the most common concern for many business owners out there. It’s a typical scenario where ecommerce websites launch their online store and expects an influx of potential customers, only to be disappointed when they find out that their page isn’t getting enough organic traffic.
At this point, many business owners would binge on online resources and experiment on their own with various SEO strategies, only to realize that these results don’t quite match their expectations.
Ending: they’d either resort to other digital marketing strategies like paid ads, social media, and other online marketing tactics or worse, give up on their SEO initiative and the thriving potential that comes with it.
Having an SEO expert eliminates the guesswork. With years of experience and an understanding of how search engines work, they can quickly identify the areas of improvement and propose SEO solutions that are tailor-fit to your specific needs regardless of ecommerce platform.
2. Ineffective Ecommerce Keyword Research
A recent study reported that almost 80% of business owners struggle with organic traffic and digital visibility. Some even claim SEO is a strategy reserved for big-ticket brands as they are “exclusively” favored by Google and other search engines alike.
While this might be true to a certain extent, online visibility and organic traffic are simply a result of knowing what people look for. This is where keyword research comes into play.
Finding the right target keywords tailored to your business requires an immense amount of research and time. This process requires a deep understanding of consumer search behavior, which can be quite complicated for most business owners. Some even jeopardize their websites by doing outdated tactics like keyword stuffing.
A professional SEO agency can help you identify the right keywords that are relevant to your business and give you insight into what people search for in terms of topics related to your industry.
They are also knowledgeable about incoming trends and industry updates. If your SEO partner is proactive enough, they will provide you with valuable insights, updated strategies, and valuable data-backed advice to ensure that you are visible to your targeted traffic across all search engines.
3. Incorrect Link Building
Incorrect link-building strategies can pose challenges if you implement DIY SEO due to ethical concerns, difficulty in identifying quality opportunities, and the time-intensive nature of the process.
Most DIY practitioners often don’t have the luxury of having networks and relationships to acquire relevant backlinks. They may struggle to identify reputable websites or unintentionally engage in unethical practices that can harm their organic rankings.
Furthermore, consistent link-building requires ongoing effort in other areas like content creation, which can be challenging for e-commerce business owners already juggling multiple responsibilities.
With support from ecommerce SEO experts, you gain access to their resources, established networks, and expertise in executing link-building campaigns. They can identify quality external and internal links, reach out to prospects, and build relationships. all for your business. Most importantly, they can create content that attracts relevant websites with valuable backlinks, and the cycle continues.
4. Poor Web Design
Many might find this surprising but poor web design can have a detrimental impact on your ecommerce website, which may lead to a multitude of issues that hinder your online growth.
A subpar design can result in a negative user experience, which in itself is a whole set of problems such as slow site speed and loading time, cluttered layouts, and confusing navigation. These factors contribute to increased bounce rates and reduced conversions.
Moreover, a poorly designed website may have high cart abandonment rates due to complex or untrustworthy checkout processes. Mobile responsiveness is also critical, as an inadequate mobile experience alienates a significant portion of potential customers.
SEO experts can help you create visually appealing, user-friendly websites that is optimized for visitors and search engines alike. This can significantly enhance engagement, boost customer trust, and improve search rankings, setting your online business for long-term conversions.
What to Expect from an SEO Agency
As you can see, partnering with an SEO agency can bring numerous benefits to your business, but it’s important to also consider the potential disadvantages. To set your expectation, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from an SEO agency:
Benefits of Having an SEO Agency:
- Expertise and Experience: You’re not paying just for manpower to work for you. SEO agencies have a team of professionals with in-depth knowledge and experience in search engine optimization. They stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, algorithm updates, and best practices, ensuring that your website remains optimized for maximum organic traffic.
- Customized Strategies: Each business is unique, and SEO experts understand that. They conduct thorough audits, keyword research, and competitor analysis to develop a customized SEO plan that aligns with your business objectives.
- Time and Resource Savings: One key difference between hiring SEO experts and building an internal team from the ground up is resource efficiency. Having an SEO agency by your side frees up your time and resources, allowing you to focus on other core aspects of your business.
- Access to Robust Tools: Related to the previous point, SEO agencies give you access to premium tools and technologies that may not be feasible for individual businesses to put their eggs in. These tools can help to analyze data, track performance, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your website effectively.
- Scalability: As your business grows, your SEO needs will evolve. An SEO agency can scale its strategies and adapt to your changing requirements, ensuring that your SEO efforts keep pace with your business expansion.
Of course, nothing comes without a downside. For your consideration, here are some potential challenges you may face when partnering up with an external SEO team.
- Cost: Starting with the most obvious, hiring an SEO agency involves a financial investment. Depending on the type of services you need and the size of your business, this cost can vary significantly. Although it seems more expensive than DIY, in the long run, this will pay off and even pay for itself as you get more traffic and conversions.
- Less Control: When outsourcing your SEO efforts, you may have less direct control over the day-to-day management and implementation of strategies. This is not a bad thing as it highlights your management skills, but we highly recommend looking for agencies that provide transparent reporting and communication channels to keep you informed about the progress and results of your campaigns.
- Communication and Timelines: Marketing, in general, is marked by many deadlines and delays. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, this is not a concern. What’s overlooked is the importance of communication. It’s important to establish clear lines of communication and ensure that your partner is reasonably responsive to your needs.
- Business Compatibility: Not all SEO agencies may be the right fit for your business. Each agency has its own approach, culture, and set of values. It’s crucial to find an agency that aligns with your business goals, values, and communication style to foster a successful partnership.
Overall, partnering with an SEO agency can be a smart move for businesses. The benefits outweigh the challenges if you find partners who are reliable and trustworthy, bringing you closer to your business goals.
How to Choose the Right Ecommerce SEO Agency for Your Online Store
Choosing the right SEO agency is crucial, and as promised, here are some of the green flags to look out for when hiring an SEO partner:
- Proven Track Record: Track record is everything. This highlights what they can deliver from what they can promise. Look for one that has a proven track record of helping similar businesses achieve their growth objectives. Don’t limit yourself to established agencies, though. There are start-ups that have proven themselves just as capable as other SEO agencies out there. It all comes down to research.
- Transparent Approach: An SEO agency that operates with transparency, open communication, and follows ethical practices is a green flag. They should clearly communicate the strategies and tactics that they will employ to improve your website’s SEO. Transparency in reporting, progress updates, and the use of white-hat SEO techniques are indicators of a trustworthy agency.
- Customized Strategies: Again, each ecommerce store has unique goals and challenges, and a reliable partner understands that. They should be able to conduct a thorough assessment of your website, target audience, and industry to come up with an ecommerce seo campaign that will place you at the top of search results.
- Collaboration: A good SEO partner will maintain regular and open lines of communication with you, providing updates on the progress of your SEO campaigns and addressing any questions or concerns you may have. They should be responsive, and proactive, and have your ecommerce site in mind.
- Focus on Scalability: A reliable agency should emphasize long-term success over quick fixes. They should understand that SEO is an ongoing process and that sustainable results require consistent patience and consistency. Look for an agency that prioritizes building a strong foundation for your website’s SEO, rather than resorting to short-term tactics that may yield temporary gains but jeopardize your long-term organic rankings.
Final Thought
As you can see, partnering with the right ecommerce SEO agency can prove to be a valuable investment that yields remarkable results for your e-commerce website. By leveraging their expertise, manpower, and tools, you can significantly improve your digital presence, organic search traffic, and ultimately boost your online sales.
At Search Leads, we understand the challenges that e-commerce businesses face today. With our proven track record, transparent approach, and personalized strategies, we are committed to helping you boost your revenue through effective SEO techniques.
Partner with us today and learn more about our SEO services that can help your ecommerce brand.
