Getting started with e-commerce SEO begins with understanding your current position. There are countless KPIs that you may understand the meaning of, but you might not understand how to improve them in the context of your business. Let’s explore the most important SEO metrics so you can understand your rankings and work to boost organic traffic. 

Why bother monitoring e-commerce SEO rankings?

Put simply, if you don’t monitor your SEO rankings, you won’t know if your SEO strategy is effective. Tracking gives you the data you need to either double down on your current efforts or pivot the strategy to something more impactful.

A great e-commerce SEO strategy is one that evolves and changes with search engine algorithms. It’s not a set plan, and proper monitoring will help you adjust your practices and continue to climb the search engine results page (SERP). 

Top SEO KPIs and how to improve them

1. Keyword rankings 

Keywords are common words or phrases that people search for to find what your site offers. E-commerce businesses use these keywords to compete for the top spots on the results page, and where you rank matters. If your e-commerce business is ranking in the hundreds for your most high-intent keywords, your website is going to be buried too deep into the Google and Bing results to gain organic traffic. 

How to improve: Build a list of the most important keywords your store needs to rank for, and integrate them into your product titles, meta descriptions, and meta tags. Using the right keywords in body copy, blogs, and social proofing will also further boost your position on the SERP.

2. Organic traffic

Organic traffic is the website visits that come from non-paid search engine results. The organic traffic you gain comes directly from your SEO rankings. Studies show that over 75% of users only stay on the first page of their search results, so ranking well with a strong SEO strategy is key for gaining consistent organic traffic. 

How to improve: Build an SEO strategy that’s people-first, authentic, and uses trustworthy sources. 

3. Bounce rate

Bounce rate refers to the number of people who leave your website after visiting the first page they land on. They find your website through paid, social, or organic, and “bounce” soon after they arrive. 

To the search engines, a low bounce rate means your site is engaging, trustworthy, and the navigation encourages visitors to click around and convert. A high bounce rate means users couldn’t find what they were searching for, or the content isn’t engaging enough. 

How to improve: Create genuine, engaging, trustworthy content that your users can get value from when they visit. Also, make sure your headings and navigation are well organized and encourages visitors to stay. 

4. Click-through rate

Click-through rate (CTR) indicates the percentage of people who have clicked through to a page from the search results. A low CTR could mean that your product title and meta description weren’t on-target or engaging enough. And if you took the time to build an enticing, keyword-rich title and description, your CTR will generally be higher. 

How to improve: Make sure you’re using high-intent keywords in your metadata, and you offer value in your meta description that shows what that page provides and why they should click. 

5. Exit points 

By using an SEO tracking tool, you can determine which pages visitors are most likely to exit your website. It could be due to bland copy, poor site navigation, or a slow page speed.

How to improve: You should audit these pages to try and find reasons shoppers might leave. Then, change the copy, add interlinks, or maybe add a pop-up to try and encourage them to stay. 

6. Conversion 

The conversion rate indicates the percentage of people who visit your site and convert. Converting could mean making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or completing another action. Low conversion rates mean you could have poor CTAs, low page speed, or a clunky checkout process. 

How to improve: Audit your checkout process or newsletter signup, and audit your copy. Streamlining your checkout process and adding popups can also boost your conversion.

SEO strategy, tracking, and ranking with a professional team

Tracking the right KPIs is one thing, but building the strategy to help you improve is another. By partnering with a professional content marketing and SEO team, you’ll have actionable steps for improving your rankings and boosting organic traffic. 

At Placeholder SEO, our team runs a comprehensive audit on your website on everything from content to keywords to technical SEO. Then, we partner with you to learn more about your business goals and how to help you reach them. Contact the team today for a one-on-one call to learn more.