In response to the growing number of businesses that have been forced online due to Covid-19 lockdowns, Google recently released a handy guide outlining top tips for how e-Commerce websites can stand out from the crowd.

Anyone who is involved in the e-Commerce space knows that it is extremely competitive. Online customers are constantly searching for the top products at the lowest prices. In addition, many online retailers don’t understand the impact that their website design has on the opinion of their customers. One simple mistake — like a font colour that is slightly too light to be legible — can send your customers straight to the door (or URL) of your competitors.

While they encourage healthy competition, Google ultimately wants as many businesses as possible to succeed. After all, the better quality the websites that they recommend to customers, the more likely that online users will continue to make the most of their search engine services.

With that in mind, Google’s ‘Best practices for ecommerce in Google Search’ should be taken as the rule book for how to get the search engine on your side. Google is not your only resource in this regard. As an experienced provider of SEO services in Australia and e-Commerce development services, Newpath Web has got you covered when it comes to helping your website attract (and retain) customers.

We’ve read through Google’s recommendations (and added a few of our own) to help you create an engaging website that reflects your brand, products, and services.

Sharing your e-Commerce site

Google is so much more than a simple search engine. It provides its users with everything from website links to real-world map locations. If you want your e-Commerce store to be a visible presence, it’s important that you make the most of every feature Google has to offer.

The search engine recommends optimising content so that it appears on all channels. For example, the Google Shopping Tab can direct users straight to your store, but only if you have signed up to the Google Merchant Center. Perhaps some of your customers are particularly tech savvy and use Google Lens. If that’s the case, your online content needs to be optimised for Google Images, uploaded to the Google Merchant Center, and recorded under Google’s product listings.

There are many ways to share your e-Commerce site — for maximum customer reach, make sure you are across them all!

Include structured data

Structured data is a term commonly used by SEO experts. But what does it mean? Well, in order to ascertain what your website is about, Google undergoes a process known as ‘crawling and indexing’. The search engine sends its bots across the internet, scouring websites for information. This information is ‘crawled’ (read) and ‘indexed’ (stored) so that when a user types in a query, Google can immediately pull up a relevant result.

In order to make it as easy as possible for Google’s bots to crawl your website, you need to include what is known as structured data. These tiny snippets of information are in machine-readable format. Think of structured data as a code that is designed for Google’s eyes only.

There are a range of different structured data types, some of which are specific to e-Commerce sites and some that are universally relevant to all websites. Best speak to an expert team that provides SEO services in Australia — such as Newpath Web! — to learn more about how you can communicate with Google’s bots.

Launching an e-Commerce store

Whether Covid-19 has forced you online or you are simply looking for ways to increase your existing customer base, launching your e-Commerce store is certainly an exciting time. However, it’s important to know that you only get one chance to make a good impression — on your customers and Google’s search engine bots.

Google recommends several different strategies for launching your e-Commerce store, depending on your goals and existing brand. If you’re looking to go off with a bang, a ‘Grand Reveal’ might be right up your alley. If, on the other hand, you would prefer to go gently and test the waters, a ‘Soft Launch’ might be more what you are looking for. As Google suggests, quietly unveiling your product line could make customers feel like they have stumbled across a real bargain before the rest of the world.

The strategy you decide upon to launch your e-Commerce store will depend on several factors. As an experienced provider of e-Commerce website design in Melbourne, Newpath Web can recommend a course of action depending on your specific business and set of circumstances.

Of course, this is only a handful of the factors you need to consider when launching, building, and running an e-Commerce store. As one of the top companies providing SEO services in Australia, Newpath Web is uniquely positioned to provide you with expert advice on the inner workings of Google. Our experienced team of SEO experts and web developers understand exactly what the search engine is looking for and have used our knowledge and skill on countless occasions to help our clients achieve success.