According to Chris Boggs at Searchenginewatch.com, incorporating SEO into online storefronts from the start could save retailers 100K. In an article entitled “SEO during ecommerce application development,” Boggs urges online merchants to check off search engine optimization as a top priority when developing their websites.
“As with large-scale Web site designs and redesigns, putting SEO off until after the fact can be a costly mistake. An internal case study showed an example where a site owner could have saved in excess of $100,000 by incorporating SEO into the interactive design plan instead of going back and making changes to an existing site to implement SEO best practices.”
In his article, Boggs explains the difference between the terms SEO and a “search-friendly.” The former incorporates high-level optimization tactics in the initial development of a site, and the latter refers to a scalable platform structured to formally add optimization in the future.
SEO and “search-friendly” platforms can have a drastic effect on a site’s ability to sink or swim. Both can act as an amazing marketing tool. A business owner may have an incredible product to sell, but without a marketer to get the word out, no one will know the product exists. In the same way, a storefront can be sophisticated and functional, but if consumers can’t find it on the first few pages of search results, the site renders itself futile. Retailers should aim to gain visibility through SEO or search friendly platforms in order to attract visitors to the site first. Then, they can let their navigable, feature rich storefront do the talking to keep those visitors coming back.
Like all smart ecommerce solutions, ShopVisible recognizes the utter importance of building search-friendly sites for our clients. That’s why our motto is “storefronts built to be found. “ Our client, Armor Gear, a retailer of luggage, just went live with their site last week. Already, they show up third on Yahoo! for the search term “travel bags.” Let me repeat that. Of the 180,000,000 results that come up for the term “travel bags,” ShopVisible’s client sits at number 3 after one week in business with their new site. The owners of Armor Gear are gearing up for major success due to this search engine feat. And they didn’t have to pay a cent on a Pay Per Click campaign.
But don’t take my word for it. Listen to the expert at SearchEngineWatch.com. “Web sites aren’t a ‘Field of Dreams,’ though many think they are. Having the ability to develop search-friendly e-commerce sites built in to the base program is a huge value-add, and one any program that doesn’t have them should be adding if they want to be competitive.”
ShopVisible is an ecommerce solution headquartered in Atlanta, GA.
