How Does SEO Influence the Visits at My Store?

In this article, you will learn the nine specific ways of how SEO influences your store visits. Make sure to check each section to learn how SEO is essential when you’re running an online store.

So, let’s get started.

What is SEO?

SEO is often an extensive process that generally involves two major methods – on-page and off-page SEO.

On-page SEO involves steps that will improve each of your web pages; this method is performed to optimise everything inside your website such as keyword optimisation, image optimisation, increasing page speed, implementing structured data markup, internal linking, and a lot more.

On the other hand, off-page SEO involves steps that are done outside your website, this method is performed to help the search engine “spiders” and potential customers alike to find your site through outside sources, the process involves backlinking, guest blogging, social media marketing, submissions to local directories, optimising your Google My Business account (GMB), and so much more.

Indeed, search engine optimisation can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a one-person online store entrepreneur and you’re new to this game.

So, if you want to save and earn more money in the long run, we suggest you consult a team of SEO specialists, so you can let the experts deal with the extensive nature of SEO that is essential to the success of your online store, without you having to sacrifice an offensive amount of time and effort.

Now, let’s talk about how vital SEO is if you want to increase store visits.

Here are the Top 9 Ways of How SEO Influences Your Store Visits:

1. SEO Boosts Organic Website Visits

What’s so important about organic website visits, you ask. Well, most Search Engine Marketing (SEM) involves paid advertising – these can work effectively but not for long. So, if you want to gain more web traffic that will last long without breaking the bank, you should have a great SEO strategy.

You see, having a strong SEO strategy will keep your web pages evergreen with valuable content that the search engine “spiders” would love to “crawl” and index, especially if you are updating your web pages regularly. Not to mention the frequency of store traffic you get – the more people visiting your store because your web pages are well optimised, the more it boosts your rank on the SERPs, earning you more organic web traffic as time goes by.

2. SEO Makes Your Web Pages “Clickable” in the SERPs

Now that we know that an increase in website visits is relative to the rise in search rankings, the next thing that you would need to do is to make your web pages “clickable” – you see, the first page of the search results, especially Google, only shows about 10 to 12 results from different websites in your industry.

These top results in page 1 of the SERPs, will then compete against each other in terms of “clickability” – the result that appeals more to search users or potential customers.

So, how does SEO improve the clickability of your web pages to attract store visits? There are a few things that make a web page clickable – this includes optimising the page title, meta description, and implementing structured data markup, especially if it is a product page.

Implementing structured data markup is like telling the search engines “spiders” about specific and vital information about your web pages. This process will help the search engines understand your web pages better, so they can display your pages in the search results in a more specific and richer way – giving you a chance to get the coveted rich snippets.

Here’s what I mean:

The first search result, by Amazon, bears a rich snippet when you search using the long tail keyword “manuscript found in Accra book” – this is a successful implementation of structured data because the search engine, particularly Google, chose to feature the web page with a rich snippet. On the other hand, the second search result, by Penguin Random House, shows the same result about the book, but of a typical type – one without a rich snippet.

Whether you are looking to buy the book or just a reading guide for it, you will almost always click the result that shows vivid and detailed information about what you’re looking for – this is the advantage of having a rich snippet.

Rich snippets often show the image, rating, number of reviews, and meta description of the topic or product that one is searching for, helping your target audience decide that your web page is the one to click and view.

Now, implementing structured data markup will not guarantee a rich snippet for your web pages. However, it is important to remember that the purpose of structured data markup does not end with the promise of acquiring a rich snippet for your pages. It’s most important purpose is for search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing to understand your web pages better, and index them sooner and better.

So, if you want your web pages to become eye-catching and clickable in the SERPS, include structured data implementation in your SEO strategy!

3. SEO Improves User Experience as Customers Drive Store Traffic

Search engines, especially Google, give high importance to user experience – they should because having unsatisfied users means losing customers. So, Google prefers ranking websites that signals a great user experience. What does this mean?

Let’s say a user clicks on a website and stays there for a substantial period of time also known as a long dwell time, then clicks through your website, one web page to another, or use your website such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase – this depicts a positive customer behaviour on your site, and this tells Google that your content is valuable and your website is user-friendly.

Otherwise, no user would stay and engage on your website longer than 2 minutes if your site is difficult to deal with, so you should put user experience as one of your top priorities, especially if you want to keep a customer and tell the search engines how excellent your site is. How do you do this?

SEO techniques such as increasing page speed, strategic internal linking, securing your online store, web development, and creating ultra-relevant content, will all help in delivering the best user experience your customers will get when purchasing from your online store.

4. SEO Increases Customer Engagement in Your Store

Customer engagement is one of the indicators of a booming business, especially in an online store. It drives the customer’s journey from a cold lead to a raving fan.

Also, if your customers engage well in your site, it tells the search engines that your content is relevant and useful – factors that can boost your rank in the SERPs. So, how does SEO increase customer engagement?

Building a user-friendly website for one is a great avenue to encourage customers to dwell and engage in your site. However, not everyone will rave about how fast, easy-to-use and well-designed your site is because a website is expected to have such qualities in this digitally-driven age.

So, applying excellent SEO techniques such as regularly writing multiple ultra-relevant and helpful blog posts that encompass the needs and demands of your target audience, creating pages that encourages your customers to comment, subscribe, and share, as well as strategically linking each web page to its relevant pages, will keep your customers engaging in your store.

5. SEO Helps Drive High Conversion

We both know that one of your end goals for your online store is to increase conversions. So, how does SEO help in driving conversions as high as your website visits?

See, when you rank on top of the SERPs, appear clickable to users, you have a fast loading site, and your web pages are strategically linked, plus you have a wide array of useful and relevant content that encourage users to engage in your website, you are more likely to increase your leads, a.k.a. store visits, and conversions. Thanks to consistent implementation of deliberate SEO.

Therefore, continue to target the right keywords on your content, create the right site structure for your customers to click through, and ensure that your customers get the best user experience as they visit your store. Always remember that your website conversion can be improved with excellent SEO.

6. SEO Highly Influences the Customers’ Buying Cycle

Let me ask you something; do you do your research before buying something? Well, I do, and I know that most consumers do their research, especially when they are ready to buy stuff online – in a buyer’s perspective, this is probably one of the essential advantages of using the Internet.

Now, as an online store owner, using proven SEO techniques to convey your message about the good deals that you offer – groundbreaking services or products, and the usefulness of what you provide to your customers will be a tremendous competitive advantage.

Indeed, SEO undoubtedly influences the buying cycle of your potential customers in a positive way, especially when it is done correctly.

There’s no doubt that your brand must be seen in various places online, where people need you so that you can make a worthy connection to your target audience – local SEO increases this coveted visibility, and helps more customers find you and the valuable resources you have prepared for them.

7. SEO Assists in Making Your Website an Authority Resource that Customers Would Love to Continually Visit

In SEO, content is king – this may be cliche, but it’s true. In fact, Google prefers indexing and ranking web pages with relevant, ultra-useful, and long-form content. This is because people want something of substance but can be easy to digest – something that they can scan and bookmark, so they can come back to later when they need more info or if they have more time to consume your content.

Now, using good SEO tactics such as keyword research, internal linking, backlinking, guest blogging, etc., will make people keep on clicking through your site and sharing your content on social media and other platforms, thereby increasing your website visits.

Most importantly, people will see you as an authority figure in your niche if you keep on publishing multiple content or blog posts per week – the more you create high-quality content, the more people will read, engage, bookmark, and share your content to their family and friends. So, the next time they think of buying products or services that are in your niche, they will think about you, visit your online store, and trust you with their money.

8. SEO Makes Your Website Credible – Making Your Store Visit Worthy

Credibility and trust are some of the foundations that you need for your business to grow and be considered as an authority in your industry.

However, building website credibility and credible business, in general, does not happen overnight.

But thanks to an effective SEO strategy, your brand can build credibility and trust in the eyes of the search engines, especially Google, and this will lead to an increase in website visits.

Also, most search users believe that a credible website can always be found on top of the first page of the SERPs – most potential customers see businesses having higher authority when their websites rank on top of the search results for the right keywords. So, make sure that your SEO is effective.

9. SEO Sets Your Business Apart in a Sea of Competitors

Ranking on top of the SERPs, acquiring the coveted rich snippets in search results, having a fast loading and user-friendly website, publishing high-quality and engaging content, being clickable with a great linking structure, and a lot more can set you apart from your competitors in your industry.

You see, search engine optimisation is not only to put you on higher rankings but also for the search engines and potential customers alike to understand your website, love your content, and recommend your business despite having heaps of competitors trying to do the things that you do and outrank you.

Being in a sea of competitors is the ultimate reason why hiring a team of SEO experts with years of search engine marketing experience will be your most significant competitive advantage.

In the world of online search, if you’re not on the first page of the SERPs, you’re likely letting your potential customers visit your competitors’ websites that rank on page 1.

Did you know that 92% of clicks or web traffic go to the search results in the first page of the SERPs and 6% or below go to the second page? That is a stark difference!

So, if you want to increase your store visits as well as conversion, you need to have a great SEO plan and implementation. And now that you have the fundamental answers to “what does SEO do for your website visits,” it’s time to make sure that your SEO strategy is helping you rank higher on page 1 of the SERPs.