There is no quick fix for marketplace SEO, just like there is none for trying to appear in search results.
The advantages often only accrue to websites that spend on search engine optimization (SEO).
We’re off to a good start if you have an e-commerce website that lists items supplied by outside merchants and connects buyers and sellers (as Airbnb, Amazon, Etsy, and eBay do).
You run a website with a marketplace.
Yes, reading this post is worthwhile if you want your website to rank highly on Google without costing you a thing.
What Exactly Is Market SEO?
To improve exposure and boost conversions, marketplace SEO entails optimizing product listings on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Etsy.
Due to the problems and opportunities that marketplaces have above typical websites, you might consider marketplace SEO to be a distinct niche specialization.
Your marketplace SEO, like “regular” SEO, requires a solid website architecture that adheres to SEO best practices as well as on- and off-page SEO tactics to guarantee that your page or product ranks as high as possible.
Can this be done? Yes.
Is this simple? In no way.
It is deliberate work that is concentrated and ongoing rather than a one-time activity.
The rewards are enormous if you put in the effort because it’s likely that your rivals won’t.
Your Marketplace SEO approach, like everything else in digital marketing, should be a part of a comprehensive, multi-channel, full-funnel marketing plan.
You can’t rely on SEO to generate all of your growth KPIs (key performance indicators)
But it can undoubtedly be useful!
How is SEO for marketplaces different from SEO for e-commerce?
When comparing marketplace SEO with “regular” SEO, there are many similarities.
Your marketplace website is ranked “free” on Google for similar terms (as opposed to your paid search campaigns or display campaigns).
To rank highly is the objective for another. This will increase the visibility of your brand throughout the whole buyer’s journey and increase traffic to your website.
The similarities stop at this point.
With marketplace SEO, the objective is to optimize for commercial intent rather than the usual SEO goal of creating content that responds to the search query so that the site is found on the search engine results page (SERP).
Or, to be discovered at the time when a person is most inclined to make a purchase.
For instance, if you type “the greatest costumes for a year-end supper” into Google, articles and blogs will appear in the first five results.
You can get marketplace results for “little black dress” online, where independent suppliers advertise their products.
These websites have undoubtedly worked hard to optimize for organic search.
However, marketplace SEO experts face a number of difficulties that their eCommerce counterparts do not as compared to e-commerce sites.
For starters, the marketplace website often stocks much more merchandise than a traditional brick-and-mortar eCommerce store. Because of this, optimizing is a labor-intensive, continual endeavor.
Another is that the e-commerce store has complete control over supply, the caliber of the product listings, the photos, the descriptions, etc.
Third-party providers frequently submit the same item numerous times unintentionally or utilize ambiguous URLs or naming conventions.
Because of this, marketplace websites require ongoing oversight, tight vendor onboarding procedures, and constant management.
Guidelines For Improving Marketplace Listings
The article’s main points are now within reach.
Here’s how to optimize your marketplace website so that it appears higher on search engines like Google, Bing, and everywhere else you’d like.
1. Use breadcrumbs, the same as Hansel and Gretel
Every website needs breadcrumbs for simple, user-friendly navigation.
Breadcrumbs not only assist people to navigate your website’s categories and subcategories and have a better overall experience, but the organized product path also makes it easier for bots to explore your website.
Breadcrumbs are displayed in the SERP so consumers can see where the page is located on your website, in addition to providing people and Google bots with easy navigation and category location.
2. Schema Markup Is Required
Search engines use schema markup as a kind of “cheat sheet” to assist them to understand what your online content is about.
Think of it as a box in a room full of white, unlabelled boxes that has a label on it that tells the individual what is inside. It is advantageous!
The use of schema markup, structured data, and snippets enhances site indexing and enables marketplace websites to display more details on search engine results pages (SERPs).
You could, for instance, display breadcrumbs, product details, and product reviews.
Product structured data is arguably the most significant schema markup to apply to increase product visibility.
- This enables you to list or display different product features in the SERP, including:
- Images.
brand of goods.
ratings and reviews
Company or brand name.
Product details.
SKU, among others.
3. Quickness and mobile friendliness
Your website pages should load quickly, and your site should appear nice on a mobile phone, something I shouldn’t have to remind you of, especially in today’s Gen Z market which is dominated by mobile devices.
Okay, now that I’ve said that, let me explain why in case you still need persuading.
Sadly, only you are prepared to wait for your great but slow website to load. No other one will.
Nearly 80% of online buyers claim that a site’s load time influences their choice to make a purchase.
You lose sales because of your slow website.
Additionally, one of Google’s UX metrics for its ranking algorithm is site speed.
You are losing visibility due to your slow website.
To evaluate the performance of your marketplace website, use GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights.
4. The need for site security (SSL)
A secure protocol known as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) establishes an encrypted connection between the web browser and the server of the website.
When HTTPS or a padlock appears in the URL, you’ll know your site employs SSL.
Websites without SSL or those using the outdated HTTP URL are not liked by Google.
Typically, a privacy error would appear, discouraging consumers from visiting the website.
5. Remember to use sitemaps
As new products and prices are loaded, your marketplace site’s hundreds or thousands of pages need to be updated on a frequent basis.
In order for Google crawlers to index your site’s vital pages, update your sitemap.
If your CMS doesn’t generate one automatically, construct one manually using XML Sitemaps and upload it to Google Search Console.
Every time you alter a product’s specifications or add new URLs to your website, do this.
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Use testimonials to increase engagement.
Make it as simple as you can for customers to provide ratings and reviews after purchasing your products by asking them to do so.
Reviews are a terrific method to get past concerns and objections during the sales process and help to build involvement and confidence.
Ratings also let Google know that your website is authentic.
Content remains king.
I’m not referring to return policies or product descriptions here. No.
For search engine optimization, content marketing is still a crucial component of your online exposure.
Your marketplace site’s rating is improved by relevant, high-quality content.
Produce articles, blogs, how-tos, and insights on the particular problems that your clients face.
Share these blogs and client testimonials on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Utilize influencers on numerous social media platforms that your desired target audience frequents to increase the number of clicks on your website.
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Each category or product page should have SEO blurbs with LSI keywords at the bottom to enhance your linking strategy.
Final Reflections
No way about it: SEO is essential for your marketplace website.
Although creating an SEO strategy for your marketplace website presents some difficulties, it will help your items and category pages rank for the competitive keywords you would otherwise have to pay for.
