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The aim of anyone running an e-commerce store is to get people to visit the website, browse, and most importantly, buy. Google searches are an essential part of this strategy and store owners will want to ensure that when someone enters the keywords for a product they are selling, a link to their store, or that specific product page within the store, is displayed on the search results. The way in which Google ranks search results is a closely guarded secret, but the company’s experts have given some general hints and tips about what website owners can do to improve their prospects.

Accurate Product Data

Google’s algorithm looks for e-commerce shops which are updated regularly, so that when a customer clicks on a link they see on the website, they are taken to a site where the product is available, not out of stock. Google also uses this information on their Images, Maps and Shopping pages to help customers find products close to them. There is a range of ways in which website managers can make sure this information is being communicated to Google.

Can’t Google Search for the Information Itself?

The Googlebot is the search engine’s software which “crawls” the internet, looking for elements in text or on pages which allows it to be indexed. However, there are some key pieces of product information which Google can’t pull automatically. Google will only show product information to users when the algorithm is sure it is accurate. It’s the job of the site owner to help Google out by making sure that the data which the crawlers can’t verify is accurate. Some of the elements which site owners will have to look at are:

• Clearly separating the products being sold from related or suggested products
• Pricing – original price against discounted price
• Base price of product and shipping or other costs.

Supplying the Information to Google

Making sure Google has access to the information can get quite technical, so many e-commerce site owners choose to get the experts to do this bit for them. Perhaps the easiest way is by using Google’s Merchant Center, which is designed to put structured data about pricing or whether something is in stock into a format which the Google software crawlers can read. If you’re new to Google Merchant Center, there are lots of online videos and tutorials to walk you through the basics.

Don’t Neglect the SEO

It’s easy to get hung up on the details of product updating, and take your eye of the ball about the wider aspects of SEO. This would include things like making sure your site is regularly updated with new content, and that you don’t have any broken links. Google analytics can help identify trends over time – are visitors to your website increasing or decreasing? What are they typing to get to your site? Having a clear idea about what you are trying to achieve with your website will help guide your SEO strategy priorities.