In most cases, your website is one of the first interactions you will have with your potential customers. For this reason, your website needs to be well-designed and easy to search. Many companies have a well-designed website, but they neglect the ‘search’ portion of a website. Having a website that is searchable can help improve conversions. Here are 5 important tips for improving your ecommerce site search:
1. Have Your Search Box Front and Center
Have you ever visited an online store that didn’t have a search box? There is nothing more frustrating than trying to search for a product with a missing search box - especially when a website has tons of products. This gives a visitor a reason to click out of a site and go elsewhere. Make sure your search box is visible to users. It should be somewhere close to the top of your page. This is one of the top items that web users look for when searching on an ecommerce website.
Quick Tip: Ask your web developer to include autocompletion capabilities in your search box. Many users have become accustomed to using autocompletion on their Google search. Why not provide them with something familiar on your own website. Plus, it makes their search a lot easier and more efficient.
2. Know What Your Customers Are Searching For
Wouldn't it be great to know in advance what your customers really want? This allows you to provide them with new products and lead them to specific products on your website. Tools like Google’s Keyword Tool allows you to accomplish this task. It allows you to measure your search volume for related and specific keywords your audience is searching for online. This is an effective way of improving your website's search mechanism.
3. Make Sure Your Images Have Descriptions and Product Names
A lot of ecommerce websites contain images without product names and descriptions. How do you expect a product to be identified if an image is named: ‘image-01’ or some other unidentifiable name? All of your images should include a product name and a relevant description.
4. Include a Site Search on Your Ecommerce Website
Whether your online store is large or small, every ecommerce website should have a site search. Having this important capability makes your visitors search more efficient and enjoyable. The key to having a successful online business is to provide your visitors with what they want within a quick time-frame. Remember, your website is an online store that’s available 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. Your visitors are more likely to remain on your website if they are able to find what they need, especially if they are searching from an iPad, iPhone, Android or another Smartphone device.
5. Be Careful Who You Hire
If you own an ecommerce website, make sure you hire a good web development company that specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for ecommerce businesses. Many SEO consultants only focus on making sure that a website has high rankings. High rankings are good, you should aim for it. However, there is more to having a thriving online store than having the highest rankings. A website should be fully functional. It should be visually appealing, easy to use and easy to browse. If any of these components are missing, you will have a difficult time converting visitors into loyal customers.
Do you need an ecommerce website built? Do you have an existing site that needs improvement? Maximize Studio can help. Feel free to contact us for a consultation at: (866) 213-2352.