Retail spending is expected to touch USD 1.328 trillion in the 2023 Holiday season.
These statistics reflect the huge opportunity in the eCommerce sector during the Holidays. And to make the most of this opportune time, it is important to get noticed and promote yourself to the right audience. So, search engine optimization becomes all the more important during the Holiday season.
44% of customers start their online shopping with a search engine query. There is a huge potential to reach these people through eCommerce SEO strategies and increase the likelihood of conversions. SEO is not a one-off task. It is a never-ending process that needs you to analyze the existing strategies and adapt to the changing 2023 SEO trends.
In view of this dynamic course of search engine optimization, here are 7 eCommerce SEO trends that you must consider for the 2023 Holiday season.
Trend #1: Choose the most relevant keywords
More often than not, marketers try to use keywords that are difficult to rank for. Take the help of tools like Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner and prepare a list of the most relevant keywords that target the right people.
Let’s look at an example to understand better.
If you are dealing with Halloween masks, it is a good idea to target relevant keywords like holiday and seasonal masks, Halloween costumes, scariest Halloween masks, funny Halloween masks, and special masks for Halloween.
Take a look at some additional search engine terms that you could target in your product pages.
Trend #2: Write high-quality content
Whether it is product descriptions or blogs, eCommerce sites often replicate their competitors without adding much value for the reader. In the Holidays, every brand is in the race to drive maximum traffic and get the highest conversions. So, you must focus on originality and strive to deliver valuable information to prospective buyers. Doing so will increase your content’s potential to bring sales.
Write for people rather than Google or any other search engine. With the advent of ChatGPT and other content writing tools, it has become too tempting to create AI-driven content. Rather than doing so, you must publish content according to E-A-T signals.
Google utilizes this principle to ensure the search results are authentic, valuable, and in line with the latest trends. Besides it also reviews the credibility of the website developer in addition to the page content quality. Consider the search intent while creating content that matches SEO guidelines. For instance, During the Holidays, people are keener to purchase gifts, home decor products, and new outfits. Reflect on these aspects while drafting Holiday-specific content for your eCommerce site.
Trend #3: Use real photographs or images copied from competitors
Your customers are smarter than you think. They research everywhere that falls under their radar — be it websites, social media channels, offline ads, and hoardings. Their research becomes all the more aggressive during the Holidays. They can easily recognize the cliche stock photographs or images copied from other websites. So, make sure that you use attractive visuals that would compel the visitors to buy. If I talk about technical SEO aspects, always use relevant Alt-text with the image and relevant copy to go with it. Avoid stuffing the copy with keywords and focus on explaining how the product works or stands out from the competitors.
Although it looks more affordable to pick stock photographs directly, it might cost you in the form of conversions. So, designing your own images is the most cost-effective option. If you are short of time and effort, use Canva and AI-driven graphic designing tools like Midjourney.
Trend #4: Harness the power of video content
In 2023, online video will make up 82.5 % of all web traffic. By adding informative videos to your eCommerce website and social media channels, you will be able to enhance user engagement and give your audience useful information that is easy to understand. Rather than instruction manuals, focus on drafting product evaluations and demonstration videos.
For example: If you own an eCommerce site selling home decor items, show the customers how to use them to enhance the overall aesthetics of your home during the Holiday season.
Trend #5: Invest in a local SEO strategy
If your eCommerce site has an offline presence with physical stores, an effective local SEO strategy for an ecommerce website can work wonders for you. 98% of customers used the Internet to look for information about local businesses in 2022. These searches can often translate into an offline transaction. Pay extra attention to local SEO during the Holidays as it will increase the online traffic and the footfall at your physical store.
Trend #6: Think about the impact of AI on search queries
51% of eCommerce businesses use AI to serve their customers better. Here are 5 ways in which AI is used in eCommerce SEO strategies.
Your customers use search engines to discover the products they need. As AI and voice search have entered the digital world, consumers have started using search engines differently. AI chatbots use NLP (Natural Language Processing) algorithms to understand human speech and respond accordingly. Also, AI-powered voice search has compelled marketers to create content that includes long-tail keywords and highlighted snippets. It has become imperative to use a conversational tone and FAQs so that it answers the customer’s questions while boosting search engine rankings.
You can create exclusive landing pages and product pages for the Holidays that align with the search intent and answer Holiday-specific questions.
Trend #7: Forge a strong brand identity with a pleasant user experience
In addition to creating useful and unique products, you must also have an easy-to-navigate website with delightful customer service. Instead of centering your website to jump to #1 on Google search results, consider what your customers would be looking for. Audit your website regularly to determine whether it delivers a smooth user experience. This is particularly advisable before and during the Holiday season 2023.
Assess the current user flows and any friction that arises in the sales funnel, leading to conversion. Once you identify any roadblocks, clear them at the earliest and optimize your website.
With the ever-changing algorithms used to determine search engine rankings, it will be difficult for eCommerce brands to stand out in the saturated marketplace. As Holidays are the most lucrative time of the year, it demands going the extra mile to boost the ranking and be seen. So, produce search-engine-friendly content that offers value and reflects authenticity in the eyes of customers and search engines alike. Implement these SEO trends well in advance to welcome holiday shoppers to an optimized store and improve their shopping experience.
For your reference, here is a compilation of the latest eCommerce holiday trends for 2023 that can help you gain more visitors, conversions, and loyal base.
For expert guidance and top-tier eCommerce digital marketing services, our experts are the right choice to connect with.
Don’t wait; the holidays are approaching, and so are your shoppers!
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Minal Joshi is a content marketer at Krish with a flair for eCommerce and Digital Commerce aspects. She is a MarTech fanatic with a knack of writing with which, she helps brands to curate, create, & commence digital brand positioning. Sharing insights via articles, case studies, eBooks, Infographics, and other forms of content creation is what she lives for. Being an ardent traveler, when not writing, you'll find her sipping coffee into the mountains or petting a stray.
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