Keyword Research and Product Lines
If you're an eCommerce site owner, one of the key-issues to tackle is picking the right products to sell on your site. It's not enough to pick any old product and hope that it will be successful - you need to do your homework and select products that are relevant for your niche.
There is a fine line between focusing on too many items, or focusing too much on a specific type of product. This article will outline six steps for researching keywords, selecting product lines, and how best to manage inventory levels while still meeting customer demand.
Keyword Research and Product Lines
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how to choose what products to sell on your site. The most successful eCommerce site owners have a unique set of criteria that they use to choose items for sale. Here are some of the most important criteria:
Your Products Are Competitively Priced Products that are more expensive than similar items on other sites often mean that your customers will want to buy them at higher prices. In order to be competitive, you must first identify the features that makes your product different from competing ones in your niche. Start by comparing the cost of the materials, and then add shipping and handling charges as well as any taxes or other charges levied by governments or customs bodies. In many cases, this will not be enough to make your product stand out from the crowd - so now you must investigate whether your products have any unique benefits. Consider any extras that competitors may not provide. Do you have a warranty or guarantee for the item? Are there hidden costs that customers need to take into account? Your Site Is Stable and Easy-to-Use If you've ever visited a site that is constantly under construction, then you know how frustrating it can be to visit a site with broken links and poor navigation. Customers who visit your site are trying to find information quickly, either before or after they have learnt about your newest offerings. They expect a clean and visually-appealing site that is easy to navigate. Your Inventory Levels are Safe What if a large order comes in unexpectedly? How do you know how much to order, and when to reorder or take out product lines from your store? When you have too much inventory on hand, it becomes difficult to meet customer demand. There is no point in pricing your items lower than you can sell them for. You need a system that will give you an idea of how much inventory you need at any given time. That way, you can control your sales and keep customers happy. Your Site Can Meet Customer Satisfaction If you're going to spend money on a website to sell your products, then you need to make sure that the site is worth it. It should have a simple design and navigation, so that customers can easily find things on your site. There needs to be something for everyone who buys from your site - if not, then they will be disappointed. The items should look good in print and online. They should also be available in enough quantity and at the right price so that customers don't have to wait too long for their orders to arrive. The site should be easy to navigate. If something goes wrong with orders, you need to have a reliable customer service team that can provide the necessary information and follow-up quickly.
The Essentials Before we go on, here are some of the most important things that you should do to ensure your site is running smoothly:
1. Do Your Own Research The eCommerce industry is constantly changing at an incredible pace - so it is important that you do your research before tackling any major changes or new features for your site. Use these steps for researching keywords:
2. Search Google For Keywords Analyze what people search for in order to determine which products are successful in other markets. Determine which products are the most successful on other sites in your niche. Read individual product reviews to find out what customers say about their products. Read About Your Products Online Analyze popular sites where customers discuss products online. Take a look at discussions in forums, on blogs and on social networks to determine different opinions about your various products. These can provide valuable insight into what might work for your site, or what may not work for it.
3. Set up a Keyword Research Campaign On your website, write down the minimum number of keywords you will need to rank well for each relevant product line. Use Google Adwords Keyword Tool to determine the monthly search volume for different products. If there is not enough interest in a product line, then stop developing it and concentrate on other areas. The most successful sites focus on products that have at least 1000 searches per month. If you can't rank well for these keywords, then you will not be able to compete with other eCommerce sites in your niche. Once you have set up your campaign, you can use this tool to track how many hits you receive from Google.
4. Eliminate the Obvious Do some research into which products have been available online longer - particularly if they are currently selling well on other eCommerce sites online. For products that are selling well, don't try to compete with them. If customers do not enjoy the experience of buying your products, then they will likely stay on other sites rather than come to yours. Omit any information or promotions which might be confusing or uninteresting. Eliminate any unnecessary words from your pages since these can be distracting from their primary purpose - selling products.
5. Create Smart Keyword-Rich Titles Write keyword-rich titles that are easy to read and understand for search engines. Use keywords in the title and tag lines, and include the keywords in URLs so that search engines can easily link through to your content and ads. Make the most of every single word on product pages, for example, by including manufacturer and brand names that are associated with the product.
6. Set Up Your SEO Campaigns Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a key component to any eCommerce site. Although Google's algorithm is constantly changing, there are still ways to include relevant keywords and phrases on your site so that it will appear higher in search results. First of all, make sure you fill out your meta-tags correctly in order to get relevant information out to customers and search engines. Use tools such as Open Site Explorer or Alexa to determine how popular a website is within a niche market. Find out which are the most important pages on competitors' sites by reading their reviews.
7. Make the Most of Your Product Descriptions Make sure you include your target keywords in your product descriptions and make them appealing to search engines. Don't forget to include your most important keywords in both the page title and the page content. Use LSI keyword tools like Google's Keyword Planner to find out which words are most likely related to your products. Include other relevant product names as well as specific product descriptions. Also, make sure that you have a call-to-action that relates directly to an offer or special promotion on the site.
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Conclusion By taking care of these elements, you will have a better idea of which products you should be selling on your site. There is always a lot of trial and error involved in this process, so it is important that you do any necessary research into your niche market before making any major decisions on what to sell online.
9. Use Sales Metrics to Make Decisions Online sales continue to increase every year, so this is one area of the eCommerce industry where it makes sense to invest time and effort. Make sure that you have a tracking system which will provide you with valuable information about how well each product has done over time.