Magento is an excellent e-commerce platform but it’s not an out-of-the-box solution when it comes to SEO. There are a lot of elements that will require optimization and that means that you might have to dig into the code. But that doesn’t mean that you can still run a successful SEO campaign and boost your rankings. That’s why there are so many Magento SEO agencies out there, and every single Magento SEO agency will be following the same process that we outline below.
Top 3 tips to optimize your Magento SEO
Update to the latest version of Magento
Magento is constantly updating their platform and launching new SEO fixes and features so make sure that you update to the latest version. This is also good for the security of your site because as Magento finds new bugs they fix them in subsequent versions.
Update all your URL’s
Your URL’s are a major factor in search engine rankings so make sure that you edit them and include as many keywords as possible. Go to store > configuration > general > web > URL options. Then set the “Add store code to URL” option as no. This will make sure that your product/category codes aren’t automatically added to URL. Then you will be able to go into each page and update the URL.
Generate a Site Map
It’s critical that your site has a proper site map. Unfortunately, Magento 2 only generates the XML site map for you. If you want to create a proper HTML site map download the Dynamic HTML Site Map for Magento 2. To configure your site map go to store > configuration > catalog > XML sitemap.
Optimize your alt tags
Alt tags are your image descriptions that search engines read in order to know what’s displayed in your image. It’s also a great way to rank for keywords. So make sure that you add alt tags to every single image and include as many keywords as appropriate.
Rank for the right keywords
Many people think that ranking for the right keywords is a complicated process but in reality, it’s very simple. The first thing you need to do is to go after the long-tail keywords that have the lowest possible competition. For example, if you are selling beach attire your chances of ranking for beach shorts are pretty slim. Instead, rank for something like “orange beach shorts with stripes”. Eventually, once you start ranking for several of these long-tail keywords you will see your rankings for the broader keywords increase.
Recap
Since Magento is not an out-of-the-box solution for SEO you need to make several changes to your site to make sure that you show up on search engine results.
- Make sure that you update to the latest version of Magento.
- Optimize all of your site’s URL’s.
- Generate an HTML site map to make it easy for search engines to crawl your site.
- Optimize all of your image ALT tags.
- Make sure to go after the long-tail keywords first.
If you have any questions you can always schedule a call with a Magento SEO agency. If you follow these 5 simple steps you will be successful and start seeing your site rank higher and higher. Happy ranking!
