SEO of Magento stores – why is it worth it?

Are you using the Magento platform? It’s a good choice. The system currently developed by Adobe is available in many languages, and its rich functionality makes it very easy to manage the sales process. The many advantages include adapting this portal to SEO needs. Indeed, positioning of stores on Magento gives you a wide range of possibilities. Here, however, nothing happens by itself.

In order for your store to be displayed high in Google search results and its offer to effectively reach interested customers, you should take care of it through positioning. It is a series of activities thanks to which Google recognizes your e-store as valuable in terms of SEO for people entering certain key phrases into the website. For this to happen, the search engine algorithms, after reviewing your store on Magento, must recognize that:
– it is easy to use,
– quickly provides information consistent with the search intention for a given keyword,
– it is credible.

How to “convince” Google algorithms to each other? This is a process that requires, first of all, refining the store itself – in terms of its code, security, hosting parameters, but also the content posted. That’s not all, of course, because additionally there is also the issue of linking and other related issues.

Seems like a lot of work? Yes. In order to position a store on Magento, you need to have the appropriate knowledge, experience, tools and time. However, the effort and budget invested in this process pay off many times over. Well-planned and performed SEO activities will allow you to:
– get high positions in Google search results for phrases related to your business,
– attract the interest of recipients who belong to your target groups,
– increase the number of visits to the website, and thus maximize the chance that the visitor will make a purchase,
– strengthen the brand awareness of your store,
– compete more effectively with other e-stores in your market niche.

Our experience shows that a well-carried out positioning of Magento stores means a significant decrease in the cost of acquiring customers, especially when compared to the cost of running intensive Ads campaigns. In addition, the effects of SEO activities are long-term and you will benefit from them for many months or even years.

How to SEO stores on Magento?

The Magento platform itself is well suited to conducting activities related to positioning. The tools available to users include such functionalities as automatic creation of a site map and robots.txt file or grouping of metadata for individual categories and subcategories. This can make your work much easier and help increase the visibility of the site for Google. However, the question is whether such actions will be enough.

It is worth realizing that the positioning of stores on Magento is carried out by an increasing group of their owners. This means ever-increasing competition and ever higher efficiency requirements. Therefore, in many cases, independent actions, even based on quite extensive SEO options of this platform, may not be successful. When positioning a store on Magento, even the slightest mistake or omission may decide about the failure of the entire investment.

For this reason, the answer to the question of how to position stores on Magento is: using the help of experts. However, before you start working with a digital agency, be sure to find out what elements should be taken care of by specialists so that their work translates into measurable results.

SEO of Magento stores – what elements do you need to remember?

At the beginning, the most important thing: how your store will be positioned depends largely on the specifics of its operation or industry. The fact that it is created using Magento also matters as you may find it necessary to correct the script code. Nevertheless, the basic principles according to which SEO activities should be carried out remain consistent with those used when positioning websites on a different basis. Here is a list of the elements that will ensure the success of all actions taken.

SEO audit – the basis for effective Magento store positioning

In theory, it may seem that positioning your store is a simple task. After all, it is all about selecting keywords and their skilful use in the resources of the website. However, this is a very big simplification of the whole process, which in fact is much more complicated. It must be remembered that the Google algorithms themselves change even several hundred (!) Times a year. The rules followed by the search engine are very extensive and cover not only content-related aspects.

That is why, before you start positioning your store on Magento, you should carefully look at the current situation. Experts have to assess how the store looks in terms of SEO and what needs to be changed to be visible in the first places in SERPs. Therefore, they assess, among others:
– technical aspects of the e-shop – incl. its code, page loading speed, its security, as well as the number of errors,
– content posted on the website – their quantity, quality are important, but also keyword saturation and uniqueness,
– page meta data and linking.

But this is not the end. You still need to look at the specifics of the company’s business processes, target group, and how competition is promoted. This information can be very important when choosing keywords for which positioning will be carried out.

Remember: keywords should not be selected “by eye”, but based on in-depth analysis and precise statistics. It is important, among others how much competition there is in positioning for specific phrases, as well as what potential they bring. Contrary to appearances, sometimes it is more profitable to choose less popular keywords, but it is much easier to get higher. When making your decision, follow the tips of SEO experts. Thanks to this, the positioning of the Magento store will be more efficient.

E-shop code optimization

Once the audit is done and experts provide concrete information on what needs to be done to get results from SEO, you can move on to action. Experts usually first look at the website of the e-shop itself and check whether it works properly.

There are many important issues in this aspect, but the most important ones are:
– page loading speed and smooth operation – may depend, among others, on from the “heaviness” of the e-store (the higher it is, the more data the user has to download to open it), as well as the hosting server parameters,
– correct operation of the website, i.e. whether it opens well on various devices and does not generate various types of errors,
– security – is extremely important, because the customer leaves his data in the store, so it must be transferred without the risk of passing through third parties. The basis is a valid and up-to-date SSL certificate.

These are all “programming” and technical tasks that SEO specialists must perform. It’s good for them to know about Magento store positioning, because the script of this platform is specific and needs to be skillfully optimized.

Verification of the site map and its layout

A site map is a record of its layout and “organizational chart”, i.e. how individual categories and subcategories branch out. It should be as logical, precise and orderly as possible. Why? Because the lack of a clear breakdown is problematic for both the user and Google’s algorithms. It should be remembered that it is unacceptable that all products are thrown into one bag, which can be seen not only in the structure of the website itself, but also in URLs. This leads to improper indexing of the e-store in Google, and thus preventing effective positioning.

SEO specialists carefully look at the layout of products in the store and, if necessary, propose a new, logical and more nested level. Remember: the more articles you sell, the more “densely” you should go into them. Thanks to this, finding individual elements will be easier for the customer clicking on categories, and positioning the Magento store – easier.

After making changes, of course, you need to generate a new sitemap and a robots.txt file. On Magento, this can be done automatically.

Meta tag optimization

Meta tags are additional content that does not appear directly on the store’s page, but is important information for search engines. The most important and visible tags are title and description, i.e. the title and description of the page. They are visible in the Google results list. That is why it is worth taking a closer look at them and making sure that they are:
– unique – repeating the same meta tags reduces their value in the eyes of Google, which consequently weakens the positioning of stores on Magento,
– saturated with keywords – it is worth including those that dominate in a given tab,
– attractive in terms of marketing – they should encourage visitors to the site, so it is worth including a CTA in them, i.e. a slogan prompting you to do so.

In addition to these basic meta tags, it is also worth taking a look at the ALT descriptions of images placed on e-shop pages. Adding them can also help from a positioning point of view. This is another place that you can saturate with keywords related to a given tab.

Remember: although Magento offers automatic adding of meta tags, it is worth at least to verify them when generated and edit them if necessary. Thanks to this, you will avoid problems that will weaken the effects of SEO activities.

Store content on Magento – SEO depends largely on them

The texts for the e-shop website are important not only from the marketing point of view, although it must be admitted that this aspect is also important. However, the SEO perspective is just as important. The content must be adapted to the rules governing the positioning of Magento stores. Otherwise, you may have trouble achieving high SERP scores.

The question, however, is: what do SEO-adjusted content mean? There are several elements that must absolutely be taken care of.

First, the uniqueness of the texts. And it is understood in two ways. First of all, don’t duplicate content found on other sites. You may be entitled to use promotional material from the manufacturer of the items you sell. However, filling individual subpages with such texts will reduce the SEO value of your Magento store. Why? Because Google will consider the content repetitive, and thus – little needed by the user. It is also important not to copy the same content on multiple pages of the website. Perhaps you sell goods in twin similar subcategories, so you thought about changing a few words in the text describing one of them and copying it to the other. The resulting duplicate content will also be misinterpreted by algorithms. So avoid such mistakes.

Second, the right amount of texts. Quantity can also be considered in several different ways. On the one hand, it is about the number of characters on individual subpages. On the other hand – how many tabs will be filled with content. We advise: more is better. However, text resources should be expanded gradually – also due to the budget that must be allocated for it. Remember that texts that are too short will translate into little space for key phrases.

And where and what content should be placed in the Magento store for positioning? They’ll be useful:
– content for the home page and subpage about the store – should contain the most general phrases related to your distribution activities,
– descriptions of the main categories followed by sub-categories and products. The process of preparing these texts should be spread over time, step by step extending the range of positioning,
– articles for a shop blog – they can be useful both for SEO reasons (including long tail positioning) and for image purposes. They will also help you reach your customers at different stages of the buying funnel. Therefore, it is definitely worth investing in them later.

Third, the quality of the texts – with the positioning of Magento stores in mind, it is worth remembering that the amount of content should go hand in hand with their substantive and persuasive value. The times of the so-called “pretzels” or texts, which were the proverbial “pouring water”, are long over. Today, not only the customer, but also Google pay attention to the information value of the content. This is important for their credibility.

Fourth, the clarity and layout of the texts – with SEO in mind, texts should be written with appropriate headings (H1, H2, H3), as well as bullets, as well as bold and underlines. They make the content easier for the user to read and are an additional hint for Google robots.

It is worth considering that the content should be prepared by a professional copywriter in consultation with an SEO specialist. This will ensure that they meet the requirements of Magento store positioning.

Linking matters

Another important element for positioning Magento stores is the proper use of linking. You should check if the links already used in the content are correct and expand their base. It is important to both increase the number of internal links (but so that they do not cross each other) and external links. These can be obtained, among others on blogs, social networks or by publishing sponsored articles with links to the store.

How long does it take to position stores on Magento and can they be accelerated?

The process of positioning the store on Magento will take several months until the first clear results are achieved. How much exactly? It depends, among others on the condition of the website before starting SEO activities or how competitive the industry in which you operate is. The budget you can spend on positioning is also important. Most often, however, results can be expected after about 3-6 months. They last much longer.

Is it possible to somehow speed up the positioning? It is difficult, especially if you expect really good results. However, if you need a much faster increase in website visits and support in stimulating sales, you can be tempted to advertise a Magento store with the help of Ads systems, e.g. offered by Google. The combination of activities in these two fields: paid advertising and SEO, will bring satisfactory results in the short and long term.

While it is said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, in fact many of us do, and a similar mechanism works for the newsletter as well. If it is not visually attractive to the recipient, the chance that he will devote enough time to read the content is minimal. Besides, there is also the question of whether the user will see our message at all. Nowadays, e-mail has sophisticated anti-spam filters that redirect the mass of messages to the “spam” or “offer” tab. So in order to reach our potential customers, we need to send messages from a source that they will read as trusted.

So that the newsletters we send do not hit the vacuum and bring measurable benefits, we should choose a tool for sending them that has a high delivery rate and allows you to create visually attractive e-mails. Here is an overview of the most popular programs on the market with which you can create and send such newsletters.

MailChimp

MailChimp is one of the most popular systems for creating and sending newsletters. Its huge advantage is the extensive free plan. It is available without time limits and allows you to send as many as 10,000 messages per month. As part of this offer, you can build a database of 2000 contacts.

Newsletters sent by MailChimp can be easily adapted to various industries and current needs. The program provides access to over 100 e-mail templates and an advanced text editor, so the newsletters created in it can be graphically interesting and adapted to the visual identification of the brand. The tool also allows you to independently combine graphic and text elements using an editor that works on the principle of “drag and drop”. This means that without any programming knowledge, you can place frames for texts, photos, CTA buttons, headers or other components anywhere.

Features and packages
MailChimp also provides its customers with extensive reports and the ability to test different types of messages to find the most effective version. It can be integrated with various platforms, including WooCommerce, Magento or Zapier. Most importantly for marketers – e-mails sent by this system have an acceptance rate of 96-99%, which means that messages almost always go to the recipient’s main mailbox instead of offers or spam.

The tool has three paid packages, the cheapest of which costs $ 9.99 per month. They differ in the number of available functions, for example, only in more expensive plans are dynamic content available, i.e. content adapted to a specific recipient.

The most important information at a glance
– over 100 templates,
– English platform,
– the ability to create newsletters in the mobiles application,
– acceptance rate 96-99%,
– free plan for up to 2000 contacts,
– Unremovable MailChimp footer in the free package.

MailerLite

MailerLite is a system that also has a free version for an unlimited period. In this case, however, the number of subscribers is much smaller – it is a maximum of 1000 contacts. The platform is intuitive to use and has a built-in drag-and-drop editor. It can be integrated with many tools (including Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, WordPress).

There are only two packages in this tool: Free and Paid. The latter, however, does not have a fixed price – subscription costs are constantly increasing along with the extension of the contact list, so choosing it, you have to take into account a gradual increase in expenses. You can compare the features of the packages during the 14-day trial period of the paid version.

The most interesting features
What interesting features does this tool have? The built-in photo editor is definitely worth mentioning here, thanks to which you can crop and correct photos that are to be sent in messages directly in MailerLite. The platform also allows you to conduct A / B tests to help determine the most effective version of the message, and to create pop-ups encouraging you to subscribe to the newsletter. Options that are useful for marketers are: automatic resending of messages to people who did not open the email, and delivery of messages by time zone.

The most important information at a glance
– 14-day trial period for extended versions,
– free version up to 1000 subscribers,
– English platform,
– built-in photo editing,
– automatic resending to people who did not open the message,
– A / B tests,
– delivery of messages according to time zones,
– 24/7 chat support with a paid package.

GetResponse

GetResponse includes a drag-and-drop editor, but also a database of over 220 ready-made templates – this is the program that has one of the largest libraries of this type. However, there is no permanent free plan, you can take advantage of a 30-day trial period, but then you have to decide on one of the paid plans. However, it is worth knowing that within one package, the price increases as the number of subscribers increases.

The most interesting features
GetResponse allows you to adjust the dispatch to local time, and also offers a perfect timing tool. This means that messages are sent by the system when recipients respond best to them, which is estimated by algorithms based on their previous behavior. An interesting option is also the ability to create dynamic content, i.e. content that changes depending on the preferences of the recipient. Thanks to this, each subscriber can, for example, receive an e-mail recommendation of products that he was interested in.

What distinguishes the tool from the previously mentioned programs is multifunctionality. Thanks to GetResponse, you can not only send newsletters, but also, for example, run webinars (in more expensive packages). So, if you’re looking for a program that can do things more comprehensively, this is an option definitely worth considering.

The most important information at a glance
– 99% deliverability,
– 30-day trial period,
– access to ready-made e-mail templates (220),
– built-in photo editor,
– database of free photos,
– perfect timing tool – sending messages when recipients respond best to them,
– adjusting the shipment to local time,
– A / B tests,
– you can also do webinars in more expensive packages.

FreshMail

In Freshmail, we do not have access to the free version, after a 14-day trial period, you must subscribe to one of the paid packages. However, the prices are quite attractive here – the cheapest version costs $ 10 a month and allows you to build a list of up to 1000 recipients. This program also allows you to create newsletters using the drag-and-drop method and has a rich database of message templates – there are over 150 of them. This program has one interesting option that you will not find in most tools of this type. There is an option to buy a specific pool of messages to be sent without subscribing. In this model, we can, for example, buy 10,000 messages and simply do a one-time mailing. This is a very profitable option for people who send newsletters less than once a month.

What else does the tool offer?
This shipping system offers great opportunities when it comes to user segmentation. You can divide by interests, gender or locations, among others, and send mailing only to those people who are the target group for a specific message. Freshmail also has the functions of optimizing the sending time of newsletters and creating dynamic content. In addition, it is also worth paying attention to the large possibilities in terms of creating a shipping schedule – the platform allows you to plan any number of them.

What else does Freshmail offer? A useful function is, for example, anti-spam tests, thanks to which, before sending, you can make sure that the message will not be read by email filters as junk. In addition, many interesting options are included in the highest package. Onboarding, which introduces the secrets and functions of the tool, contact with a dedicated customer manager and the possibility of creating webinars, are also included in the price.

The most important information at a glance
– 14-day trial period,
– over 150 ready-made templates,
– anti-spam testing before shipment,
– shipping time optimizer,
– schedule of any number of shipments, – in higher packages: onboarding, webinars, dedicated account manager,
– option to buy a news package instead of subscribing.

ActiveCampaign

As part of this program, you can count on a 14-day trial period, after which you must buy one of the paid packages, the cheapest of which costs $ 15 and allows you to create a base of 500 subscribers. In addition to the standard “drag and drop” editor, ActiveCampaign offers ready-made templates, the base of which, however, is relatively small – it is currently 25 versions. What is an advantage of this tool, however, is free photo hosting, thanks to which you can store photos and graphics that you want to use in the future in the cloud. A useful feature of ActiveCampaign is also the history of changes – if at some point in the newsletter creation we find that the earlier version was better, we can easily return to it.

In ActiveCampaign, there is no problem with integration with various platforms or with importing contacts, if we previously used a different tool. There are also options for personalizing messages, delivery control and Lead Scoring. What is the last of these functions? Well, we can automatically assign points to our contacts depending on their engagement, thanks to which we create a list of our most loyal recipients. Active Campaign also allows you to do A / B tests, and in the highest of the packages we also get basic CRM functions – for example, assigning tasks to people from the company. What to take into account is that the price within the package increases as the contact base grows. It is quite a powerful tool that is best suited for large companies that need more than standard solutions.

The most important information at a glance
– e-mail templates (about 25),
– message change history,
– free image hosting 14-day trial period,
– personalization of e-mails,
– deliverability control,
– the function of adding ticks.

MailPoet

MailPoet, on the other hand, is not a standard program, but a WordPress plugin. It is free for up to 100 subscribers and there is no distinction between packages – it’s just that the price of the paid version grows in proportion to the number of subscribers. Its advantage is that it allows you to send an unlimited number of e-mails, no matter how wide the contact base is. It also works on a drag-and-drop basis and offers around 50 templates for free.

A useful feature not found in other programs is the automatic removal of uninvolved subscribers, so we don’t have to spend money sending newsletters to people who do not respond to them. The time after which a person is considered disengaged can be freely set in the panel according to current needs. The plugin has a high message delivery rate and is easy to use, so it is a good choice for WordPress users.

The most important information at a glance
– platform in English,
– free templates (around 50),
– free of charge up to 100 subscribers,
– unlimited number of e-mails,
– there is no division into packages
– the price increases with the number of subscribers,
– automatic removal of uninvolved subscribers,
– high deliverability ratio.

EmailLabs

EmailLabs is a platform that has very high message deliverability. We can even decide on a dedicated IP address, thanks to which only we have influence on the reputation of the address and message deliverability. The tool offers 4 packages, including one completely free, which allows you to send 24,000 messages per month. At EmailLabs, we also have ready-made templates that make creating mailings simple and fast.

In the case of this tool, great emphasis is placed on ensuring the client’s security during the transmission of messages and encryption of communication. In higher packages, we also have access to full onboarding, training for employees and the support of a dedicated specialist who helps, among others, in carrying out the necessary integrations. Reporting options are also expanded, including not only basic data, but also open tracking, link tracking and e-mail deliverability alerts.

The most important information at a glance
– very high deliverability,
– 24,000 messages a month for free,
– dedicated IP in higher packets,
– very extensive options to ensure security,
– free plan forever.