Data Analysis: Monitoring SEO Effectiveness

Rise of Independent Sites

As more and more platform sellers realize the limitations of profit margins and the importance of brand accumulation, they have started to transform into independent sites. It is not because independent sites have a traffic dividend, but more based on long-term development considerations.

Another part of the large platform sellers, for security reasons, have followed the footsteps of major sellers and started to open independent sites.

Importance of Traffic

Whether it's a platform or an independent site, sellers attach great importance to traffic. Traffic is the lifeblood of the e-commerce industry, determining the rise and fall of an e-commerce business.

Development Process of Independent Sites

Before 2013, e-commerce independent sites were full of traffic dividends. Major independent sites like Forcalprice, pandawill, everybuying, etc., occupied a place on the first page of Google search results. SEO practitioners only needed to understand some techniques, pick some products randomly, and could earn considerable profits on independent sites. Many young entrepreneurs achieved financial freedom in a short time through SEO.

Development Process of Independent Sites

However, with the update of the Google Penguin 2.0 algorithm, the practice of obtaining traffic through irregular SEO methods has been dealt a blow. The traffic dividend is gradually disappearing, and many independent websites have closed down, with only a few standing firm during the dividend period.

End of Traffic Dividend

The search engine traffic dividend officially ended with the announcement of algorithm updates. The means of obtaining traffic have also become more standardized.

Since then, there has been no more traffic dividend. Platforms that are not aware of the importance of traffic and do not seek to learn are prone to easy losses for small sellers.

Challenges of Independent Websites

To successfully operate an independent website, it is not as simple as placing ads on platforms. Independent websites pay more attention to traffic costs. Many products can only achieve a slight loss-making ROI of 1:2 after advertising spending, as traffic costs continue to rise.

It is difficult for independent websites to stand out simply by relying on advertising to burn through sales.

Keyword Research: Building a Keyword Structure Chart

The structure diagram of keywords is crucial for the SEO of e-commerce independent websites. When conducting keyword research, the first step is to identify the top five competitors, then explore the keywords they use to rank, and finally integrate and categorize these keywords. By following this workflow, you can create a complete table, with each sheet representing a category and containing all the keywords in that category. With such a table, you can clearly plan the layout of the e-commerce website.

Website structure organization: Establishing a systematic website structure

A clear website structure is based on the keyword research table. Planning the website structure based on the keyword table can help avoid confusion in categorization and ensure that search engine crawlers can accurately retrieve website information. It is recommended to use X-mind, http://processon.com, and other online tools to complete the planning of the website structure diagram. Once the website structure is planned, you will have a clear idea of what types of products to feature and what pages to create.

Page type content framework design + On-Page optimization

After the website's organizational structure is determined, it is necessary to start thinking about the content framework of different types of pages. The main types of pages for improving the ranking of an e-commerce website include the homepage, category pages, product detail pages, and feature pages. Once the content framework is determined, all product listings and new content should follow this framework. It is very important to prioritize designing the content framework for e-commerce independent site pages.

For example, how should the template for product category pages be designed to better fit SEO optimization. Similar to the Chewy website, text content is added at the bottom of each category page, and this design is adopted on every category page. By determining the content structure of page types, all subsequent work can be done according to this framework.

Fixing hidden content issues on the website

After the website content is uploaded, even experienced SEO professionals find it difficult to detect invisible issues with the naked eye. Therefore, using tools to monitor internal website issues becomes crucial.

Technical SEO covers monitoring whether the H tag, Title tag, Description of the website are written correctly, if there are any duplicates, and if the external links of the website are friendly. It will take a lot of time to handle these issues manually without using tools.

It is recommended to use Google Search Console + Screaming Frog for comprehensive monitoring of the website. Search Console will tell you the reasons why the website is not indexed and provide solutions. Therefore, combining the method of waiting passively for Google notifications and using Screaming Frog to monitor and fix issues is more targeted.

Build a complete content production chain

In keyword research, there are often long-tail keywords, such as 'best + product term', which are very suitable for writing articles. However, without a systematic article writing plan, it will appear messy. It is recommended to set up an article calendar, specify how many articles to publish within a month, and the content of each article.

Using Click Up's online tools can help you create a complete article calendar, allowing you to clearly know the tasks to be completed each day.

Improving website ranking through external link building

At the Chiang Mai SEO Conference in 2018, Tim from Ahrefs conducted a survey, which indicated that backlinks are still an important factor in improving rankings. Common backlink methods for independent e-commerce sites include web 2.0 backlinks, directory sites, and Guest Post backlinks, among which the methods marked with * can bring higher link weight.

The backlink methods that help improve rankings include:

Guest Post backlinks: By submitting articles and including a backlink, the scarcity is high, which can effectively improve rankings.

APL backlinks: Can quickly transfer weight, increase Referral Domain, and have significant effects in the Fashion e-commerce sector.

PBN links: Building a blog and linking back to your own website, the effect is fast but quality should be noted.

Influencers' blogs: Collaborate with influencers to place links in their blogs, relatively cheaper in price.

Although weight transfer mainly relies on these backlink methods, it is recommended to diversify backlinks for safety, while also paying attention to the naturalness of anchor texts.

Monitoring from a single page

Monitoring SEO results should start from individual pages rather than the entire website. For example, when optimizing page A, focus on monitoring the data of page A. Important URLs of pages can be put into Ahrefs for monitoring. If the page's keyword ranking reaches the first page and has good rankings for multiple keywords, it indicates that the SEO effect of this page is good.

SEO optimization for independent e-commerce sites

SEO optimization for independent e-commerce sites requires attention to content marketing and link building, both of which need to be continuously worked on. Many other aspects are one-time tasks. By continuously optimizing content and building links, you can increase the traffic barrier of independent sites, which will be an effective strategy to win in competition.