By JB Newman

Despite the fact that nearly three billion people regularly shop online, the ecommerce industry is more competitive than ever before. 

With a plethora of options at their fingertips, shoppers can be extremely decisive and more than willing to abandon a site if it doesn’t tick all their boxes. In fact, Contentsquare data reveals that the average website visitor only spends less than a minute before clicking off. In ecommerce, this means that effectively capturing your shopper’s attention and trust within this timeframe can result in positive conversions.

One of the best ways to do so is through great onpage content. While creating off-page SEO is still a viable route that can yield successful outcomes, studies reveal that 70% of respondents believe direct brand and product content can make or break a sale. Per shoppers’ if the webpage doesn’t display the precise content they’re looking for, they’re inclined to find another ecommerce retailer and potentially even overlook the brand for future transactions. But what is it exactly about on-page content that helps drive conversions for ecommerce sites? Read on to find out.

Increases organic page traffic

The biggest and most obvious revenue-related perk that quality on-page content offers is increasing organic site traffic. Whereas other forms of SEO executions can help lead target demographics to a page, on-page content brings potential shoppers right to the site. This reduces the number of clicks required to get to your site, thereby taking better advantage of a consumer’s attention span and interest. It also minimizes the risk of the consumer finding and getting distracted by other external links.

In fact, LinkNova, a pioneer marketing agency, shares that driving rapid growth with SEO and content via onpage work is so effective that significant growth can be achieved, even with little to no original organic presence. Such was the case in one New York City real estate startup that saw a 443% increase in organic landing page increase after just eight months of adopting extensive onpage SEO changes. Other thought leaders, like easyJet and WeightWatchers, also utilize a similar approach. This further underscores the value of being able to draw consumers straight to your site.

Highlights relevant sales deals

Amid inflation and workforce worries, many consumers are still keen to spend more per shopping trip. This extends to their online endeavors, especially during special occasions. For instance,  recent surveys on consumers’ holiday spending habits reveal that 43% of Gen-Zers and 37% of millennials plan to spend more during the Yuletides. In line with this, many e-commerce sites are turning to special promos and deals to attract more shoppers. Such is the spending power of consumers, particularly during holidays, that even 53% of small-time brands say they don’t feel threatened by ecommerce giants like Amazon and Temu.

Unsurprisingly, 29% of these sites report having invested in SEO to achieve this. After all, by creating attractive on-page SEO, consumers have a more straightforward path directly onto product pages. This enables you to showcase multiple promotions while still maintaining a sense of urgency without being limited by the binds of off-page SEO content that may not allow for more hard-sell marketing. This is why when you look at leading retailers like Eyebuydirect, which is a world-renowned eyecare provider, there are several pages dedicated to sales on their site.

Improves website trustworthiness

Gone are the days when online shoppers found it thrilling to make risky purchases for the sake of lower prices. Instead, today’s online consumers want to know exactly what they’re getting into. In line with this, a Saleslion survey found that more than 80% of ecommerce consumers conduct product research prior to buying anything. With this in mind, it makes more sense to provide this necessary information directly from your site. In so doing, not only are you able to better control the communications, but you’re also able to place yourself in a trustworthy position. By offering up relevant and comprehensive product details upfront, it shows that you have nothing to hide and are more than willing to share your expertise on your goods.

Among the best ways to do this is through onsite FAQs. As explained in Search Engine Journal, well-executed FAQs can fuel internal page views that then support critical conversion pathways. One ecommerce site that has nearly perfected its FAQs is Amazon. Aside from providing general questions and responses, their AI technology also tailors more FAQs based on a customer’s online activity. This then ensures that any and all queries are satisfied in-house without having the customer leave their site.

Cements brand story and values

Contemporary online consumers base their purchases not only on the product or service itself but also on the brand behind it. As such, Forbes says that consumers are up to six times more likely to transact with a brand whose values they resonate with. While you can surely make your stand on more casual channels, like social media, it’s important to clearly state your team’s story, mission, and vision on your site. Being that this is an ecommerce site’s primary platform, this ensures seamless branding right from the source.

This is something that was recently very well done by the ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s. Historically vocal about championing human rights and liberties, the company took to rehauling many of its online collaterals to mirror a change they made to one ice cream flavor. Specifically, in 2022, Ben & Jerry’s released their “Change is Brewing” flavor in the hopes of encouraging more Black communities to vote. While this could have been easily viewed as performative, much like what happened to the chain store Walmart following their own release of Juneteenth ice cream, Ben & Jerry’s was able to avoid this by using their various avenues to be transparent. Online, this included telling the story of the ice cream flavor, the historical background of the movement it stood for, and why this should matter to consumers.

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Article exclusively for retailistmag.com by JB Newman