B2B eCommerce sites can be powerful tools to improve search engine rankings. From identifying the right keywords to optimizing photos, B2B companies have many options to help their online business rank higher in search results – and outrank their competition.

Here are several tips to boost your site.

Talk to your customers

This tip is simple but often forgotten; luckily you can implement it immediately – learn how customers find your business by asking them. What search terms do they use? What questions do they ask? If you have a customer service team, ask them which items are most popular. The keywords you use for your B2B eCommerce store should be informed by what your audience is searching for – not what you think they’re searching for.

Include long-form copy on every product page

Unfortunately, many eCommerce businesses merely copy and paste product information from their suppliers’ websites, or, even worse, from their competitors. Stay far away from this practice. Google frowns upon unoriginal/duplicate content, and it doesn’t help you stand out in your industry – write descriptive, keyword-rich content instead.

Optimize product images

Professionally photographed product images increase conversion rates and improve your ranking because high-quality images rank higher than low-quality images. And don’t forget alt text, which is how search engines read your images – make your photos, photo titles, and alt text describe the item. “Brown Leather Boots.jpg” is much better for your ranking than “Product41Br.jpg.”

Add product review videos to YouTube

Google owns YouTube and rewards companies that use it. Prospects like to hear from customers who’ve used your products and had a positive experience. Here too write descriptive, keyword-rich video descriptions and don’t forget to link back to the product page.

Have Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ buttons

Google takes social links into account when ranking sites.

Intersperse inbound links throughout your site

If you sell physical products, give influencers (e.g., industry bloggers) your products to review. They’ll backlink to your site, which improves its authority and rankings.

Include contact information on every page

You’d be surprised how many companies bury their contact information. If your prospects or customers have questions, don’t make it difficult for them to get in touch.

Implementing some or all of these tips will take time, and your site won’t immediately show up on the first search engine results page. But by starting now to make your eCommerce site easier for search engines to “read” – and therefore easier for prospective customers to find – you’re on your way to improved rankings.

If this sounds overwhelming and you’re struggling to wrap your head around the basics of search engine marketing, or if you want to take your search tactics to the next level, let’s talk. Our experts know how SEO works on all major eCommerce platforms, and we’d love to help.