How do you SEO a vending machine? Turn it into a shopping mall. Don’t just think of your ecommerce site as a shopping cart and content management tool – think of it as an experience for your customers. Think of it as an establishment for your customers to find product information, lifestyle information, and learn a few things. Think of it as a vessel for connecting customers with human beings – I don’t mean just through technology like IM, but via the content your writers produce. When I think of sites that do it right, I think of sites that aren’t offer me choice. They cross-sell without hesitation, but in a way that is useful and relevant. They aren’t afraid to let me know what products don’t sell well, or get negatively reviewed. They actually tell me what alternatives I might like instead. They encourage me to come back with the size of their site, but with a comfortable navigation that gives me confidence in my next shopping experience. They’re not afraid to link out to other sources if they don’t have the answer – even if it’s a competitor. Search engines look at all this as customer value. These are the sites they want to serve.
Which retailers am I talking about? Well, three years ago I would have said Amazon. Now, since I’ve become an almost complete online shopper (yes – I do my grocery shopping online), I’m noticing a lot more great retailers kicking up their experience. Zappos, Barnes & Nobles, and Overstock are a few I hit lately. There’s plenty more.
So this is a simple post with a simple message. I like analogies. I think they go a long way. Ask yourself – is your site a vending machine? If so, how are you going to change that? If you don’t have the real estate on your machine now, build it. Don’t worry so much about putting ROI to it – a lot of times that discourages a chance to really grow, despite how ’sensible’ and safe you think your paranoia is.
