Any retailer can put out catchy TV commercials, radio ads, and social media campaigns. However, to truly compete in the crowded online marketplace, businesses must prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) tactics for a sound ecommerce strategy. For over 20 years, Virtucom Group has been a trusted content creation partner for numerous Fortune 500 retailers across North America. Here, we explain how to keep up with the competition and experience successful ecommerce.
Publishing Unique, Engaging Product and Category Content
The search engine results page (SERP) ranks websites based on various factors. One of the most important is ensuring that each page has completely unique, unduplicated content that is user-friendly, engaging, and easy to read. Based on Virtucom Group’s experience, far too many retailers choose to take shortcuts with their product and category content. Copying and pasting information from a data feed is a crucial mistake – one that could result in outcomes such as:
- Duplicating content: Because data feeds are used by various retailers, you’re not the only one who might be copying and pasting information. When duplicated content appears across numerous websites, search engines flag the information as unreliable and won’t rank those pages high in the results.
- Publishing inaccurate data: Data feeds are often plagued by instances of incorrect product information. If using data feeds verbatim, retailers are likely publishing SKUs with inaccurate data – without even knowing it. These data points must be normalized and verified to ensure a retailer’s taxonomy populates correctly, as well as help customers find exactly what they’re looking for.
- Decreasing the consumer experience: Brand loyalty and consumer perception can be drastically affected if you’re publishing inaccurate information or boring copy. For example, incorrect product data can result in frustrated customers having to return an item, which had errors within the SKU. In other cases, the lack of engaging content could make products appear in a less-than-appealing light, resulting in a higher bounce rate and more cart abandonments.
Enhancing the Online Consumer Experience
A successful ecommerce strategy is constantly adapting to meet challenges – especially those presented by a less-than-ideal consumer experience. When online shoppers have trouble navigating a retailer’s website and can’t find exactly what they’re looking for, they’re bound to leave your site in favor of a competitor. Luckily, the following data solutions from Virtucom Group can help to make all the difference:
Attribute Modeling
Consider a fully realized collection taxonomy to be the solid bedrock on which you build your brand. We have decades of experience in creating and maintaining collection taxonomies, which are utilized by numerous Fortune 500 retailers nationwide. Our team of experts has crafted countless product categories that offer benefits such as:
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- Full attribute coverage
- Facet navigation assignments
- Normalized lists of values
- Customization to suit current display standards
Virtucom Group can build complete product attribute catalogs through a flexible, adaptive process, which meets each retailer’s unique systematic and preference requirements.
Hierarchy Design
Your web display hierarchy should serve as a roadmap that helps consumers find the specific product they need. Retailers feel it in their bottom lines if customers can’t locate a product in a cinch. Using optimized, intuitive product hierarchies, our services take consumers exactly where they need to go, streamlining the user experience.
Faceted Navigation
As a retailer, offering a wide range of products with varying specifications is a crucial component to remaining competitive. However, too many choices can become problematic if product data is missing, incomplete, or inaccurate. Faceted navigation allows shoppers to narrow down their options, as it isolates and locates products based on their unique attributes. Our services include:
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- Defining category-faceting attributes in our deliverables
- Evaluating and redefining services for existing site facets
- Making recommendations for streamlining your site’s navigation
Customized Data Feeds
We already discussed the dangers of duplicating data feed information, but it’s worth reiterating how big of a role data feeds play in your ecommerce strategy. At Virtucom Group, we specialize in data mapping, data normalization, and custom data feed development. With our solutions designed to ingest your existing data feeds and create customized, distributable ones, you can allow us to manage your data while you focus on other important areas of growing your business. You’ll no longer have to dedicate your sparse internal resources to managing multiple partner feeds, with each having unique data requirements.
Data Cleansing
For a consistent and accurate online experience, retailers must ensure that their websites’ faceted navigation filters contain all of their products. When missing or inconsistently formatted attribute values are present, your faceted navigation filters will fail to present shoppers with every product in your assortment. Using granular analysis, we first identify and fill gaps and then normalize your existing product data. We can also upgrade your data by offering a complete catalog overhaul, including normalized, filter-friendly data from established lists of values. In short, your site facets and cross-sell opportunities can represent your entire product assortment with our assistance.
Migration Services
The implementation of a new PIM or CMS is often a frustrating, time-consuming task for retailers, but it can be necessary to keep up with the competition. With Virtucom Group’s migration services, you can ensure that your existing data will meet new system requirements – and be ready in time for the launch. Here’s how:
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- We work directly with partner systems to execute seamless processes for systems integration and usability.
- Our proprietary tools, approval systems, and vendor portal applications sync with existing and new systems, thanks to our ability to support customized functions.
- No internal IT development is required to complete your data migration, as you’ll have the full efficiencies of the Virtucom Group tool base at your disposal.
Using Evergreen, Relevant Content for Blogs and Web Pages
It’s true that maintaining product and category content, taxonomies, and data can take a lot of time and dedication. However, that doesn’t mean that a retailer’s content marketing strategy can suffer. Successful ecommerce entities maintain their website’s landing page content per the latest SEO standards. Meanwhile, routine blog posts should be published to educate online consumers about the brand’s history, products, services, and selling points. Other content marketing considerations should include:
- Sponsored articles
- Email marketing campaigns
- Social media posts
- eBooks
- Downloadable PDFs
Partnering with Virtucom Group for a Stronger Ecommerce Strategy
Don’t put off a conversation with our team of experts, who can help you to re-evaluate your ecommerce strategy and implement solutions that yield the results you’re looking for. For more information, schedule a consultation with Virtucom Group today. With a fully in-house, on-shore team of copywriters, editors, taxonomists, and data specialists in place, we are located in Syracuse, New York, and proudly serve clients across North America.
