Improving Internal Site Search, Google to Stop Using Their Desktop Crawl Bot, & Integrating PPC & SEO

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Ecommerce SEO

Online Retailers Losing ￡1.7bn Annually Due to Poor Search Functions

New research shows that UK online retailers are losing an average of ￡1.7bn each year because of inadequate online search functions.

According to the study by Algolia, a search-as-a-service platform, poor search features cost retailers ￡85 per customer. The frustration from ineffective searches is causing nearly 1/3 of shoppers to abandon their purchases before checkout.

The research, conducted by Censuswide in May 2024 with 2,001 UK respondents, highlighted that Gen Z shoppers were the most affected, with losses averaging ￡113 per person, while Millennials averaged ￡87.

?? Takeaway: there are lots of ways to improve internal search, like apps such as BoostCommerce for Shopify, which can help significantly improve user experience and conversion rate:

1. Improve Search Accuracy: Showing relevant products, categories and blogs or pages that match user queries. The flexibility of viewing a single product or navigating to a collection reduces customer frustration and enhances the shopping experience.
2. Popular Suggestions: By offering popular search suggestions, you can guide users towards commonly searched items, increasing the likelihood of finding what they need and reducing cart abandonment rates.
3. Rich Product Listings: Results should include clear product images, prices, and titles, making browsing effortless for customers without leaving the page.

By implementing these features and others in your search, websites can significantly improve customer satisfaction and reduce revenue losses due to poor search.

Ecommerce SEO

Google Testing Shopping Filter Bar

Spotted by Brodie Clark on X, Google is testing a new top filter bar, which allows you to refine broad match searches by specific type to show you more relevant results. For example, this search for ‘running shoes’ filters down into walking shoes, tennis shoes and so on:

?? Takeaway: Last week, I shared a tip for any UK ecommerce stores looking to improve organic visibility by switching your VPN to the US and learning from their SERPs.

Google gives us a ton of hints of what they're looking for within the SERPs, but the rest of the world has significantly fewer features than the US. In the States, there are 16 different filters for broad match searches, such as ‘running shoes’, such as support type, lining material and weight. These give you an insight into the different collections you can create to serve these queries better.

So ensure you’re not missing out if you have the products to fill these keyword gaps. Read my full post here.

Mobile SEO

Sites not Indexable on Mobile will not be Indexed.

Sites not accessible on mobile have until the 5th of July to rectify this, or they may not be indexed at all.

In July, Google will stop crawling sites using its desktop agent. This shouldn’t be confused with mobile-friendliness; so long as your site can be viewed on a mobile, even if it's not mobile-optimised, it can still be indexed.

?? Takeaway…

TEST HOW YOUR WEBSITE RENDERS IN GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE!

Apologies for the dramatic font, but it’s that important. The screenshot below is an example from a new client who came to us after a sudden drop in traffic after launching a new site. After a quick test, previewing the page showed no content at all, even though it ticked all the boxes for being indexable.

It turns out this was to do with a fancy page animation, which effectively blocked the content from being rendered by Google. Once removed, the content could be crawled and traffic is slowly returning.

This is why SEOS must have a seat at the table with any site redesign or migration. Your designers and devs aren’t SEOs; don’t risk the traffic you’ve built up over the years.

SEO X PPC

The Ultimate Guide to SEO & PPC

Integration between PPC and SEO is something I’m pretty passionate about. As an SEO, I get annoyed when I see companies bidding on brand keywords for which they already rank in the top 3 places for. Similarly, I get frustrated when I see content ranking #1 organically, but there are four ads above it where they’re not featured.

In this Whiteboard Friday, Grace Frohlich shows how to integrate SEO and paid search into your marketing strategy to avoid unnecessary spending, have a unified brand message, and achieve sustainable long-term growth.

It’s something I’ve wanted to write about for a long time, and it's well worth a watch if your paid campaigns are bleeding money or if your organic content isn’t getting the results you were expecting.

AI

Preparing for Google’s AI Overviews

With Google ads to be embedded within AI Overviews shortly, Grace Mante wrote about 5 ways advertisers can prepare for Google’s AI Overviews. I’ve broken these down below:

1. Embrace Broad Match: Switch to broad-match keywords to capture a wider audience. Start testing in small batches and refine negative lists for better results.
2. Adopt Value-Based Bidding: Use value-based bidding to attract qualified users. This approach uses data to find the right audience at the right time.
3. Triangulate Measurement: Use multiple measurement sources like data-driven attribution, in-platform tests, and Media Mix to optimise performance and budget.
4. Utilise Performance Max and Demand Gen Campaigns: Incorporate these campaigns to reach customers across various platforms. These campaigns leverage automation and robust algorithms to improve targeting.
5. Push for Transparency: Advocate for detailed reporting from Google to understand ad performance and placement better. This helps ensure your ads serve against relevant queries and content.

The shift towards AI in both paid search and SEO is here. Embrace these strategies to stay competitive and avoid falling behind. Read the full article here.

Ecommerce SEO

Shopify Acquires Checkout Blocks to Enhance Customisation

According to TechCrunch, Shopify has acquired Checkout Blocks, a no-code customisation app, to enhance the customer experience for Shopify Plus merchants.

Checkout Blocks launched in September 2022 and allows checkout customisation with AI recommendations, custom content, discounts, thank you pages and more.

• It’s used by over 850 merchants, including brands like Olipop and Kosas.
• It’s Considered one of Shopify's most popular checkout apps.
• It uses no-code customisation, which enables non-techy merchants to enhance their checkout process.

The starter plan is now free for Shopify Plus merchants (previously $99/month).

While the no-code approach gives you a lot of flexibility, remember that Shopify has the highest conversion rate in the world. So, while it may be tempting to play around with the checkout, make sure to A/B test any changes to ensure you’re not distracting too much from the familiarity of Shopify’s process.

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