Platforms like Amazon and Jumia have figured out how profitable e-commerce is, and they’ve been smiling to the bank. E-commerce can help businesses reach new customers and increase sales. While setting up a basic e-commerce store can be relatively easy with readily available platforms like Shopify, running an effective store requires significant effort.
You’ll need to understand the art of market research, product sourcing, marketing strategies, customer service, and ongoing optimisation. Many African e-commerce businesses have taken the bull by the horns and run thriving platforms.
Examples include South Africa’s Takealot and Zando, Ghana’s Kaymu and Tonaton, Kenya’s Masoko and Bidhaa Sasa, as well as Nigeria’s Printivo and Slot.ng. These are just a few examples of the many e-commerce retailers thriving in different African countries.
If you’re looking to run your own e-commerce website, here are effective strategies to help you optimise your online presence, attract organic traffic, and drive sales growth.
5 Best SEO Strategies for E-commerce Websites in Africa
1. Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of identifying and analysing the words or phrases people type into search engines to find information about the products you sell. The goal is to use that information to optimise your platform content for better search engine ranking (SEO) and to attract relevant traffic to your store by targeting those keywords.
A major misconception about keyword research in e-commerce business is that you should only focus on high-volume keywords, neglecting the importance of targeting lower-volume. These long-tail keywords are often less competitive, more relevant, and have higher conversion rates for specific audiences.
An even more important thing to look out for when setting up your e-commerce website or store in Africa is to focus on keywords specific to your target region, considering local differences. For instance, optimising one of your fashion products with a keyword like best Ankara styles for curvy women in Nairobi will position your website better than when you have a keyword like Ankara styles for women.
Another aspect of keyword research that will help your e-commerce website stand out in Africa is competitor research. You need to find out the keywords your competitors are ranking for. Then, develop a better way to offer value that’ll make you stand out.
2. On-Page Optimization
On-page optimisation means making changes directly on your website pages, like tweaking the content, titles, and headings to improve how well your site ranks in search engine results. The aim is to clarify your page to search engines and ensure it provides a good user experience for better search rankings.
Here are ways to execute on-page SEO for your e-commerce business:
- Write keyword-rich, click-worthy title tags and meta descriptions.
- Optimise your product images using relevant image file names and alt text to improve SEO.
- Create a strong internal linking structure to pass link juice from one product on your store to another to help guide users and search engines through your website.
3. Technical SEO
Technical SEO is ensuring your website is set up properly so that search engines can easily access, understand what you do and navigate your website’s content. This involves having a good website structure, loading speed, and mobile friendliness to improve your website’s ranking in search results.
Here are some of the specific actions that involve technical SEO:
Mobile-first indexing: Search engines like Google prioritise a website’s mobile version for indexing and ranking in search results. This results from the growing adoption of mobile devices for accessing the internet.
What does this mean for your e-commerce website?
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly on all devices.
It is also important to submit your sitemap to search engines and control which pages are indexed using robot.txt. A robots.txt file is a text file that tells search engine crawlers which pages on a website they can access.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing is one e-commerce strategy that has yielded results in the African market. From blog content to compelling product descriptions and user-generated content, you can draw a lot of targeted traffic to your store.
Blogs provide valuable content related to your products, naturally incorporating relevant keywords.
You also need to create detailed and compelling product descriptions highlighting each product’s key features and benefits.
User-generated content like positive customer reviews can work wonders in convincing new buyers to make a purchase. Therefore, you must encourage customer reviews and testimonials to build social proof and improve SEO.
5. Local SEO
You can optimise local SEO as an e-commerce website in Africa in three major ways. These include setting up your Google My Business (GMB), building local citations, and engaging in local partnerships.
While GMB will help improve your local search visibility, building citations in local directories will help establish your e-commerce credibility. Collaborating with local businesses and influencers is a good way to expand your reach and build backlinks. You can read more here about how local SEO works.
Summary
The best SEO strategies for African e-commerce websites are keyword research, on-page optimisation, technical SEO, value-laden content marketing, and local SEO. The first step is always to understand what buyers are looking for and the words they use to look for it. Then, describe your products and services in a way that makes them easily discoverable. Having seamless e-commerce website navigation is indispensable, and you need a lot of local optimisation to stay ahead of the competition. Thank you for reading, and remember, we help businesses across Africa develop measurable marketing strategies that set them ahead of the competition. We’re just one message away. Contact us now!
Want to learn more about SEO, Check out this article on SEO Strategy Example That Will Make You Rethink Your Strategies.
Leave a Reply