What Google’s New Technical SEO Best Practices For eCommerce Sites Mean for Luxury Brands
Updates to Google’s SEO requirements of eCommerce sites have luxury brands scrambling to meet the challenge.
Recently, eCommerce sites received a blueprint from Google on what is expected for structured product data for optimized SEO. This technical roadmap revolves around the need to give search engines accurate information about luxury products on eCommerce sites.
Sticking to these guidelines means Google will have accurate and timely data on products. From there, they can use special formatting in search results, helping shoppers with buying decisions.
In luxury eCommerce, the competition continues to heat up. These more rigorous standards – and your ability to meet them – can make all the difference in capturing Google’s attention, and the attention of online shoppers. Do you have a top-performing team to ensure your website feeds Google’s demanding algorithms and turns up through organic searches?
This blog will explore the above ideas in more detail:
The Increasingly Competitive Market of eCommerce
Initially, luxury brands and eCommerce didn’t really mesh together.
This clash stemmed from Amazon being considered something of an online variety store. Naturally, that goes against a luxury brand’s tendency to lean into exclusivity. Furthermore, Amazon was known for hawking counterfeit products.
But times change. And the pandemic has altered perspectives for luxury brands and their target customers. Luxury brands had no other option than to go beyond online “boutiques” like Farfetch or Yoox and sell through giants like Amazon. In-store purchases were no longer an option, and there was a need to adapt.
Speaking to this shift was how luxury brand eCommerce purchase revenues reached $58 billion in 2020 – whereas in 2019, it was worth only $39 billion.
This increase amounted to almost doubling the online sector’s share of the global luxury market – jumping from 12% to 23% year-over-year.
Alex Bolen, chief executive at Oscar de la Renta, claims 100% of luxury brand customers are now on Amazon.
Other brands are following suit. Roland Mouret and Altuzarra have both joined, while Amazon expects others to join throughout 2021.
Part of this shift is due to Amazon’s Luxury Stores app only available to Prime Users. Brands control how they are presented on this app, which helps maintain the exclusivity they desire.
Luxury Brands Need to Leverage this Transformation
This space was previously untapped, but it’s no longer a secret. If you’d jumped onto luxury brand eCommerce wagon back in 2019, you’d have a clear and distinct advantage.
In 2021, however, this space is much more saturated and standing out from the pack requires exceptional SEO practices. You can only accomplish that high-level execution with a team that has a firm grasp on not only what Google wants now, but is attuned to Google’s mercurial shifts in SEO requirements.
A Heightened Focus on Structured Data
Part of Google’s updated SEO best practices relies on the use of structure data so that it understands all details about your product.
The most common approach to applying structured data is embedding it as JSON-LD encoded content into a page. It is evident that structured data – and SEO as a whole – are inherently complex. Your luxury brand needs eCommerce talent who knows the finer details and possesses expertise in these fields.
SEO skill sets are hard to come by. There’s a lot of people who’ll tell you they’re specialists and bring you zero value. Delivering tangible results only comes from practiced know-how and vast experience with Google’s ever-evolving standards.
From SEO content writers to UX designers, you need highly qualified people with proven track records to differentiate your luxury brand in this increasingly competitive space.
Partner With an Industry Insider for Key Talent
The highly technical nature of SEO makes it hard to find proven talent. But once found, they’ll be your best resource for giving your luxury eCommerce brand the competitive edge it needs to stand out in a busy and competitive market.
You can streamline your search for critical eCommerce talent by partnering with The Bowerman Group. Contact us today to find out more.