Want to get your online store to the top of Google search results? It's not just a possibility, it's a potential goldmine! The more of your store's collections that rank high on Google, the more revenue you can generate. It's an exciting opportunity to boost your business.

It's not as simple as just adding products and building a few links. However, don't worry - we've got you covered with a specific, six-step plan. This plan will guide you through the process, helping your collection pages rank in the top spots and bring in more customers.

1. Choose the Right Keywords

The first step is crucial: pick the right keywords. These are the words people type into Google when they're looking for products like yours. It's a decision that can significantly impact your store's visibility and success.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Keyword Difficulty: If you're a well-established brand, this factor may not be as significant. However, for most stores, aim for keywords with a difficulty score of 40 or less. You can use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to check this.

• Search Intent: Try typing the keyword into Google yourself. Do the top results show collection or category pages? If not, your collection page will likely not rank for that keyword.

• Conversion Rate: Consider whether people searching for the keyword are likely to purchase from you. For example, if you sell vegan protein powder, ranking for just "protein powder" might not be helpful. Most people searching for that aren't looking for vegan options.

2. Optimize Your Collection Page

Your collection page needs to be set up in a way that Google likes. Here's what to include:

• Main Navigation: Ensure it's easily accessible.

• H1 Tag: Use your target keyword in the main heading of the page.

• Banner Image: This is optional, but it can make your page more appealing.

• Short Description: Write a brief description (75 words or less) that includes your target keyword. Place the keyword near the beginning, if possible.

• Product Grid: Show off your products!

• H2 and H3 Tags: Use an H2 tag followed by three H3 tags. Each H3 should have about 100-250 words of descriptive text that highlight what makes your products special. These should focus on unique selling points.

• Internal Links: Link to other relevant pages on your site.

3. Build Internal Links

Internal links are links from one page on your site to another. They help Google understand which pages are most important.

Please note that Google may not crawl all the pages on your site immediately. If you publish a lot of new collections, use an indexing tool to make sure Google sees them.

Here's how to build internal links:

• From Supporting Blogs: If you have blog posts related to your collection, link to it from those posts.

• From Similar Collections: Create a menu that enables users to browse similar collections with ease.

If you do this right, your collection pages will have more internal links than any other pages on your site. This tells Google they're essential.

4. Add to Homepage and Main Menu

Displaying your collections on the homepage and in the main menu is crucial.

Think about how many clicks it takes to get to a page from the homepage. Your collection pages should be within one to two clicks. Three clicks should be the maximum. If a page is buried too deep in your site, it will have a harder time ranking.

• Homepage: Add a collection carousel to your homepage to showcase your best collections.

• Main Menu: If it makes sense, add your collection to the main menu.

5. Close the Backlink Gap

This is something that many people don't often consider. You need to see how many backlinks your competitors have. Backlinks are links from other websites to your page. They tell Google that your site is trustworthy.

Utilize tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to analyze your competitors' backlinks.

Here's what to do:

1. Identify your competitors: Search for your target keyword and examine who ranks in the top positions.

2. Analyze their backlinks: Determine the number of backlinks pointing to their collection page.

3. Set filters: In Semrush or Ahrefs, filter the backlinks to display only "follow" links that are within the page's content.

4. Consider internal links: On your site, approximately four to five internal links are equivalent to one backlink. If your competitor has a high number of internal links pointing to their page, consider this when evaluating their SEO.

5. Calculate the gap: Determine how many additional backlinks you need to catch up to your competitor's current number.

Let's say a competitor has 22 backlinks to their page and you have zero. After setting filters, you can see that the content has eight backlinks. You also estimate they have the equivalent of 25 backlinks from internal links. That means you have a link gap of about 33.

Important: You can't just build 33 backlinks directly to your collection page. That would look unnatural to Google. You also need to build links to your homepage and other pages on your site.

6. Rank and Repeat

Once you've closed the backlink gap and optimized your page, you should start to see your collection ranking higher. When you reach the number one spot, you can start making more money!

Then, go back to step one and repeat the process for another keyword. You can work on multiple keywords at the same time.

Ready to Get Started?

Ranking on Google takes time and effort, but it's worth it. By following these six steps, you can enhance your store's visibility and attract more customers.