Why and how to set up a blog on an ecommerce site

Why do so many ecommerce sites have a blog? Is it because online shop owners love to write posts, or have a lot of spare time on their hands? Probably not. Although blogging is fun, it’s also a great marketing and SEO strategy. And because of that, ecommerce site owners start a blog. In this post, we’ll explain why blogging is such a great marketing and SEO strategy. Plus, we’ll give some practical tips on how to set up a blog on an ecommerce site.

Why blog on an ecommerce site?

Inform your audience about you and your products

Blogging is a great way to inform your audience about your product. In a blog post, you can show how to use a product and why people should buy it. You can also tell your audience about yourself and your company. Plus, you’ll be able to tell the story of your products from your perspective. For example, if you’re selling baby clothes on your site, a blog about children and children’s fashion is a great idea.

Stay top of mind

If you blog regularly and share your blog posts on social media, you’ll stay top of mind for your audience. You want your audience to remember you, even when they’re not buying anything right now.

For example, if a visitor encounters one of your posts on how to dress children on a hot day, they may not immediately want to buy new clothes for their children. But they got to know you and your ecommerce site through your post. This way, you increase the chance that people think about you when they DO need new clothes for their children.

Blogging is a great SEO strategy

Maintaining a blog contributes to SEO as well. Every time you write a new blog post, you add fresh content, which Google likes. In addition, maintaining a blog will allow you to start writing content related to those keywords you would like to rank for.

Read more: How to add a blog to your Shopify store »

Practical tips for your blog on an ecommerce site

What should you blog about?

You can write about anything you want, but you have to do proper keyword research first. Because you need to know what search terms you want to be found for. These keywords should be leading when you choose what to blog about. A keyword, however, is not a topic yet. You need an angle, a story, around it.

A great way to develop ideas for blog posts is by referring to and writing about current events. Keep an eye on different news sites, then write posts in which you incorporate your views on the news in your niche. Another way to get ideas is to invite your audience to comment on your blog. Getting them may take a while, but you could receive some questions or feedback that are excellent starters for your next post.

Still looking for inspiration? Why not check out 6 tips for coming up with blog ideas.

Make it readable

Whether the blog on your ecommerce site is about fashion or the newest tech gadgets, it won’t have much benefit if it’s not readable. Readability is really important. It helps Google understand your content, so you have a better chance of ranking for your keywords. But besides being better for SEO, it will also be easier and more enjoyable for your audience to read.

Pro tip: If you’re using WordPress or Shopify for your ecommerce site, you can improve your blog’s readability and rankability using Yoast SEO for WordPress or Yoast SEO for Shopify.

Add your blog in the menu

The menu (or top navigation of your site) helps visitors understand what your website is about. That’s why it should reflect the structure of your website. If you add a blog to your ecommerce site, you should ensure it also appears on your main menu.

We advise that you set your blog apart from the categories of your ecommerce site. Put it on the left (next to home) or the right. You should be able to click through to your blog from your homepage. After all, you want visitors to find your blog easily. Plus, linking to your blog from your homepage will indicate to Google that your blog is important, which can increase your blog’s ranking.

You should also ensure your blog is in the same domain as your e-commerce site. This way, your ecommerce site and your blog will profit from each other’s rankings.

Use of tags

If you have a blog, you probably also write about topics related to your products. Maybe you write about the events where you use them, what to use them for, how to use your products, or you compare the different products. Therefore, it makes sense that your tags will partly overlap with your shop’s product categories and subcategories. That’s okay. Because in the end, you’d like to rank with those posts to draw people to the products you sell. And if you group products, whether that’s in categories or tags, it’s easier to make them rank.

Social media and newsletters

If you start a blog on your ecommerce site, share these posts on social media as well. In addition, you should definitely send out a newsletter promoting your latest blog posts to your audience. People need a reminder of your existence and your blog once in a while.

Get more out of your blog with Yoast SEO

As we mentioned before, Yoast SEO can help you reach even more people with your blog when you’re on WordPress or Shopify. Our plugin helps you optimize your blog posts for both SEO and readability, which can benefit your rankings in the search results and help you keep people on your website!

Yoast SEO gives you understandable feedback that’s tailored to your content, and it allows you to optimize your blogs right away. So you can create blog posts that both Google and your visitors will love. Check out our Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress or Yoast SEO for Shopify app to take your writing to the next level. In addition, if you use Yoast SEO Premium, you get various AI features, like Yoast AI Optimize, that help you do the hard work.

Conclusion

A blog is a great marketing and SEO tool for ecommerce sites. In your posts, you can tell readers about your brand, products, and yourself. Do proper keyword research before you write, and make sure your text is enjoyable to read. No excuses here, start blogging!

Keep reading: How to start a blog »