The company has experience dealing with many forms of eCommerce, BigCommerce is one of the most powerful solutions out there. Still, similar to any platform, your store’s performance will often depend on how you manage your data. From BigCommerce SEO services to data entry, many errors can quickly creep in, often with frustrating results like lower conversion rates, broken user experiences, or poor SEO performance. So, in this post, I will walk you through the most common BigCommerce data mistakes I’ve encountered and how you can avoid them so your store runs smoothly.
1. Failure to Optimize Product Data for SEO
One of the biggest mistakes most make is failing to maximize the SEO potential of product data. There are considerable opportunities to rank the store on top with BigCommerce SEO services, but most store owners need to remember to optimize product titles, descriptions, and metadata properly. For example, search engines can rank your pages if your product descriptions are longer or poorly written.
How to avoid this:
- Use long-tail keywords: For example, “lightweight women’s running shoes” would be better than “running shoes.”
- Every product should have a separate meta description: Duplicate meta descriptions do confuse search engines and degrade your SEO rankings.
- Add statistics to your product descriptions: For example, “Over 80% of our clients say they have experienced more comfort than ever after a change to these shoes”; this increases trust and helps you in rankings.
Update your product listings routinely as trends in search accompany changes to customer demand.
This minor SEO action will bring your site significant traffic and conversion opportunities.
2. Messy BigCommerce Data Entry
Data entry is a relatively easy activity. However, it forms the very crux of your functioning BigCommerce store. If you make a fundamental mistake in data entry, you will face the following issues: wrong pricing, missing product images, and even incorrect product specifications. Over the years, I have learned that the accuracy of data entry is a matter of customer experience.
Some common data entry mistakes include:
Typing in the wrong measurement for a product and thus sending them out erroneously.
- Spelling out descriptions of a product: This would not only impact SEO negatively but also the user experience.
- Omitting to upload all the images for a product: You would need to learn this, but 75 percent of online shoppers rely heavily on images of the products before determining whether they wish to make a purchase.
The solution to these mistakes is simple but essential:
- Verify your data before publishing it. Engage in a validation of the input, where you have one person go over the entries.
- Create an automated data entry process depending on your inventory size. BigCommerce has third-party integrations that can assist you in streamlining the process
3. Products are mismatched in categories
Another common mistake I have often encountered is needing more consistency in categorizing products. Just imagine having a BigCommerce store and landing upon it to search for some product, only to find that the categories are too wide or misaligned. If products are categorized correctly, there is a likelihood of clarity among the users, which consequently reduces the chances of conversion.
Here is how to avoid it:
- Develop a clean, consistent product taxonomy: Categories should be intuitive so customers can easily find what they want.
- Use subcategories judiciously: Eliminate a massive “Electronics” category and instead develop subcategories like “Laptops,” “Smartphones,” and “Accessories.”
- Consistency across similar products: Avoid confusion by having a product that appears in multiple categories under all relevant ones.
- Proper categorization: This can elevate user engagement and, if done right, even enhance your BigCommerce SEO.
4. Not Using Structured Data for SEO
In a world of BigCommerce SEO service provision, most structured data is ignored, though it’s crucial in how search engines will understand your site and otherwise present it. To have double the fun, structural data, or schema markup, provides search engines with more information about your content to rank it in those coveted featured snippets or knowledge panels.
This is the case for many BigCommerce store owners because they are unaware, find it too technical, or so on; however, tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper make the process much easier than it is.
Some key takeaways:
- Review, pricing, and product availability structured data; Examples: “This product has a 4.8-star rating based on 500 reviews” can improve click-through rates from search engine result pages.
- Test your structured data regularly to ensure that it is error-free. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to see how your data appears on the SERPs.
5. Neglecting Data Backup and Security
One mistake that might not be too glaring until it’s too late is forgetting to back up your BigCommerce data. I cannot stress enough how important it is to ensure the security and redundancy of your store’s data. Whether it’s customer information, product listings, or order history, losing any of it could be disastrous for your business.
To avert this:
- Regularly back up data: BigCommerce does not have an automated backup system, so you can export your data from your website or use third-party backup applications to keep your data safe and restore it quickly in case something goes wrong.
- Keep your data highly secure: When creating a BigCommerce website, make sure you use secure, HTTPs-enabled connections, activate two-factor authentication, and regularly update your security patches.
- Recovery testing: It’s about backing up the data and ensuring you can recover it quickly.
A research study by Small Business Trends states that approximately 60 percent of small businesses that lose their data go out of business within six months. Don’t let your store become another statistic.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How often should I back up data in my BigCommerce store?
One good option is at least once a week, though you may need to back up more frequently based on how much inventory or sales volume you have.
Do I need structured data for my SEO?
Absolutely. Structured data allows search engines to understand better your content, which can result in a higher impact on your rankings and click-through rates.
What are some excellent tools for automating BigCommerce data entry?
TradeGecko, SKULabs, Brightpearl, and others will do a wonderful job of automating BigCommerce data entry and eliminating mistakes.
Key Takeaways
As we round up our discussion on common BigCommerce data mistakes and how to avoid them for a flawless store, it is evident that the data managed in such a manner is a pretty important aspect of long-term success. Here are three key takeaways:
- Optimize for SEO: Your product data should always be aligned with BigCommerce SEO services to improve visibility and boost rankings.
- Accuracy in Data Entry: Proper BigCommerce data entry helps customers avoid mistakes like wrong pricing, missing product information, etc., which annoys them.
- Product Categorization: Clear, consistent, intuitive product categories define an excellent user experience.
We discussed some crucial strategies for preventing common data mistakes in BigCommerce, such as SEO, data accuracy, product organization, and more. If you have encountered any of these issues or have tips, let it pour down in the comments section.
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