In a competitive online marketplace, standing out as a fashion or apparel brand requires a robust search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. With countless clothing brands at consumers' fingertips, it's essential to optimize an ecommerce website the right way to attract the right audience and drive sales. From identifying the perfect keywords to composing compelling product descriptions, this guide offers a glimpse at what I’ve learned about generating satisfying SEO results for brands like Garnet Hill and Orvis. I’ll reveal standard SEO tactics through a focused lens, transforming them into actionable tips tailored to the clothing and apparel industries.
Lessons From Fashion and Apparel Ecommerce SEO
SEO for apparel brands is essential for driving organic traffic and increasing visibility in search results, as it is for any industry vertical. While elements of the clothing industry make optimizing these sites unique and sometimes challenging, working with an agency that has experience providing SEO services for fashion and apparel companies means you benefit from a body of accumulated knowledge. I’m sharing five things I’ve learned about SEO for apparel brands that are relevant to any ecommerce owner, whether you’re selling activewear or pure cashmere sweaters.
Specific Keywords Help Shoppers Find What They Want
Identifying the right keywords is central to any successful SEO strategy, and when it comes to fashion and apparel brands, using the most descriptive terms is the most effective strategy. Shoppers are often looking for apparel that fits their exact preferences, making generic terms like “long-sleeve shirt” less effective at getting your products in front of them. Instead, I like to target keywords that include particular style information or fabric attributes—think “recycled stretch nylon shirt,” “linen dress for summer,” or “Italian leather handbag.” In many instances, it’s even appropriate to include brand names, homing in on items retailers are known for, such as “Orvis performance casting shirt,” “Garnet Hill Cashmere Wrap,” or “The Company Store matching holiday pajamas.” Long-tail keywords have lower search value but also often have lower competition, so you have a greater chance of ranking for them than for more generic terms, such as “summer handbag” or “cashmere sweater.” Using the “Discover new keywords” tool in Google Keyword Planner will lead you to some more descriptive long-tail terms.
An Easy, Mobile-First Shopping Experience Is Important
Approximately 75% of shoppers use smartphones when shopping online, and two-thirds of online purchases are completed on them. This means you should build your website to work well on mobile devices first—but not exclusively. An apparel site should be just as easy to navigate on a smartphone or tablet as it is on a desktop computer. From design to copy, here are some elements to consider when building a user-friendly, mobile-responsive ecommerce site:
Copy Structure: Bullet points, logical headers, and short, snappy paragraphs break up large blocks of text and make it easier for shoppers to read product descriptions, category copy, or blog content on a small screen.
Page Load Speed: Not only are shoppers more likely to bounce if your page takes too long to load, but site speed, along with other Core Web Vitals, is one of many factors Google considers when ranking web content.
Clear Calls to Action: Whether you’re encouraging users to “add to cart,” “buy now,” or “save to wishlist,” make sure your CTAs are clear, succinct, and visible above the fold.
User-Friendly Design: Easy-to-understand navigation, intuitive site architecture, and helpful filters all contribute to a positive user experience, which keeps shoppers on your site longer, increasing opportunities for conversion.
Effective Product Pages Keep the Customer in Mind
Product descriptions should be written for the consumer first, with keywords included that help search engines understand what is on the page. Each product description should be unique; posting duplicate content to more than one page on the same website is undesirable when you’re optimizing descriptions for an apparel brand. (This is especially important if you’re including drop-ship products that might appear on other ecommerce sites.) Compose unique, helpful product copy that not only targets relevant keywords but compels consumers to convert.
Orvis is a good example of an ecommerce brand with tightly optimized product pages. When you open a product page, right off the bat you see high-quality product images, a subheader that provides information about key selling features of each product, and the size and color options available. Scroll down a little, and you’ll find the optimized product description (‘The Story’) and specs presented in bullet points so they’re easily scannable for the customer.
Don’t make the mistake of not posting reviews to your product pages. Research shows that 86% of customers look at reviews before they make a purchase. Reviews of product pages increase brand credibility and influence customer decision-making by providing information that may be missing from descriptions. Because reviews often include brand or product names (in other words, your target keywords), they can also bolster SEO efforts—a win-win.
Helpful Blog Content Establishes Expertise and Boosts SEO Efforts
High-quality blog content helps establish you as an authority in your industry, increases your visibility on the SERP, and provides opportunities to drive customers to your site through social media, backlinks, and other sharing methods. Carefully planning topics should be central when starting an ecommerce content strategy for an apparel brand. When I’m brainstorming content topics, I like to focus on these main areas:
Topics that align with core product offerings and area(s) of expertise, whether they’re about natural fabrics, comfortable basics, or performance outdoor gear. What does the customer need to know about these items that might convince them to buy, narrow down their options, or help them care for something they’ve already purchased?
Topics that answer the questions searchers are asking. Google’s People Also Ask search feature is a great place to start when brainstorming blog ideas that answer searchers’ questions. Below, you can see that customers ask a wide range of questions about cashmere vs. wool—and publishing blog content that answers those questions has earned Orvis the top position on the SERP.
Topics that add value for customers who are moving along the buyer’s journey. Buying Guides for core products are a central component of any ecommerce blog strategy, but I also like to build off of those central content pieces with other in-depth ideas that target consumers at the bottom of the funnel.
Topics that answer the questions searchers are asking. Google’s People Also Ask search feature is a great place to start when brainstorming blog ideas that answer searchers’ questions. Below, you can see that customers ask a wide range of questions about cashmere vs. wool—and publishing blog content that answers those questions has earned Orvis the top position on the SERP.
Topics that add value for customers who are moving along the buyer’s journey. Buying Guides for core products are a central component of any ecommerce blog strategy, but I also like to build off of those central content pieces with other in-depth ideas that target consumers at the bottom of the funnel.Publishing quality content that bloggers, influencers, and the media want to share is an important component of a link-building strategy. Backlinks—links from external sites to your home page, category pages, product pages, or content—help establish trustworthiness, which Google considers when ranking pages. Many backlinks happen naturally, especially in the apparel industry, but you can also build backlinks through outreach.
Stay on Top of the Competition
SEO for apparel and clothing ecommerce brands is not a set-it-and-forget-it endeavor. In such a high-competition industry, you must keep track of how your site is performing in key areas and whether you’re converting searchers to shoppers, but you must also stay on top of what your competitors are doing, the keywords they’re ranking for, and the content they’re producing. Keep track of important SEO metrics (SEMRush and Moz are helpful tools for analyzing competitor behavior, which I covered more in this post about SEO for home decor brands). I also like to follow competitors’ social media and even email campaigns to get a more complete look at their approach to digital marketing. With a solid understanding of where competitors stand, you can adjust your approach as necessary to maintain visibility in a highly saturated landscape.
Building a successful SEO strategy for your apparel or fashion brand is all about understanding the industry and taking the right approach. Working with an agency like Eight Oh Two gives you the advantage of years of vertical-specific experience combined with a thorough understanding of SEO best practices. A proven leader in search engine, performance, and content marketing, Eight Oh Two is focused on driving superior results by leveraging best-in-class technology with the very best in human intelligence.
Contact us today to learn how we can help optimize your content, boost blog conversions, and drive sales for your apparel or fashion ecommerce company.