Our Custom Dynamic Search Engine Optimization (CDSEO) for X-Cart module provides the bulk of the infrastructure required for optimum SEO results. To use CDSEO to its fullest potential, it's important to understand search optimization, how specific keywords can serve you much better than others, and understand how to utilize those keywords. To help illustrate this, we're going to use a product titled: Freestyle Audio Soundwave Waterproof 2GB MP3 Player.

Keyword Research

The first step of keyword research is to make an educated guess as to what keywords people are going to search for to find this product. Some possibilities include: waterproof mp3 player, water proof mp3 player, soundwave mp3 player.

Once you have what you think people are searching for, you can find out what people are actually searching for, how competetive those keywords are, and get other suggestions you may have not considered. Google provides a valuable tool for this purpose: Google Keyword Tool.

Let's have a look at our results:

Evaluating our results we learn waterproof mp3 player is by far the most searched for keyword, but it's also the most competitive. There are far less searches for soundwave mp3 player, so it will be easier to rank #1 for the term. You need to determine if you want to go for the most difficult keyword for the most reward, or take advantage of being able to more easily rank #1 for the lesser searched for term.

Note that if we had optimized for water proof mp3 player (with a space) without doing our keyword research, we would have optimized for a keyword receiving 97% lesser traffic than waterproof mp3 player (without a space).

After reviewing our data, let's make it our SEO strategy to rank our page for the term waterproof mp3 player.

On-Page SEO

Page Text

Using x-cart, the page text is input into the product description field. The page text should contain your primary keywords in the first paragraph, and it's often beneficial to include many of the secondary keywords on this page when appropriate to do so. Simply use the keywords in your product description naturally and ensure that the content isn't spammy. Here's an example of spammy SEO writing: This waterproof mp3 player from soundwave is a great waterproof mp3 player and since it's a waterproof mp3 player you can use your mp3 player in the water when you want to listen to mp3s on your waterproof mp3 player. Doing this isn't going to help your search engine results and is probably going to lose you sales.

The following on-page search engine optimization can be done using the CDSEO SEO module for X-Cart via the admin control panel.

Page Title:
Should contain the #1 keyword(s) you want to rank for first:
i.e. Waterproof Mp3 Player by Soundwave

Link Title:
Should contain the #1 keyword(s) you want to rank for.
i.e. Waterproof Mp3 Player

Meta Keywords:
Should list a few of the keywords you want to rank for:
i.e. waterproof mp3 player, water proof mp3 player, soundwave mp3 player

Meta Description:
Should list your keyword first, but also since it appears in search engine results, could be the difference between somebody clicking or not clicking on your link, so some marketing savvy here helps.
i.e. Waterproof mp3 player from Soundwave is a durable, shock-resistant, 2GB MP3 player making it the perfect waterproof mp3 player for listening while playing water sports.

URL:
In general will be similar to your page title:
i.e. waterproof-mp3-player-soundwave

Off-Page SEO

Once the on-page seo is completed, it's important to link build. Since this page is being built as an 'authority' for the term waterproof mp3 player, links to the page using these terms should be established. The utilized linking code should be something along the lines of:

waterproof mp3 player

The more links that can be generated from reputable sites in this format, the higher the page will rank for these terms; 'Reputable' is the operative word. Links from sites that are held in high-regard by google are more beneficial than those that aren't. Avoid spammy practices (like plastering our url all over message forums and pages that allow comments). Instead use whitehat techniques like writing articles containing well placed links and submit them to article directories, encourage links to articles from sites whose visitors benefit from the information, and link to the page from other pages of the same site (like the index page).