Jeff Oxford’s preliminary try at ecommerce was promoting dropshipped beer pong tables in 2013. The enterprise, he says, didn’t survive, however his love for optimizing natural search visitors did. Thus started his website positioning profession and the launch of 180 Advertising, his company.
Quick ahead to 2024, and Jeff is an ecommerce website positioning authority. Hyperlink constructing was on his thoughts when he appeared on the podcast in 2022. He now advises engagement — getting people to click on an natural search itemizing and devour the web page’s content material — and reminds retailers that AI search has helped ecommerce rankings.
He and I mentioned these techniques and extra in our current dialog. Our whole audio is embedded beneath. The transcript is edited for readability and size.
Eric Bandholz: Give us a fast rundown of who you might be.
Jeff Oxford: I’ve been an ecommerce website positioning nerd for 13 years. I received into it by attempting to begin my very own dropshipping websites, like promoting beer pong tables or 3D printers, however issues didn’t go as deliberate. That’s once I fell in love with SEO, notably for ecommerce web sites, and I’ve caught with it. website positioning could be sophisticated, however at its core, it’s about a couple of key actions to assist websites rank higher.
When you’re seeking to rank nicely in 2025, consumer engagement is essential. Google determines whether or not guests click on in your web site, keep, or shortly hit the again button. Person engagement is a powerful sign for rankings. You could possibly have a wonderfully optimized web page, however you gained’t rank nicely if folks aren’t staying.
Google’s knowledge leak earlier this yr confirmed what many SEOs suspected — consumer engagement performs a major function in rankings. website positioning practitioners theorize that Google collects knowledge from Android units and Chrome to evaluate how lengthy folks keep on a web site, influencing rankings.
Bandholz: How do you defend in opposition to bots that try to control engagement knowledge by visiting and bouncing off competitor websites?
Oxford: The press-through fee on search end result pages is a significant rating issue. Extra clicks ought to enhance rankings. Rand Fishkin, a distinguished website positioning professional, demonstrated this with stay experiments through which folks clicked on a web site and boosted its rating from fifth to 1st or 2nd in actual time.
However manipulating the click-through fee through bots isn’t that straightforward. Google has superior know-how to detect pretend clicks, primarily to guard its advert system. Google screens patterns, IPs, and behaviors. So, if you happen to tried to flood your web site with bot visitors, Google would possible detect it. Some folks use platforms resembling Mechanical Turk to pay for guide clicks, however making the sample look pure is tough. Spikes in visitors are purple flags, and Google makes use of sample recognition to detect anomalies.
Bandholz: With AI evolving, how can corporations detect if rivals are utilizing malicious AI techniques?
Oxford: Adverse website positioning assaults have been a extra distinguished subject earlier than 2014. Again then, unhealthy backlinks might penalize a web site, and rivals might construct spammy hyperlinks to harm you.
Nevertheless, in 2014 Google modified its strategy. As an alternative of penalizing websites for unhealthy hyperlinks, they devalue or ignore them. The identical applies to click on manipulation. Google can’t all the time inform if the press manipulation is from the positioning proprietor or a competitor. It’s extra about neutralizing the consequences quite than handing out penalties.
Bandholz: What are some techniques for growing click-throughs and dwell time?
Oxford: Dwell time is less complicated to regulate because it is determined by the consumer expertise. To enhance it, give attention to quick web page hundreds and value. Primary conversion fee optimization strategies, resembling A/B and value testing, may help maintain guests engaged.
To extend branded visitors, although, it’s extra about good digital advertising than manipulation. When you’re working sturdy branding and advertising campaigns, your branded search visitors will enhance naturally. You would possibly run Fb adverts, sponsor occasions, or create content material. Branded search is a symptom of excellent digital advertising, not the direct purpose.
Bandholz: Is there nonetheless a chance for bottom-of-funnel website positioning methods to seize gross sales for folks trying to find merchandise?
Oxford: Completely. Backlinks nonetheless work surprisingly nicely regardless of many considering they’re lifeless. A lot of the top-ranking websites nonetheless have backlinks. For ecommerce websites, getting backlinks to class pages may help with rankings. Google confirmed this in its algorithm leak — backlinks stay a confirmed rating issue.
It’s more durable to get backlinks at present than it was 10 years in the past. Again then, we might ship bulk emails to journalists and get backlinks shortly. However now, bloggers know their worth. They’re extra prone to ask for cash in change for backlinks. Nevertheless, ecommerce websites can nonetheless construct backlinks by product opinions. You possibly can contact bloggers, supply free merchandise for trustworthy opinions, and earn backlinks.
Bandholz: What else ought to entrepreneurs and operators contemplate when bettering their website positioning?
Oxford: Moreover engagement metrics and hyperlink constructing, optimized content material is important. Many ecommerce websites overlook class pages and have solely a product grid and a heading. Including 200 to 300 phrases of related content material, discussing the advantages of merchandise, target market, and utilization ideas may help these pages rank higher. You don’t need fluffy content material. As an alternative, give attention to useful data for potential patrons.
Bandholz: How a lot ought to manufacturers funds for optimum website positioning?
Oxford: It is determined by your area of interest. In a aggressive area like weight reduction dietary supplements or CBD, you’re taking a look at tens of 1000’s of {dollars} a month. For much less aggressive niches, $2,000 to $3,000 would possibly suffice. For ecommerce websites with seven or eight figures in annual income, a funds of $3,000 to $8,000 per 30 days is typical. A lot of the funds will go towards hyperlink constructing, content material creation, and technical website positioning.
Bandholz: What different traits do you see within the ecommerce website positioning area?
Oxford: Many retailers panicked over synthetic intelligence, worrying it’d take market share from Google or harm website positioning. However AI has been helpful for ecommerce websites. Google just lately cracked down on low-quality affiliate blogs attempting to rank for “better of” key phrases, wiping out round 90% of those websites. Now, ecommerce websites are benefiting as they’re absorbing loads of this visitors.
Google is prioritizing manufacturers over generic affiliate websites. Ecommerce manufacturers with bodily places, verified opinions, and a reliable presence get favored in rankings. So, if in case you have an ecommerce web site, running a blog can be extra impactful now than ever.
Bandholz: The place can folks study extra?
Oxford: Our web site is 180marketing.com. I’m on LinkedIn.
