SEO and product marketing are two vital aspects that come into play when running an e-commerce website. You need SEO to make it easier for people to find your site, and whether or not these individuals convert into paying customers greatly depends on how you market your products.

While some marketing and SEO strategies can be executed separately, the occasions in which the two concepts overlap are becoming more and more common. And the good news is, when it comes to your e-commerce site, it’s fairly easy to hit two birds with one stone. Below are a few tweaks that you can apply to your product pages to make your merchandise more attractive to customers, while drawing natural inbound links at the same time.

1. Be thorough with your product images – Did the manufacturer provide photos of the products that you’re selling? That’s great, but one problem with using these images is that other sites that are selling the same products are probably using the same old pictures as well. Whenever possible, do your own photography and shoot your merchandise from different angles. Allow users to see how a product looks like from the front, back, and up close.  Doing this will make your customers’ experience more pleasant, and they will remember you for it. As an SEO bonus, using interesting product images can attract other websites to link to your page. You never who’s talking or writing about the products that you’re selling, and publishing images that stand out can be an unexpected but pleasant way to land some inbound links.

2. Use creative descriptions – Avoid using only generic and unoriginal terms to describe your merchandise. Unless you’re selling a completely unique and one-of-a-kind item, chances are, other websites out there that are selling a product similar to yours are using the same bland words in their product descriptions. Furthermore, if you’re just copying the manufacturer’s description that all the other online stores are using, then you’re only creating duplicate content, which, as we all know, is a big no-no in terms of SEO. Be more innovative when describing your merchandise. No, this doesn’t mean that you should use flowery words or write dramatic content. Be original by means of getting into your customer’s head, and thinking of additional terms that people may use when they’re searching for your product. Is it a specific time of the year? Add season-specific points to your content to further entice your customers to make a purchase.

3. Utilize inventory data – Don’t let inventory facts and figures just sit in a database somewhere; use them to keep your customers in the know. Some people may want to find out more about your bestsellers, and some may even be wondering when a product is most or least in demand. Doing this not only educates your customers, it makes them stay in your website longer. And again, you never know who’s writing about trends in your industry. Useful and interesting data can draw people into your site, and you might even get some backlinks out of it.

4. Ratings and reviews – Publishing ratings and reviews from users makes a webpage more interesting. For one thing, numerous buyers consult with other individuals before making a purchase, and for another, there are lot of opinionated consumers who love an outlet where they can rant or rave about their experiences.  By doing this, you’re adding value to your page, and in turn, drawing more natural inbound links from other websites.