The Impact of Continuous Scrolling on SEO

Google recently made a change to mobile search results. It’s called continuous scrolling, and while it’s a minor tweak to the SERPs, it might have an impact on your SEO.

Here’s everything you need to know about continuous scrolling.

What Is Continuous Scrolling?

You always hear marketers talking about the distinction between page one and page two in SEO.

However, if you’ve performed any mobile Google searches in the U.S. lately, you might have noticed the results keep going as you scroll.

That’s because rather than breaking the results down into pages, Google now shows four pages worth of results through continuous scrolling. This is currently limited to mobile searches in the U.S. but set to expand in 2022.

Plus, continuous scrolling isn’t limited to Google.

Traditionally, we’ve used pagination to break up information on the web. However, this requires people to keep clicking. Particularly on mobile, this isn’t ideal for user experience.

Some websites, apps, and, of course, Google are turning to continuous scrolling.

The big question is, what does this mean for your SEO?

Effects of Continuous Scrolling in Mobile Search on SEO, Impressions, and CTR

What does continuous scrolling mean for SERP performance? Will you get more or fewer impressions and clicks?

The answer is…it remains to be seen. Continuous scrolling will undoubtedly change how we interact with the SERPs. Still, without pagination, your actual location on the scroll—your search engine results position rather than page—-will matter more than ever.  

Here are five predictions you might see come true as a result of continuous scrolling.

Page One Click-Through Rate (CTR) Will Go Down

When page two results are more accessible, the CTR for page one results is likely to drop. Continuous scrolling has the feel of a newsfeed from social media, so people are more likely to explore their options. 

The results at the top of the rankings are there for a reason: They’re generally the best pages to answer the search query. As consumers, we’ve all been socialized to accept this point, as evidenced by the top result getting 43.32 percent of the clicks. 

With time, people might get more accustomed to scrolling through the results, which will likely impact CTRs for page one results. However, it’s still not time to start celebrating if you’re stuck on page two.

There May Be More Impressions for Page Two Results

If you make it easier for people to access page two results, they will get more impressions. The difficulty is, you’re also training people to scroll through the results and explore their options further, so they won’t necessarily stop on page two.

Pages on page two of the results might get some more impressions. At present, 0.78 percent of searchers click on something from the second page. However, those page two results have to compete with page one more immediately.

More Rich Results

When you imagine a news feed on social media, you see lots of images and videos. Google’s equivalent is rich results that contain features like shopping, video, featured snippets, commonly asked questions, and much more. 

The more users feel comfortable scrolling the SERPs, the easier it is for Google to include rich results. With static pages, it’s challenging to have too many rich elements because it would be overkill. With continuous scrolling, this becomes easier from a user experience standpoint.

More Zero-Click Searches

Zero-click searches have been increasing rapidly over the years. Nearly 65 percent of searches result in the user not clicking a link, which is likely to increase with continuous scrolling. 

There are many reasons people might not click on results, but perhaps the biggest one is they got all the information they need from rich results or meta descriptions. 

If continuous scrolling results in more rich features, it may well mean more zero-click searches.

Desktop Will Follow

One of the reasons continuous scrolling has been rolled out on mobile is because it fits better with the user experience. On desktop, it’s easy to click the “see more” button.

That doesn’t mean desktop is going to stay the same, though.

If Google sees promising results from continuous scrolling, like increased ad revenue and improved UX, it’s likely continuous scrolling will also roll out on desktop.

What Continuous Scrolling Means for Marketers

While it’s difficult to make any significant recommendations until we see how continuous scrolling plays out, there are some essential things you should be thinking about.

Keep a Closer Eye on Your Data

Data is important no matter what’s happening in the world of SEO.

While marketers often focus on the information we can glean from Google Analytics, such as visitors, bounce rates, and time on page, the information in Google Search Console (GSC) can be equally important.

For this particular update, all the information you need will be in GSC.

This is where you can see how your page ranks for a search term and the click-through rate it gets. If you start seeing significant fluctuations in your CTR on mobile, it could be partly due to continuous scrolling.

Don’t just watch this happen; brainstorm how to get your CTR back up and keep bringing those clicks to your site.

Optimize to Feature in Rich Results

One of the ways to optimize for continuous scrolling is to make sure you’re doing schema markup well. Schema is like a language that allows you to communicate with the search engines and tell them what pages are about and which bits are most important. 

By using Schema markup correctly, you’re more likely to perform well in featured snippets, local results, and commonly asked questions. 

Focus on Your Titles and Metas

The more competition there is for clicks, the more you’ve got to use the limited real estate you have to stand out. For standard results, this means optimizing your titles and meta descriptions. 

It’s easy to get drawn to the rich results, but people are still looking for the same thing they always have—quick access to information. The right title and meta description can assure people they’re going to get this.

You’ve got to grab people’s attention, match user intent, and give people confidence that you’re going to answer their questions.

Look Out for the Continuous Scrolling Trend

Continuous scrolling has been around for a long time, especially on social media. You tend to see it more often on apps because they’re specifically designed for mobile devices, but that doesn’t mean it won’t become standard on websites. 

While continuous scrolling can offer a slightly improved UX (particularly on mobile), it comes with limitations. To get the maximum benefit, it has to be implemented exceptionally well, and even so, it doesn’t offer a big SEO boost. 

For now, continuous scrolling isn’t the norm on websites, but we can’t say this won’t change.

Frequently Asked Questions About Continuous Scrolling

Why should I care about continuous scrolling on search?

Continuous scrolling is going to affect a lot of searches. If you’re not ready for the changes, it could have a significant impact on your traffic.

Is there going to be continuous search scrolling on desktop?

For now, Google has only announced plans for continuous scrolling on mobile. However, this could change.

How are users affected by continuous scrolling on mobile search?

Continuous scrolling makes the results on pages two, three, and four more accessible.

When did Google roll out continuous scrolling on mobile search?

Google announced continuous scrolling for US mobile searches in October 2021.

Continuous Scrolling on Mobile Search Conclusion

Continuous scrolling certainly doesn’t mean you need to rip up the SEO rulebook.

It’s a SERP change designed to improve user experience. With additional pages’ results being more accessible, it might mean a drop in CTR for the top results. However, those results may still stay on top if they provide the most credible and immediate information.

We’re also likely to see more rich results on mobile, which could result in increased zero-click searches.

To keep up with these changes, marketers have to ensure they’re focused on getting their schema markup right, and optimizing titles and meta descriptions. Of course, these are all important for SEO anyway. As long as you’re doing the basics well, you shouldn’t have a problem. 

How do you feel about continuous scrolling?

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Keyword Cannibalization: What It Is and How to Avoid It

Most digital marketing teams rely on keyword optimization to rank their content higher in search results. The idea is more keywords = better optimization. 

Because of this, it can be tempting to use the same keywords on multiple pages to increase your chances of ranking. 

However, this strategy can backfire if your posts compete for the same keyword.

Think about it: If you’re looking for “the best running shoes” and see two articles from the same company with these keywords in the title, you’ll be pretty confused about what to click on.

Not only is this confusing for readers, but it’s also bad for SEO.

Keep reading to learn what keyword cannibalism is, why it’s bad for SEO, how to find keyword cannibalization, and how to fix the issue.

What Is Keyword Cannibalization?

If multiple pages on your website are optimized for the same search query, you’re essentially competing with yourself—which can result in all pages rankly poorly. When this happens, we call it keyword cannibalization.

Never heard of it before? Here are some examples below.

What Are Examples of Keyword Cannibalization?

Say, I’m new to digital marketing and want to learn more about link building. So, I search “link building” on Google, and here are the results:

At the top of the search results, I come across two posts from the same website, covering almost the same subject matter. Which one should I click?

And, I won’t say I’m perfect, either. Here’s an example from my blog. 

My two posts compete for the same search query, “SEO writing” and creating a keyword cannibalization situation.

This confuses the readers and search engine algorithms, making it difficult for your content to rank and get the audience’s attention.

How Do I Find Cannibalized Keywords?

If you believe your website may have some keyword cannibalization, don’t worry. You can easily find and fix them by following a few simple steps.

Here are some techniques you can try to find keyword cannibalization.

Search Through Your Website

A straightforward way to search for keyword cannibalization is to look up search queries relevant to your industry.

For example, if you’re a company offering digital marketing services and frequently upload content on marketing and SEO topics, do a Google search with some of the keywords you use often. 

These could look like “SEO strategies” or “marketing tips for beginners.”

Such a search pulls up all web pages ranked for this query. Check to see if two or more of your posts are competing for a spot.

Google-specific Site Search

To make finding keyword cannibalization easier, type the name of your site before entering the search query. Here’s what it looks like in Google search engine:

Using External Tools

You can also use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest to simplify things and get comprehensive data for better keyword planning. This can help you find keyword cannibalization faster and reduce the time, money, and effort required to weed out competing pages from your site. 

Tips to Prevent Keyword Cannibalization

Finding and fixing keyword cannibalization is possible, but sometimes it’s better to prevent the issue than spend time and money fixing it.

How?

Here are some expert-recommended strategies to prevent keyword cannibalization and improve your digital marketing plan. 

1. Create a Targeted Keyword Strategy

If you’ve been working in digital marketing for a while, you know keyword strategy matters.

The good news? One of the best ways to prevent keyword cannibalization is to hone your targeted keyword strategy, so there’s no competition and problematic overlap.

In a nutshell, this means optimizing different pages to target different keywords and search queries.

So instead of having five pages competing for the search query “SEO tips,” you can optimize each page for a similar but separate query like “digital marketing strategy,” “marketing techniques,” “SEO for beginners,” and so on.

This way, you can stay on topic while offering different content for various search queries relevant to your industry.

Here are some free and paid tools you can use for keyword research and planning:

• Ubersuggest
• Google Trends
• Answer the Public
• Google Search Console
• Moz Keyword Explorer 

2. Track Keyword Rankings and Performance

Having a keyword strategy isn’t enough. Once you have identified the keywords you want to work with, you also need to track their performance over time. 

Consistently tracking keyword analytics will help you understand which keywords are ranking, which ones have too much competition, which may be caught up in cannibalization, and which ones need a boost.

You can track keyword rankings, performance, and other analytics directly through your website analytics tool, or you can use external tools like Google Analytics, Ubersuggest, SErush, Ahrefs, Moz, SEO monitor, and others.

Keep track of this data and use it to tweak your keyword strategy to avoid keyword cannibalism or fix it when it happens (more on that below).

3. Focus on Topics First, Keywords Come Second

Sometimes keyword cannibalization happens because marketing teams become more focused on optimizing keywords than creating content around relevant topics.

If you’re running behind keywords, there’s a chance you’ll neglect the topics and content quality, which will eventually slow your progress towards meeting your marketing goals.

So instead of pouring all your resources into keyword research, make it a part of your marketing strategy to focus on topics as well.

Find what topics your audience is interested in and direct your resources toward serving those interests. Let the keywords come second.

This will help increase audience loyalty, pull in new readers and establish brand authority in the industry.

How do you find what topics your readers are interested in?

Here are some ways to find what your audience wants:

• conduct surveys
• ask for feedback
• hold social media polls
• offer giveaways in exchange for audience opinions
• reach out to loyal long-time readers for ideas

You can also use tools like Quora, Google’s “people also ask” feature, and Reddit to find what people in your target demographic are talking about and what their pain points are.

When you start incorporating these ideas, the quality of your content will likely improve, and your organic reach will increase without relying strictly on keywords. 

4. Do Regular Content Audits

Okay, so you’ve outlined a solid keyword strategy, set up tools to track performance and put more effort into audience interest topics. Now what? 

Now you need to perform regular content audits to see if what you’re publishing is still in line with your readers’ interests and marketing goals.

Your content audits should ask the following:

• Are your topics still relevant?
• Is the information you’re posting outdated?
• Are the statistics correct?
• Are you prioritizing the right keywords?
• Which topics and keywords best meet your marketing goals?

5. Create Comprehensive Pages

Some topics can seem too complex to cover in a single blog post, so content teams decide to break it down into several sub-posts.

For instance, “how to make money blogging” is a complex topic, so you often find multiple posts addressing different parts of the subject.

A quick Google search with the query “how to make money blogging” immediately pulls up three different results. One talks about blogging for beginners, the second talks about monetizing your blog in 2021, and the third addresses the time concerns of monetizing a blog.

Now, imagine if these were all from your site rather than three separate sites.

As most of these are addressing overlapping concepts, it creates a lot of unnecessary competition. In addition, since most rank for a similar search query, it creates keyword cannibalization.

You can avoid this by creating one single comprehensive page addressing all the relevant subtopics instead of posting a separate blog post for every question the audience could potentially have.

This is better for SEO as it lets you target long-tail keywords, add relevant headers, include multiple search queries on a single page, and avoid competition with yourself.

This could make for a very long blog post, so consider a clickable table of contents so people can easily find the sections they need.

How to Fix Keyword Cannibalization

There are various ways to fix keyword cannibalization. Follow the steps below to find which strategy works best for you.

1. Change Content Optimization
   If multiple pages are ranking for the same keyword and search query, change the optimization settings. This could mean reducing the keywords, changing the keywords, or restructuring the content.
2. Consider Deleting Some Posts

   Sometimes merely re-optimizing posts may not be enough to fix keyword cannibalization. In this case, consider deleting some of the overlapping content. 
   Note: Don’t do this if both posts generate decent organic traffic and bring in business leads.

3. Merge Content

   If two or more posts of yours are ranking for the same keyword but you don’t want to delete them, consider merging them.
   Going with our previous example, this could mean clubbing the “blogging for beginners” and “how long it takes to monetize a blog” posts together to form a single comprehensive guide for monetizing a blog aimed at new writers.
   

Keyword Cannibalization Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about keyword cannibalization:

Why is keyword cannibalization bad?

Keyword cannibalization is bad for SEO as it forces two or more of your pages to compete with each other for a higher rank. It can reduce the ranking of both pages, eventually wasting your marketing efforts and resources. 

How can I target longtail keywords without cannibalizing keywords?

You can target longtail keywords without cannibalizing keywords by using separate longtail keywords to optimize each post rather than creating multiple content pieces ranking for the same search query.

You can also consider creating one comprehensive guide to act as a landing page instead of many small subtopic pages that compete with each other.

What's the difference between keyword stuffing and keyword cannibalization?

The first step to avoiding keyword cannibalization is to see where it happens. Then, decide what your personal best path is. For example, we recommend creating one comprehensive post rather than publishing multiple posts competing for the same search query. Another option is to work with separate keywords for different posts. 

Keyword Cannibalization Conclusion

A few years ago, people believed keyword stuffing and using the same keyword for multiple pages would help rank their content higher. However, this is no longer true. 

Now, ranking multiple pages for the same keywords and search queries forces you to compete with yourself and drive down your success.

Instead, it’s much better to focus on targeted keywords for specific posts, prioritize topics over keyword stuffing, and create comprehensive landing pages in place of mini blog posts. 

This can potentially help increase your rank on the search engine results page and eventually help increase your organic reach.

Even if you’ve already experienced keyword cannibalizing, fixing it is relatively easy. Rework your optimization options, delete posts that increase competition but aren’t helping you meet your marketing goals, and focus on merging competing content whenever possible.

Which keyword cannibalization management strategy will you try today?

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Best Merchant Services

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Merchant services exist to help businesses process credit card payments. You might know them by the name “credit card processors.” 

Regardless of what you call them, it’s important to choose the right merchant service for your specific business if you want to take payments from customers.

I’ve reviewed the top six merchant services available today. These are all proven, popular products with reasonable fees.

They all do things a little differently, however, and serve particular types of businesses better than others.

Keep reading to find the one that’s going to fit with your situation. I’ll take an in-depth look at each of the six best merchant services, and conclude by walking you through the major criteria you need to consider as you evaluate your options.

#1. Stax by Fattmerchant Review — The Best for Accepting Any Type of Payment

Pros:

• Allows you to accept any type of payment, including ACH
• No markup on direct-cost interchange
• Deep analytics and reporting

Cons:

• Invoicing features only on higher plans
• No transparency in pricing for large business package

Stax by Fattmerchant offers a versatile solution with individual packages for SMBs and businesses processing over $5 million annually.

On either track, you can accept any form of payment your customers and clients prefer. In-person, mobile, ecommerce, and ACH payments are all easily handled by Stax on every pricing plan.

And their packages remove any markup on interchange, so you’re not getting gouged there by unforeseen processing fees.

Small businesses can opt for one of three plans. The Growth plan comes with all the payment processing capability, some reporting dashboards and analytics, and a free terminal or mobile reader for in-person payments.

As you scale up in plans, you unlock really useful features. The mid-tier Pro plan includes the ability to send custom invoices (and include a payment link when you send it), payment information storing, enhanced analytics, and the ability to use the Stax API to customize your ecommerce experience.

The Ultimate plan boosts your reporting, insights, and client management. Get deeper analytics, more capability to handle recurring or scheduled payments, and more. Plus, you’ll get a Stax rep dedicated to your account for any assistance you’ll need.

Businesses that process over $5 million annually get their own bespoke plan. That custom-priced offering soups up all the tools and features that small and midsized businesses get from Stax and adds more integrative capability.

So, no matter your entity size or how many payments you process, Stax delivers a robust solution that can offer you much more than payment processing flexibility. Plus, with its scaling packages and dedicated track for large business, you can grow without outgrowing your merchant services provider.

Get started with Stax by Fattmerchant and request your quote today.

#2. Square Review — The Best for Transparent Pricing/Fees

Pros:

• No monthly fee
• Transparent processing
• Free card reader
• Great added features

Cons:

• No ACH payment processing
• Higher fees than desired

Square is popular for its credit card processing and POS systems, but it offers much more. It hosts features such as the “Card on File” feature, allowing users to store customer card information that works great for repeat customers trying to accumulate loyalty points and rewards of that nature. 

The processor also doesn’t have a monthly fee, and while Square’s features might not be as advanced as some of the other payment processors we’re talking about, for a POS without a monthly fee, you can’t beat the value. 

You can accept payments online and in-person, though the transaction costs vary. For in-person sales, expect to pay 2.6% and $0.10 per transaction. For online transactions, it’ll cost you 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction. There are other instances, such as:

• Virtual terminal transactions
• Card-on-file transactions
• And card-not-present transactions

These will cost 3.5% and $0.15 per transaction. 

If you have thousands of transactions every month, you can definitely find something cheaper than square.

But for a small business, the lack of monthly fees and price transparency makes it easier to budget than some of the other merchant services. Learn more.

#3. Payment Depot Review — The Best for Established Businesses

Pros:

• No contract processing
• Competitive rates
• Easy to integrate online

Cons:

• Best for high-volume business
• Application process

Payment Depot uses a membership pricing model, which can save established businesses a lot of money.

New businesses that aren’t doing so much volume won’t see the benefit (and may actually wind up with higher charges than they would with other services), but if you are already handling a lot of transactions, Payment Depot can be a good choice.

Unlike other companies, the processing fees with Payment Depot’s membership pricing remain consistent and predictable no matter how much business you do.

Because Payment Depot isn’t of passing off credit card fees to the customer at an increased markup, you can wind up saving a ton of money. The more transactions you process, the more you save with the membership pricing.

Payment Depot accepts all major cards and contactless Apple Pay and Google Pay as well. You get next-day funding and integration with top POS systems as well as ecommerce platforms such as: 

• Shopify
• Revel
• QuickBooks
• PrestaShop
• BigComemrce
• WooCommerce

I don’t think this is one of the best merchant services for small businesses because of how they structure their pricing. The transaction fees go down as you pay a higher monthly fee, and they seemingly force you to increase your plan because of strict processing limits. 

Here’s a breakdown of their pricing: 

Basic Plan

• Fee: $49
• Transaction Fee: $0.15
• Monthly Limit: $25,000

Popular Plan

• Fee: $79
• Transaction Fee: $0.10
• Monthly Limit: $75,000

Premier

• Fee: $99
• Transaction Fee: $0.07
• Monthly Limit: $150,000

Unlimited

• Fee: $199
• Transaction Fee: $0.05
• Monthly Limit: Unlimited 

So, as you can see – if you’re doing high volume, it would make the most sense to upgrade to the most expensive plan for the lowest transaction fees. 

#4. Helcim Review — The Best for Small Business 

Pros:

• Limited fees
• Fees based on volume
• Free online store software

Cons:

• Limited integrations
• $199 for the card reader

If you’re a small business owner, Helcim might appeal to you. With this service, you’re able to process credit and debit cards online and in person. You can also do some of the following: Set up recurring payments and send invoices.

With a Helcim card reader, you can accept all major cards, including Amex plus Google Pay, Apple Pay, and JCB. 

Helcim does not have any contracts or cancellation fees, and they charge $0 in monthly fees. 

Overall, Helcim is affordable but much more for in-person payments than they are online. Here’s a quick breakdown of their pricing structure, which is based on how much business you do each month: 

Monthly Volume: $0 – $25,000

• In-Person: 0.3% + 8 cents (+ interchange)
• Online: 0.5% + 25 cents (+ interchange)

Monthly Volume: $25,001 – $50,000

• In-Person: 0.25% + 7 cents (+ interchange)
• Online: 0.45% + 20 cents (+ interchange)

Monthly Volume: $50,001 – $100,000

• In-Person: 0.2% + 7 cents (+ interchange)
• Online: 0.4% + 20 cents (+ interchange)

Monthly Volume: $100,001 – $250,000

• In-Person: 0.18% + 6 cents (+ interchange)
• Online: 0.35% + 15 cents (+ interchange) 

Helcim offers nice features for those of you looking to integrate this payment gateway into your online store. You can add a checkout to your site for invoicing and customer registration while also accepting recurring subscriptions. 

#5. Flagship Merchant Services Review — The Best for Great Customer Service

Pros:

• Dedicated account manager
• Free account setup
• Free card terminal (with fees)

Cons:

• Confusing ownership
• Little information regarding price

Flagship Merchant Services cut the tape in 2001 and was acquired by iPayment in 2012. Now, they primarily resell iPayment, so keep that in mind. 

This company was one of the first to offer free account setup without any application or fees and real month-to-month contracts. They operate tens of thousands of merchants, and they have a strong reputation. 

Since they’re not a direct processor, most of their merchant accounts are set up through iPayment. iPayment uses First Data as their processor, and it can get confusing trying to figure out who is processing what through what service.

For retailers, Flagship does offer a free credit card terminal, but you’re responsible for paying account fees and insurance on that terminal to keep it up and running. 

For ecommerce, they offer either Authorize.net for processing and integration of an online cart onto your site. 

One thing that was a little frustrating about Flagship is trying to find information on their rates. If you go to their website, you’ll see that you need to fill out a form to get any info about what they charge. 

I’d like to see more transparency, but you may end up with a more catered package deal with this strategy. 

My favorite feature is that you get a single line of contact with the company when you purchase a gateway; they act as account managers. If you ever have a problem, you contact that specific person, and this isn’t a feature I’ve ever seen with any other merchant service.

#6. Stripe Review — The Best for Online Payment Processing 

Pros:

• Extremely customizable
• Reasonable pricing
• Great solution for online businesses

Cons:

• Complicated setup
• May require developers

If your business runs entirely online, Stripe is your best choice. It’s made specifically for ecommerce and internet business, and tons of startups and Fortune 500 companies trust Stripe.

The company offers sophisticated software and APIs that allow online store owners to customize their checkout experience. You can use the pre-built integrations to connect a Stripe checkout right away and then customize it as you go along. 

That’s one of the main reasons why I love Stripe; it’s a payment processor that grows with you and allows you to change it as your business needs change. 

With all of these features and moving parts comes complications. It’s not the easiest to set up, and if you plan on utilizing the many benefits of Stripe, you’ll likely need a developer to handle it for you. 

Stripe offers a “pay as you go” strategy–there’s no monthly fee and transaction fees are transparent across the board. 

• Online: 2.9% and $0.30
• In-Person: 2.7% and $0.05
• International: Add 1% per transaction
• ACH Direct: 0.8% maxed at $5.00 per transaction
• ACH Credit: $1.00 per transaction

You can use all major credit and debit cards plus ACH, WeChat Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and much more. Expect to wait two business days for deposits or pay a one percent fee to get instant deposits. 

Stripe integrates with WordPress, Magento, Squarespace, 3DCart, Zoho, Big Cartel, and more.

How to Choose The Best Merchant Services For You 

Before we get into the reviews, let’s talk about how to determine what makes a good merchant service.

I’ve broken this down into three major areas:

1. Processing rates/monthly fees
2. Services
3. Type of merchant services account

Let’s go through each of these criteria, one by one.

Processing Rates/Monthly Fees

It’s all about the money, and credit card processing is not as simple as you think. You have to weigh the pros and cons with each service; otherwise, you can end up paying way more than you planned. 

We need to look at the processing rates first. With every merchant service, you pay a small fee each time a transaction is processed. It’s usually between 1 to 3%.

You’ll also pay monthly fees, which vary depending on the service you choose.

To get a lower processing rate, you usually have to pay a higher monthly fee.

So, if you’re processing a ton of payments, a merchant service with a high monthly fee and low processing rates can be a good option.

On the other side, if you’re not processing a lot of payments, having higher process rates won’t hurt you as much as a high monthly fee would. 

There are also the rates that different credit cards like Visa and Mastercard charge. Merchant services like Toast let you choose between flat-rate and interchange processing rates.

With flat-rate, you pay a fixed amount for processing each month. With interchange, you pay whatever Visa or Mastercard charges plus a small fee to Toast.

Flat-rate processing is a predictable solution that works well for businesses that want to avoid big changes in their rates. That said, interchange pricing is generally more affordable. 

Services 

You want to look at what the payment processor offers in addition to credit card processing. Do they offer free POS systems, hardware, mobile payments, integrations, etc?

Some merchant services even offer consulting, customer loyalty features, and invoicing tools. 

Sometimes the “extra benefits” you get from a merchant service provider can outweigh some of the negatives. 

The Type of Merchant Service Account 

There are two primary types of accounts, one is an aggregator (or middleman), and one is an ISO (or independent sales organization). Let’s compare the two and see why it’s important to understand the difference.

Aggregators 

These are middlemen working in between the business and the bank, offering an easy payment processing solution for businesses. Square is an example of this, and while they make it easier, they usually have higher fees and transaction costs. 

ISOs 

Payment Depot is an example of an ISO, and while they usually have a more strict acceptance policy, they offer lower rates and user-friendly software compared to a direct processor. 

Integration

How well will your current systems integrate with your new merchant service?

Whether your are selling online or in person, the product you choose should complement your current process or even enhance it.

Stripe offers a wide range of integrations for popular ecommerce platforms, which makes it a great choice for online stores. It also integrates with the best email autoresponders like MailChimp and GetResponse.

If you are already using these tools, Stripe integrations will make it easier to get set up and stay organized.

You shouldn’t have to redesign your daily workflow to accommodate a new merchant service, so find one that has the integrations to plug right into your business.

Summary

By this point, you should know which of these merchant services is right for you. They all have their pros and cons, and you should choose according to the type of business you own.

Let’s take a quick look back at my top picks:

1. Stax by Fattmerchant — Best for taking any type of payment
2. Square — Best for transparent pricing/fees
3. Payment Depot — Best for established businesses
4. Helcim — Best for small business
5. Flagship Merchant Services — Best for great customer service
6. Stripe — Best for online payment processing

My favorite option for any case is Stax. That platform can handle anything, whether you’re large or small.

If your business is already doing a lot of volume, I recommend exploring Payment Depot.

Square is an overall solid solution for all businesses, but the transaction fees are a bit high, and scalability is lacking. 

I’m also a big fan of Helcim because they allow you to grow with your processor by increasing the monthly payment as your volume needs increase. 

Regardless of which choice you make, keep the important factors in mind and choose carefully, so you don’t regret your decision down the road. 

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How Backlinks from Different Page Locations Are Worth More (Or Less): Not All Backlinks Are Created Equal

If you want to get found online, you need a strong backlink profile.

The problem? Not all backlinks are created equal.

Links from high-quality, relevant sites are far more valuable than links from random sites in another industry. Links from spam sites can actually hurt your website.

How do you make the most of your backlinks? You need to pay close attention to the factors that impact backlink value.

Here is what you need to know to make the most of backlinks.

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks are links from an external site to your website. For example, if I link to a source about how to protect your app from security issues, that creates a backlink to that website.

If another site links to your site, you receive a backlink.

For a long time, getting as many backlinks as possible was a core component of SEO. Google viewed backlinks as “votes” and rewarded sites with lots of backlinks with higher rankings.

Eventually, however, businesses began to use black-hat strategies to build backlinks. For example, paying sites to add links, buying links from shady sites, adding comments to other blogs with links to own site, or building networks of sites that are all linked to each other.

Google got wise to these strategies and issued an update that made it much harder to get away with building poor-quality backlinks. It released a number of backlink guidelines that marketers should follow and also released another update targeting spammy links in June of 2021.

How Do Backlinks Affect SEO?

As mentioned above, Google views links as votes. The more sites that “vote” for your site (meaning link to pages on your site), the more valuable and relevant Google assumes your pages and site are.

In fact, backlinks are one of several hundred factors Google considers when deciding where to rank a website in its search results.

Here’s why: A backlink to your website means another site found your content engaging, interesting, or educational. So much so that they decided to share it with their audience. Google assumes that means your content is valuable to users, and is more likely to share your content with searchers.

However, there isn’t much you can do to impact how many links another site puts on its pages. Just keep it in mind when considering which links are most valuable for your website’s SEO.

If many trusted sites link to yours, Google knows your site has great content that users will want to read. As a result, you’re more likely to rank high in the SERPs.

What Makes a Backlink Valuable?

More backlinks isn’t always better.

If you use link schemes or other black or gray hat SEO practices, Google will punish you with lower rankings or even manual action. What makes a backlink more valuable than another?  

1. Location and Number of Links on a Page

Did you know that where a link is located on a page can impact backlink value? Sounds weird, right?

Well, Google considers the first link on a page to be the most valuable, which means it gets more of the benefits of having a backlink. In addition, the more links on a page, the less link value each link has.

In practice, this means that if your link is the only backlink on a page, you’ll see more SEO benefits than if your link is at the bottom of a page and is one of twenty other links.

2. Dofollow Vs. Nofollow Backlinks

Dofollow links are your basic backlinks. When the website owners don’t fiddle with the HTML surrounding the link, the link will always be a dofollow.

Dofollow links tell Google the linking website trusts your domain, which can help your rankings.

Nofollow links, on the other hand, look like this in HTML:

Nofollow links tell Google that this link should not pass on value (sometimes called link juice).

In other words, nofollow links still take someone from Website A to Website B, but they won’t help Website B’s rankings.

Why do sites use nofollow links? Because linking to low-quality or low-domain authority websites can hurt the link-hosting website’s rankings. Also, Google doesn’t allow you to pay for links, so some sites use nofollow links on sponsored posts.

Don’t assume nofollow links are a complete waste of time. In fact, they really help generate traffic to your website and increase the visibility of your business despite their unhelpful SEO influence.

3. Domain Authority and Page Authority

DA, or domain authority, is a metric created by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank well in the search engines. Scores range from one to 100, with higher numbers meaning the site is more valuable and more trusted. 

Page authority is the same metric, but for a specific page on a website.

It isn’t an exact science, and it isn’t a metric Google came up with—Moz did. However, it does use machine learning to get a pretty decent idea of how well a site will rank.

What does this mean for your backlinks? If a site with a higher domain authority or page authority links to your site, Google will assume your site is more trustworthy, too. That’s a good thing!

Think of it like vouching for a friend to get a job. If you are a dedicated worker and recommend someone else, your boss is likely to assume they can be trusted to work hard, too.

TL;DR: Links from high-domain authority pages are more valuable.

You can find the domain authority of sites using Moz’s domain analysis tool. 

Or, you can use Ubersuggest to run a backlink analysis on your site, and we’ll share all the domain authority and page authority metrics in one place.

4. Relevant Sites and Pages

Relevancy matters when it comes to recommendations. Let’s say you wanted to buy a new snowblower. You look around the internet and find two articles that review the top snow blowers—one is from a hardware store, and the other is from a food blogger.

Which one would you trust? You’re likely wondering what a food blogger really knows about snow blowers, right? The hardware store, on the other hand, probably sells snowblowers and talks about them to customers on a regular basis. There is a good chance they know what they’re talking about.

Google also considers relevancy when deciding how valuable a backlink is. For example, a link from a digital marketing publication or a publisher like Forbes to my site is worth more than a link from a plumber.

In general, links from irrelevant sites won’t hurt your website (unless they are spam sites!), but links from other industry websites do carry more value.

5. Quality of Other Links on the Website

It’s not just the domain authority that impacts backlink value. The quality of every other backlink on the referring domain can impact the value of a link too.

It doesn’t sound fair, does it? You can’t control what someone else does on their site. While that is true, there is a reason for this.

Let’s pretend that you receive a backlink from a website with high domain authority. Your ranking goes up, traffic is pouring in, and you feel like the SEO pro you are.

Then one day, the website that gave you that precious backlink becomes a spam site. They publish low-quality content and link to a bunch of spam sites.

It’s no longer a high-quality site in Google’s eyes, which means that link has lost its value. In other words, pages that link to spam websites devalue all other links that they host.

It’s important to evaluate the websites you get backlinks from. That will help you avoid harmful URL relationships. Make sure they are trustworthy and do their own link evaluating when choosing which links to include so that your website won’t be at risk.

Also, never buy links from websites. Even sites that seem legitimate will likely get caught by Google at some point, and your site may suffer the consequences.

6. Anchor Text

Anchor text is the text that is highlighted and often underlined that you click on to follow a link, like this.

If the site that links to your website uses anchor text that is closely related to the content on that page, Google will assume the link is more useful to users and, therefore, assigns it more value.   As a result, Google made anchor text a ranking factor.

Let’s look at an example from Yoast’s website. I’ve highlighted the anchor text:

The anchor text for internal links goes to a page about, as you might expect, internal links. Because the anchor text uses the keyword the linked page targets, that link is more valuable than if they used anchor text like “click here.”

Pro tip: This applies to internal links, too. Make sure to use relevant anchor text when linking to other pages on your own website. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Backlink Value

How do I identify valuable backlinks?

Backlinks that come from high-quality, relevant sites are the most valuable. Look for the following links and pay attention to other sites they link to. All of these factors impact backlink value. 

What's the easiest way to get valuable backlinks?

The easiest way to build backlinks is to create highly-valuable content that other sites will want to link to. This is often called link attracting, versus link building. Other strategies include looking for broken links on sites and asking them to replace them with yours, guest posting, creating infographics, and creating new data. 

What types of backlinks are valuable?

The most valuable backlinks are dofollow links from trusted sites related to your industry with high domain authority. 

How much are backlinks worth?

You can’t put a dollar amount on backlinks. However, a solid backlink profile can improve your search engine ranking, drive traffic, and increase your revenue. In that sense, they are priceless. 

What is the difference between backlinks and internal links?

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your site. Internal links are links that point from one page on your site to another. Both have SEO value, but backlinks are usually harder to get and, therefore, considered more valuable. 

What do I do if I have a bunch of low-quality backlinks pointing to my site?

In most cases, Google can spot poor-quality backlinks and will ignore them. If you think they are impacting your site (or if you get a manual penalty), you can use Google’s Disavow tool to tell them to ignore those links. 

Backlink Value Conclusion

Backlinks are a cornerstone of SEO. However, not all backlinks deliver the same value. Links that are higher on a page or from pages with a higher DA will help your website rank better in Google’s search results. 

You can use this information to build higher-quality backlinks. Get it right, and your site can see a flood of traffic and conversions. 

Do you consider backlink value when building links? Why or why not?

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How to Get Your E-Commerce Website to Rank in the SERPs

It’s probably fair to say that all e-commerce website owners want the same thing: higher visibility on search engines and more sales.

After all, heightened visibility means getting seen on search engine results pages, or SERPs. You’re likely familiar with these as you see them on Google in the form of ads, featured snippets, and video links. You see them on other search engines too.

Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to get your e-commerce website to rank higher.

The following article details proven methods to optimize your website and get more online attention.

Why Does Ranking in the SERPs Matter for E-Commerce Businesses?

Ranking in the SERPs matters for e-commerce businesses because it brings organic traffic to their website. These organic visitors are more likely to convert into customers and potential leads.

Further, the more organic inbound leads you’re attracting, the less you spend on advertising, and if you claim the top spot, you’re going to gain even more traffic. Backlinks increase considerably, too, giving you additional credibility in Google’s eyes.

You also want to rank higher than competitors as it makes it more likely shoppers will find your e-commerce website and buy from your store.

Even with the challenges facing e-commerce like limited or duplicate content, high competition, and common SEO errors, there’s plenty of ways to get noticed by the search engines.

Your site might not be at the top of the SERPs right now, and you may not even be on the front page. 

That doesn’t matter because SERPs aren’t static: They’re dynamic, and you can take action to give them a boost. 

Let’s explore how.

8 Ways to Get Your E-Commerce Website to Rank in the SERPs 

Although it might take time and effort, getting your e-commerce website ranking in the SERPs isn’t too tricky.

1. Optimize Your Product Pages

Your core product page is the landing page for any potential customer. Some of the most critical factors for designing an effective product page are:

• creating a visually appealing yet clear presentation of your product features and benefits
• ensuring your target audience can quickly find the information they need to decide on your products
• having a clear call to action (CTA)
• including reviews and testimonials
• optimizing meta titles and descriptions
• including long-tail keywords
• using psychology and color psychology

Then there’s your overall design.

The product page’s layout plays a crucial role in influencing how customers perceive it, so make sure the site is easy to navigate. You should also use white space so customers don’t feel overwhelmed with information.

2. Modify Your Site’s Hierarchy

Hierarchy means your e-commerce website’s structure. 

You need to get this part right because the way you organize content makes or breaks your conversion rates as your hierarchy defines how easy it is for visitors to find what they’re looking for.

There’s another reason to get your site’s hierarchy sorted, though.

Getting your structure organized means ease of use for customers, and that’s something Google considers for your site’s ranking.

Now you know why it’s vital, here are some tips for better site structure. 

• Take time to plan the structure.
• Add product tags and scatter breadcrumbs.
• Keep content evergreen.
• Review permalinks. 
• Incorporate an inward linking structure.
• Ensure you organize all subcategories.

Finally, divide your site into distinct categories.

Below is an image of what the ideal structure for an e-commerce website might look like:

3. Focus on the Right Keywords

You all know the importance of keywords. You also understand long-tail keywords are vital, but are you focusing on the right ones?

You’re looking for keywords:

• with a good number of monthly searches
• that are profitable
• with have low competition

Fortunately, there’s plenty of free and paid tools to identify these. Try:

• Ubersuggest
• Google’s search engine
• The “People also ask” feature on Google
• Ahrefs
• Moz
• WordStream
• SEMush

4. Reduce Site Loading Time

There is no getting away from it. The longer a user has to wait for a site to load, the more likely they are to click away. 

Loading times can also have a significant impact on your bottom line. Research shows every millisecond counts, especially with an e-commerce website.

However, that’s not all. 

Slow loading times can impact conversion and bounce rates and result in a poor user experience. How quickly your e-commerce website loads is also a ranking factor for Google. 

You can test out your site’s loading time for yourself. Many tools are available for speed testing, like Google’s Page Speed Insights. 

Then, if you find your site is slower than average, consider taking the following steps to accelerate speed.

• Use fewer images per page (reduce the number of thumbnail images).
• Optimize your photos with compression tools like Photoshop, or use free tools like PhotoPea.
• Create a site map.
• Establish an effective navigation system.
• Consider changing your web host.
• Optimize video content and reduce the size.
• Avoid unneeded tools, like excessive plug-ins or redirects.
• Limit coding or compress it. Here’s a tool to minify several coding types.

If your website loads on desktops within 2.3 seconds, you’re in the top ten percent. For mobile, 1-2 seconds is ideal. 

5. Increase Your Incoming Links

Inbound links are a vital component of SEO and can increase your website’s ranking on search engines.

Every e-commerce site needs incoming links to rank well. While it’s challenging to get organic links these days, there are several ways to get them, like:

• Social media: Create engaging social media posts that link back to your website and ask followers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to do the same. 
• Use Quora: Adding content on Quora within your niche is an effective way of increasing links to your site.
• Create internal links: Backlinking is a simple strategy. Implement it by including individual product links or linking to other pages on your site like the contact page, shipping information, and returns policy, etc.
• Get repeat buyers to promote: Ask returning customers to share photos of their purchases or product reviews with their friends or encourage user-generated content.
• Join online communities: Sign up to forums, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, and any industry-related communities.
• Write guest posts for your niche: Businesses and publications are always looking for content for their sites. Search for guest posts + your niche to uncover ample opportunities.
• Create FAQ pages: Use your FAQ page to answer the most common questions your prospects have and redirect back to other related content.
• Issue press releases: Is something newsworthy happening? Then write a press release and publish it for free online to build backlinks fast. 

6. Research Your Competitors

Researching your competitors is one of the best ways to understand what is likely to work for your business.

How do your competitors optimize their e-commerce websites? More importantly, how do you find the keywords they’re using?

It’s simple: Use one of the many competitor analysis tools. 

These can enable you to uncover all sorts of information, like:

• backlinking opportunities
• gaps in the market 
• keywords
• differentiation points.

While we’re still on competitive analysis, don’t forget to check Google. You should see the keywords in the SERPs snippets.

7. Use A/B Testing

A/B testing measures the conversion rates for different variations of a landing page to identify which variations perform better. There are three different types of A/B testing that you can use:

1. Split testing: The most common type, where you randomly show half your users the original version and the other half see the variation.
2. Multivariate testing: With this method, you test multiple versions at once instead of just one at a time.
3. Clickthrough rate testing: This is where you change only the design or copy on your website without changing how it works. 

Common areas of your e-commerce to test are:

• product descriptions/pages
• headlines
• CTA placement/color
• headlines
• font
• free shipping/special offers
• overall color scheme

The best approach is to A/B test over time to see what works. Experts recommend 7 to 14 days at a minimum. However, you may want to test findings for a month to get a clearer picture.

8. Optimize for Mobile

Mobile device use is far more than a passing trend. 

According to Statista, half of internet traffic now comes from mobile, and stats show an upward surge in mobile use in recent years.

It’s without a doubt. For better visibility in the rankings, you must cater to mobile users.

Google implements mobile-first indexing, meaning it “predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking.”

In other words, a mobile-optimized website is essential for enhancing your SERPs and product sales.

It’s about customer experience too. A responsive design ensures the layout of your website adjusts to fit different screen sizes like tablets, smartphones, etc. 

To make your e-commerce website mobile responsive:

• Keep your text size readable at all times.
• Change the background color of the webpage to black or white.
• Add high-contrast colors to help readability on mobile devices, like black and white.
• Test your website on a variety of different browsers and devices.
• Provide a mobile-friendly checkout process.
• Use smartphone-specific features such as QR codes and barcodes.
• Optimize your site’s URLs for search engines and smartphone users.
• Compress images to reduce loading time on low bandwidth connections.
• Include local content in your mobile strategy. Promote any special discounts or promotions that might be happening on the site.

Frequently Asked Questions About E-Commerce Websites

How can I improve the SERP ranking for my e-commerce site?

Make navigation easy. Don’t have too many links on a single page and place them in a logical order. Next, ensure your website loads quickly, and each page contains only the necessary content. Fast loading times help with both SEO and conversions. Lastly, seek links from reputable sites with high authority.

How can I do SEO for an e-commerce website?

SEO for an e-commerce website means optimizing your website in core areas, for example, creating appropriate metadata and selecting the right keywords. Next, review the products pages on your e-commerce website. Could you use fresh content with unique product descriptions? Or small images and videos?

Also, update the home page and include a clear CTA button for any featured products. Finally, update your blog to generate organic traffic and lead interested buyers to product pages.

What are the top 3 SEO strategies for e-commerce sites?

The top 3 SEO strategies for an e-commerce website are:

1. Keyword research analysis: Do this to identify the top keywords relevant to your products or services. You can use tools like Ubersuggest, SEMrush, or Moz.
2. On-page SEO: Ensure you build your site with a focus on sales by keeping the content relevant to what customers are looking for and optimizing for conversion.
3. Off-page SEO: Create an engaging user experience on social media by providing high-quality, shareworthy content that points back to your site.

How do I increase organic traffic on my e-commerce website?

• Hone your descriptions: Use search intent and understand what customers are looking for.   
• Optimize your website content: You can do this by using keyword research tools to find the search terms your prospects use. 
• Optimize your website design: Visitors should discover your website through images, headlines, titles, descriptions, etc. 

You can also increase organic traffic by using social media to amplify your content and expand your reach. 

Conclusion of E-Commerce Website Guide

Understanding how to rank in the SERPs is key for any e-commerce website. If your site doesn’t show up in the SERPs, you won’t reach your audience.

There are several stages to enhance your e-commerce website. The first step is to optimize your website for search engines through keyword research, on-page optimization, and backlink building.

It’s also imperative to focus on site hierarchy, page loading times, and mobile optimization.

Are you an e-commerce website owner? Which tactics do you use to increase SERPs?

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