Another powerful SEO for Bigcommerce tool at your disposal when using the platform is the dynamic sitemap, but to fully grasp the advantage it provides you need to understand how Google and other search engines explore your website’s content.
Search engines employ search bots that go around the internet crawling through websites links and content, indexing and ranking what they find and recommend them to users who input queries with keywords related to them.
As you create more content in your site, post new product listings or new blog entries, these will have bots indexing and ranking them overtime, and finding new sections of your website through the links you provide to them.
Over time, they map out your entire online store. Even if you don’t do anything, this will eventually happen.
However, there’s a way to speed up the process and have your store indexed faster, and that’s by submitting your site’s map to search engines.
Normally you’ll go manually, putting together the sitemap file determining the most optimal way a search engine bot should crawl your website. Or you might employ a third-party tool to accomplish this.
With Bigcommerce neither is necessary since the platform generates a sitemap for you and makes it easy to submit it to Google.
First, though, you’ll need to verify your site with Google. It is a free and simple process that BigCommerce itself walks you through here.
Once that’s done, just go to Server Settings in your Bigcommerce dashboard and select Google XML Sitemap which will generate the link you’ll need to provide in your Google’s Webmaster Account.
Doing SEO for Bigcommerce’s platform is more accessible than doing so on other similar sites. This is due in no small part to the efforts of the site in automating most of the basics needs as far as search engine optimization strategies go.
However, it is a tradeoff.
More automation means you have less direct control, which can have you sitting out while other competing stores take advantage of the more advanced SEO for Bigcommerce.
Applying comprehensive optimization tactics for Bigcommerce SEO to your online store can be a daunting task though, especially if you don’t boast a solid background on the subject.
If you want to fully harness the power (and enjoy the benefits) of a robust SEO strategy that is tailor-made to your online store’s specific needs, it might be wise to contact an SEO expert. They can eliminate the guesswork and learning curve from the process and have you reaping the benefits of a more prosperous store in no time.