Search engine optimization companies often see e-commerce (shopping cart) web sites as an obstacle to their search engine optimization platform. Shopping carts are generally template based and most content is pulled from the database.
Its not the typical static HTML web site that is seen in the SEO training text book, but is it really possible to optimize a shopping cart? Well, maybe.
Not all shopping carts are created equal. Most shopping carts written in ASP, PHP, or related languages, can be optimized within the limitations set forth by the program. All of them allow for content pages to be added to the site and some even allow for shopping cart exporting to an HTML format.
There you have it, you have content, link population ability, and opportunity for adding fresh content. But, we are just beginning.
Some problem languages for shopping carts include .cfm (Cold Fusion) and .mvc (Miva Merchant). Both file types are not easily indexed by the search engines so this should be considered before starting your shopping cart project. With that said, some search engine optimization companies may be able to work out a plan to work around your existing shopping cart.
Aside from search engine optimization, another great means of marketing exist for shopping cart owners. Online product placement. Getting your site listed on places like Shopping.com, Bizrate, KCove.com, and Froogle is simple and affordable. Froogle is a free service but your product feed must be updated every month. Other price comparison sites have initial deposits of $50-$200. These sites work on a pay per click platform which have set price per clicks for various categories.
Using price comparison web sites should not be done instead of search engine optimization but rather complimentary to your search engine optimization efforts. For more information, talk to your search engine optimization company.