In 2016, the number of digital buyers worldwide reached 1.5 billion. A year later, the number rose to 1.66 billion and forecasters expect over 2 billion online shoppers in 2020. This is enough to get any e-commerce entrepreneur excited, but making moves into the rapidly expanding online market is easier said than done.

Here’s the secret all successful e-commerce entrepreneurs know: organic search is key. It drives 51 per cent of all visitors to e-commerce websites, compared to just 10 per cent through paid search. So how do you boost your organic search performance?

It largely comes down to having a strong search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy. SEO is essentially a set of techniques that improve your search engine ranking, driving more organic traffic to your site.

Here’s what you can do today to boost your SEO performance.

1. Select keywords that work

What search terms would an online shopper use when looking for your product? The answer to that question will provide your keywords. Scatter these words and phrases throughout your website – especially in URLs, page titles, meta descriptions, page content and image names.

2. Don’t duplicate content

Google may punish you if it finds you’ve duplicated content on your website from another source. You should regularly publish fresh, original content on your website in the form of blog articles, product descriptions and customer reviews. Remember to include your keywords, but don’t go overboard. Google also frowns upon keyword stuffing.

3. Get active on social media

Google rewards websites that are active on social media by pushing them up its search rankings. Use your social media account to promote links to new content on your website. Google watches the number of likes, shares and comments your posts attract.

4. Build external links

When other websites link to your site, you’ll get an SEO boost. Reach out to relevant bloggers, complementary businesses and partners to see if they are open to exchanging links. Also offer your suppliers testimonials – they’ll often include a link back to your website.

5. Optimise your existing website

Include a site map on your website, insert keywords into your image descriptions and title tags, ensure your website works on mobile and optimise your page load speed to maximise the performance of your existing site.

Invest a little time in your SEO strategy and you’ll go a long way to improving your visibility, which in turn gives your business access to a massive online marketplace.