Instore Magazine • May 2025 • Chris R. Austin

I REGULARLY REVIEW jewelry store websites, and it’s shocking to see how many are missing a foundational level of SEO. This is the digital equivalent of not having a sign on your storefront. Online or in real life, if a customer can’t find you, they can’t shop with you.

Search engines reward web-sites that provide a quality User Experience (UX). Google has increased the weight of UX within its search algorithm with a focus on key metrics like site performance, being mobile friendly, and having informative page titles and headlines that explain what the page is about. Best practices for UX and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) have merged and have a significant impact on where your brand shows up in search results.

1. Site Performance. Do your web pages load quickly? Are there large images that lag behind other page elements? Have you checked your site on mobile? A responsive site is just the beginning, as images and other factors can cause a draggy web experience on a smartphone.

2. Security. This is as simple as http vs. https in the URL, which is the difference between a standard connection and a secure one. Every page on your website should be https or have a redirect from an http URL to https. Some web browsers will block access or warn users of visiting an http page and deem it unsecure, eroding trust with visitors before they arrive at your digital front door.

3. Redirects. You had an engagement ring brunch event in 2022 and took down the web page, but the URL still exists out in the world. Error pages will naturally happen over time, but redirecting these URLs only takes a few minutes and will improve your search results.

4. Indexing. The quickest way to see if a site has basic SEO in place is if someone has taken the time to write metadata for the website. Metadata consists of the Page Title (the blue text in Google search results) and Meta Description (the black text underneath the Page Title in search results). Best practices for metadata are easily found online.

5. Images. Beautiful photos of jewelry are key, but large images — anything over 200KB — will slow down page load speed and create a poor user experience.

6. On-Page Content. The three biggest culprits with your text are the headline (H1), content not supporting a primary keyword (e.g. engagement rings), and not enough content on the page (which should have at least 250 words).

Once the foundational SEO work has been implemented, set best practices for new pages and uploaded images — and develop a regular cadence for publishing new content on the website.

CHRIS AUSTIN is the owner of CAMO Marketing, where he serves as a fractional CMO to small businesses. chris@workwithcamo.com

I WAS SHOWING a customer some of our pre-owned rings and put one of them aside, mumbling, ‘Of course, you wouldn’t be interested in this tacky atrocity...’ And, of course, it turned out to be a ring she had sold to us for scrap years earlier. Katrina Sustachek, Rasmussen Diamonds, Racine, WI

WHILE SHOPPING FOR engagement rings and wedding bands at Henne Jewelers in Pittsburgh, PA, couples can pose for photos in front of an influencer-friendly flower wall, beneath the neon “Henne Couple” sign, and surrounded by a display of floor-to-ceiling flowers. After their engagement or wedding, they are also invited to submit photos for a Henne Celebration Wall, which showcases images of couples celebrating their engagements, weddings and heartfelt expressions of love. Seeing these joyful faces inspires new customers to become part of the Henne family.