If you have ever spoken about online business or e-commerce SEO, you will know how crucial it is to improve the visibility of your product pages and then ultimately draw page views.
So, when you optimise your site for search engines, you are increasing the chances of appearing in relevant search queries, whether it be organic search results or results specific to shopping. E-commerce SEO is simply a cut above normal SEO because you need to optimise the pages to rank through large inventories and ensure that your product is visible.
In this guide, we’ll explore e-commerce SEO essentials, challenges, benefits, and how you can measure success so your online shop shines in a competitive environment.
Understanding e-commerce SEO
Many rankings are involved in positioning e-commerce websites, including their relevance and authority for a given search. The two main types of e-commerce SEO are shopping results SEO and organic listings SEO.
- Shopping results: SEO involves getting product pages organised to produce shopping listings in the search results. These entries typically feature a product image, price, and availability. For e-commerce websites, ensuring product information is accurate, having relevant keywords, and optimising product feeds for search engines to crawl and index in order to perform well in shopping results is key.
- Organic listings: The product and category pages are ranked by traditional search results using SEO. This means ensuring the content on your website (e.g., meta tags, headers, product descriptions, etc.) is optimised with search intent in mind. You also need high on-page optimisation, excellent technical SEO, content that is both useful and valuable to the users, and search engine crawlers to get to the top spots in organic results.
While traditional SEO focuses (more or less) on squeezing a specific, standalone webpage into shape, SEO for e-commerce sites aims to target the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pages that an e-commerce site (e.g., product pages, category pages, etc.) usually has.
Therefore, each of these pages must be optimised independently to have any chance of ranking. Plus, e-commerce SEO typically has a requirement for managing high-volume inventories, regular product updates, as well as problems like duplicate content and out-of-stock products.
Key components of e-commerce SEO
Now, as you will see, e-commerce SEO is made up of multiple components, and here are the key areas you should be focusing on:
Keyword research
Keyword research is at the core of every successful e-commerce SEO strategy. Hitting on the right product-oriented keywords helps you ensure you come in front of those prospective customers who are looking exactly for what you have to offer. This means that you need to be aware of search intent keywords like transactional, informational, and navigational search.
So, look for high-volume, low-competition keywords using keyword research tools (e.g. Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs). Long-tail keywords are extremely specific keywords that concern your products, which usually have higher conversion rates and are less competitive. And consider synonyms, related words, and words other potential buyers might search for when looking for similar products.
Understanding how your audience searches is key. By following a competitor keyword analysis and looking at search engine autosuggestions, you can uncover hidden opportunities. You will also want to target keywords that are relevant to your products and flow naturally within your content.
A thorough keyword research will assist you in optimising your product pages to the correct users, consequently driving in targeted traffic and thereby maximising the possibility of conversions.
On-page optimisation
On-page SEO is critical to making sure your product and category pages get ranked on the search results. It is about aligning many of the on-page elements with the keywords you are focusing on and satisfying visitors.
For product pages, begin optimising your title, description and images. The title must contain the primary keyword of the product, and the description must explain the key features and benefits in the most straight and concise way possible. Use relevant files to ensure that the images are not being used incorrectly, i.e. with a watermark, image tags with industry-related keywords, etc.
SEO-friendly category pages, such as headings, meta descriptions, URL structure, etc., are to be created. Avoid thin content with unique and informative category pages. Also, make sure that internal linking between good/similar products and categories is logical.
Revamping each and every product and category page helps not only with the relevance of the page but also with a better user journey, which in turn helps with a progressive search engine ranking and higher conversions.
Technical SEO
A well-structured, fast, mobile-friendly, easily navigable website leads to better rankings and higher conversions.
Ensure a well-organised, logical and intuitive site structure. A structured site helps both the customers and the search engines to locate the products easily. Add breadcrumb navigation to improve usability and bolster internal linking.
As mobile devices are increasingly used by consumers to shop, mobile responsiveness is an important consideration. Ensure that your site is optimised for mobile viewing with speedy load times and an easy-to-navigate interface.
Page speed is another key factor for both user experience and SEO. Rankings take a hit, and bounce rates go up with slow load times. Reduce load time with image compression, browser caching and prevent heavy scripts from loading.
Having a solid technical base means that your site can be crawled, indexed and ranked easily, with a direct impact on your e-commerce SEO.
Content marketing
Content marketing is an excellent e-commerce SEO resource because it builds organic traffic as well as knowledge. Having high-quality and relevant content helps you to attract more potential consumers, builds users’ trust, and finally builds conversions.
This could involve writing blog posts, guides, and how-to articles related to your products. If you sell home improvement tools, for instance, blogging about DIY projects or maintenance tips can generate a traffic flow to your site while placing your brand next to a niche authority.
In addition to blogging, user-generated content (UGC), such as testimonials and reviews, provides higher credibility and fetches detailed effort. Product videos (particularly professional-quality videos) and tutorials can even guide customers along their buying journey, increasing the likelihood of them making a purchase.
Link building
Link building (which helps with high domain authority and is important for rankings of both product and category pages) is another e-commerce SEO strategy to focus on. Quality backlinks tell search engines that your website is relevant and trustworthy.
The best way to do this is by creating naturally linkable content, such as in-depth guides for products or research about the industry, that others will find valuable and wish to link to. Writing articles/guest posts with influencers or bloggers in your niche that can link back to your site can help.
You even have the option of creating niche-related resource pages and directories. It helps improve your site’s overall site authority in addition to improving your site’s accessibility.
Another method is to contact those sites that mention your products or site, but don’t link to you. You do not want to miss out on the opportunity to give them a link to your site so they can become more worthwhile.
Not quantity, but quality backlinks from reputed sites are more valuable. One quality link from a high-authority domain affects your e-commerce SEO far more significantly than a hundred low-quality links.
Common e-commerce SEO challenges and solutions
There are unique SEO challenges for an e-commerce site. If dealt with quickly, these areas will allow you to rank better, improve user experience and enhance site performance.
Duplicate content issues
This is an issue for e-commerce sites where they may have the same product description written in a similar manner for multiple listings or category pages. Duplicate content can result in lower rankings, as search engines can penalise such sites. The solution is implementing canonical tags to point to the best version of a page. Also, ensure unique and descriptive content on each product page. Another approach is to use dynamic content for product variations (colour, size, etc.) to make each page unique.
Managing faceted navigation
With faceted navigation, users can filter products by things like size, colour, or price. Inappropriately implementing it may create several variations of the same content with different URLs, creating duplicate content issues and weak indexing.
Filtered pages serve little purpose other than cluttering search results, so they should have appropriate noindex, nofollow tags in place. Or employ parameter handling within Google Search Console to influence how URLs with faceted navigation are crawled and indexed.
Handling out-of-stock products
One thing that we know about e-commerce stores is that out-of-stock products are not good from a user experience or an SEO perspective. An out-of-stock page could lead to a high bounce rate, which could negatively impact your rankings. There are a couple of solutions to this, such as keeping the product page live with a clear “out of stock” status or redirecting it to a related product or category page.
If you are anticipating a product being back in stock, giving the option to notify the customer will keep them engaged. Another approach is to remove any permanently out-of-stock pages from your site, keeping it clean and relevant.
By getting to grips with these on-page SEO issues for e-commerce, you’ll improve your store’s performance and user experience — giving your store a better shot at ranking higher in search results and turning visitors into customers.
What are the benefits of e-commerce SEO?
The benefits of e-commerce SEO can help you grow your online store performance. One of the primary benefits is the potential for increased traffic to your website, as high search engine rankings lead to improved outreach and user experience and, most importantly, more conversions. Here are the main advantages of e-commerce SEO:
Increased organic traffic
Implementing effective SEO strategies allows targeted websites to be higher in search engine results, generating organic traffic. When you optimise product pages and category listings with the right keywords, you ensure that your site shows up in front of potential customers who are looking for products like yours. Higher visibility leads to more clicks and exposure to your target audience.
Improved user experience
SEO is not just about rankings; it’s about providing a seamless, user-friendly experience. A good site structure, mobile friendliness, and a fast-loading site enhance user experience. Your customers are much less likely to convert and then return when they can’t easily find what they are looking for or purchase what they want when your site is frustrating for them to navigate.
Higher conversion rates
E-commerce SEO ensures higher conversion rates as the right set of customers are visiting your site. Having pages optimised for relevant keywords attracts visitors that are much more likely to make a purchase. Moreover, well-optimised product pages with persuasive content, clear calls-to-action, and easy navigation increase the chances of conversion.
Cost-effective marketing
Additionally, e-commerce SEO does not incur continuing expenses, unlike paid advertising that needs continuous investments. Also, when your website starts to rank in search engines, it will keep bringing organic users without you spending money on it again, making it a cost-effective marketing strategy.
Competitive advantage
Well-implemented SEO could set you apart from competitors who are not as engaging with their optimisation. This not only helps customers find you faster in search results and ensures a positive experience but also helps you build brand authority and stand out in a swarming marketplace.
Measuring e-commerce SEO success
Tracking the success of your e-commerce SEO efforts is crucial for identifying which strategies are effective and where you may need to make improvements. Monitoring KPIs enables you to make data-driven decisions to maximise your strategy.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Monitor
- Organic traffic: Monitor the amount of organic traffic reaching your product and category pages from search engine results. More organic traffic means your SEO strategy is working and you are attracting visitors to your site.
- Keyword rankings: All of your efforts to ensure your pages are being found for the right keywords can go to waste if users maintain a low-quality experience. Better keyword rankings are proof that your optimisation work is paying off.
- Conversion rate: Track the percentage of visitors who make a purchase. A good conversion rate means that not only is your e-commerce site attracting visitors, but they are also engaged and taking the next step to become customers.
- Bounce rate: A high bounce rate is an indication that visitors have not stuck around on your site. Studying this metric can highlight pages that need to be improved in UX.
- Revenue and ROI: The bottom line of SEO should ultimately show in terms of sales. Analyse the revenue that comes from organic traffic to analyse the ROI of your SEO efforts.
Tools for tracking SEO performance
The KPIs for which you may want to track metrics can be found on Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. These platforms provide you with detailed insights on traffic, rankings, user behaviour and more, ensuring you measure and adapt your SEO strategy accordingly.
Choose Arken for expert e-commerce SEO services
Arken has a lot of experience in e-commerce SEO services. We are equipped with the right knowledge and expertise, and we want to help you reach your goals with proven methods that will give you results, get you noticed, grow your traffic naturally, and lead to more sales.
Keyword research, technical optimisation, and content marketing cover every aspect of your e-commerce site — making sure it is finely tuned to the requirements of search engines as well as customers. Arken is here to help you skyrocket your e-commerce SEO with measurable results and long-lasting growth.
FAQs
How long does it take to see results from e-commerce SEO?
For SEO, results tend to take effect a bit later (in 3-6 months). The timeline can be impacted by elements like competition, website structure, and content quality. But with dedication and optimisation – you will see incremental increases in traffic, rankings and conversions over time.
Can e-commerce SEO help with local search visibility?
Most definitely, e-commerce SEO can help with local search visibility. If you have a physical store, optimising your site for local keywords, setting up a Google My Business profile, and using location-specific content will help you to get local customers and increase foot traffic or, if you are an online store, attract more targeted local traffic.
Is it necessary to update product pages for SEO?
Yes, you need to regularly update product pages for the sake of SEO. Updating content, optimising images and increasing new reviews or features can help keep your pages active. Search engines also love fresh content, so refreshing your product page will help maintain or improve product page rankings, especially as you start to change your inventory or add in new variations of existing products.
