SEO for Ecommerce: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Visibility and Sales (2025)

Ecommerce Keyword Research That Works

Effective ecommerce SEO starts with understanding how your customers search. Keyword research helps you align your store’s content with the terms and phrases people use when looking for products like yours. The goal is to target keywords that show purchase intent, not just those that generate traffic.

Start by identifying three types of keywords: product specific terms for example “men’s trail running shoes”, category level keywords for example “trail running shoes”, and informational long tail queries for example “best shoes for trail running UK”. Each plays a different role in the customer journey and should be mapped to the right part of your site.

Use tools like Ahrefs, Google Search Console or Semrush to uncover what people are searching for. Review competitors in Ahrefs to see which keywords are driving their traffic and where they are ranking well. This can quickly highlight opportunities to target underserved terms or create better optimised pages. Also check your own internal search queries and customer service questions for real language your buyers use. Prioritise terms with commercial intent and reasonable competition, not just high volume.

Do not forget seasonal opportunities and emerging trends. Tools like Google Trends and performance data from Meta or TikTok campaigns can help you spot rising demand. Strong keyword research gives your SEO strategy a solid foundation and helps every page on your store work harder to attract the right customers.

On Page SEO for Ecommerce Websites

On page SEO is one of the most critical parts of ecommerce SEO. It brings together content creation, keyword usage, structure, and user experience into one cohesive strategy. For ecommerce businesses, getting this right impacts search engine visibility, bounce rates, conversion rates, and return on investment. Below we break down the key techniques and best practices every business should implement as part of their on page strategies.

Page Titles

The title tag is one of the first signals search engines and shoppers see. Every product and category page should have a unique, keyword focused title that uses insights from tools like Semrush, Keyword Planner, and other research tools. Avoid vague phrases like “Products” and use specific search terms with solid search volume, such as “Women’s Waterproof Leather Hiking Boots”. This can improve click through rate in results and align better with user intent.

Meta Descriptions

Descriptions may not impact rankings directly but play a big role in boosting click through rate. Write compelling copy that explains the page, includes the focus keyword, and highlights core benefits.

URL Optimisation

Clean, descriptive URLs help search engines understand your pages and make them easier for users to navigate. Most ecommerce platforms organise URLs under folders such as product or category paths, but you can still customise file names and slugs to make them clear and relevant. Use hyphens to separate words and prioritise readability for both users and search engines. Keep in mind that URL management varies slightly between platforms, so check how your specific system handles redirects and structure changes before making edits.

Structured Headings

Proper HTML with structured heading tags H1, H2, and H3 improves the order and clarity of your webpages. It helps with accessibility and scannability. Use a single H1 that communicates the page purpose clearly. Supporting headings should break content into digestible parts.

Image Alt Tags

Alt text supports accessibility and image SEO. Include descriptive alt tags with keywords where appropriate, and make sure the images support the content. Avoid generic phrases and use descriptive file names.

Product Pages

Product pages sit at the heart of an ecommerce website. They need strong content, customer reviews, clear photos, and helpful data markup. Include detailed product descriptions, key features, and benefits using natural language. Support each product with ratings, structured data, and user generated content. Include alt text on all product images, and make sure schema and HTML markup are present for indexing.

Category Pages

Category pages are vital for search. Add a short block of keyword rich text near the top and consider expanded content below the product grid. Use video or visuals to support key messages. This helps search engines understand the purpose and relevance of the page, especially on large sites with many SKUs.

Product Reviews and User Generated Content

Customer reviews add unique, regularly updated content to your pages. Ratings build trust and offer natural keyword inclusion. Highlight this content using schema to unlock rich results.

Schema Markup Structured Data

Structured data helps search engines understand your site better. Use Product schema to mark up pricing, availability, ratings, and reviews. Proper markup improves your chances of appearing in enhanced search listings.

Canonical Tags

Canonical tags are essential for preventing duplicate content issues, especially on large ecommerce websites where similar products or categories can generate multiple URLs. Ensure canonical tags point to the preferred version of a page. Many platforms create duplicate paths for products through categories or filters, so review how your platform handles these and adjust settings or templates to keep URLs consistent.

Mobile Optimisation

Mobile first indexing means your mobile site is the default version Google sees. Prioritise responsive layouts, fast loading times, and content that is easy to scan. Keep conversion rates high on mobile by avoiding heavy visuals that slow load time, and test across devices including tablet and desktop. As Maria Harutyunyan, Founder of Loopex Digital, points out: “Google now evaluates websites primarily on their mobile performance, so a weak mobile experience can directly hurt rankings. Responsive design is no longer optional. It ensures consistency across devices and prevents issues like duplicate content. Regular mobile usability testing helps uncover hidden barriers that can quietly reduce conversions, from unreadable text to poorly placed calls to action.”

Write Clustered Content to Build Authority

Clustered content strategies help you build topical authority. Create interconnected content assets that target related keywords and search terms. This supports SEO and establishes expertise.

Internal Linking

Strong internal linking boosts performance. Link related blog posts to product pages, category pages to content hubs, and supporting articles to core categories. This improves the crawl path, distributes authority, and helps both shoppers and search engines navigate your site with purpose.

These techniques are essential building blocks that influence search visibility and your bottom line. Whether you are new to SEO or have been auditing sites for years, refining on page SEO should sit at the heart of your strategy. It gives businesses of all sizes the best chance to grow their online presence across platforms from WordPress, Magento, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce to custom builds.

Technical SEO for Ecommerce

Technical SEO enables search engines to crawl, understand, and index your website effectively. Without a solid technical setup, even high quality content can struggle to achieve strong rankings.

Most modern platforms manage many technical elements automatically, but there is still room for improvement. The following areas are where focused optimisation can make a significant impact on performance and visibility.

Site Speed and Performance

Fast loading websites are favoured by users and search engines. Compress images, reduce large scripts, and avoid excessive use of third party tools that add unnecessary JavaScript. Use tools such as PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify and fix performance bottlenecks. While some platforms include built in optimisation features, your theme configuration, plugin choices, and media management will usually have the greatest influence on overall speed.

Mobile Optimisation

Most ecommerce traffic comes from mobile devices. Make sure your site uses responsive design and that all content is legible and accessible on smaller screens. Test for tap targets, layout shifting, and usability issues using tools like Google’s Mobile Friendly Test or Lighthouse.

Indexation and Crawlability

Use Google Search Console to monitor which pages are being indexed and to identify any issues flagged by search engines. Prevent thin or duplicate pages from being crawled unnecessarily, and ensure that key areas such as product, category, and blog pages are discoverable. Make effective use of your robots.txt and sitemap.xml files. Many platforms generate these files automatically, but you may still need to refine them to suit your setup and content strategy.

Duplicate Content and Parameter URLs

Multiple product or category URLs can create duplicate content. Ensure canonical tags are implemented correctly and avoid linking to different versions of the same page. Faceted navigation such as filters for colour, size, or price often creates unique URLs that can quickly inflate the number of indexed pages. Handle these by managing crawl settings or using canonicalisation to keep your index lean and focused on high value content.

Broken Links and Redirect Chains

Audit your site regularly for broken links, outdated redirects, and long redirect chains. Use tools such as Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit to find and fix problems efficiently. Most platforms handle simple redirects, but complex migrations or restructures often require custom rules to preserve equity and keep users on the right path.

Structured Data

Structured data helps search engines understand your content and display rich results such as reviews, prices, and stock availability. Many platforms include basic product schema by default, but it is worth reviewing and enhancing this with a developer. You can add or improve schema using custom code or specialist tools. Prioritise key types such as Product, Breadcrumb, and Article. Explore our Schema Markup Guide here.

XML Sitemap and Robots.txt

Most platforms generate an XML sitemap automatically and provide some control over the robots.txt file. Ensure your sitemap includes all important content types such as products, categories, and blog posts, and confirm that your robots.txt file is not blocking valuable pages. Review both files regularly as your site changes.

404 Pages and Error Handling

Not all 404 errors are bad, but you should track them and ensure your 404 page is helpful and branded. Include links to key categories or a search bar to keep users engaged. Tools like Google Search Console or your analytics platform can help you monitor 404 trends and decide which ones to fix or redirect.

Getting technical SEO right gives your store a clear edge in competitive results. It ensures your content is accessible, performance is strong, and structure is clean, all of which support long term growth.

Site Architecture and Navigation

Site architecture is the backbone of your ecommerce SEO strategy. It determines how search engines crawl your website and how easily users can navigate through it. A clear, logical structure improves rankings and supports a smoother buying journey.

Keep Your Structure Flat

Flat architecture means users and search engines can reach any page in a small number of clicks from the homepage. Aim for no more than three clicks to reach key products or categories. Avoid deep nesting or orphaned pages that do not link back to core categories.

Flat URL Structures in Ecommerce

Some platforms use flat URL structures that do not support deep nesting or faceted paths for products and categories. In these cases, product URLs may follow a simple format such as /products/product-name, while categories might appear under /categories/. Because of this, URLs alone cannot always communicate the full site hierarchy. Use clear navigation, breadcrumb trails, and internal linking to help search engines understand the relationships between categories, subcategories, and products.

Use Clear and Consistent Navigation

Your main navigation should reflect your top product categories and align with how customers browse. Use dropdown menus to group subcategories logically and make it easy for users to find what they are looking for. Avoid overly broad or generic labels. If your categories grow over time, restructure the navigation to avoid clutter.

Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumbs help users understand where they are in your hierarchy and improve internal linking. They can also appear in search results. Use a clear trail like Home > Shoes > Men’s Trail Running, and make sure each step is clickable.

Support UX with Layout and Design

Navigation is not just about menus. Use strong calls to action, clear headings, and consistent layouts to guide shoppers. Avoid overwhelming users with too many options on one page. The goal is to reduce friction and keep journeys focused.

Link Between Categories and Content

Cross link related categories to help users and search engines discover your full range. For example, link “Trail Running Shoes” to “Running Accessories” or “Winter Running Gear”. Link from your blog or content hub to relevant categories. These internal links improve crawl paths and reinforce topical relevance.

A well structured site is easy to explore, crawl, and understand. Get this right and every other part of your SEO strategy becomes more effective.

User Experience and Conversion Signals in Ecommerce SEO

Modern ecommerce SEO is not just about keywords or backlinks — it is also about how people interact with your site. Search engines increasingly use engagement metrics such as CTR, bounce rate, and dwell time to understand whether a page satisfies search intent. If visitors find what they need quickly and stay to explore, that sends a positive signal to Google and Bing that your ecommerce site delivers value.

Page speed and mobile usability are major ranking factors within this context. Slow loading pages frustrate users and reduce conversions. Review your Core Web Vitals regularly to identify performance issues, and ensure design elements like buttons, menus, and product filters are easy to use across devices. A fast, accessible, and responsive site architecture benefits both searchers and crawlers.

UX elements such as clear calls to action, visible reviews, helpful videos, and structured product data also improve on-page engagement. These features make your content more useful and can enhance how it appears in rich snippets or SERP previews. The difference between an average page and a high-performing one often comes down to these small, human-centred details.

Conversion-focused SEO is about more than rankings — it is about creating a seamless experience from search result to checkout. By aligning SEO best practices with UX principles, ecommerce companies can increase visibility, trust, and revenue simultaneously. Great optimisation gets you found; great experience gets you chosen.

Google Merchant Centre and Organic Listings

Google Merchant Centre is most commonly associated with Shopping ads, but it also powers free product listings across Google surfaces. For ecommerce brands, this is an opportunity to get your products in front of high intent shoppers without paying for clicks. Optimising your Merchant Centre feed supports both paid and organic visibility in Shopping, Search, and Image results.

What Are Free Listings?

Google surfaces free listings from approved product feeds within Merchant Centre. These appear in Shopping tab results alongside ads, but without cost per click. To be eligible, your feed must meet Google’s data requirements and your store must follow its policies.

Optimising Your Product Feed

The quality of your product feed affects how often and how prominently your items appear. Focus on improving naming, descriptions, and imagery.

Product Naming

Product titles should usually be between fifty and seventy characters. Include your brand, key attributes, and category relevant keywords. For example: “Charle Trail Running Shoes Waterproof Men’s Black Size 10”. Avoid generic titles like “Black Trainers”.

Product Descriptions

Descriptions should expand on the title and include relevant keywords naturally. Aim for five hundred to one thousand characters covering use case, material, benefits, and technical details. Avoid keyword stuffing or generic boilerplate.

Product Imagery

Use high resolution images with a clean background. Avoid logos, watermarks, or text overlays, as these may result in disapproval. Include multiple images where possible to show different angles or use cases.

Integrating Platforms with Merchant Centre

Many platforms integrate directly with Merchant Centre, allowing you to sync product data automatically. However, the default setup may not fully optimise your feed. Review the output and enhance it by refining titles, adding richer attributes, and ensuring all data meets Google’s standards. A dedicated feed management tool can give you greater control.

Using Merchant Centre Diagnostics

The Diagnostics tab highlights issues that may prevent listings from showing such as disapprovals or missing attributes. Check this regularly to catch and fix errors quickly.

Structured Data and Feed Alignment

Align your onsite structured data with your feed for consistency. Include accurate values for price, availability, SKU, and GTIN where applicable to avoid mismatches.

Merchant Centre is not just a paid media tool. It is also a gateway to organic product visibility and can support your broader SEO efforts.

Link Building for Ecommerce Stores

Link building remains one of the most effective ways to improve visibility, especially in competitive categories. While content and technical SEO lay the foundation, backlinks signal trust and authority. The challenge is building links that are relevant, scalable, and sustainable.

Start with existing relationships. Suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and industry partners often have directories or retail pages that can include a link to your store. If you work with content creators, affiliate partners, or influencers, make sure their mentions include a link.

Digital PR is another powerful strategy. Create newsworthy stories around launches, campaigns, or milestones that journalists or blogs will cover. Tools like HARO or #JournoRequest can help you respond to live opportunities. You can use a link building service by Charle or Editorial.Link to get relevant backlinks from trusted sites.

Use content to earn links over time. Create guides, comparison pages, or data led articles that serve as useful resources. The more useful and linkable your content, the more likely others will cite it.

Avoid black hat tactics. Focus on relevance, quality, and consistency. One link from a strong industry site is worth more than dozens of low quality directories. Over time, a healthy backlink profile will strengthen authority and support rankings.

Content Marketing That Drives Organic Sales

Content marketing is powerful when it ties directly to buyer intent. Focus on content that attracts the right audience and supports product categories. Build articles, guides, and resources that are useful and aligned with commercial goals.

Start with bottom of funnel content for people close to purchase. This could include comparison pages, best of roundups, or usage guides. For example, a cookware brand might create “Best Non Stick Frying Pans for Induction Hobs” that links to a curated category.

Mid funnel content can be educational or inspirational, answering questions that arise during the buying process. A skincare brand might write “How to Build a Routine for Sensitive Skin” and recommend relevant categories or bundles.

Build content clusters around core categories. Supporting articles that link back to a category or buying guide signal topical depth. This can improve rankings for competitive head terms while picking up long tail traffic.

Success comes from consistency and relevance. When aligned with keyword research and internal linking, content becomes a growth engine that compounds over time.

Measuring SEO Results for Ecommerce

Measuring the impact of SEO is essential to understand what is working, where to invest, and how to report on performance. SEO can take time to show results, so set the right benchmarks and track the right data.

The most important metric is revenue attributed to organic traffic. Track both last click revenue and assisted conversions, where SEO played a role earlier in the journey. Tools like Google Analytics, your platform reports, and attribution tools such as Triple Whale or Northbeam can help connect the dots.

Other key metrics include organic sessions, non brand traffic growth, average position for key keywords, and the number of pages ranking in the top three or top ten positions. Monitor impressions and clicks in Google Search Console to see how visibility changes over time, especially after technical changes or content updates.

Track index coverage and crawl errors in Google Search Console. If key pages are not being indexed or are flagged with issues, your potential will be limited. Combine this with site audits using tools like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog to keep your technical health in check.

For content, track engagement metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rate from blog traffic. This helps refine your content strategy and double down on the formats and topics that lead to sales.

SEO is not just about ranking higher. It is about driving meaningful business results. By tracking performance from visibility to revenue you can build a clear case for continued investment.

Common Ecommerce SEO Mistakes

Even established brands can fall into common traps that limit growth. Identifying these early helps you avoid wasted effort and stay ahead of the competition.

Thin content is widespread. Many product and category pages have very little copy. Every key page should include unique, helpful content that reflects what users are searching for.

Duplicate content is another issue, particularly when products appear in multiple categories or have variants that use separate URLs. Without proper canonical tags, search engines can struggle to determine which version to index.

Unoptimised category pages are a missed opportunity. Include a short introduction and supporting content to improve relevance and performance.

Neglecting internal linking is common. Strong internal linking helps search engines crawl more efficiently, passes authority to key pages, and improves the user journey.

Removing or redirecting product pages as soon as items go out of stock can cause ranking drops and broken links. Where possible, keep these pages live, include messaging about availability, and recommend similar products.

Avoiding these mistakes is about consistently doing the basics well. When you do, you create a stronger foundation for long term performance.

AI Shopping and LLM Optimisation

AI is changing how people discover and shop for products online. From Google’s Search Generative Experience to AI powered shopping assistants, large language models are reshaping the search landscape. For brands, this means rethinking how product content is structured and how your store is surfaced through new channels.

Unlike traditional search, LLMs do not rely solely on keywords. They look for context, structure, and high quality content that clearly explains your product offering. This shifts the focus from just ranking pages to making sure your product data, content, and site structure are accessible, descriptive, and well organised.

To optimise for AI led discovery, focus on rich, structured product content that answers real customer questions. Detailed FAQs, buying guides, and clear product comparisons help position your store as a trusted source in AI responses. Structured data, clear taxonomy, and robust internal linking support how your site is interpreted.

We have created a free in depth guide on this topic, covering how to prepare your store for AI powered discovery tools like ChatGPT Shopping and Google SGE. You can read it here: ChatGPT and AI Shopping Optimisation Guide.

AI led search is still evolving, but brands that prepare early will have an advantage.

Future Proofing Your Ecommerce SEO Strategy

SEO is constantly evolving, and brands that adapt early often see the biggest gains. While algorithms will continue to change, the foundations remain the same. Provide valuable content, structure your site well, and give users a great experience.

Build topical authority through content clusters, keep your technical health in check, and review mobile performance regularly. Monitor new behaviours including visual and voice search, and pay attention to how platforms evolve their discovery features.

Audit your site regularly and update key pages, especially categories and evergreen content. The brands that win are consistent with the basics and stay a step ahead of changes in user behaviour and technology.

Conclusion: Build Your SEO Foundation

Ecommerce SEO is not just about driving traffic. It is about building a foundation that supports long term growth, improves discoverability, and turns more visitors into customers. From technical setup and site structure to content, keyword targeting, and ongoing optimisation, every element plays a role in success.

Whether you are just getting started or looking to scale an established brand, SEO should be a core part of your strategy. With the right approach, it becomes a channel that compounds over time. Check out our articles on top ecommerce SEO statistics and top ecommerce SEO agencies.

If you are ready to lift your organic performance, we offer dedicated ecommerce SEO services. Get in touch with our team today via our contact form to discuss how we can help.