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Search Optimisation for Online Stores & Shops

Running an online shop? These posts focus on how to get your products found on Google, improve category pages, and turn searches into sales. Tailored tips for ecommerce and retail websites.

Guide to Ecommerce SEO: Boost Your Online Store with Search Engine Best Practices

If you run an ecommerce business, getting noticed on Google Search isn’t just useful - it’s everything. This ecommerce SEO guide will walk you through how to optimise your ecommerce website properly, using straightforward tactics that help search engines crawl your site and show your product pages in search results. Whether you’re just starting or looking to improve what you’ve already done, this guide to ecommerce SEO will give you a clear strategy to drive organic traffic and boost visibility for your ecommerce site.

This article is worth reading because most ecommerce sites fail to get the basics right – and that means lost traffic, fewer sales, and wasted SEO efforts. Follow these best practices, and you’ll stop hiding on page two of Google Search.

Article Outline:

What is ecommerce SEO and why does it matter?
How does Google Search index ecommerce websites?
What are the best practices for ecommerce site architecture?
What role does keyword research play in ecommerce SEO?
How to optimise product pages for search engines
Why is your category page a powerful SEO asset?
What are common technical SEO issues on ecommerce sites?
How can content marketing help ecommerce SEO?
What are the best ecommerce SEO tools for 2025?
What does on-page SEO for ecommerce actually involve?
Why should you use Google Search Console and Google Analytics?
What’s the best strategy for ecommerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce?
What are some overlooked SEO features for ecommerce?
What are the ecommerce SEO best practices for mobile?
Ecommerce SEO FAQ: What do store owners ask most?

1. What is ecommerce SEO and why does it matter?

Ecommerce SEO is about improving how your online store appears in search engine results. It’s the process of making your ecommerce website easier for search engines to crawl, index, and rank – especially your product and category pages.

Done well, SEO for ecommerce drives organic traffic without relying on ads. It helps your ecommerce site appear in search results when customers search for your products or services. That means more eyes on your site, and more potential sales.

SEO is not optional. With thousands of online stores competing for clicks, search engine optimisation is how you stand out.

2. How does Google Search index ecommerce websites?

To appear in search results, Google must first crawl and index your ecommerce website. This means it reads your pages, understands the content, and adds it to its database.

To help Google, you need to:

Create a clear ecommerce site structure
Use internal links between product and category pages
Avoid duplicate content
Submit your sitemap through Google Search Console

These steps help Google understand what each page is about, and how they connect, increasing your visibility in search engine results.

3. What are the best practices for ecommerce site architecture?

A strong ecommerce site architecture helps both users and search engines. The goal is to make it easy for people (and bots) to find what they need.

Here are some best practice tips:

Keep your structure flat – no page should be more than 3 clicks from the homepage
Use clean, keyword-focused URLs
Link category pages from the main menu
Link to product pages from relevant categories

This helps search engines crawl your ecommerce website efficiently and improves your chances of appearing in search engine results.

4. What role does keyword research play in ecommerce SEO?

Keyword research is at the heart of any good SEO strategy for ecommerce. It’s how you find the search terms your customers use when looking for products online.

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find keywords for your ecommerce pages. Look at:

High search volume terms for category pages
Long-tail keywords for specific products
Search intent (are people ready to buy or just browsing?)

Ecommerce keyword research helps you create relevant product descriptions and titles that match what people are actually searching for.

5. How to optimise product pages for search engines

Your product page is often the entry point for customers from Google Search. Every element matters.

Here’s how to improve it:

Use a unique product description for each item
Add your target keyword in the title, H1, meta description, and image alt text
Include customer reviews and structured data markup

Optimising your product pages is key to increasing traffic to your product pages and helping them appear in search engine results.

6. Why is your category page a powerful SEO asset?

A good category page isn’t just a list of products – it’s an SEO opportunity. These pages often rank for broader terms with higher search volume.

To optimise them:

Write a short introduction using keywords
Add a descriptive H1 and a relevant meta description
Use filters and internal links to improve usability and crawlability

If you ignore your category page, you’re missing out on some of the most valuable traffic for your ecommerce site.

7. What are common technical SEO issues on ecommerce sites?

Technical SEO makes sure your ecommerce site runs smoothly for search engines. Many ecommerce businesses overlook it.

Common issues include:

Duplicate product pages due to filters
Broken links and 404 errors
Slow loading times, especially on mobile
Missing structured data

Fixing technical SEO issues improves your SEO performance and helps Google crawl and rank your pages better.

8. How can content marketing help ecommerce SEO?

Content marketing isn’t just for blogs. It’s a powerful way to bring organic traffic to your ecommerce site and support SEO.

Try:

Writing buyer’s guides for your product range
Creating comparison posts between similar products
Answering FAQs or customer questions

Good content helps search engines understand your products better and can attract backlinks to your ecommerce site.

9. What are the best ecommerce SEO tools for 2025?

There are plenty of SEO tools out there, but some are more useful for ecommerce SEO.

Here are a few:

Ahrefs or SEMrush – for ecommerce keyword research and competitor analysis
Screaming Frog – to crawl your site and find SEO issues
Google Search Console – to tell Google about your site and monitor issues
Google Analytics – to track website traffic and behaviour

These ecommerce SEO tools help you track what’s working and where you need to improve.

10. What does on-page SEO for ecommerce actually involve?

On-page SEO for ecommerce is about what you put on each page to help search engines and users.

Key elements include:

Optimised titles and meta descriptions
Clean URL structure with relevant keywords
Good use of header tags (H1, H2)
Internal links between product and category pages

Doing this across your ecommerce store helps with your online visibility and boosts your chances of ranking well in Google Search.

11. Why should you use Google Search Console and Google Analytics?

These two free tools are essential for any ecommerce SEO strategy.

Google Search Console lets you:

See what search terms bring traffic
Find crawl errors and indexing issues
Submit your sitemap

Google Analytics shows:

Where your website traffic is coming from
What pages are performing well
What users are doing on your ecommerce site

Together, they give you a clear view of your SEO efforts and help improve future decisions.

12. What’s the best strategy for ecommerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce?

Your ecommerce platform affects your SEO features and flexibility.

Here’s what to watch:

Shopify is easy to use but has some limitations with URLs and technical SEO
WooCommerce gives more control but needs more setup

Whatever platform you use, make sure it supports clean URLs, structured data, and fast load speeds. These are all key for effective ecommerce SEO.

13. What are some overlooked SEO features for ecommerce?

Most ecommerce businesses focus only on product and category pages. But there are other SEO features that matter.

Don’t forget:

Breadcrumb navigation to help search engines and users
Schema markup to highlight reviews and pricing
Mobile optimisation – Google now prioritises mobile-first indexing

These small tweaks help Google understand your ecommerce site and can improve your appearance in search engine results.

14. What are the ecommerce SEO best practices for mobile?

Most ecommerce traffic now comes from mobile. If your ecommerce website doesn’t perform well on mobile, you’re losing sales.

Follow these best practices:

Use responsive design
Keep buttons and menus easy to use
Optimise images for fast loading
Avoid popups that block content

Mobile SEO is not a nice-to-have – it’s a must for ecommerce SEO success.

15. Ecommerce SEO FAQ: What do store owners ask most?

How long does SEO take to work?
SEO is a long game. Expect to see meaningful results in 3–6 months depending on your ecommerce SEO efforts.

Should I hire someone or do SEO myself?
You can start with the basics using a free SEO tool or ecommerce SEO guide. But for faster results, many ecommerce businesses bring in an expert.

What if my product pages aren’t ranking?
Check your product description quality, use of keywords, and internal linking. Tools like Google Search Console can help identify SEO issues.

Does local SEO help ecommerce?
Yes, if you also sell locally or have a physical store. It helps your ecommerce business appear in location-based search queries.

Summary: Key Points from this Ecommerce SEO Guide

Ecommerce SEO helps your online store appear in Google Search and drive organic traffic.
Build a clear site architecture with clean URLs and strong internal linking.
Do ecommerce keyword research to understand what your audience is searching for.
Optimise your product and category pages with unique content and relevant keywords.
Fix technical SEO issues like broken links and duplicate content.
Use content marketing to attract traffic and backlinks.
Monitor performance using tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
Choose an ecommerce platform that gives you SEO flexibility.
Pay attention to mobile usability and overlooked SEO features.
Stick to these ecommerce SEO best practices and give your site the best chance of success.

Want help optimising your ecommerce website for search engines? Let’s talk.