Ecommerce SEO: Easy 6 Factors [For Stable Ranking]

Ecommerce SEO is not simply a matter of sprinkling keywords throughout your website. You need it to ensure your products are visible when potential customers search for them online. A mastery of SEO is an absolute necessity in today's ecommerce landscape.

Ecommerce SEO boosts online store visibility by optimizing product pages, building links, and using structured data.
Improving SEO with long-form blogs and unique content instead of manufacturer descriptions can increase sales. These strategies help enhance brand awareness and drive traffic.

In this definitive guide, we're diving headfirst into the dynamic realm of Ecommerce SEO, unraveling the vital techniques that can turbocharge your online presence.

Ecommerce SEO: 5 Key Factors

To increase the visibility and performance of your online store, this comprehensive guide on Ecommerce SEO includes 6 important tips.

Factor 1: Ecommerce Keyword Research

Ecommerce SEO campaigns begin with keyword research. Why? Because it guides every SEO task, from optimizing product pages to increasing site architecture. Without the right keywords, it's tough to target your audience effectively. Here's how to find the best keywords for your ecommerce product and category pages.

Ecommerce Product and Category Keywords

Ecommerce keyword research should focus on "product-based keywords" instead of general informational ones. Your customers are looking for specific products, so use terms that reflect that.

Amazon Suggest

Amazon is the largest ecommerce platform and a treasure trove for keyword ideas. To get started:

• Go to Amazon and type a keyword related to your product.
• Look at the “suggestions” Amazon provides. These are often long-tail keywords, which are less competitive and more likely to convert.

Pro Tip: Sometimes, Amazon suggests “categories” that are perfect for your category pages. Use them strategically!

Keyword Tool Dominator

This tool pulls keyword suggestions directly from Amazon's search data. It's fast and gives you more options than manual searching. For example:

• If you search for "organic dog food," the tool can provide over 70 keyword ideas compared to Amazon's eight.
• This makes finding long-tail keywords even faster and more effective.

Analyzing Amazon and Competitor Categories

Take a look at the “categories” Amazon uses for its products. Check competitors' websites as well. Here's why:

• Category pages are essential for SEO, so you need the right keywords.
• Competitors often organize products in a way that can give you keyword ideas.

Pro Tip: If your product category has a unique feature, add it to your keywords (e.g., "healthy dry dog food"). This will reduce competition and make your keywords more specific.

Wikipedia for Insights

Wikipedia is another excellent resource for keywords:

• Search for a product or category and see how Wikipedia organizes related topics.
• The “contents section” can reveal useful keyword ideas for product or category pages.

SemRush and Google Keyword Planner

SemRush lets you analyze keywords that your competitors are already ranking for. This gives you an edge because you can target those same terms:

• Enter a competitor's website into SemRush.
• View the keywords they rank for, and add relevant ones to your list.

Use “Google Keyword Planner” to check search volumes and commercial intent for these keywords:

• Type a keyword, and you'll see how often it's searched and its competition level (how many people are bidding on it in Google Ads).

Ecommerce Product and Category Keywords

Once you have a list of potential keywords, the next step is to choose the best ones. Here's how:

Analyze Search Volume

The search volume tells you how often people search for a keyword:

• A high-volume keyword means more people are searching for it.
• Search volumes can vary depending on your industry, so get familiar with what's "high" or "low" for your niche.

Pro Tip: Use tools like **KWFinder** to check seasonal variations. Some keywords perform better at certain times of the year.

Assess Keyword-Product Fit

Make sure the keyword matches your product. If it's not an exact fit, you may attract visitors who aren't ready to buy:

For example, if your store sells “green tea bags,” don’t target "green tea powder." Instead, focus on keywords like "buy green tea bags online."

Determine Commercial Intent

Before selecting a keyword, assess its “commercial intent”:

• High-bid keywords in Google Ads usually show strong purchase intent.
• Look for "high" or "medium" competition keywords because these are more likely to convert into sales.

Analyze Competition Using SemRush’s “Keyword Difficulty”

Use SemRush to see how competitive it will be to rank for a keyword:

• The “keyword difficulty” score shows how hard it is to crack Google's first page.
• Higher scores mean more competition, so aim to balance search volume and keyword difficulty.

Keyword Targeting and Page Optimization

Once you’ve found the right keywords, you can optimize your product and category pages.

Strategically Incorporate Keywords

When placing keywords on your site:

• Product Pages: Add keywords to product titles, descriptions, and meta tags.
• Category Pages: Include category-specific keywords in page titles, headers, and descriptions.

Pro Tip: Exact keyword matching isn't as critical as it used to be, but targeting keywords still gives you an advantage over competitors who need to optimize better.

Factor 2: Ecommerce Website Architecture

The architecture of your e-commerce site and how pages are structured and organized play a critical role in SEO. E-commerce websites, which typically contain many more pages than other types of sites, need a well-optimized architecture for both user experience and ranking. When appropriately designed, it makes finding products easy for users and ensures that search engines index all pages efficiently.

Ecommerce Site Architecture: Two Golden Rules

Keep It Simple and Scalable

Simple navigation: helps users and search engines alike. Users can quickly find products without getting lost in complex layers of categories.

Scalable structure: You can add new categories or products without overhauling your entire site.

Ensure Every Page Is 3 (or Fewer) Clicks from the Homepage

Fewer clicks lead to a smoother user journey. Customers are more likely to complete purchases if they can find what they want quickly.

Improved SEO: since link authority from the homepage is distributed more effectively to all product pages.

Example of an Ineffective Ecommerce Site Architecture

An overly complex and deep site architecture can hurt user experience and SEO. Here’s what goes wrong:

Too many layers: Adding new categories requires reorganizing the site, creating unnecessary complexity.

Too deep: Pages that require six or more clicks from the homepage lose SEO value as link authority becomes diluted.

This makes it harder for Google to index your pages, and users will get frustrated navigating endless categories just to find a product.

SEO-friendly ecommerce site architecture example

A flat and straightforward architecture is key. Let’s take PetSmart.com as an example:

Three clicks or fewer: From the homepage, users can quickly navigate to categories like “Dog” and then “Bowls and Feeders” and instantly find the products they need.

SEO benefit: A flat structure ensures all pages are indexed, and link authority is concentrated, boosting the search rankings of product and category pages.

Factor 3: On-Page SEO for Ecommerce Sites

Optimizing your category and product pages is important to boosting traffic and sales. We’ll focus on the essential on-page SEO tactics that can make your e-commerce pages stand out.

A “Perfectly Optimized” Ecommerce Page

A perfectly optimized ecommerce page combines strategic keywords, engaging descriptions, and user-friendly URLs. Here's how to get started:

Title Tags: Use Modifiers Like “Buy,” “Cheap,” and “Deals”

Title tags are crucial for on-page SEO. Including modifiers like "Buy," "Cheap," or "Deals" can help you rank for long-tail keywords. For example:

Instead of “Noise Canceling Headphones,” try “Cheap Noise Canceling Headphones Deals.” Using these modifiers broadens your search reach and attracts more buyers.

Click Magnet Words: Use “X% Off” and “Lowest Price”

Google may use organic click-through rate (CTR) as a ranking signal. Adding Click Magnet Words in your title tags helps increase clicks:

• Examples include "25% Off," "Lowest Price," and "Free Shipping."
• Higher CTR leads to more clicks, which can result in more sales.

Description Tag: Enhance for Maximum CTR

The description tag does not directly affect rankings, but it can increase the CTR of your page. You can attract the user's attention by including phrases like "FREE Shipping" and "Great Selection.".

Product and Category Page Content Strategies

The content on product and category pages should be informative and keyword-optimized.

Write 1000+ Word Descriptions with Keywords.

You'll get better search results if your content is longer. Per product page, aim for 1000+ words:

• Google values content-rich pages.
• In-depth product descriptions enhance user experience.

Sprinkle Keywords (3-5 Times)

Once you've written your content, ensure you use your primary keyword 3-5 times:

• Include the keyword in the first 100 words for more impact.
• Avoid keyword stuffing, but make sure your keyword is naturally integrated.

URLs and Internal Linking

Short, keyword-rich URLs and strategic internal linking boost SEO performance.

Craft Short, Keyword-Rich URLs

Short URLs are more accessible for Google to understand and perform better:

• Keep product URLs concise and focus on the primary keyword.
• Example: “/6-quart-crockpot” instead of “/productID.300190600.”

Establish Strategic Internal Links

Linking authoritative pages to high-priority product pages can boost rankings. Add internal links using keyword-rich anchor text to connect important pages.

Snippet Schema Implementation

Rich snippets, like product reviews, stand out in search results and can attract more clicks. You can use Schema markup on your product pages to show reviews:

• You can use Google's Structured Data Markup Helper to create a review schema.

With proper setup, your reviews can appear as rich snippets, increasing your page’s visibility.

Factor 4: Technical SEO for Ecommerce

Ecommerce websites require technical SEO more than any other type of website. To rank highly on Google, these sites often use technical SEO. You can improve your site's visibility with regular audits.

Conducting a Technical SEO Audit

Your site can be identified and fixed by running a technical SEO audit. The following tools can conduct an audit:

• SEO Tools: Use SemRush, DeepCrawl, and ScreamingFrog to analyze your site.
• Identify Errors: Look for problematic title tags, duplicate content, and broken links.

Fixing Common Technical SEO Issues

Search engines can rank your site higher by fixing technical issues. You can resolve common problems by following these steps:

Too Many Pages

A site with too many pages has duplicate content, making it difficult to keep up with new content.

• Why It Happens: Sites with many products often have multiple pages for product variations.
• Solutions:
• Identify low-performing pages and consider deleting or merging them.
• Use analytics to ensure pages don't accidentally drive traffic.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can harm your rankings. It's essential to address this problem to maintain search engine visibility.

• Why It Happens: Unique URLs for product variations and boilerplate content can lead to duplication.
• Solutions:
• Noindex non-essential pages.
• Use canonical tags to signal preferred pages to search engines.

Thin Content

Thin content lacks value and can negatively impact your SEO efforts. It is crucial to ensure that your content is informative and unique.

• Why It Happens: It's challenging to write unique descriptions for similar products.
• Solutions:
• Identify pages with less content using tools.
• Expand content to provide more value, aiming for at least 500 words per product page.

Improve Site Speed

You can only have a good user experience with good rankings. Faster sites can lead to better search positions and lower cart abandonment rates.

• Why It Happens: Slow platforms, large images, and inadequate hosting can slow down your site.
• Solutions:
• Upgrade your hosting plan for better performance.
• Use a CDN to improve speed and security.
• Compress images to reduce load times.

You can improve your ecommerce site's SEO by focusing on these technical aspects.

Factor 5: Content Marketing for Ecommerce Sites

Increasing sales through content marketing is an extremely effective strategy for attracting targeted traffic. Yet, how can content boost your ecommerce site's rankings and drive more traffic? The following guide will show you how to do it.

Step #1: Find Your Target Customers Online

Your business can benefit from knowing where they spend most of their online time. You can meet them online since meeting them face-to-face is not always possible.

• Example: If your audience is passionate about coffee, explore Reddit's coffee community or search for coffee-related forums.

Step #2: Research Customer Phrases and Words

You need to pay attention to the language of your audience once you have identified them. It's not as strange as it seems. Simply track the words and phrases they use to describe their problems.

• These phrases become keywords your audience uses when not shopping, making them ideal for crafting blog content.

Step #3: Write Outstanding Content Around That Keyword

Now, create content that stands out and is of the highest quality.

• Use the Skyscraper Technique as a guide.
• The entire SEO strategy should be repeated once this step has been completed.

You help your product and category pages rank better by consistently publishing content. For example, Williams-Sonoma’s blog, filled with recipes and cooking tips, attracts numerous links, enhancing its site’s visibility.

Factor 6: Ecommerce Link Building

You need a high-quality backlink profile to improve your ecommerce site's search engine rankings and boost organic traffic. We will explore two effective link-building case studies using creative strategies to get valuable backlinks.

Case Study #1: Tech Blog Backlinks

A smart link-building strategy helped Chris, an e-commerce consultant, get backlinks from popular technology blogs without creating new content.

Step 1: Identify Outdated or Expired Resources

Chris used the "Moving Man Method" to find websites in his niche that were no longer active. This involved:

• Looking for outdated websites: Searching for businesses that had shut down but still had many backlinks.
• Finding parked domains: These sites are technically still online, but the business is no longer operating.
• Using domain auction sites: Sites like GoDaddy Auctions or NameJet often list expired domains with significant traffic and backlinks.

Step 2: Collect a List of Sites Linking to Outdated Resources

After identifying an outdated resource, Chris gathered all the websites linking to it:

• Find the URL of the expired resource: It could be a specific page or the homepage of the dead site.
• Check the number of referring domains: The more domains, the more link opportunities.
• Use backlink analysis tools: Tools like Ahrefs can help find all the backlinks pointing to outdated resources.

Step 3: Conduct Outreach to Acquire Links

Finally, Chris reached out to websites linking to the outdated resource:

• Craft a helpful email: Chris informed them of the outdated link and suggested replacing it with a link to his client’s relevant page.
• Offer value: He framed the outreach as a way to improve the recipient's site by fixing their broken link.

This strategy resulted in a significant boost in backlinks, directly benefiting Chris’s ecommerce client.

Case Study #2: Wedding Ecommerce Site Links

Mike Bonadio, an ecommerce entrepreneur in the wedding industry, employed a creative strategy to build backlinks by engaging with event organizers.

Step 1: Engage with Industry Groups and Event Organizers

Mike found active groups in his industry by:

• Joining wedding-related Facebook groups: This allowed him to connect with event organizers and vendors.
• Exploring the events tab: Many groups hold events where they feature products from different vendors.

Step 2: Provide Products for Events

Next, Mike offered products from his ecommerce store to these events:

• Look for events that need vendors: Some events actively seek out products to feature.
• Reach out to event organizers: Mike asked if his products could be featured, offering them for free.

Step 3: Maintain Relationships with Organizers

After sending products, Mike:

• Kept in touch with event organizers: He followed up to ensure his products were credited with a link in event posts or press coverage.
• Stayed involved for future events: Building long-term relationships can lead to more backlink opportunities.

This strategy substantially increased organic traffic, helping Mike’s ecommerce site grow by over 22.72%.

Conclusion

Our deep dive into Ecommerce SEO concluded that proactive efforts and strategic insights are essential for online retail success. You can boost visibility and drive sales by mastering keyword research, creating a seamless website architecture, optimizing every on-page element, and tightening technical SEO.

You can increase your site's authority by utilizing compelling content marketing and robust link networks. SEO is a continuous process that is not achieved in a single day. Keep monitoring your progress, stay flexible, and watch your e-commerce business flourish.