Ecommerce SEO: A Guide for Online Stores 2024

Some e-commerce stores seem to have all the luck, don't they? Their online store appears at the top of every search result (that too organically), while yours is languishing on page 10. 

It's nothing but luck that they are ranking, and you're not, right? Wrong! 

It's not luck but e-commerce SEO that your competitors have figured out and been using to their advantage. 

You could do it, too, if you understood e-commerce SEO and how it differs from general SEO. We have just the right information for you. 

Treat yourself with knowledge – read through this guide to figure out e-commerce SEO like never before. 

Basics of E-commerce SEO

E-commerce SEO doesn't trick search engines, which makes your site more visible and user-friendly. It's all about using keywords, product descriptions, and all those nifty little details to say, "Hey Google, look over here!" 

Don't believe us? Let's give you an eye-opening stat then. 

In 2023, almost 44% of online shoppers started their journey with a search engine. That's the potential of implementing e-commerce SEO—it can help you meet many potential customers!

Importance of E-commerce SEO for Online Stores

Are you wondering how e-commerce SEO can attract customers to your website like Moths to Flame? Hold your thinking horses and read through the details we have compiled just for you. 

• It increases visibility: With 75% of users never scrolling past the first page of search results, having a pointed e-commerce SEO strategy is crucial for getting your store in the limelight so Google and your potential customers can find you
• It generates higher traffic: A well-optimized website can witness a traffic surge of up to 300% within the first year, turning passive viewers into active customers 
• It offers better conversion rates: Targeted e-commerce SEO strategies lead to higher conversion rates because they bring in users who are already interested in your products. In fact, as per the data on Forbes, SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, compared to 1.7% for outbound leads 
• It gives you a competitive edge: The e-commerce market is already full of many online stores. Only a strong SEO strategy can make your store stand out. In fact, research by Moz revealed that the top three search results receive over 50% of all click-throughs. Clearly, SEO is vital to optimize your site to reach these top spots

Differences Between E-commerce SEO and General SEO

Alright, let's tackle the elephant in the room now – what's the difference between general SEO and e-commerce SEO, and why so much fuss?

General SEO is more like giving directions to a city, but e-commerce SEO is about leading customers to a specific street and house—your products, in this case. 

General SEO focuses on content, broad keywords, and informational needs. E-commerce SEO, on the other hand, is all about transactional needs, specific product keywords, and ensuring that your product pages shout louder than the crowd. 

While both aim to boost visibility, the focus and tactics differ significantly. Let’s give you a clearer view. Have a look at the table below.

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Surprised? Want to take advantage of e-commerce SEO for your store? Gushwork can offer all the benefits you crave. 

Our AI-powered keyword plan will give you excellent content ideas that will make your store visible to the right users. What's more? We also generate content that aligns with Google's EEAT policy. Our high-quality human-written content is fueled to new heights by the involvement of advanced AI bots. Request for a free keyword plan today.

Alright. Now that the basics have been clarified, it's time to discuss the different e-commerce SEO strategies that work like magic. Let's get started. 

Keyword Research for E-commerce

Can you imagine winning any new game without knowing the rules? That's precisely what operating an online store without keyword research is like. 

It's the process of identifying the exact words and phrases your customers use when searching for products you sell. 

Keyword research determines how well you communicate with potential buyers and how your products will get discovered among thousands of others like you. 

This is what keyword research in e-commerce SEO broadly does.

• It improves visibility, with almost 71% of online purchasing decisions beginning with a search engine query 
• By identifying and targeting the right keywords, you can outmaneuver competitors
• Using relevant keywords throughout your site makes it easier for customers to find what they need. This reduces bounce rates and improves overall satisfaction

How to Find High-Value Keywords for Product and Category Pages?

Here are the golden e-commerce SEO strategies to help you meet the ideal audience. Have a look.

• Analyze your audience: Understand your target demographic's behaviors, preferences, and search patterns. Use surveys, social media listening, and customer feedback to get into their minds
• Look at competitors: Utilize tools like SEMrush to dissect your competitors' SEO strategies. Identify the keywords they rank for and analyze how these contribute to their traffic and sales
• Use long-tail keywords: These are less competitive and often have higher conversion rates because they cater to specific needs. For example, "buy organic gluten-free bread online" targets a niche audience more effectively than "buy bread."
• Focus on product features: Integrate keywords that describe your product's features, like material (e.g., "cotton"), size (e.g., "XL"), color (e.g., "midnight blue"), or specific usage (e.g., "for hiking")
• Synthesize customer language: Incorporate the language your customers use, which can be found in reviews, forums, and customer queries. It will ensure your keywords resonate with real user searches 

You can use tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Amazon to do keyword research. But you will have to shell out a lot of money and your internal team's bandwidth to identify the right keywords. What's the solution – you ask? It's simple – hire an expert SEO agency such as Gushwork.

We can devise the right keyword plan that can beat your competitors. Our SEO experts and specialist content writers will ensure your products rank. Request for a free demo call with us today.

How to Evaluate Keywords? 

Choosing the right keywords involves a delicate balance of several factors. You must pay attention to what you should evaluate to get them right. 

Let's give you a walkthrough of what to look for when evaluating keywords. 

• Search Volume: High volume can indicate broad interest but also high competition. Aim for a mix of high and medium volume to balance visibility and attainability
• Competition: Evaluate how many sites target the same keywords and how strong their SEO is. Ahrefs can provide a "Keyword Difficulty" score that helps gauge this
• Intent: Match keywords to the buyer's journey. Transactional keywords (e.g., "buy," "discount," "free shipping") catch buyers ready to purchase, while informational keywords (e.g., "how to choose a laptop") cater to those in the research phase
• Relevance: Ensure the keywords are directly related to your products and the content on your pages. Irrelevant keywords can harm your e-commerce SEO by increasing bounce rates and lowering user engagement

Optimizing Site Structure

Optimizing the site structure is the next armor in a solid e-commerce SEO strategy. Sure, a well-maintained and designed site structure looks beautiful, but there are more reasons to focus on it. 

• It improves user experience: A clear and logical site structure helps users explore your store effortlessly. This reduces frustration and increases the likelihood of a purchase. As per Web FX, 94% of users cite easy navigation as the most important website feature 
• It enhances SEO: Search engines crawl websites by following links. A well-organized structure ensures that search engines can index your pages more effectively, improving your site's visibility
• It lowers bounce rates: When users can find what they need quickly, they are less likely to leave your site. Reduced bounce rates positively impact your SEO score
• It increases conversions: An intuitive layout leads users smoothly from discovery to purchase

Let's explore more ways in which you can improve your site structure. 

1. Organizing Content to Ensure Every Page Is Within Three Clicks from the Homepage

The "three-click rule" is a widely accepted principle in web design. It suggests that users should be able to find any information on a website within three clicks from the homepage. 

Here's how you can implement this too.

• Design your main menu to reflect the most important categories
• Use drop-downs or mega menus for deeper navigation without overwhelming users
• Implement breadcrumbs to help users understand their location within your site and to enable quick navigation back to previous levels
• Use internal linking wisely to connect related content and products. This spreads link equity throughout your site

2. Utilizing Keyword Research to Structure Categories 

You've already figured out how keyword research boosts sales, but did you know you can also use it to structure categories? All you have to do is align categories with high-volume keywords. 

Your main categories should be aligned with the most searched-for terms within your niche. This ensures that you're meeting user expectations and search engine criteria.

Once categories are completed, you can take it further by following the steps below.

• Create subcategories for long-tail keywords: Use more specific ones for your subcategories. This approach caters to more targeted searches and can capture a more engaged audience
• Create descriptive labels: Name your categories and subcategories with clear, descriptive titles that include relevant keywords. It clearly signals content themes to search engines
• Focus on consistency and scalability: Ensure your structure can accommodate future growth. Keep categories balanced in size and scope, and maintain a consistent naming convention to avoid confusion as you expand

On-Page SEO Techniques

The next trick in e-commerce SEO to make your business visible is on-page optimization. On-page SEO is your chance to tell search engines exactly what your page is about, making it easier for them to rank your site for the right queries. 

Here's how you can optimize every aspect of your pages to attract more traffic and convert more visitors.

1. Optimize Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, and Headers

Title Tags under 60 characters display fully in search results. Include the main keyword at the beginning and your brand name at the end. For instance, "Organic Green Tea - Buy Fresh & Healthy | YourBrand".

Meta Descriptions should be under 160 characters. Don't forget that they act as an ad for your page. Use active language and include a call-to-action, like "Discover the finest organic green tea. Shop now for exclusive offers!"

Next comes headers (H1, H2, H3).

• Your H1 should be the main title of the page and include the primary keyword
• Use H2 and H3 for subsections, incorporating secondary and long-tail keywords to structure your content logically 

2. Create SEO-Friendly URL Structures

All set and done with headers, meta descriptions, and title tags? It's time to focus on URLs now. URLs are not just addresses – they're an opportunity to improve your SEO. Here's how this works.

• Keep URLs short and simple: Use short URLs with your main keyword. For example, use "/organic-green-tea" instead of "/p123456789/category123/subcategory456/product"
• Use hyphens: Separate words in URLs with hyphens, not underscores. This improves readability for both users and search engines
• Avoid special characters: Stick to letters, numbers, and hyphens to keep URLs clean and navigable

3. Optimize Product Images with Alt Attributes

Images don't just make things pretty. They're just as capable of driving traffic and improving the user experience. How? By optimization. 

• Use alt text: Describe what's in the image using relevant keywords. Use something like "woman wearing an organic cotton green t-shirt" for a product image.
• Compress images: Ensure images are compressed to reduce load times without sacrificing quality
• Name files appropriately: Name your image files descriptively, like "organic-green-tea-leaf.jpg" instead of "IMG_12345.jpg"

4. Create Unique Content for Product and Category Pages

It's just not possible to ignore content when talking about on-page optimization. Content is the driving force that can find and persuade your audience to buy your products. 

Let's find out how SEO-optimized content for product and category pages makes a difference.

Product Pages

It attracts attention when you go beyond basic features to explain how your product solves problems or improves the user's life. 

For example, instead of just listing dimensions and materials, describe how the ergonomic design of a chair supports the back during long working hours.

Here's how you can add more credit: 

• Incorporate reviews, testimonials, and user photos to provide social proof and offer real-world perspectives on the product
• Include suggestions on how to use or care for the product. For instance, pairing suggestions for clothing or maintenance tips for electronics
• Seamlessly weave in primary and secondary keywords without sacrificing readability

Category Pages

Each category page should offer a summary that guides the user through what's available. 

This could include insights into the category's popular products, its benefits, and how to choose the right product.

Here's how you can make this meatier: 

• Embed short guides or tips related to the category. For instance, a category page for kitchen knives might include tips on choosing the right knife for different cooking tasks
• Strategically link to related products, blogs, or guides within the site to keep users engaged and improve the internal link structure for e-commerce SEO
• Utilize relevant long-tail keywords to cater to more specific searches. For example, instead of just "laptops," use "high-performance gaming laptops 2024"

5. Implement Schema Markup 

Schema markup can significantly elevate your product's visibility and attractiveness in search results. 

Let's help you find out everything about the different types of schema markups and their role in on-page optimization.

Product Schema

It includes price, stock status, and ratings to make your listings stand out. 

For example, ensure the markup reflects current promotions or sales to attract price-sensitive shoppers. 

You must also use the product schema to enable the display of product images in search results. It makes your products more visually appealing and clickable.

Breadcrumb Schema

Implementing this helps users and search engines understand your site's hierarchy. It also appears in search results, giving users a clear path to higher-level categories or the homepage.

Review Schema

It displays aggregated star ratings in search results. Regularly update this schema to reflect the most recent reviews, maintaining trust and relevance. 

In addition to overall ratings, highlight standout reviews that mention specific benefits or features of the product.

FAQ Schema

Use this for common questions on product or category pages. 

This can lead to your answers appearing directly in search results, providing immediate value to searchers and potentially increasing click-through rates.

Remember to include FAQs that address common concerns or queries about the product or category, using keywords naturally within the answers.

If all this information about the depth of e-commerce SEO has intimidated you, you're not alone. 

It's not easy to implement so many skills and have so many experts internally to take care of every aspect of SEO. That's where Gushwork makes an entry – we have a fleet of expert SEO strategies, subject matter experts, content creators, and advanced AI tools to handle your on-page optimization. Explore our offerings now.

Technical SEO for Ecommerce

You can get everything right, but your e-commerce SEO strategy can't work without technical SEO. 

It is the backbone of your online store's performance in the eyes of search engines. It ensures your site is discoverable and provides an optimal user experience that search engines favor. 

Here's everything you need to know about nailing technical SEO.

1. Ensure Website Security with HTTPS

HTTPS encrypts the data exchanged between a user's browser and your website, protecting sensitive information from being intercepted. This is especially crucial for e-commerce sites with frequent transactions.

Google has confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal. Secure sites rank higher than their non-secure counterparts because they offer better security and user trust.

2. Focus on Mobile Responsiveness and Site Speed Optimization

Nowadays, over half of global web traffic is mobile. Ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is essential for user engagement and Google's mobile-first indexing.

Next comes the matter of Site Speed since it significantly affects user experience and SEO. 

• Google says that e-commerce sites need a load speed of under 2 seconds to maintain user engagement and optimize conversion rates
• According to research by Portent, e-commerce sites with a load speed of under 1 second boast a 3 times higher conversion rate than sites that load in 5 seconds sites 

Technical SEO Audit Tools and Processes

Enough said and done about the basics of technical SEO. 

Let's now familiarize you with the most trustworthy and credible tools and platforms that can take care of the technical SEO of your website. Let's get you started.

Gushwork

With over 100+ businesses signing up with Gushwork each month, our platform has become the fastest-growing SEO agency in India & United States.

We have human experts and AI tools to take care of the technical SEO of your website and make it Google-friendly. 

Here's a list of everything we can do for you:

• Carry out technical audits
• Offer suggestion report to improve page speed
• Identify and fix broken links
• Build and clean up your entire backlink strategy to improve your website DA and DR
• Track progress through impressions, clicks, and your website's average position 
• Identify which pages are successfully indexed and which have issues

Think of any service, and we offer it to our clients. Explore our pricing today and gain freedom from running after expensive tools to care for your website's technical health. 

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that can help you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results.

• It offers performance reports to track how your site performs in Google Search
• It can identify and fix indexing problems
• It can monitor and improve how your site performs on mobile devices
• It also alerts you about potential security threats like hacking or malware

SEMrush

SEMrush is a comprehensive software that offers tools to detect and rectify site issues. 

It can:

• Scan your site for over 130 technical and SEO mistakes
• Monitor your daily rankings for a custom set of keywords
• Provide detailed backlink profiles
• Offer insights into your competitors' strategies, including their best-performing pages and keywords

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is recognized for its backlink analysis capabilities. It's also used for auditing, keyword research, and competitive analysis.

Here are some key features that make Ahrefs popular.

• It can Identify over 100 pre-defined issues on your website
• It offers a backlink database that lets you see the sites linking to you and the quality of those links
• It offers keyword suggestions, search volumes, and competitiveness scores 

Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog is a desktop program that crawls website links, images, CSS, scripts, and apps to audit SEO performance. It's particularly useful for quickly identifying common technical issues.

• It allows you to analyze the results in real-time
• It can identify duplicate URLs and content blocks within your site
• It can find broken links (404 errors) and server errors

Wondering why you need Gushwork when you have so many tools at your disposal? Gushwork has a fleet of human experts who scrutinize each aspect of technical SEO manually. 

We use advanced AI to maintain your site's health and ensure human experts spot errors that tools might miss. Plus, we take care of everything—on-page, off-page, and technical SEO optimization. Book a discovery call with our experts today.

Audit Process

We get this query a lot, so we are tackling the query at length. Look at how technical audits are carried out and why they are essential. 

1. Initial crawling: Begin with a comprehensive crawl of your site using tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. This helps identify major issues like broken links, missing titles, and unoptimized images
2. Indexation check: Use Google Search Console to ensure all important pages are indexed adequately without errors
3. Mobile usability and speed: Check mobile usability and use tools like PageSpeed Insights for speed optimization. Aim for under 2 seconds of load time for optimal performance
4. Content and keyword audit: Utilize Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze keyword rankings and content quality. Identify pages with thin content and opportunities for keyword expansion
5. Backlink analysis: Regularly review your backlink profile to ensure healthy and quality links are pointing to your site
6. Competition analysis: Continuously monitor competitors' strategies to adapt and refine your SEO approach

Content Writing and Marketing Strategies

Content writing and marketing are immensely crucial in determining whether your e-commerce SEO strategies will work or fail. Let's walk you through the most practical skills that will help you benefit from content. Tag along. 

1. Fill Keyword Gaps and Build Brand Authority

You can use tools like Ahrefs or partner with Gushwork to find keywords your competitors rank for, but you don't. We can create content that will address those gaps, providing value and drawing traffic to your website.

Nothing works as well as high-quality researched articles, guides, and videos to promote your product. Content that solves problems or answers questions establishes your brand as a leader in your niche.

How to Create Blog Posts That Drive Traffic and Backlinks?

Always start with topic selection. Choose topics that resonate with your audience's interests and pain points. Use keyword research for topic choices and ensure they are SEO-friendly.

• Focus on creating in-depth, well-researched posts that provide unique insights or solutions
• High-quality content is more likely to be shared and linked to
• Consider guest blogging on reputable sites to reach a wider audience and gain backlinks

2. Optimize Content for Commercial Investigation Keywords 

Commercial Investigation Keywords are keywords where users evaluate products or services. Examples include "best," "review," and "comparison." 

Create content that addresses these searches with product comparisons, detailed reviews, and user guides.

Always include Call to Action statements (CTAs). CTAs guide readers to explore your products or services further, such as through product links, discount offers, or trial sign-ups.

Implementing these strategies can ensure that your content efforts boost sales, attract traffic, build authority, and convert leads into customers.

Link Building for Ecommerce

We touched upon link building briefly. However, this aspect of e-commerce SEO deserves a detailed explanation because link building significantly impacts your e-commerce site's ranking and visibility. 

Here are the sure-shot strategies that will make you hit the bull's eye every single time. 

• Identify and contact websites that maintain resource lists where your product or service fits. A personalized approach can lead to your site being added as a valuable resource
• Find broken links on relevant sites and suggest your content as a replacement. This not only helps the site owner fix a broken link but also secures a link for your site
• Develop a compelling narrative about your brand or product and pitch it to journalists and bloggers
• Sign up for HARO to respond to journalist queries that align with your expertise. Providing valuable insights can lead to high-quality backlinks from reputable media outlets
• Send your products to bloggers and influencers for reviews. Ensure that these influencers are relevant to your target audience 
• Use tools to analyze your competitors' backlinks. Identify where they are getting their links and assess if similar opportunities exist for your site
• Reach out to the sites linking to your competitors with a proposition for why they should consider linking to your content instead. Highlight what makes your content or products unique and valuable

Monitoring and Measuring SEO Success

Effectively monitoring and measuring SEO success is crucial for understanding the impact of your efforts and making informed decisions to improve your e-commerce site's performance. 

Here are the key metrics that you should measure.

• Organic traffic: The number of visitors coming to your site from search engines
• Keyword rankings: Monitoring where your keywords rank on search engines helps you understand the effectiveness of your content and keyword strategies
• Conversion rates: Beyond just attracting visitors, you want them to take action. Tracking conversion rates from organic traffic helps measure the ROI of your e-commerce SEO efforts and identifies which strategies lead to sales

E-commerce SEO Tools and Software

E-commerce platforms offer a range of SEO features that can significantly boost your site's visibility and performance. Let's find out more about the most relevant platforms.

1. Shopify

Shopify includes customizable URLs, automatic XML sitemap generation, and easy integration with Google Analytics. The app store offers numerous SEO plugins for deeper customization. 

Limitation: Excessive use of apps can slow down your site.

2. Wix

Wix has made significant improvements in SEO with structured data, a robots.txt editor, canonical tags, bulk 301 redirects, and image optimization. It provides APIs for developers needing more control.

Moreover, it doesn't require third-party plugins for SEO, making it user-friendly for those without coding knowledge. 

Limitation: The platform can be slow to load, and there might be an issue with page duplication.

3. BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers a suite of SEO tools, including automatic URL rewriting, CDN integration for faster load times, and built-in blogging capabilities. 

4. Squarespace

Squarespace provides over 100 mobile-responsive templates and blogging capabilities.

Limitation: It lacks some usability features, such as autosave, and is unsuitable for websites with a deep navigation hierarchy or those needing multi-language support​​.

5. Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Magento offers full control over URL structures, metadata, and snippets directly from the admin panel. 

Its indexing capabilities ensure the crawling and indexing of large product catalogs.

Want to take your sales to the next level without wrapping your head around so many tools and platforms for content generation and link building? Try Gushwork then. 

Our platform offers distinctive content writing services, where human-written content is made EEAT-friendly through the involvement of highly advanced AI algorithms. Request free article samples for quality inspection today. 

Future Trends in E-commerce SEO

E-commerce SEO is rapidly evolving at the speed of a growth train. Why? Because technology and user behavior keep changing.

Want to get a sniff of what future trends are expected to book? We've got you covered. Have a look.

1. AI and Machine Learning 

AI and machine learning are transforming content creation processes. Platforms such as Gushwork are helping businesses generate content by assisting with research, brainstorming ideas, creating outlines, and proofreading. 

But what makes Gushwork so unique? The fact that we have human marketers to vet every nook and corner of the content we provide. We offer human-written content made Google-friendly with the help of AI. Explore our pricing now.  

2. Google's EEAT Policy

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is becoming increasingly important. 

Businesses need to demonstrate these qualities through their content to attract backlinks and improve search rankings. 

Additionally, maintaining a focus on local and international SEO is crucial. 

For local SEO, you should optimize for voice search, ensure mobile-friendliness, and manage online reputations through customer reviews. 

For international SEO, it's vital to implement multilingual and multiregional strategies. Always ensure your content is localized to suit cultural preferences and market-specific trends​​.

Conclusion

Did you know that almost 90% of customers read online reviews and testimonials before they click open a website? In fact, 45% of customers ditch buying products that don’t have reviews? 

We can't emphasize enough how great content, an intuitive and well-structured site, and overall SEO optimization (on-page, off-page, and technical SEO) help visitors find exactly what they need quickly and efficiently. Only SEO can make your products so visible that customers start rating and reviewing them.  

Want to deploy a strong e-commerce SEO strategy that won't fail your business? How about starting with a free keyword research plan by Gushwork? Request a free sample and then decide whether or not you would like to partner with us.

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