SEO for eCommerce Companies

Step 1: Keyword Research & Strategy

Keyword research isn’t a one-time task. It’s the foundation that shapes your site structure, content, and product strategy. Done well, it tells Google exactly what each page is about and helps shoppers find what they’re already looking for.

Let’s walk through it the way I do with every client site.

Build a product-first keyword list

Start with what you actually sell. That’s your anchor. Open a blank spreadsheet and jot down your core categories. Then list out two or three customer-facing subtypes under each.

If you’re in footwear, it might look like this:

• Running shoes
  • Trail
  • Road
  • Minimalist
• Hiking boots
  • Waterproof
  • Winter
  • Ankle support
• Dress shoes
  • Slip-on
  • Leather
  • Wide fit

This isn’t final. Think of it as a sketch. You’ll refine it as real search data comes in.

Look at what real buyers type

Now open Google. Type in “waterproof hiking boots” and see what autocomplete gives you. Do the same in Amazon. These suggestions reflect actual shopper queries. If you see “best waterproof hiking boots for snow,” that’s not fluff. That’s search intent with urgency behind it.

I like to grab five to ten phrases per subcategory. Not just to build volume, but to understand how buyers describe the products in their own language.

Expand with SEO tools

Once you’ve got a working list, bring in a keyword tool. Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Keyword Planner all show you volume, difficulty, and trends. Here’s what to focus on:

• Volume: Are people searching for this
• Difficulty: Can your site realistically rank
• Intent: Is the search meant to buy or just browse

Avoid informational-only terms like “history of trail shoes” if your goal is conversion. You can chase those later with blog content, but not on your product pages.

Pro tip: If budget is tight, start with Google Trends and Ubersuggest. They’re free and surprisingly useful for directional insight.

Map keywords to specific pages

This part is where most ecommerce SEO goes off the rails. Do not try to rank five pages for the same phrase. Assign keywords with intention.

Let’s say you’re targeting these:

• “Running shoes”
• “Trail running shoes for women”
• “Altra Lone Peak 7”

You’d map them like this:

• “Running shoes” to your main category page
• “Trail running shoes for women” to a filtered subcategory
• “Altra Lone Peak 7” to a dedicated product detail page

Each keyword has a home. No overlaps, no cannibalization. This gives Google a clear sense of what each page should rank for.

Add modifiers that increase conversion

As you refine your keyword list, look for commercial cues. These are the words that signal buying intent. Think:

• buy
• best
• on sale
• free shipping
• Black Friday 2025

I usually build a “modifiers” column in the spreadsheet and combine them with base terms to generate variants. Some won’t be worth targeting. Others will become landing pages.

Organize your matrix for clarity

By the time you're done, your spreadsheet should include:

• Base keyword
• Monthly search volume
• Keyword difficulty
• Intent (buy vs info)
• Target URL

This becomes your living SEO blueprint. It guides content, URL planning, even what filters you show on the site.

One client came to us with 500 product pages and no keyword map. We rebuilt their taxonomy, remapped every page, and within three months, 40 percent of their category pages had cracked the top 10.

Step 2: Site Architecture and Navigation

Your site structure is what tells Google how your content fits together. It also tells shoppers whether they can trust your store to help them find what they need quickly. When the layout is confusing or too deep, both search engines and people lose interest.

Here’s how to build a navigation system that earns trust and ranks well.

Start simple and stay flat

Your goal is to create a structure that a user (or crawler) can navigate in three clicks or fewer. That means a layout like:

Home
Category
Subcategory
Product

No extra levels. No buried products. Keep the hierarchy shallow. BigCommerce and Backlinko both recommend this for a reason. It works.

If you already have dozens of categories, that’s fine. Group them logically. Use filters on the subcategory level to help shoppers narrow down options.

Use clean, readable URLs

Your URLs should reflect your site structure clearly. That helps with both SEO and click confidence.

Use a format like:

• example.com/running-shoes
• example.com/running-shoes/trail
• example.com/running-shoes/trail/women/altra-lone-peak-7

Avoid random parameters or numbers. Don’t show filter selections in the URL unless you’re handling them correctly (we’ll get to that in the technical section).

Add breadcrumbs to every page

Breadcrumbs aren’t just for UX. They reinforce your structure to Google. A product page breadcrumb might look like:

Home > Running Shoes > Trail > Altra Lone Peak 7

Use schema markup for breadcrumbs so they show up in search results too. This small detail often gets overlooked but consistently improves both clarity and ranking potential.

Link pages with intention

Internal linking isn’t decoration. It’s one of the easiest ways to boost SEO across the site.

On category pages, link to top products. On product pages, include “You might also like” links to related items. At the bottom of product pages, consider adding links back up to parent categories or guides.

This spreads link equity and makes sure important pages aren’t isolated. Moz has long emphasized this tactic as essential, especially for large ecommerce sites.

Avoid common navigation mistakes

• Too many levels: If users need to click more than three times to find something, reorganize.
• Missing breadcrumbs: Every page should show where it fits in the bigger picture.
• No internal links: Orphaned pages don’t rank. They rarely get crawled at all.
• Uncontrolled filters: Faceted navigation creates endless URL combinations. If not handled right, it wastes crawl budget and causes duplicate content. Use canonical tags or set filters to “noindex” where appropriate.

One client had hundreds of filter-based URLs indexed by Google, none of them ranking. We added canonical tags, cleaned up the sitemap, and within two months their crawl stats improved and the main category pages gained visibility.

When your site is structured cleanly, SEO becomes easier. Google can crawl efficiently. Shoppers can move with purpose. And every page works together.

Step 3: Technical SEO Foundations

A great site structure only works if Google can crawl and index it properly. That’s where technical SEO comes in. This is about performance, clarity, and removing friction that search engines hate.

Think of it like setting the foundation before you build anything else. Get this right, and the rest of your SEO will stand stronger.

Secure and mobile-ready from the start

First, make sure your entire site runs on HTTPS. Google uses it as a trust signal. If your site still shows as “Not Secure” in browsers, that’s a red flag for both users and algorithms.

Next, test your mobile experience. More than half of ecommerce traffic comes from phones, so the mobile version is the one Google cares about most. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to scan your site and fix any layout or usability issues.

I’ve seen sites lose rankings simply because the mobile buttons were too close together or the checkout process didn’t work on smaller screens.

Speed is not optional

Every second matters. If your site takes more than three seconds to load, you’re already losing visitors. Compress your images. Use browser caching. Minimize JavaScript and consider lazy-loading images and reviews.

Tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix will show you exactly what’s slowing you down. Fixing these issues often leads to better rankings and lower bounce rates.

One client cut their homepage load time from 5.2 seconds to 1.9. Their organic traffic jumped 22 percent the following month.

Use structured data for product pages

Schema markup helps Google understand your content. For ecommerce, start with Product schema. It tells search engines your price, availability, and review ratings.

When used correctly, it can also get your listings enhanced with rich snippets, like star ratings or stock status, directly in search results.

Add FAQ schema where relevant and breadcrumb schema on every page. These small boosts often have outsized impact.

Control duplicate content and crawl waste

Ecommerce sites often generate hundreds of near-duplicate pages. Filters like color, size, or price can create unique URLs, but they often lead to the same content.

To manage this, use one of two approaches:

• Apply canonical tags to filtered versions that point back to the main category page
• Set less useful filter combinations to “noindex, follow” so Google skips them without breaking internal links

Also review your robots.txt file. Block crawlers from internal admin pages, login screens, and shopping carts. Keep your crawl budget focused where it matters.

Keep your sitemap and redirects clean

Your sitemap should reflect your current, indexable pages only. Remove URLs that no longer exist or are set to “noindex.” Submit it in Search Console and check it monthly.

For discontinued products, don’t let them turn into dead ends. Either 301-redirect them to a relevant category or keep the page live with a clear “out of stock” message and links to similar items.

I once audited a store with 1,400 broken product URLs in their sitemap. Every one was wasting crawl budget. Cleaning that up gave their active categories room to breathe, and traffic started flowing again within weeks.

Technical SEO isn’t glamorous. But it’s one of the highest leverage steps in this entire process.

Step 4: On-Page Optimization

This is where your keyword research finally touches the page. On-page SEO turns raw search terms into titles, descriptions, and content that rank well and persuade real people to take action.

If your titles are vague or your product descriptions are generic, it does not matter how many backlinks or technical tweaks you apply. The page won't convert or climb.

Start with the title tag and meta description

The title tag is still the most important on-page signal. Put your target keyword close to the front. Keep it under 60 characters if possible so it displays properly in search results.

For example:

Bad: “Home – SuperStore”
Good: “Men’s Trail Running Shoes | Free Shipping”

Now write a meta description that expands on the title and encourages clicks. You have about 150 characters. Make it clear and specific. Include benefits like free returns, wide sizes, or same-day shipping if they apply.

You’re writing for clicks here, not just rankings. A strong clickthrough rate helps with both.

Make product descriptions original and useful

Never copy the manufacturer’s text. Google knows. So do your customers. Instead, write your own version that answers key buyer questions.

What’s it made of
Who is it for
How does it fit
Why is it better than the next option

Aim for 200 to 400 words per product. For flagship items, go longer if you can. Backlinko has found that longer product copy often outperforms short versions in search rankings.

Use natural language. Sprinkle in related keywords where it makes sense, but avoid repetition. This helps with semantic relevance without sounding robotic.

Use headers to guide both users and crawlers

Each page should have one H1. That’s usually the product name or category name. Use H2s for things like Features, Specifications, or Customer Reviews. These help break up the page visually and make it easier to scan.

Google reads these headers to understand the structure of the content. Customers use them to find the info they care about.

Include visuals with SEO in mind

Every product should have clear, high-quality images. But you also want them to be crawlable.

• Name the files descriptively. Use something like waterproof-trail-shoe.jpg
• Fill in the alt text with a short description that includes a keyword where it fits naturally
• Keep file sizes compressed for faster load times

If you use video, embed it cleanly and add a short transcript. This helps both accessibility and SEO.

Avoid internal competition and duplication

It’s easy to end up with five pages targeting the same term, especially if you carry similar products. Make sure each product has its own angle or use canonical tags to point back to the main version.

If a shoe comes in six colors, don’t spin out six identical pages. Use swatches and dynamic content when possible, and make sure all variants link to one core version.

One client had 80 nearly identical product pages for color variations. After we consolidated them, rankings improved, and the main pages loaded faster too.

Take the time to get this part right. It pays off with better rankings, higher clickthroughs, and more confident shoppers.

Step 5: Content Marketing and Blogging

Product pages will only get you so far. They capture bottom-of-funnel searches—people ready to buy. But most of your future customers aren't there yet. They’re still comparing, researching, or just browsing. That’s where content marketing steps in.

Blog posts, buying guides, and tutorials help you meet searchers earlier in the journey. And when done right, they send steady traffic to your product and category pages without feeling pushy.

Identify the questions your customers are asking

Start with your keyword research. Pull out phrases that begin with “how to,” “best,” or “vs.” These usually signal interest with intent.

But also go beyond the keyword tools:

• Review past customer service tickets
• Ask your sales reps what questions they answer daily
• Browse Reddit or forums in your niche

If you sell cookware, for example, you’ll likely find search demand for:

• best nonstick pans for induction
• how to clean a cast iron skillet
• stainless steel vs aluminum cookware

Each of those deserves its own guide.

Structure content to solve, not to sell

You’re not writing to impress Google. You’re writing to help someone decide what to do next.

A good structure looks like:

• a clear headline and problem statement
• concise, scannable sections
• relevant product mentions that feel natural
• one or two strong internal links to related pages

Always lead with value. The soft sell comes later.

One blog post we wrote for a client—“Best Baby Bottles for Gassy Newborns”—accounted for over 5,000 organic visits per month within four months. And it lifted the entire baby bottles category page with it.

Link blog posts to key ecommerce pages

Every time you write about a product category, link back to the main page for that line.

Mention a specific item? Link to it. Even better, add a short callout or featured product box midway through the article. These links build topical clusters and help Google connect your blog to your store.

Plan content around the calendar

Use your analytics and sales data to anticipate seasonal interest.

• Gift guides should publish 6 to 8 weeks before key holidays
• Back-to-school and seasonal gear should go live at least a month ahead
• “Best of” lists can be refreshed quarterly with new models or inventory

A quick win: make a list of your top five products and write one blog post supporting each. Then layer in seasonal or comparison content over time.

Step 6: Link Building and Off-Page SEO

Content gets you in the game. Links move you up the rankings. If your competitors outrank you despite weaker content or site structure, it’s probably because they’ve earned stronger backlinks.

For ecommerce stores, link building works differently than it does for blogs or publishers. Most people don’t link to product pages. You need to give them something worth linking to, then make sure your best pages benefit from that authority.

This step isn’t just about getting more links. It’s about earning the right kind of links and making sure they support the right parts of your site.

Start with your assets

Look at what you’ve already created. Have you published a buying guide? A detailed product comparison? A seasonal trend breakdown? These are linkable assets. If you’ve been following the steps so far, you already have them.

Now ask: who would find this content genuinely useful? Who already writes about your category? Who runs roundups, gift guides, resource pages?

Make a shortlist. Five to ten sites is enough to start. Reach out with a personal email. Show them your piece. Suggest where it might fit. You’re not begging for a backlink—you’re solving a problem for their readers.

This approach is slow but consistent. I’ve seen niche guides pick up links months after publishing, just because they got in front of the right person once.

Use partnerships, not cold outreach alone

You don’t need to go viral. Start with people who already like or sell your products.

• If you work with wholesalers, ask to be listed on their stockists page
• If you use a platform like Shopify, submit your story for their blog or case studies
• If you’ve sent out products to influencers, follow up with a link request once they publish a review

Even one good product review with a backlink to your category page can make a difference. Especially if it comes from a site in your niche.

I worked with a skincare brand that landed three links from mid-size beauty bloggers. They didn’t see a spike overnight—but their serum category climbed from page three to the bottom of page one within a month.

Monitor, maintain, and redirect

Use Ahrefs or Google Search Console to track who’s linking to your site. Look for opportunities to:

• Reclaim lost links (when someone mentions you but forgot the link)
• Redirect broken links to active pages
• Distribute new links to lower-performing category or product pages with internal linking

Link building isn’t just outreach. It’s also cleanup and leverage. Once you earn a high-authority backlink, make sure that authority flows to your most important pages.

Stay relevant and stay real

Google cares more about link quality than quantity. One editorial link from a niche blog will outperform twenty random directory listings.

Avoid guest post swaps, link-for-link deals, or anything that sounds too easy. These rarely move the needle and often put your site at risk.

Focus instead on:

• Getting cited in real articles
• Being featured in product roundups
• Having useful guides that people want to reference

This step never really ends. The more visible your brand becomes, the easier it gets to earn links naturally. But it starts with being proactive, helpful, and consistent.

Step 7: User Experience and Conversion Optimization

Getting traffic is the hard part. But if your site doesn’t convert that traffic into sales, none of it matters. That’s why UX and CRO are part of ecommerce SEO. Not just afterthoughts.

Google pays attention to how users interact with your site. If visitors bounce quickly, struggle to find what they want, or stall at checkout, your rankings can slip. Worse, your revenue stalls even if traffic keeps rising.

A well-optimized store guides users clearly, answers their concerns, and gives them a reason to act now.

Make your site easy to use

Start by looking at your navigation. Can a visitor land on your homepage and reach any product within two or three clicks? Are your menus clear, with no jargon or dropdown clutter?

Next, test your internal search. If someone types “men’s waterproof boots,” do they get helpful results or a zero-match page? A good search bar boosts conversions and gives you insight into real buyer language.

Add filters that work. Let shoppers narrow results by size, color, brand, or features—but only if those filters don’t break SEO. If your faceted URLs are indexable, make sure canonical tags point back to the main category page.

Optimize for mobile before anything else

Over half of ecommerce traffic is mobile. If your site looks slick on desktop but clunky on phones, you’re losing sales.

On mobile, keep buttons large, menus simple, and product images front and center. Collapse filters into drawers. Make the “add to cart” button fixed or sticky if possible. Test your entire checkout on a phone—not just layout, but actual usability.

I’ve seen stores double mobile conversion rates just by fixing font sizes and speeding up page loads. Simple changes. Huge impact.

Build trust into every product page

Buyers hesitate when they don’t trust you. Remove that friction.

Every product page should include:

• Clear star ratings and real reviews
• High-quality images that show texture, color, and scale
• Payment icons and secure checkout badges
• Fast, transparent shipping and return info
• A short FAQ or reassurance about fit, use, or compatibility

If you sell a product that’s even slightly technical or custom, show people what to expect. Add size guides, comparison charts, or video walkthroughs.

One client added a “Will this fit my truck?” toggle to their parts listings. That single UX tweak dropped returns and boosted cart completions in the same quarter.

A/B test the details

Small changes often outperform big redesigns. Try testing:

• Button color and placement
• Free shipping banners
• Review snippets near the product title
• “Add to cart” copy versus “Buy now”

Track everything. Look for patterns in what users click, where they drop off, and what nudges them to buy.

The goal here is not just to make your site beautiful. It’s to make it intuitive and reassuring. When a shopper knows exactly what to do next—and believes it will work out—they buy.

Advanced Tactics

Once your ecommerce SEO foundation is solid, there’s room to go further. These advanced techniques aren’t essential on day one, but they give you a competitive edge once you’re ranking and want to keep climbing.

Think of this as your expansion pack. Each tactic adds visibility, reach, or resilience to your site.

Add structured data to unlock rich results

If you haven’t added Schema markup yet, start with your product pages. At a minimum, mark up:

• name
• price
• availability
• review rating
• brand

Google pulls this data into search results. You might get rich snippets that show star ratings or price ranges directly on the results page. These make your listings more eye-catching and can increase clickthrough rates without changing rankings.

Also consider using FAQ schema on support pages or blog posts. This can land you extra space in the search result itself, where you answer questions directly.

Prepare your site for voice search

Voice search isn’t just about smart speakers. More people are using voice to find local options, product comparisons, or fast answers on mobile.

You can start by making your content more conversational. Add question-and-answer sections to product pages. Include longer tail keywords that reflect how people actually talk. Think “where can I buy trail running shoes near me” rather than just “trail running shoes.”

Also make sure your business info is consistent across platforms. Google pulls from your local listings when showing voice results.

Optimize for international and multilingual search

If you serve multiple countries or languages, use hreflang tags. These help Google deliver the right version of your page to users based on location and language.

A few basics to get this right:

• Use one URL per country or language version
• Tailor currency, shipping info, and messaging to that region
• Make sure translated content is high quality—not just machine-translated

You do not need to localize everything at once. Start with your top-performing pages, then expand based on demand.

Leverage YouTube and product video

Product videos can show up in both Google and YouTube results. They also boost conversion rates when embedded on product pages.

Keep your videos short and specific. Focus on use, fit, benefits, or comparisons. Upload them to your YouTube channel with keyword-optimized titles and descriptions. Include links back to the product or category page.

Then embed them on your site where relevant, ideally above the fold.

Stay current with algorithm shifts

Google’s updates aren’t random. Most penalize thin content, manipulative link schemes, or poor site experience. If your rankings drop after an update, revisit your weakest pages. Improve the content. Fix slow load times. Make sure each page serves a clear purpose.

Subscribe to sources like Search Engine Roundtable or Search Engine Land. They flag patterns early. But don’t chase every rumor. Stick to strategies that serve your users first.

After the March 2024 core update, one client’s traffic dipped overnight. We realized their category intros were just keyword-stuffed blurbs. We rewrote them with real product summaries and added FAQ sections. Within six weeks, rankings rebounded.

Advanced tactics give you flexibility. They help you win in competitive spaces and protect your gains when the game shifts.