E-Commerce SEO: 11 Point Checklist For Optimising Your Online Shop

If your online store is struggling to gain traffic and sales, then this is the post for you.

Sure, you may not face the same hassles as a retail store owner – who has time for all that dusting? – but running an online store presents unique challenge of its own.

Yet like any retailer, a well-structured online store that is highly visible and makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for is critical to your success.

Here’s why:

65% of internet users in the EU and some 70% of Americans shopped online in 2015. And we bet you did too!

So your ability to reach these online shoppers has never been more important to the future growth of your business.

Our guide to E-Commerce SEO will show you how to do just this. Read on and you’ll discover our 11 point E-Commerce SEO checklist that will help you to optimise your online store and ensure it’s set to achieve sales success, maximise your visibility and reach potential customers.

Ready to get started? Read on!

1Research Your Keywords

Keywords are the key to unlocking the benefits search can provide your online store.

How so? Think of it this way:

You’ve finally decided to upgrade to a new TV. Walking into a local tech store, you learn that this tech store has labelled it ‘Moving Picture Display Unit’. Aside from sounding a little crazy, you wouldn’t have much luck finding it, would you?

This philosophy applies to your online shop, too ; your keywords – and naming – are everything.

So which keywords should you use? That’s a great question.

The key to keyword success lies in striking a balance. Target only primary, highly searched keywords, and you’ll be competing with big name brands and established businesses. As you can see below for ‘Tablets’:

Too obscure, and you won’t have a big enough audience to sustain your new business.

This is the time to harness every online shop’s secret weapon: local and commercial intent keywords.

These are keywords that local users and those looking to make a purchase plug into Google when they’re searching online.

It works like this:

Say someone enters ‘HD Television’ into Google. How do you know if they’re searching for a user manual, review, or product?

Truth is, you don’t.

But if a user enters ‘Buy HD Television Online Auckland’, chances are they’re looking to make a purchase.

By utilising these keywords for your store – which we’re about to show you how to do! – you’ll ensure users can find you effectively.

Keyword Checklist

• Use the Google Keyword Planner to find lucrative, highly-searched keywords to use throughout your store.
• Look for local keyword variants such as ‘NZ’ or ‘Auckland’.
• Make use of commercial intent keywords like ‘Buy’ and ‘Online’.

2Optimise On-Page Elements

Keywords are great, but only when they’re being used effectively.

In fact, your pages should be shouting their keywords from the front of your online store like every good, if oddly-dressed shop mascot!

On Page Optimisation is how we do this. This involves applying keywords to vital areas of your store’s pages, which will maximise your relevancy for these keywords and increase your chance of ranking highly within search results.

If you’re unsure of how to do this, we’ve got you covered.

Below you’ll find a list of the places you should be including keywords, as well as templates and examples we use to do this for our clients. Simply replace our keywords with yours, and you’ll be well on your way to optimising your site.

On-Page Optimisation Checklist

URLs

• Use page-specific keywords within your URLs.
• Use hyphens [–] to separate words in your URLs.

URL Templates

Product Page

• Template
  www.Website.co.nz/buy/KEYWORD/KEYWORD-KEYWORD-KEYWORD
• Example
  www.Tech.co.nz/buy/Televisions/Samsung-1080-HD-Television

Category Page

• Template
  www.Website.co.nz/buy/KEYWORD
• Example
  www.Tech.co.nz/buy/High-Definition-Televisions

Title Tags

• Use the primary keyword that you want that page to rank for.
• Add a local keyword.
• Add a commercial-intent keyword.
• Include some form of branding such as your business name.
• Limit Title tags to 70 characters.

Title Tag Templates

Home Page

• Template
  Business Name | Keyword | Location-Based Keyword
• Example
  Tech | Apple iPhones, iPads & Tablets | NZ Delivery

Product Page

• Template
  Keyword | Location-Based Keyword | Business Name
• Example
  Apple iPad 32GB 3G WiFi Tablet | NZ Delivery | Tech

Headings

• Follow a logical H1-H6 heading structure.
• Ensure H1 is used to format your Product Category and Individual Product names.

Heading Templates

Product Category

• Template
  H1: Commercial Intent Keyword, Primary Keyword
• Example
  Buy New & Refurbished iPads

Product Page

• Template
  H1: Keyword Product Heading
  H2: Keyword Descriptive Heading
• Example
  H1: Apple iPad 32GB 3G WiFi Tablet
  H2: Brand New 32GB Apple iPad Tablet Featuring 3G & WiFi

Image ALT Tags & File Names

• Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names and ALT tags.
• Use hyphens [-] to separate words within file names.

Image Alt & File Name Templates

Product Image File Name

• Template
  keyword-keyword-keyword.jpg
• Example
  samsung-1080-high-definition-television.jpg

Product Image ALT Tag

• Template
  Keyword, Branding, Location Keyword
• Example
  Samsung 1080P HD Television Available At Tech NZ

Meta Descriptions

• Include relevant, highly-searched keywords.
• Entice people to click by mentioning promotions or specials.
• Limit Meta Descriptions to 156 characters.

Meta Description Example

Home Page

• Example
  Tech is your premium provider of Apple iPads, iPhones and tablets in all makes, models and sizes. We also offer free delivery on all our Apple tablets and phones throughout New Zealand.

3Add Unique Content To Important Pages

Lengthy content ranks higher in Google.

So it makes sense that product categories and pages should include lengthy content.

It’s ok, we’re not insisting you write 2,000 words per product. But you should look to write unique, keyword-rich content of a modest length for each product page and category you’re wanting to rank highly for.

There’s now even more incentive to do so:

With Google’s recent updates, pages that lack content or have thin content also drag down rankings.

As online stores can carry hundreds if not thousands of items, many of these lack a decription or content. Which means online stores just like yours have been hit hardest by these updates. So while the work involved to address thin content issues may take some time, your site’s rankings will thank you in the long run.

Unique Content Checklist

• Investigate dynamic pages which can cause thin content issues.
• Aim for 200+ words on product pages.
• Hit between 250-400 words on important product category pages.
• Reach for between 1,200 and 2,000 words on blog posts or content pages that use lucrative keywords you’re aiming to rank for.

4Avoid Duplicate Content

So you’re sold on the idea of lengthy content for your online store.

That’s great!

But content will only help your site if it’s unique.

We know, writing unique content can be time consuming. But it’s also better for your site in the long run.

Cutting corners and simply copying content may appear to be an easy way to solve your content problems. But as they say, appearances can be deceiving. This quick fix can lead to duplicate content issues which can harm your site’s chances of ranking.

So when it comes to your online store, the message is simple:

Don’t copy content!

Duplicate & Thin Content Checklist

• Avoid using the manufacturer’s product descriptions or text.
• Remove any existing duplicate content.

5Add Rich Snippets

Rich Snippets are another way Google aims to provide maximum value to users in search.

So what are they, exactly? We’re glad you asked:

Rich Snippets are extra pieces of information displayed alongside individual search results when searching with Google. This includes anything from an author image for a store, the price of an item, the star rating of a movie or the time it takes to cook a recipe. As you can see below:

By adding rich snippets to your store, you’ll provide users with extra information on your products. The exact kind of information that can mean the difference between a user clicking on a search result, and scrolling by.

Rich Snippets Checklist

• Running a WooCommerce store? Use a plugin to easily add rich snippets to your store.
• Add rich snippets to your site manually by following Google’s instructions.

6XML & HTML Sitemaps

From Costco to Ikea, we’ve all found ourselves lost in a big store before. Thankfully, many map their layout so it’s easy to find what we need, and fast!

If only there was an easy way to map out your store and its hundreds – or thousands – of products too.

Well there is!

XML and HTML Sitemaps are what you’re looking for: they map out your site and make it easier for users and search engines alike to catalogue all of the pages on your site.

Sitemap Checklist

• Generate an XML and HTML Sitemap using Free Sitemap Generator.
• Add these sitemaps to your store.
• Submit your sitemaps to Bing and Google.

7Implement HTTPS

HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP that keeps your customers’ data safe.

While this is already active on Account and Checkout pages, Google are beginning to favour sites that use HTTPS site-wide. So it pays – pun intended! – to fully embrace HTTPs.

You’ll give customers peace of mind and keep Google happy in the process.

HTTPS Checklist

• Consider transitioning your site to HTTPS.
• Set up redirects for old, non-HTTP URLs.

8Add Internal Links

Internal links are great for two reasons:

• They help harder to rank product and category pages appear in Google.
• They help to guide users around your site.

The easiest way to do so is to add internal links to existing content.

This could be a mention of a product type on your home page, or a complimentary product in a product description.

Internal Link Checklist

• Add internal links throughout your site wherever this makes sense.
• Use keyword-rich anchor text for all internal links.
• Add Breadcrumb links to your shop’s pages.

9Encourage User Reviews

Creating unique content isn’t easy.

In fact, it’s downright time consuming.

By embracing the power of user reviews, you can make your life that much easier.

Adding this functionality to your site allows users to leave reviews of products they’ve bought, and provides product pages with an injection of unique content. And you didn’t have to lift a finger!

User Review Checklist

• Add user review functionality to your site.
• Follow up with customers and invite them to leave a review.

10Optimise Site Speed

65% of global customers are not willing to wait more than 3 seconds for a page to load.

So what happens if a user is waiting as long, if not longer, for your pages to load?

You guessed it: they go elsewhere.

Google now favours fast-loading sites in search, so optimising your site – especially your product images – can help to alleviate these issues. And improve your rankings, too.

Site Speed & Responsiveness Checklist

• Check your site’s speed with PageSpeed Insights.
• Optimise your images for the web.

11A Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Site

Online stores without a responsive or mobile site should take notice: Google aren’t happy!

Google have recently started to penalise sites that don’t support mobile devices. When you consider the majority of users browse the internet on mobile, it only makes sense. Which means a responsive, mobile-friendly site is no longer optional. It’s a requirement.

Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Site Checklist

• Use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test to check your website’s compatibility with mobile devices.
• If you’re using WooCommerce, consider transitioning to a responsive, mobile-friendly theme.
• Running a custom site? Ask your web developer to look into making your site responsive.