E-commerce SEO Checklist to Boost Traffic & Maximize Sales

E-commerce Keyword Research

Find keywords for the product and category page:
Identify specific keywords that customers use when searching for products in your niche.

Use eCommerce website' search suggestions to discover long-tail keywords:
Utilize large e-commerce platforms like Amazon's search suggestions to find long-tail keywords with a high conversion rate.

Analyze the search intent of the keywords:
For each keyword, check its search intent. Ensure you select keywords with commercial intent for your category or product pages.

Conduct competitor keyword analysis:
Examine the keyword strategies of direct and indirect competitors to identify gaps, opportunities, and USP-driven keyword angles.

Prioritize keywords based on business metrics:
Refine your keyword mapping by balancing search volume, keyword difficulty, and search intent.‍

Find keywords for your product and category pages:
Specify relevant search queries that customers use when searching for the products you offer.

Create a Website Architecture

Establish a clear, scalable site hierarchy:
Create a logical and extensible website structure that facilitates intuitive navigation for users and efficient crawling for search engines.

Ensure shallow site architecture:
Limit the click-depth from the homepage to any product page (ideally three clicks or less) to optimize "link equity" distribution and user access.

Create an intuitive navigation:
Design an easy menu section, add breadcrumbs, and optimize your internal linking to simplify user journeys.

Align category pages with keyword research:
Structure your primary product categories and subcategories directly based on your identified target keywords, reflecting user search behavior.

Design SEO-friendly URLs:
Create brief URLs that contain targeted keywords to improve crawlability.

Optimize On-Page SEO

Optimize the homepage for brand and authority:
Optimize the homepage for a keyword that communicates your brand value proposition.

Include content on category page:
For SEO purposes, include a short piece of content optimized for the category page’s target keyword to help search engines understand what the page is about.

Enhance category pages with rich content:
Design category pages for the best user experience. Optimize the headings, metadata, and alt tags for commercial keywords.

Write detailed product descriptions:
For ecommerce detailed product description is a crusial. Make sure to highlight all the features and benefits of your product.

Optimize product images:
Include multiple high-quality product images, but optimize the sizes for optimal page speed. Write descriptive filenames and keyword-inclusive alt text.

Optimize the copy of the product page:
Incorporate targeted keywords in a relevant way while writing product descriptions, meta titles, and descriptions.

E-commerce Technical SEO

Submit XML sitemaps and robots.txt:
Create an accurate XML sitemap and robots.txt file and submit them to the Search Console.

Perform regular technical audits:
Run regular technical audits to prevent broken links, crawl errors, and duplicate content issues.

Optimize page speed and Core Web Vitals:
Fully optimize website page speed by compressing file sizes, leveraging caching, minifying code, and ensuring robust hosting.

Implement comprehensive schema markup:
Add suitable schema markups to product and category pages to enable rich snippets in SERPs.

Secure your site with HTTPS (SSL certificate):
Ensure all traffic is encrypted via HTTPS by installing and maintaining an SSL certificate, which builds trust and is a foundational ranking signal.

Product and Category Page Management

Use canonical URLs for product variations:
When managing multiple URLs for the same product and its color and size variations, implement canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content.

Handle out-of-stock products strategically:
Temporary redirects out-of-stock or permanently discontinued items to similar products or category pages.

Optimize filtered navigation to prevent duplicate content:
Implement proper handling of navigation (e.g., using rel="nofollow," noindex, or AJAX loading) to avoid the creation of crawlable duplicate content.

Implement pagination best practices:
For category pages with multiple pages of products, use rel="next" and rel="prev" or, preferably, ensure internal linking fully supports discovery.

User Experience & Conversion Optimization

Integrate product reviews:
Encourage users to leave reviews and display them on product pages to provide fresh content and establish trust.

Include compelling CTAs:
Strategically place persuasive CTAs (e.g., "Add to Cart," "Shop Now") on product and category pages to guide users to the next step.

Include on-site search bar optimization:
Ensure your website's search bar is accessible and delivers relevant, fast results.

Showcase featured and related products:
Display popular, new, or cross-sell/up-sell items on product pages to enhance product visibility and increase the average order value.

Ensure mobile-friendliness and responsiveness:
Ensure your website provides a seamless user experience across all mobile devices.

Off-Site SEO for E-commerce

Cultivate strategic influencer and blogger collaborations:
Partner with relevant influencers and bloggers from your niche to promote products and secure high-authority backlinks.

Work on your online reputation and brand mentions:
In addition to product quality, provide excellent customer service to earn positive brand mentions and links from reputable sources organically.

Actively engage in social listening for brand mentions:
Monitor social media and online communities for discussions about your brand, products, or industry, seeking opportunities for engagement and linking.

Pursue targeted PR coverage:
Pitch interesting stories to relevant media outlets and industry publications to earn valuable brand/product mentions and editorial backlinks.

Amplify content distribution via social media:
Proactively share new blog posts, product launches, and valuable content across relevant platforms to boost visibility and encourage shares.

E-commerce Content Marketing

Create buyer's guides and educational content:
Write educational articles, guides, or comparisons around your products or industry to target informational, long-tail keywords.

Create "how-to" and tutorial content:
Produce content demonstrating product usage, troubleshooting, or creative applications to address user needs and attract traffic.

Regularly publish new blog posts:
To gain topical authority and provide fresh content for search engines, constantly publish articles relevant to your niche.

Use video content for product demonstrations:
Create high-quality video content to enhance engagement and capitalize on video search opportunities.

Local SEO for E-commerce

Optimize Google Business Profile:
Create and fully optimize your Google Business Profile listings for all physical locations, including accurate addresses, hours, photos, and services.

Manage local citations and business listings:
Ensure consistency across all online directories (e.g., Yelp, Yellow Pages) for your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP).

Encourage local reviews and ratings:
Actively solicit reviews on Google Business Profile and other local platforms to build trust and visibility.

Implement local schema markup:
Use LocalBusiness schema on relevant pages to provide specific information about your physical store locations.

E-commerce Analytics & Performance Monitoring

Configure e-commerce tracking in GA4:
Set up suitable tags and events (e.g., add to cart, view item, purchase, view cart) in your Google Analytics 4 account.

Create custom dashboards for e-commerce SEO KPIs:
Create custom reports and dashboards in GA4 to monitor critical metrics, such as organic revenue and conversion rate.

Regularly review Google Search Console performance reports:
Analyze keyword rankings, impressions, clicks, and Core Web Vitals, as well as page coverage.

Analyze user behavior metrics:
Use metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and scroll depth to identify problematic pages or areas where UX falls short.

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Maria Harutyunyan

A well-structured approach is the cornerstone of successful SEO. That's why we’ve developed a series of in-depth checklists designed to streamline your SEO strategy. From building high-quality backlinks and optimizing your WordPress site to tackling on-page SEO and technical optimizations, our checklists offer precise, actionable steps to help you confidently navigate every aspect of SEO.

April 3, 2025

E-commerce SEO Checklist to Rank, Convert & Scale