Building an online store is one thing but getting shoppers to it is another. eCommerce SEO helps search engines understand which of your product and category pages match real buyer queries and then show those pages to the right people.
Unlike general SEO, eCommerce SEO must balance discoverability with conversion: you don’t just want traffic, you want shoppers who buy. This checklist focuses on repeatable, high-impact steps you can use to make every category and product page work harder in Google.
What is eCommerce SEO?
eCommerce SEO covers the tactics that improve visibility for online stores: keyword selection, on-page optimization, technical performance, content that supports buying decisions, and link-building to build authority.
It’s about matching product intent (buying, comparing, researching) and making pages both visible to search engines and convincing to customers. Applied consistently, the work increases qualified traffic, reduces wasted ad spend, and helps margins by earning organic sales that compound over time.
Keyword Research Strategy: Find Money-Making Search Terms
Good keyword research separates window shoppers from buyers. Use this simple process to map search intent to pages:
- Start with intent buckets: Separate keywords into transactional (e.g., “buy running shoes men”), commercial-research (e.g., “best running shoes for flat feet”), and informational (e.g., “how to choose running shoes”). Match transactional terms to product pages and commercial-research to category or buying-guide pages.
- Use real data sources: Combine Google Search Console queries, your site search logs, and tools like Keyword Planner or other keyword tools to find what users actually type. Look for long-tail phrases that show clear buying intent.
- Map keywords to URLs: Assign one primary keyword per product page and one per category page. Avoid forcing a single page to rank for unrelated terms. Focus beats fluff.
- Prioritize by value: Rank opportunities by expected traffic and conversion potential, not just volume. A low-volume, high-conversion keyword often beats a high-volume term that never converts.
Product & Category Page Optimization: On-Page Essentials that Convert
On-page SEO and UX work together. For each product and category page, implement these building blocks:
- Title & H1: Put your primary keyword near the front. Keep the title concise and natural.
- Meta description: Use benefit-led copy that encourages clicks (not a keyword dump). Keep it under 160 characters.
- Structured product copy: Lead with the single biggest buying benefit, then list specs in bullets for scanners. Unique descriptions beat manufacturer copy for SEO.
- Images & media: Use high-quality photos, add descriptive filenames and alt text, and include a short demo or 360° view if possible. Compress for speed.
- Schema / structured data: Add Product schema (price, availability, review) so search results show rich snippets.
- Internal linking: Link related products, accessories, and buying guides to boost session depth and spread relevance.
- Mobile-first UX: Ensure buttons, image galleries, and add-to-cart work flawlessly on phones. Most buyers shop there first.
Technical SEO Essentials
Technical issues silently sink product pages. Start with crawlability. Confirm your sitemap includes product and category URLs you want indexed, and use robots.txt and meta robots to prevent low-value pages (faceted filters, duplicate sorts) from bloating the index.
Page speed is critical. Mobile-first Core Web Vitals affect rankings and conversions. Use CDN-hosted images, lazy loading for galleries, and remove unused scripts. Implement canonical tags for variant pages and ensure your canonical points to the main product URL.
Content & Backlink Building: Support Pages that Drive Authority
Product pages usually don’t attract links on their own. Build relevance and authority with supporting content: buyer’s guides, how-to articles, comparison posts, and category-level resources that naturally earn links. Promote these pieces to reviewers, forums, and niche blogs.
When linking internally, point from high-authority content to the category and product pages you want to rank. For backlinks, prioritize relevance over volume. A link from a respected industry site or a niche review blog is worth far more than dozens of low-quality directories.
Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid
Many shops lose ranking power to avoidable errors. Duplicate product descriptions from manufacturers (write unique copy), indexing filter and sort result pages (use noindex/canonical), slow product pages from oversized images (compress and serve responsive sizes), and separating SEO & merchandising (align keywords with category promotions). Also, don’t ignore seasonal trends. Update titles and promos for high-season keywords to keep relevance and CTR high.
Turn this Checklist into a Monthly Habit
Treat this checklist as an operational playbook: run an audit, fix technical blockers, optimize your highest-value product and category pages first, and then scale the fixes. Track results in Search Console and your analytics platform so you know which pages to double down on.
If you want a hands-on audit or a prioritized eCommerce SEO roadmap for your store, First97Days can run a tailored review and help you implement changes that boost visibility and sales. Contact First97Days to schedule your SEO audit and start ranking smarter.
