If you’re running an online store, you already know how competitive e-commerce can be. You’re not just competing with other businesses in your niche—you’re competing with Amazon, big-box retailers, and every other store trying to rank for the same keywords.
The good news? Most e-commerce sites have terrible SEO. And that means there’s a huge opportunity for stores that get it right.
I’ve spent years optimizing e-commerce sites—from large operations like GNC and SmartPak Equine to smaller specialty stores. The patterns are consistent: the same issues pop up again and again, and fixing them can dramatically improve your organic traffic and sales.
So let’s talk about what actually matters. Here are 15 essential SEO elements every online store needs to get right.
1. Site Speed That Doesn’t Make People Leave
I’m putting this first because it’s that important. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing customers before they even see your products.
Page speed affects:
- User experience – Slow sites frustrate visitors
- Conversion rates – Even a 1-second delay can reduce conversions by 7%
- Search rankings – Google explicitly uses speed as a ranking factor
- Mobile performance – Especially critical since most shopping happens on mobile
How to fix it:
- Compress and optimize images (use WebP format when possible)
- Enable browser caching
- Use a content delivery network (CDN)
- Minimize unnecessary scripts and plugins
- Choose a quality hosting provider
Test your speed using Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Aim for a load time under 2 seconds on desktop and 3 seconds on mobile.
2. Mobile-First Design (Not Just Mobile-Friendly)
More than 60% of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site isn’t genuinely optimized for mobile, you’re leaving money on the table.
What mobile-first actually means:
- Touch-friendly buttons and navigation
- Easy-to-read text without zooming
- Simplified checkout process on small screens
- Fast mobile load times
- Thumb-friendly placement of key elements
Go through your entire checkout process on your phone right now. If anything feels clunky or frustrating, your customers feel it too—and they’re probably abandoning their carts because of it.
3. Clean, Logical Site Structure
Your site architecture matters more than most people realize. A well-organized site helps both users and search engines understand what you sell and how your products relate to each other.
Best practices:
- Keep your most important category pages within 2-3 clicks of the homepage
- Use a logical hierarchy: Homepage → Category → Subcategory → Product
- Create clear navigation menus
- Use breadcrumb navigation on all pages
- Avoid creating orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them)
Think about how customers actually shop. If someone lands on your site looking for “horse joint supplements,” can they easily find that category? Or do they have to dig through five different menus?
4. Keyword-Optimized Category Pages
Your category pages are some of your most valuable SEO assets. They’re perfect for targeting broad, high-volume keywords like “women’s running shoes” or “organic dog food.”
How to optimize category pages:
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich category names
- Write unique category descriptions (150-300 words minimum)
- Include your target keyword in the H1, URL, and meta description
- Add helpful content like buying guides or filter options
- Show customer reviews and ratings when possible
Don’t just list products and call it a day. Add context, answer common questions, and give search engines (and shoppers) reasons to trust your expertise.
5. Product Pages That Actually Sell
Your product pages need to do double duty: rank in search results AND convert visitors into customers.
Essential elements for every product page:
- Descriptive, unique product titles with key features
- Detailed product descriptions (at least 300 words for competitive products)
- High-quality images from multiple angles
- Customer reviews and ratings
- Clear pricing and availability
- Product specifications and dimensions
- Related products and cross-sells
The biggest mistake I see: using manufacturer descriptions verbatim. That’s duplicate content, and it doesn’t help you rank or convert. Write your own descriptions that highlight benefits, answer questions, and speak to your specific customers.
6. Unique Product Descriptions (Yes, All of Them)
I know—if you have 500 products, writing unique descriptions feels overwhelming. But duplicate content kills e-commerce SEO.
Here’s the reality: if you’re using the same description as everyone else selling that product, Google will probably rank the bigger, more authoritative site (read: Amazon or the manufacturer). You need to differentiate.
Strategies for scaling unique content:
- Start with your bestsellers and highest-margin products
- Focus on products where you actually have expertise to share
- Use a template structure but vary the details and benefits
- Incorporate customer language from reviews and support questions
- Hire a content writer if needed—it’s worth the investment
Even adding 2-3 unique sentences to a manufacturer description is better than nothing.
7. Schema Markup for Products
Schema markup is code that tells search engines exactly what your content represents. For e-commerce, Product schema is critical.
What Product schema includes:
- Product name and description
- Price and currency
- Availability (in stock, out of stock, pre-order)
- Brand and SKU
- Reviews and ratings
- Images
When you implement Product schema correctly, your listings can appear with rich snippets in search results—showing star ratings, prices, and availability right in the search results. This dramatically improves click-through rates.
Most e-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce) have plugins or built-in options for adding schema. Use them.
8. Customer Reviews (And Lots of Them)
Customer reviews aren’t just good for conversions—they’re pure gold for SEO.
Why reviews matter:
- They add fresh, unique, keyword-rich content to your pages
- They signal trustworthiness to both users and search engines
- Review schema creates star ratings in search results
- They answer questions potential customers are searching for
How to get more reviews:
- Send automated follow-up emails after purchase
- Offer small incentives (discount codes, loyalty points)
- Make leaving reviews easy and mobile-friendly
- Respond to reviews (shows you’re engaged and builds trust)
If you’re not actively soliciting reviews, you’re missing out on one of the easiest SEO wins available.
9. Internal Linking Strategy
Internal links help search engines understand which pages are most important and how your content relates to each other. They also keep visitors on your site longer.
Internal linking best practices:
- Link from category pages to relevant subcategories and top products
- Add “related products” or “customers also bought” sections
- Link from blog posts to relevant products and categories
- Use descriptive anchor text (not just “click here”)
- Feature bestsellers and new arrivals on your homepage
Think of internal linking as creating pathways through your store. The easier you make it to discover products, the more pages people visit—and the more search engines will crawl and index.
10. Optimized Images with Alt Text
Images are crucial for e-commerce, but they’re often overlooked from an SEO perspective.
Image optimization checklist:
- Compress images to reduce file size without losing quality
- Use descriptive file names (not “IMG_1234.jpg”)
- Add alt text to every image describing what’s shown
- Use multiple product images from different angles
- Consider adding lifestyle images showing products in use
Alt text serves two purposes: it helps visually impaired users understand your images, and it tells search engines what the image depicts. Both matter.
11. Blog Content That Drives Discovery
Here’s a truth bomb: most people aren’t ready to buy the moment they land on your site. They’re researching, comparing, and learning.
A blog gives you opportunities to:
- Rank for informational keywords (“how to choose running shoes”)
- Build topical authority in your niche
- Capture potential customers earlier in their buying journey
- Create content you can share on social media and email
Content ideas for e-commerce blogs:
- Buying guides and comparison posts
- How-to articles related to your products
- Product spotlights and use cases
- Industry trends and news
- Customer stories and case studies
Then link from those blog posts to relevant category and product pages. You’re creating a funnel from information-seeking to purchase.
12. Smart URL Structure
Your URLs should be clean, descriptive, and keyword-rich.
Good URL:yourstore.com/equine-supplements/joint-support/glucosamine-msm
Bad URL:yourstore.com/product?id=12345&cat=87
URL best practices:
- Use hyphens to separate words (not underscores)
- Keep URLs short but descriptive
- Include your target keyword when relevant
- Use a logical hierarchy that matches your site structure
- Avoid changing URLs once they’re established (or use 301 redirects if you must)
Most e-commerce platforms generate messy URLs by default. Take the time to customize them.
13. Smart Handling of Out-of-Stock and Discontinued Products
Here’s a common e-commerce SEO mistake: deleting product pages when items go out of stock. Don’t do this.
Better approaches:
- Keep the page live and show “currently unavailable”
- Offer similar or alternative products
- Let customers sign up for restock notifications
- For discontinued items, redirect to the replacement product or category
Why? Because that page might have accumulated backlinks, rankings, and authority. Deleting it throws all that away.
14. Faceted Navigation That Doesn’t Create Duplicate Content
Faceted navigation (filters for size, color, price, brand, etc.) is great for user experience but can create SEO nightmares if not handled correctly.
The problem: each filter combination can create a new URL, resulting in thousands of thin, duplicate pages that confuse search engines and dilute your site’s authority.
Solutions:
- Use canonical tags to point filtered pages back to the main category
- Block filtered URLs in robots.txt
- Use “noindex” tags on filter pages
- Implement AJAX filtering that doesn’t change URLs
This is technical, and it varies by platform. If you’re not sure how your site handles this, it’s worth having someone audit it.
15. Technical SEO Fundamentals
Finally, don’t neglect the technical basics:
Critical technical elements:
- XML sitemap – Submit to Google Search Console so your pages get crawled
- Robots.txt – Make sure you’re not accidentally blocking important pages
- HTTPS/SSL certificate – Required for security and trust
- Canonical tags – Prevent duplicate content issues
- 404 error monitoring – Fix broken links and missing pages
- Structured URL parameters – Handle tracking codes and session IDs properly
Run regular technical audits using tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to catch issues before they impact your rankings.
Putting It All Together
E-commerce SEO isn’t about doing one big thing—it’s about consistently doing lots of small things right. Each item on this checklist contributes to better search visibility, more organic traffic, and ultimately, more sales.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start here:
- Fix your site speed and mobile experience (impacts everything)
- Optimize your top 10-20 products and categories (quick wins)
- Implement Product schema (huge ROI for minimal effort)
- Start collecting customer reviews (compounds over time)
- Audit your technical SEO basics (prevents major issues)
The rest you can tackle systematically over time.
And if you want help prioritizing what matters most for your specific store? That’s exactly what I do. I’ll audit your site, identify your biggest opportunities, and create a roadmap that actually makes sense for your business and budget.
Ready to improve your e-commerce SEO? Contact me to discuss a custom audit and optimization plan for your online store.
Cathleen Voss Consulting 
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