![E-Commerce: use SEO so everyone can find you on internet [SEO checklist]](http://onlineyougrow.com/cdn/shop/articles/cov-seo-checklist-8_cb1f6459-5a65-466e-a42f-b7e2f8dbdddd.png?v=1715867309&width=1100)
SEO isn't just for tech giants and massive online retailers—it's a powerful tool that the best e-commerce businesses use strategically to attract customers.
We understand that you're busy managing your online store, and the thought of optimizing your website might feel like an additional burden.
But here's the deal: you don't need to be an SEO expert or spend a fortune to make it work. Just a few simple steps can significantly improve your online visibility and drive more traffic to your store.
To help you out, we have built a free SEO checklist - also, for a full action plan, please check our pack of marketing tactics and strategies for e-commerce businesses.
Get the SEO checklist made for e-commerce business owners
The best e-commerce businesses rank first on Google. Here is a free tool to to get you started.
What is SEO for e-commerce businesses exactly?
Simply put, SEO is all about making your e-commerce website more attractive to search engines like Google.
When someone searches for "best online store for electronics" or "affordable fashion online," SEO helps your e-commerce site show up in the results. The goal is to get your website higher up on the search results page so more people can find and shop at your online store.
Why is SEO Important for E-commerce?
SEO is incredibly important for e-commerce businesses, and here’s why:
- Increased Online Visibility:
The higher your website ranks on search engines, the more people will see it. This means more potential customers discovering your online store, especially when they're looking for products you sell.
- Higher Rankings on Search Engines:
Most people don’t look past the first page of search results. By optimizing your site, you can climb those rankings and beat out the competition. Imagine someone searching for "best deals on laptops" and finding your store right at the top!
- Attracting More Targeted Customers:
SEO isn't just about getting anyone to your site—it's about getting the right people. By targeting specific keywords, you ensure that when someone searches for a product you offer, your store pops up. This means more relevant traffic and higher chances of sales.
Key Components of SEO
Now, let’s break down the main parts of SEO specifically for your e-commerce business:
On-Page SEO
This involves making sure the content on your website is optimized. It includes things like:
- Keywords:
Using the words and phrases people are searching for in your titles, descriptions, and content. For example, if you sell eco-friendly products, make sure you use phrases like "best eco-friendly products" or "sustainable shopping" on your site.
- Content Quality:
Providing useful, engaging, and fresh content about your products. Share detailed product descriptions, customer reviews, buying guides, and blog posts related to your niche.
- Meta Tags:
Using meta titles and descriptions that are relevant and appealing to searchers. For instance, a meta description for a product page could be "Shop the latest smartphones at [Your Store Name], offering unbeatable prices and fast shipping."
Off-Page SEO
This focuses on actions taken outside your website to impact your rankings:
- Backlinks:
Getting other reputable websites to link to your site, which signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy and relevant. This could be from tech blogs, fashion influencers, or industry news sites.
- Social Media:
Being active on social media with your store’s page can drive traffic to your site and improve your online presence. Share your latest products, customer testimonials, and special promotions to engage with your audience.
Technical SEO
This ensures your website meets the technical requirements of search engines:
- Site Speed:
Making sure your website loads quickly. No one likes to wait, especially shoppers looking to make a purchase!
- Mobile-Friendliness:
Ensuring your site looks and works well on mobile devices. Many people shop online using their phones, so a mobile-friendly site is crucial.
- Secure Website (HTTPS):
Having a secure website that users (and search engines) can trust. This is especially important if you handle online transactions and customer data.
Some e-commerce businesses make 5x more profit than you!
We have studied the strategies of the best e-commerce businesses in the world. Replicate them now!
Which keywords should you target for your e-commerce business?
E-commerce business owners, like you, must target specific keywords in SEO because it helps your website appear in search results when potential customers look for the products or services you offer. This increases the chances that people will find and purchase from your online store.
For example, if you specialize in eco-friendly products, targeting keywords like "best eco-friendly products" or "sustainable products online" helps attract customers searching for those terms. This makes it easier for people interested in sustainable shopping to find your e-commerce site online.
Here are some keyword ideas for you. If you want a more developed strategy with actionable steps, go check out our strategy pack for e-commerce businesses.
| Keyword | Competitiveness Level | Tips and Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Best [Product Type] online | High | Optimize your website with high-quality images of products, gather customer reviews, list on popular e-commerce directories, and use SEO strategies tailored for online stores. |
| Where to buy [Product You Sell] | Medium | Create blog posts or pages on your website highlighting your best products, use keywords naturally in content, and engage with online influencers in your niche. |
| Top-rated [Product Type] near me | Medium | Use beautiful imagery of your products, gather positive customer reviews, and ensure your Google My Business profile is complete for local searches. |
| Best place to buy [Product Type] online | Medium | Feature specific product types prominently on your website (e.g., electronics, clothing), use SEO tactics, and promote specials on social media. |
| [Your Product Category] store online | High | Highlight unique aspects of your product category, create SEO-friendly content about your products, and engage with the online community. |
| Top-rated [Product Type] online | High | Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, optimize your website for mobile, and ensure accurate information on e-commerce listings. |
| Affordable [Product Type] online | Low | Highlight affordable options and specials on your website, use keywords related to value, and promote deals on social media. |
| Where to find [Product You Sell] online | Medium | Use SEO strategies, create content around popular products, and ensure your website is optimized for mobile users searching online. |
| Popular [Product Type] online | Medium | Use social media to share popular products, engage with online influencers, and gather customer testimonials to build credibility. |
| Best [Product Type] for families online | Low | Create family-friendly content, highlight products for families on your website, and host family-themed promotions to generate buzz. |
What really matters when you do SEO for an e-commerce business
Actually, we think that SEO often follows the 80/20 rule, meaning that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. For e-commerce business owners, like you, this means it's crucial to focus on the right strategies to maximize impact without feeling overwhelmed.
| Action / Initiative | Why It Matters / How It Helps Drive Sales |
|---|---|
| Optimize product listings with targeted keywords | Ensures your products appear in relevant search results, attracting customers actively looking for items you sell. |
| Gather and respond to customer reviews | Positive reviews build credibility and trust. Responding to reviews shows you value customer feedback, encouraging more purchases. |
| Create high-quality content with targeted keywords | Helps your website rank higher in search results for relevant queries, attracting customers looking for specific products or solutions. |
| Optimize for mobile SEO | Ensures your e-commerce site is easily accessible on mobile devices, providing a better user experience and increasing conversions. |
| Ensure website is mobile-friendly | Most users shop online using their phones. A mobile-friendly site provides a better user experience, leading to higher engagement and sales. |
| Use high-quality images of products | Attractive photos entice potential customers, showcasing your products in the best light, which can significantly influence their decision to buy. |
| Include detailed product descriptions with keywords | Allows search engines to index your products, helping you appear in searches for specific items, and makes it easy for customers to understand what you offer. |
| List your business on relevant online directories | Increases your online presence and backlinks, improving your search engine ranking and making it easier for customers to find you. |
| Engage with industry bloggers and influencers | Generates buzz and word-of-mouth, reaching a wider audience and attracting customers who trust these voices. |
| Promote special offers and discounts | Creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging potential customers to make a purchase for unique deals. |
| Utilize social media to share updates and engage with customers | Builds a community around your brand, keeps customers informed about new products, and drives traffic to your website. |
| Ensure accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all platforms | Prevents confusion, helps search engines trust your business information, and improves your local SEO ranking. |
| Offer easy and secure online payment options | Makes it convenient for customers to complete their purchases, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction. |
| Create blog posts about your products and industry trends | Attracts visitors to your site through informative and engaging content, improving SEO and showcasing what makes your e-commerce business unique. |
Copy the tactics of the best e-commerce businesses in the world!
There are e-commerce businesses that make way more money than you do. We have studied their tactics. Get them now!
What is always useless when you do SEO for an e-commerce business
We have studied a lot of e-commerce businesses when we built our strategy pack and we saw a lot of SEO-related initiatives that don't help attract new customers. We explain here why they might be a waste of time or even counterproductive.
| Action / Initiative | Why It Doesn't Matter / How It Doesn't Help Bring New Customers |
|---|---|
| Using meta keyword tags | Search engines no longer use meta keyword tags to rank pages, so focusing on them doesn't improve SEO for your e-commerce site. |
| Keyword stuffing in product descriptions | Overusing keywords in product descriptions makes them hard to read and can be penalized by search engines, turning away potential customers. |
| Paying for backlinks from unrelated websites | Backlinks from non-relevant or low-quality websites don't improve your SEO and can even hurt your ranking if considered spammy by search engines. |
| Using exact match domains like bestshoesonline.com | Having an exact match domain has minimal impact on SEO and can appear spammy, especially if it doesn't reflect your brand well. |
| Creating multiple pages for the same product | Duplicate content confuses search engines and can dilute your SEO efforts. Focus on one high-quality page for each unique product or category. |
| Using Flash for product galleries | Flash is outdated, not supported by many devices, and negatively impacts SEO. Modern alternatives like HTML5 should be used instead. |
| Focusing only on desktop optimization | Many customers shop on mobile devices. Ignoring mobile optimization leads to poor user experience and lower search rankings. |
| Using automated link-building tools | These tools often create low-quality or spammy links that can be penalized by search engines, hurting your e-commerce site's SEO efforts. |
| Ignoring structured data for products | Structured data helps search engines understand your products better. Ignoring it means missing out on potential SEO benefits like rich snippets. |
| Not updating your product listings regularly | Outdated product information can frustrate customers and harm your SEO. Regular updates keep content relevant and maintain search rankings. |
| Using irrelevant stock photos on your site | Low-quality or irrelevant images can negatively impact user experience and SEO. Use high-quality photos of your actual products. |
| Over-optimizing anchor text in links | Using exact match keywords for every link appears unnatural and can be penalized by search engines. Use varied, natural anchor text instead. |
| Ignoring page load speed for your website | Slow-loading pages frustrate users and can lead to higher bounce rates, negatively impacting your e-commerce site's SEO. Ensure your site loads quickly. |
| Using too many ads above the fold on your homepage | Too many ads at the top of the page can be off-putting for users and may be penalized by search engines, impacting your SEO negatively. |
Should you pay someone for the SEO of your e-commerce business?
Well, let's be transparent. Here’s the thing: SEO can get pretty complex, and having some support can really make a difference. Imagine trying to juggle running your e-commerce business, managing inventory, keeping customers happy, and then on top of that, diving into the world of search engine optimization. It’s a lot, right?
Having someone handle your SEO means you can focus on what you do best—running your e-commerce store. SEO experts know the ins and outs of getting your website to rank higher on search engines. They stay updated on the latest trends and algorithms, which means your site will be optimized correctly and consistently. This can lead to more people finding your online store, and ultimately, more sales.
- But here’s the kicker: there are a lot of low-hanging fruits in SEO that you can tackle on your own, even if you don’t know much about it.
You will find a lot of low-hanging fruits that cost nothing, are quick to implement, and will make your e-commerce website much more visible in strategy pack for e-commerce owners.
Simple actions like optimizing your product descriptions, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, and using relevant keywords can significantly improve your online presence. These tasks don't require deep technical knowledge but can make a big impact.
So, should you increase the marketing budget of your e-commerce business and pay someone to manage your SEO? If you can do it, it’s a worthwhile investment. But don't underestimate what you can achieve on your own. Start with the basics, see the results, and then decide if you need more specialized help.
Make your e-commerce business more profitable
We have studied the strategies of the best e-commerce businesses in the world. All their tactics are explained in our pack!
Useful tools e-commerce business owners can use for their SEO
Here are some essential tools that our team has collected and listed, to help you improve your e-commerce business's online presence and SEO.
| Tool | How It's Useful |
|---|---|
| Google My Business | Ensures your e-commerce store appears in local search results and Google Maps, provides essential information (hours, location, products), and collects customer reviews. |
| SEMrush | Helps identify the best keywords for your e-commerce site, analyze competitors, and track your search rankings. Provides insights to improve your content and visibility. |
| Yext | Manages your e-commerce store's listings across multiple directories, ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information to boost local SEO. |
| Google Search Console | Monitors your e-commerce website's performance, identifies issues, and provides data on search traffic and keywords to optimize your SEO strategy. |
| Yelp | Collects customer reviews and ratings, which improve your e-commerce store's online reputation and visibility in local search results. |
| BrightLocal | Offers tools for local SEO audits, citation building, and review management, helping your e-commerce store improve its local search presence. |
| Moz | Provides keyword research, link building, and site audit tools to enhance your e-commerce store's SEO efforts and improve search engine rankings. |
| Ahrefs | Analyzes your e-commerce store's backlink profile, identifies top-performing content, and tracks keyword rankings to boost your SEO strategy. |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Crawls your e-commerce website to identify technical SEO issues, such as broken links and duplicate content, helping improve site health and rankings. |
| AnswerThePublic | Generates content ideas by showing what people are searching for related to your e-commerce store, helping you create relevant and engaging blog posts and pages. |
| Canva | Helps create visually appealing social media posts and graphics for your website, which can improve user engagement and indirectly boost SEO. |
| Hotjar | Provides insights into user behavior on your e-commerce website through heatmaps and session recordings, helping you optimize user experience and reduce bounce rates. |
Copy the SEO tactics of the best e-commerce business owners
We understand why many e-commerce business owners might shy away from SEO and digital marketing.
Running an e-commerce store is already a full-time job, and the concept of SEO can seem vague and foreign. The terminology can be confusing, and it often feels like marketing is a luxury only big corporations can afford.
Plus, there's the constant worry about costs and whether any marketing efforts will actually pay off. We get that you prefer to focus on immediate, tangible improvements to your store rather than dive into something that seems complicated and uncertain. No need to deteriorate your e-commerce budget here.
That's why we've created a "marketing pack" specifically for e-commerce business owners like you.
Our pack is designed to address all these concerns head-on. It includes easy-to-follow guides that break down SEO and digital marketing into simple steps, so you don't need to be a tech expert to understand. We offer cost-effective strategies that fit within tight budgets, and our step-by-step plans ensure that you can implement a good marketing strategy for your e-commerce store without feeling overwhelmed.
Plus, we've included real-life examples and tips that have worked for other small e-commerce businesses, so you can see the tangible benefits before you even start.
Our goal is to make marketing accessible and practical, helping your e-commerce business thrive without adding extra stress to your already busy life.
Your e-commerce business could make more money!
Most e-commerce business owners don't know how to grow their business. Let us teach you the right strategies.
