SEO in Ecommerce Means Turning Clicks Into Conversions

In today's high-speed online marketplace, having a great product is no longer good enough. Since 37.5% of all online purchases start with an organic search, there is no question you need a solid SEO strategy for ecommerce in order to compete.

With the explosion of e-commerce, after all, the competition is fiercer than it has ever been; a digital storefront is no longer enough to set any business apart.

The secret sauce? SEO for ecommerce. Whether you’re a marketing veteran, a content creator re-launching an online store, or a business owner looking to increase sales, the right SEO strategies can turn clicks into conversions.

Are you interested in all the key SEO tactics that can boost the visibility of the website, increase engagement, and improve sales? To turn your e-commerce website into a shopper magnet, we’ve compiled some of the best SEO strategies you can make use of for an e-commerce website.

SEO for Ecommerce Key Takeaways

• Ecommerce SEO strategies focus on improving search visibility and increasing conversions.

• Proper SEO practices for ecommerce websites can significantly enhance user experience, site traffic, and sales.

• From keyword research to technical SEO, every step plays a vital role in boosting an ecommerce store's performance.

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Table of Contents

• What SEO for Ecommerce Means

• 7 Ecommerce Google Search Hotspots

• 8 Steps to Ecommerce SEO Success

  • Keyword Research for Ecommerce

  • Optimize Ecommerce Site Structure

  • Identify and Fix Technical SEO Issues

  • Optimize On-Page Elements

  • Build Backlinks

  • Off-Page Optimizations

  • Optimize for Mobile

  • Conduct Local SEO

• The Power of SEO Ecommerce

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What SEO for Ecommerce Websites Means

What is SEO for ecommerce, anyway? Are there special SEO strategies for ecommerce?

SEO for e-commerce has become one of the most important ways to get noticed in the swarm of digital stores. It brings visibility to your website when done right, boosting conversion rates.

From product page SEO to outranking huge marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart, ecommerce businesses have to take care of unique challenges related to SEO. For an ecommerce store to be successful, site structure, content, and off-page strategies need to be optimized with search engines, while user needs are also taken into consideration.

In fact, according to a Search Engine Journal study, Google’s algorithm increasingly favors ecommerce sites with user-generated content, so many businesses are rethinking their approach to SEO.

Want to learn more about the other ways you can improve your SEO ranking? Check out our in-depth guide for all the details.

Use dynamic content strategies like personalized product recommendations based on browsing history or location. This improves user experience and increases conversion rates.

7 Ecommerce Google Search Hotspots

Search engine results pages have transformed over the years, especially in ecommerce. Google’s layout for shopping queries now resembles an Amazon-like experience. It offers multiple entry points for consumers. Each section brings unique opportunities for ecommerce sites to gain visibility.

Google has plenty of guidance for ecommerce webmasters seeking higher rankings. The Google Merchant Center features an online knowledge base that explains how Google for ecommerce works, as well as how to get started. 

It’s important to reiterate a recent change in Google’s search ranking results. Google is elevating more ecommerce websites and those featuring user-generated content as it reduces the visibility of product review and affiliate marketing sites. That gives ecommerce sites a chance to gain more visibility, traffic, and ultimately sales. 

So, in exactly what ways does Google display ecommerce search results? They appear in seven common hotspots. 

1. Popular Products

The Popular Products section highlights trending items based on relevance, ratings, and consumer interest. Google’s algorithms analyze aggregated data like searches and reviews to showcase products with high demand. 

It presents a great opportunity for ecommerce stores to get their best-selling or highly rated products in front of shoppers actively searching for related items.

Consumers use this section to quickly compare popular options across multiple retailers, saving time by viewing product details like price, reviews, and availability in one place. You further increase your chances of being featured here by ensuring your products have solid reviews and competitive pricing.

2. Google Shopping

Google Shopping showcases products from multiple retailers with images, prices, and vendor information. Items in this section are either paid ads or organic listings from retailers using Google Merchant Center. It allows businesses to increase visibility by ensuring their products are listed correctly and optimized.

Consumers often rely on Google Shopping to compare product prices, features, and reviews without having to visit each retailer individually. This streamlines the buying process and encourages quick purchasing decisions, especially when products are competitively priced.

3. Organic Search

Organic search results appear based on the relevance of a webpage to the user’s query, rather than paid advertising. Ecommerce sites that optimize their product pages with the right keywords, descriptions, and images can secure prime positions in organic search results.

Shoppers trust organic results because they aren't influenced by paid advertising. They use these listings to find retailers offering the products they need, compare prices, and read reviews. It’s essential that ecommerce businesses optimize their content for better search rankings.

4. More Products

The More Products section shows additional options beyond the top search results. Google aims to provide users with variety, offering relevant but less prominently displayed products for consumers seeking more choices.

Shoppers scroll to this section when the initial results don’t meet their needs. That gives ecommerce stores a second chance to capture attention with products that may not have appeared in higher-ranking sections.

5. Deals

Google’s Deals section highlights promotions, discounts, and sales. Products featured here typically have significant price reductions or special offers, pulled from data provided by retailers through Google Merchant Center.

Consumers looking for savings rely on this section to find current discounts. Featuring your products in the Deals section can help capture bargain-hunters who are ready to make a purchase based on an attractive price.

6. People Also Buy From  

This feature shows retailers that consumers often turn to after searching for a specific item. It leverages aggregated purchase data to direct shoppers toward trusted retailers who offer similar products.

Consumers use this section to explore popular and reputable options, giving ecommerce businesses a chance to gain more visibility by establishing trust and providing consistent stock or competitive alternatives.

7. Fast Pickup or Delivery

Products listed in the Fast Pickup or Delivery section highlight items available for quick fulfillment, either through local store pickup or expedited shipping. Google gathers this data from retailers based on local inventory and delivery options.

Consumers seeking fast access to products use this section to find items they can receive or pick up the same day, making it crucial for businesses with physical stores or partnerships with delivery services to optimize for fast fulfillment.

SEO for Ecommerce Sites in 8 Steps

To succeed in the competitive world of ecommerce, businesses must implement a strong SEO strategy that covers everything from keyword research to ecommerce optimization for sites. 

A well-optimized ecommerce site not only improves search visibility but also drives conversions and customer engagement. 

Looking for ecommerce SEO best practices? The following eight steps outline the essential SEO tactics every ecommerce store needs to implement for long-term success.

1. Keyword Research for Ecommerce: Where to Begin

Ecommerce keyword research is different from traditional SEO. Your keywords should match user intent while fitting your product line. 

Other goals that lead to successful keyword optimization include:

• Provide enough versatility to attract the target buyer – the person most likely to buy

• Fit with the competition – a keyword that’s too simplistic or specific may be too hard to rank for in the search engines because others are doing the same thing

• Help with branding and recognition of your product

• Match your budget when it comes to advertising

It’s never wise to skip SEO keyword research. Even if you know your product or service well, chances are good you don’t know everything relevant that’s being typed into the search engines.

For businesses with a diverse product range, long-tail keywords can drive more targeted traffic. According to Moz, long-tail searches account for 70% of all web searches, offering more specific, buyer-intent-driven opportunities for ecommerce stores.

For more hints on optimizing keywords, check out our top keyword research tips to keep in mind.

Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Keyword Planner can provide valuable insights into what customers are searching for. Likewise, competitor analysis helps identify which keywords rival businesses are targeting, letting you refine your strategy. 

Other popular tools and SEO for online stores strategies include:

• Amazon keyword research to determine if customers are buying your products on Amazon (and how they are doing so). Try employing tools like Jungle Scout or Helium 10.

• Competitor keyword research to find out what your local and web-based competitors are using tools like SEMrush or Spyfu.

• Vazoola’s free keyword research tool provides a great basis for keyword research at no cost.

• Keywords Everywhere is a low-cost browser extension that provides keyword data like search volume, CPC, and competition across multiple websites. 

• Ubersuggest is a free and user-friendly tool that generates keyword ideas based on a seed keyword. It also provides competitive analysis and domain metrics

• Google Trends is a free tool from Google that shows search trends over time. Ecommerce businesses can use it to identify seasonal keyword opportunities and spot emerging trends in their industry.

• Answer the Public is another free tool that generates keyword ideas in the form of questions and topics that people are searching for. It's useful for uncovering long-tail keywords and creating content that directly answers customer queries.

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2. Optimize Ecommerce Site Structure

Optimizing your ecommerce site structure is essential for improving both user experience and search engine rankings. A well-organized site allows visitors to easily navigate and find products while helping Google understand and index your pages. 

Clear categories, intuitive navigation, and fast load times are key to a successful ecommerce site structure. For best results:

• Organize products into a clear category hierarchy, with logical categories and subcategories to simplify navigation.

• Use internal links to connect related products and pages, helping users explore and improve SEO.

• Use descriptive URLs. Keep URLs short, readable, and keyword-rich for better user and search engine understanding.

• Implement breadcrumbs for easy site navigation and improved crawlability by search engines.

• Ensure your site is optimized for mobile users with simple menus and easy navigation on smaller screens.

Automate internal linking between product pages and blog content using AI-powered tools to create a more interconnected site structure that boosts rankings and improves user navigation.

3. Identify and Fix Technical SEO Issues

Technical SEO is vital for ecommerce success. It ensures your site is both user-friendly and optimized for search engines. But it's often an element that is overlooked. 

Regular SEO audits help identify common issues that can impact rankings and user experience. That lets you fix them before they cause significant problems.

A few common technical SEO issues to be on the lookout for include:

• Slow page load times lead to high bounce rates. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify and fix performance issues, such as uncompressed images or excessive JavaScript.

• Broken links harm SEO and frustrate users. Use tools like Google Search Console to detect and fix broken links, ensuring all your product pages remain accessible.

• Duplicate content can confuse search engines. Address this by using canonical tags or consolidating product pages with similar content to avoid penalties.

• Ensure your XML sitemap includes all relevant pages and that your robots.txt file doesn’t block important content from being indexed.

• Mobile optimization is crucial, especially with Google’s mobile-first indexing. Use tools like SEMrush to identify and fix usability issues for mobile users.

4. Optimize Your On-Page Elements

On-page SEO is key to making your product pages visible and engaging. Optimizing elements like meta titles, product descriptions, and image alt texts with targeted keywords ensures that your pages rank higher in search results. 

Detailed, keyword-rich descriptions help users find exactly what they’re looking for while improving your site’s overall search visibility. Proper on-page optimization enhances user experience and drives more conversions.

A few other ways to optimize on-page elements include:

• Ensure keywords fit your products specifically.

• Use long-tail keywords as well as specific keywords to attract a larger audience and capture more targeted traffic.

• Place keywords in key areas like meta descriptions, alt text for images, and headers to improve search relevance and user experience.

• Avoid keyword stuffing. Overusing keywords can harm readability and limit your ranking potential with search engines.

• Stay updated with evolving keyword strategies to remain competitive and ensure ongoing optimization.

• Optimize images by compressing them for faster load times and using descriptive file names and alt text for better search visibility.

• Enhance product descriptions with detailed, keyword-rich content that informs customers while helping search engines understand the relevance of your offerings.

Leverage schema markup for your product pages to enhance rich results in SERPs, making your listings stand out with features like price, reviews, and availability.

5. Build Backlinks

Ready for some easy link building for ecommerce sites? You can boost your SEO efforts by employing untapped link building techniques in ecommerce. Building backlinks is one of the most critical components of SEO. It directly influences your site’s domain authority and search rankings. 

For ecommerce businesses, a well-rounded backlink strategy not only drives traffic but also establishes trust with search engines. While the process of outreach and securing backlinks can be complex, leveraging the right ecommerce link building tactics can set your online store apart. 

Want to know how to build backlinks for ecommerce? For an in-depth guide – and plenty of ecommerce link building ideas – check out Vazoola’s Ultimate Guide to Link Building, which explains how to do outreach and get positive results. It’s a quick guide to ecommerce link building strategies… and more. 

Beyond our guide, there are several advanced link building tactics ecommerce sites and other ecommerce link building ideas can use to build quality backlinks. Ecommerce link building strategy options include:

• Employ product page broken link building. Identify broken links on external websites that could be pointing to your products or similar ones. Offer your product page as a replacement to the broken link. 

• Analyze your competitors’ backlinks to discover which sites are linking to them. You can then reach out to these sites with your own relevant content or products.

• Target blogs and websites that compile “best of” lists or product roundups. For example, if your ecommerce site sells outdoor gear, reaching out to a site compiling the “Best Hiking Backpacks” and pitching your product could earn you a spot in their content along with a valuable backlink.

• Leverage customer reviews. Encouraging customers to leave reviews on third-party sites or their own blogs is an organic way to build backlinks. 

• Take advantage of directory listings. Submitting your site to high-quality business directories, especially those specific to your industry, can provide valuable backlinks. Directories such as Yelp, Trustpilot, or industry-specific listings help build authority and improve local SEO if your business has a physical presence.

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6. Other Off-Page Optimizations 

Off-page SEO for ecommerce, also known as SEO for online retailers, involves activities outside your website that impact your search engine rankings. It plays a crucial role in ecommerce success. 

One key element is building a strong Google Business Profile to boost visibility, especially if you have physical locations. This helps with local SEO and improves trust with potential customers. 

Maintaining an active social media presence likewise supports brand awareness and drives traffic. While social media links don’t directly impact SEO rankings, they help increase brand exposure and lead to natural backlinks from other sites.

Engaging with your audience through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest can help showcase products, encourage user-generated content, and keep your brand top of mind. The strategy can result in increased traffic, higher engagement, and potentially more backlinks as others reference your site. 

Combining these off-page efforts with on-page SEO for ecommerce websites can create a comprehensive strategy that elevates your ecommerce business.

7. Optimize for Mobile

Mobile optimization is no longer optional. As of the second quarter of 2024, smartphones constituted 77% of retail site traffic globally. They also were responsible for generating two-thirds of online shopping orders. It’s therefore absolutely essential to cater to mobile users. 

Ensuring that your ecommerce site is fully responsive and loads quickly on mobile screens is key to capturing mobile traffic and reducing bounce rates. A mobile-friendly site design should include features like simple navigation, clear call-to-action buttons, and a fast, secure checkout process.

Mobile users often abandon carts due to poor mobile experiences, so optimizing checkout for speed and ease of use is critical for improving conversion rates. Plus, AMP, Accelerated Mobile Pages, can help speed up mobile page load times for a better overall user experience and potentially boosted site’s rankings.

8. Conduct Local SEO

Even if your ecommerce business operates primarily online, local SEO can still benefit you, especially if you have a physical location or offer local pickup options. 

Shoppers often search for nearby businesses, even when planning to make online purchases. By optimizing for local keywords, setting up a Google My Business profile, and encouraging customer reviews, you can increase visibility in local searches and attract customers who prefer shopping online but want to support businesses in their area.

Local SEO is especially important for businesses offering services or products tied to a specific location, such as same-day delivery or in-store pickup. Including location-specific content and keywords on your site, like city or neighborhood names, helps boost your presence in local search results and ensures your business appears in "near me" searches.

Feel you don’t have the time or skill to engage in successful local SEO? Let Vazoola’s experts take your ecommerce local SEO to new heights. 

Implement hreflang tags if your ecommerce store serves multiple regions or languages so the correct version of your site appears in localized search results.

The Power of SEO Ecommerce

Mastering SEO ecommerce is all about driving traffic, visibility, and ultimately converting those visitors into customers. But it can be a challenge – even with our ecommerce SEO tips. 

From optimizing your site structure and on-page elements to building value with backlinks and engaging off-page, each step you take plays a crucial role in the success of your store. After all, in such competitive online competition, a well-rounded approach to SEO is more than a tool – it's a necessity.

With ecommerce continuing to grow, the businesses that stand out and thrive will be the ones investing in effective SEO. The question now remains, will your business be one of those? 

Ready to take your SEO to a whole new level and drive conversions? Vazoola can help create a winning strategy for you. Contact us today to learn how we can take your ecommerce site to the next level. Our team will help you successfully implement SEO for ecommerce stores.

Utilize A/B testing for meta descriptions and title tags on high-traffic product pages to refine click-through rates by determining what messaging resonates best with your audience.