SEO for e-commerce

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves optimizing a website for search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others. The goal of optimizing an online store is to achieve top rankings in search results for queries related to specific services or products. Being in the top ten results (TOP10) significantly increases the chances of users clicking the link to the company’s website. This, in turn, can attract new users and, ultimately, customers!

SEO for an online store has become a priority for entrepreneurs aiming to strengthen their presence in the digital world, especially in the post-pandemic reality. The e-commerce sector is growing at an unprecedented pace, increasing competitiveness. Surpassing a multitude of similar offers requires a well-thought-out strategy, consistent actions, and patience. SEO for an online store takes longer than promoting products through paid campaigns. However, its effects are more stable and long-lasting.

Effective ranking of an online store can significantly improve domain visibility, increase traffic, boost sales figures, and achieve business goals. Key to this process are keywords, meticulously selected during the SEO strategy for the online store. These phrases, used on the website, promote the products or services most crucial to the business while precisely targeting potential customers. By meeting their specific needs, you can present your products thoughtfully displayed on virtual shelves.

What is Ranking in Google All About?

The competition for top positions in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages, displayed by search engines in response to specific user queries) goes far beyond simply optimizing headers and texts with the right keywords.

Key elements of success in Google include:

• Proper website structure
• Website optimization (in terms of both UX and SEO)
• Site speed
• An attractive link profile

Effective online store SEO is a long-term process involving visibility analysis, error elimination, and the creation of 301 redirects to harness the full potential of the domain. The quality of the positioned site itself, including its responsiveness, is also critical.

The process of online store Search Engine Optimization can be divided into two key stages:

Technical Optimization – This includes crafting engaging descriptions and titles, as well as improving user experience. Key factors include site loading speed, responsiveness, and a refined linking strategy (both internal and external).

Content Marketing Optimization – Focused on delivering content tailored to specific keywords. Think broadly – diverse materials should spark curiosity, answer potential customers’ questions, and provide convincing arguments for choosing your offering.

Important!

Content marketing should address the entire purchase cycle, from the first interaction with your offer to the completion of the transaction and subsequent use of the product.

Another priority is ensuring the proper structure of the website (headers). These elements make navigating the website easier, increasing the chances of purchase completion and enhancing recognition by Google bots.

E-commerce is a fast-moving engine that gained extra momentum during the pandemic. New online stores are emerging rapidly, and there is no indication that this trend will slow down.

What does this mean for e-entrepreneurs? Above all, an even greater challenge to stand out with their offer amidst growing competition and higher costs of acquiring new customers. In such circumstances, good optimization of an online store is one of the stable pillars on which e-commerce success can be built.

When competition is this fierce, the deciding factors often lie in small details. These can include a persuasive product description, high-quality images, a streamlined purchase process, a more competitive price (becoming increasingly critical in times of rampant inflation), convenient delivery options, or, for more expensive products, attractive financing solutions. Yet, effective online store ranking requires even more than these elements.

Today’s customer is also highly demanding when it comes to the speed of meeting their needs. When they type a query into a search engine, they expect a list of companies that not only offer the desired product but can deliver it quickly. The stakes are high, and only the best make it to the top – specifically, the peak of Google’s search results.

Do you want to be there? Invest in SEO Services for your online store.

Alternatively, you can choose to do nothing and rely on luck. The choice is yours.

An appealing e-commerce design, fast page loading, intuitive navigation, mobile responsiveness, and a clear, comprehensive product offering are key factors affecting the attractiveness of an online store. These elements are particularly crucial for users exploring its features and offerings.

But how do you attract visitors to your e-commerce site who are not yet aware of your business? One of the most effective and efficient solutions for generating quality traffic is online store optimization. Its advantages include a low entry threshold for investment and potentially high returns. So, where should you begin with online store optimization strategy?

The key to a successful online store is visibility on the web, particularly in search engines like Google. To rank highly for a wide range of keywords, you need to prioritize proper store optimization. Ideally, this should be planned even before the website’s launch, during the design phase.

Building an online store starts with choosing a platform that supports all your operational needs. While inventory management and seamless payment options are important, they’re not sufficient if your goal is to run a business that performs well in search engines. Not all platforms allow full flexibility for optimization, such as unrestricted changes to settings or template code. So, what should you focus on?

Below are the most important guidelines for online stores (including typical e-commerce sites and those promoting services).

User-Friendly URLs

Many popular e-commerce platforms still do not offer full flexibility in customizing subpage addresses. It is therefore advisable to select a platform that allows URLs to be as user-friendly as possible, for example: store-name.com/blue-baby-blanket.html instead of store-name.com/category/subcategory/123-blue_blanket_121342thbkguad7y.html.

Ability to Modify Title and Meta Description

These two elements represent your store in search engine results. The ability to customize them individually for selected keywords significantly simplifies optimization and increases the likelihood of success in search rankings. A well-chosen title and description provide users with clear expectations of what the page offers, even while they are still browsing search results.

Headers H1, H2, H3, H4

If you’re serious about optimazing your online store, get acquainted with headers! Why? No one likes reading a “wall of text”—thousands of characters merged into one block. Content should be divided into visually appealing paragraphs, separated by headers like H1, H2, and H3. This structure improves readability and signals search engine crawlers about the topic of each section, enhancing the page’s SEO value.

Keyword Research for Your Online Store

This requires analyzing competitors and identifying what matters for your business. A crucial step in an online store’s SEO strategy is deciding whether to compete head-on using popular keywords or to focus on niche terms (or long-tail keywords) to build a stronghold in less crowded areas.

Keyword Research: A Critical Component for Online Store Success

Conducting systematic and regular keyword analysis is essential for understanding customer needs, optimizing website content, and improving ranking in Google search results. Where to start?

1. Define Your Target Audience
   Identify the group you want to reach with your advertising messages, e-commerce offers, or services. Study their main pain points, preferences, priorities, and communication style. This insight helps tailor your offerings to meet their needs effectively.
2. Create a List of Key Keywords
   Compile a list of essential keywords that align with what your potential customers are searching for and what your store offers. Focus on high-search-volume keywords with low competition, as they are the most effective for SEO.
3. Incorporate Local Searches
   Include local keywords in your strategy to attract customers from your region, enhancing your relevance to nearby shoppers.
4. Analyze Competitors
   Review which keywords your competitors are targeting and use this information to develop a unique SEO strategy for your online store.
5. Commit to Continuous Improvement
   Remember, consistency and diligence are vital. SEO for online stores is an ongoing process. Regularly assess your keywords and adjust your content and strategy accordingly to maintain relevance and visibility.

Tools that can help in keyword research

There are various tools that enable keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz Keyword Explorer, KWFinder, and many others. These tools allow you to discover popular searches, related phrases, competition, and search query volumes.

Content in e-commerce stores – key recommendations

Google is a text-based search engine, so valuable and interesting content on the page is essential. It is based on this content that search engine crawlers assess whether the website’s content matches the query entered into the search engine. It is worth mentioning here that we are referring to text available to them – visible in the page code and published on pages included in the indexing process.

Google’s crawlers prefer e-commerce websites that:

• Contain larger text blocks – the homepage should include at least 1000 characters (including spaces), while most subpages should contain 750 characters. Not every page needs this much content – it would be difficult, for instance, to artificially add this amount to a “contact” page.

The text posted in the e-commerce store should be unique and not appear on any other website, portal, directory, etc. This also applies to product descriptions, which are often duplicated in online stores (e.g., provided by the distributor and known to be approved by them). It is worth putting in the effort to create original and unique product descriptions that, in addition to their SEO advantages, can also capture the attention of a potential customer who won’t feel a sense of déjà vu (“I’ve read this somewhere before…”). Using the language of benefits is also effective.

The content posted in the e-commerce store should be separated by subheadings; this is to avoid the effect of a text “wall.” Any diversions in the form of headers, bolding sections of text, or other types of emphasis, including images, charts, links, etc., are welcomed by search engine crawlers. Of course, it is worth considering whether this fits our concept of presenting the offer. Using subheadings is certainly the easiest in terms of technical implementation and the visual design of the given page.

The text placed in your e-commerce store should be correct in terms of language, spelling, and style. It should also effectively use terms that potential customers are likely to use when searching for the products we offer – search engine crawlers will not display a website that does not contain the query in its content.

Good to know…

Google’s crawlers handle common spelling mistakes, so there is no need to introduce a variant of a word with incorrect spelling in the text published within the e-commerce store (which, in any case, would not leave a good impression on visitors to the website).

If possible, modify content and continuously enrich it – adding a new tab, description, additional information, etc., causes the website to be indexed more frequently by Google’s crawlers.

It is advisable to regularly add new texts to your e-commerce store. An obvious solution in this case is to add new products and create unique descriptions for them. Another method is to run a blog or add news to your website.

Important!

Avoid content duplication within your e-commerce store. Duplicated text brings no SEO benefits and can slow down the whole process. A duplicate is not a plagiarism. It refers to content being reproduced in different places on the internet, regardless of whether it was done voluntarily or the text was copied without knowledge or consent. Using ready-made texts provided by the manufacturer or distributor is often the most convenient solution from an organizational standpoint. However, if effective SEO is a priority, it’s worth preparing such content yourself.

Category Descriptions for the Store

A kind of “hello” directed at new users. It allows you to guide them through your world, i.e., the online store, tell its story, and create the right atmosphere. Once you get to know each other better and gain trust, it will be easier to offer solutions in the form of the products you provide.

The description of the e-commerce store category must be engaging, valuable, and… also optimized for SEO! Since the content typically spans 1500 – 2500 characters, it provides enough space to enrich the text with main keywords and headings.

Product Descriptions in Online Stores

A properly prepared product description in an online store brings many benefits, not just from an SEO perspective. It can also help users in making decisions during their shopping process.

When a customer browses through a traditional store, they rely on information from labels and tags, often basing their cart contents on a conversation with the salesperson. In the virtual world, all the information comes from the product page text.

Remember this when creating content for your website. Let it be interesting and comprehensively describe the product and the benefits of using it. Before creating the description, you may also consider what potential questions the customer might ask when typing them into the Google search bar. Make sure they find the answers on your website!

What are the characteristics of a good text prepared with the customer in mind?

• It accurately describes the appearance and functionality of the product.
• It provides answers to the most common questions and dispels popular doubts about the product.
• It is easy to read – includes headings, lists, and technical data is presented in a table. This format of information presentation is clear and positively influences the reception of the text.

When considering these same points from an SEO perspective, it is easy to see that a text written for the customer and for search engine bots is essentially the same:

• Detailed descriptions provide more space for keywords and their synonyms. A larger volume of text also allows for the expansion of the keyword pool to include long-tail keywords.
• The long-tail keywords point also connects with another aspect. Search engine users often enter questions directly into the search box. To better adapt the SERPs to their needs, Google introduced Featured Snippets, which are highlighted (above the top 10!) fragments containing an answer. By including appropriately formulated questions and answers on your page, you have a chance to appear above the competition.
• Google bots excel at reading HTML code and selecting data within it. Using keywords in headings like h1, h2, h3 indicates that these are the most important phrases on the page. In paragraphs containing the main content, keywords should be highlighted using bold text (strong). Lists and tables are additional elements that enhance the description and positively influence its reception by search engines.

A well-prepared description requires a significant amount of effort but is the right path to success in search engine results. Taking the “shortcut,” such as using product descriptions provided by manufacturers, works against you. The more popular the product, the higher the chance its description will be duplicated by competitors. Google does not look favorably on content duplication, and there is a risk that repeated duplicates may be removed from the search index. To avoid penalties, we encourage developing your own product description style and using it consistently across all product pages.

The language of benefits and clever wordplay are also invaluable. If you lack the talent for creating engaging text, you can always hire experts for content optimization.

Blog Content – Recommendations for Creating Blog Posts

A well-managed company blog is a simple (though admittedly labor-intensive) way to:

• Create content that informs Google bots about the website or store’s topics. It will help attract customers searching for information on a specific topic or product in search engines. When done thoughtfully and according to plan, it can have a positive impact on e-commerce SEO.
• Build trust and reinforce your position as an expert. A company blog with valuable information about the products offered in the store serves as confirmation that the e-commerce platform is trustworthy, and thus, it is worth using its services.

These two values are intertwined and it’s hard to determine whether a well-managed company blog increases the store’s credibility, with SEO improvement being a desirable side effect, or if, conversely, the blog simultaneously boosts the brand’s reputation as an expert and improves rankings for phrases related to the blog posts.

Content Ideas for Blogs in E-commerce:

• Comparison of top products from the same category.
• Comparison of products from the same category in different price ranges – for example, baby strollers under 300, 500, and 1000 PLN, with descriptions of their features.
• Product suggestions that address specific needs and solve concrete problems – for instance, computers for video editing, pressure washers, drones for filming, gloves for specific combat sports.
• How-to guides – how to perform a specific task using a given product/category of products – for example, rust removal from jewelry, installing security systems, and more, using products from the store’s assortment.
• Important company events – note: such posts should be published rarely and contain more than just a dry report. The truth is, even if a customer likes your store, they probably don’t care that your revenue increased by 21.37% last year or that the head of product development changed. Often, it’s better to avoid this type of content than to publish it in a stiff and uninspiring way. From an SEO perspective, such posts can potentially improve rankings for brand-related queries.

When writing blog posts, remember not only to choose interesting topics that align with customers’ expectations and interests but also to use proper structure and incorporate relevant keywords. This will help both search engine bots (and users!) find your published content. If you’re creating blog posts, make sure to do it well, for everyone’s benefit!

Subdomain or Subpage?

If you are wondering whether a subdomain or a subpage is the better option, we recommend that, from an SEO perspective, it’s better to have a blog as part of the main website, functioning as a subpage accessible under an address like www.company-name.com/blog.

Length of Blog Posts

The length of blog posts should be adapted to the topic, ensuring that the text feels complete and thoroughly addresses the given issue, while remaining concise and easy to read for the audience. Blog posts can vary in length, but as a general rule, the minimum length should be 1000-1200 characters (including spaces). The upper limit depends on the topic, its competitiveness, and the goal we want to achieve. On our blog, we occasionally publish texts that contain more than 20,000 characters with spaces!

Frequency of Publishing Blog Posts

There is no strict rule for how often blog posts should be published. They don’t have to appear daily or at perfectly regular intervals. We recommend publishing 4-7 unique posts per month, focusing more on their substance than on the frequency of publication. Longer posts that provide more information are generally better received by both readers and Google.

Using Keywords in Blog Posts

When writing blog posts, it is important to use the keywords selected for optimizing your site. Each post should contain at least 1-2 keywords that are being targeted. Avoid overusing a single keyword across multiple posts. The frequency of a keyword in a dedicated post should range from 1-3 occurrences, depending on the length of the text and the natural use of the keyword.

The keyword should be used in its base (non-inflected) form whenever possible and should not be separated by other words. Not every post needs to include keywords—use them when the post is genuinely related to the keyword you are optimizing for.

It’s also a good idea to use bold formatting for key expressions or the keywords themselves (use bold sparingly and naturally).

Text Structure

The preferred format for blog posts is to divide the text into paragraphs, blocks, and sections. A good idea is to use frames or informational boxes. The text on a blog should not visually appear as a solid block. To ensure natural and logical content division, it is helpful to use titles and subtitles (marked as h1, h2, h3, depending on the length and planned text structure). It is advisable that titles and subtitles (where possible) contain relevant keywords.

Internal and External Links

Blog posts can contain links (anchored in the text or graphics) leading to specific subpages or products related to the post’s content. If you plan to include links in your posts, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• A link does not need to be included in every post.
• It is recommended to add 1-2, and a maximum of 3 links per post; the number of links should be based on the length of the text (longer texts may have more links).
• Links can be added both in the text and in the graphics.
• If the blog contains external links (leading to other websites not owned by your company, such as other blogs or external shops), these should be marked as “nofollow.”

Adding Customer Reviews

Regularly adding unique content to your online store from an SEO perspective is a very good idea. A blog, news section, or customer reviews/testimonials section can serve as a means to update the page content.

In addition, displaying customer reviews on the homepage brings another advantage. It leverages social proof, which helps support purchasing decisions. If others have used your services and were satisfied, why not join the group of happy customers, right?

Why It’s Worth Adding New Content

Publishing new content related to the offerings presented on your website or in your online store can lead to better domain indexing by Google, which in turn can result in higher positions in the search engine results pages (SERPs). A website with more content and frequent updates is seen by Google as more valuable to users.

Including positive customer reviews within the store not only has obvious branding benefits but also allows you to incorporate industry-related keywords into the page content. It’s also a way to validate the quality of services provided, which can help customers make informed purchasing decisions.

Gathering positive reviews can also be easier and more convenient than managing a blog or news section. Not all types of businesses are suitable for blogging, but every business can receive reviews or testimonials.

Customer reviews can also be used for internal linking — these are links leading to specific subpages, products, or services mentioned in the review.

Image Optimization

Being one of the key elements addressed in the optimization of an online store. It involves adjusting the images used on the domain for search engines, ensuring they are properly displayed and processed. The goal of optimization is to improve the visibility of the website in search results and enhance the user experience while browsing the content. The latter significantly impacts the bounce rate and the finalization of transactions.

What should be particularly considered when optimizing images in e-commerce? Among others:

1. File size and format – in this case, less means more! As long as there is no loss of quality. A lighter file will not burden the website and will not negatively impact the time required for it to load completely. And that’s definitely a plus! Just make sure to use the correct formats – JPEG for photos and PNG for vector graphics.
2. File names and alt tags – the file name should describe the content of the image, and the alt tag should contain a brief description of the image.
3. Description and tags – they should be included in the product description and tags to make them easier for search engine bots to find.
4. Mobile compatibility – it is essential to ensure that images are properly optimized for mobile devices, so the website is easy to browse on phones and tablets. This is an absolute must-have nowadays.

Access to Files (FTP)

When choosing an online platform without FTP access, we are limited to what the purchased subscription allows and the goodwill of the provider’s technical support. Sometimes, this solution works, for example, when there is a need to perform a larger number of URL redirects, and cooperation proceeds without issues. Such an option can certainly be considered by small businesses not working with a team of IT specialists.

For larger stores, a better solution would be a platform that provides access to its files at any time, without being dependent on the working hours of the helpdesk.

This refers to building a network of links leading to the targeted website. When a site receives numerous links, the algorithm considers it valuable based on “digital social proof.”

Link building is a time-consuming process. It requires continuous monitoring and adjustment of strategies. It is crucial to remember to create valuable content and promote your store in a natural and Google-compliant manner.

Link Building Guidelines for E-commerce Stores

Links must meet two conditions to have a noticeable and positive impact on the ranking of an e-commerce store:

Links can technically have several parameters, but the most important ones are two: dofollow and nofollow. The difference between them is invisible from the user’s perspective – both types are “clickable” redirects to the target page. However, bots interpret them differently depending on the parameter – dofollow links “encourage” crawlers to move to the final page, while nofollow links are ignored.

Another crucial factor is the “authority” of the site where the link is placed. Not all links are equal – a link published on a well-established, respected website with many subpages will have much greater SEO strength than a micro-site that just appeared on the internet and has no backlinks.

Link building for e-commerce store requires additional actions that will help you acquire truly valuable backlinks. These include:

• Creating valuable content on your company’s website.
• Maintaining relationships – In business, just like in life, if you have valuable partners, you can mutually support each other. In SEO for stores, this could involve mutual linking.
• Collaborating with bloggers – Experts in your industry who can voice important opinions, assess your services, or give interviews on how to optimize business actions for better results.
• Utilizing the power of social media – Do you have an interesting offer? Do you provide valuable content? Announce it on your company profiles on social media channels. If you create truly spectacular campaigns or posts, they will spread naturally!
• Listing in directories – Although not the most popular form of link acquisition, it can still bring significant benefits. Just be sure to focus on directories that are genuinely related to your business profile.
• Generating reviews – An ideal place for both external and internal linking (you can link to the evaluated products or services).

How to Use Social Media for Acquiring Backlinks to Your Store

The power of social media is immense. You can use it to promote your brand, acquire new customers, and gain valuable backlinks. To do so, collaborate with influencers who are well-known in your industry. Their recommendations or mentions of your brand, with proper linking, will positively impact the SEO of your e-commerce store and increase traffic to your domain.

Invite business partners to collaborate as well. Mentioning the scope of your collaboration on social media can be a good step to later request backlinks on the partner’s site. The principle of reciprocity works!

Additionally, provide interesting content on your company’s profiles. This increases interest in your brand and the chances of your post being shared. The more people who see it, the greater the reach!

Social media also allows for the use of hashtags. Through this filtering, you can reach users who are genuinely interested in the topic of your business and your offer.

Technical SEO refers to the optimization of the website’s structure and functionality in order to improve the visibility of the online store in search engine results. For e-commerce, this is crucial, as properly implemented technical optimization can lead to increased traffic to the site, which in turn contributes to higher conversions and sales.

Below, we provide a detailed description of the key elements of technical SEO for e-commerce stores.

E-commerce Store Engine – One of the Key Aspects

Before deciding on a specific e-commerce engine, conduct a thorough research. There are many options available on the market, each differing in the functionalities of the tools they offer. These features impact not only the user experience but also SEO. Choose an engine that allows for easy product description addition, creation of user-friendly URLs, site maps, integration with analytical tools, responsiveness, and, above all, guarantees security!

Website Architecture

Website architecture refers to how a website is designed and organized. This includes how the site is divided into sections, categories, subpages, or articles. The goal is the ease of navigation on the e-commerce site, both for users and Google bots.

When discussing website architecture, we also refer to content management tools and functionalities available to users.

User-friendly Subpage URLs

These contribute to the ease of navigating between sections, finding desired content, and receiving higher rankings on Google. It is beneficial to include keywords that are important from the perspective of the business or the promoted product.

Structured Data in E-commerce Store Optimization

Rich Snippets is another method to highlight your website in search results, especially useful for e-commerce stores. Using this option allows you to display more data in the search engine results pages (SERPs), thus increasing click-through rates and sales revenue.

Displaying a detailed description depends on the presence of structured data on your site. Tags, known as “schema,” can be placed in the code in several ways:

• RDF
• Microdata
• Replace bullets
• JSON-LD

Each of these allows you to describe specific elements within the site, particularly on product pages. Thanks to schema.org, you can add information about price, reviews in the form of stars, and product availability to the search engine.

What other structured data should you include?

Using schema.org tags, Google can also learn more detailed characteristics of each item in your store’s inventory. For example, schema.org/Product provides tags that highlight information such as the product’s weight, length, condition (especially useful for used items), and awards the product has received.

Properly implemented tags also allow for the display of breadcrumbs instead of a link in the description of your store in search results—for example, domain.com › Polish › High School, instead of http://domain.com/text/-henryk_sienkiewicz-biography. Breadcrumbs are a type of navigation that helps users and web crawlers understand where in your site they are when searching for specific information.

How to Implement Structured Data?

Using schema.org tags does not guarantee they will always be considered by Google whenever they appear in search results, but they can have an indirect impact on the overall rating of the page. Utilizing Rich Snippets is not complicated, especially since the latest updates to the most popular e-commerce engines and platforms allow adding the key elements to the code of the page.

To test the functionality of structured data on your website, use the tools provided by Google – the data tagging assistant. You can verify the correctness of the data entered here.

Dynamic XML Sitemap

Every larger e-commerce store should include a module for the sitemap.xml, which is dynamically generated and takes into account any changes in product availability. The sitemap helps Google’s bots navigate the site and index its content.

Mobile Version of the Store

Today, the world is at our fingertips, thanks to smartphones that accompany us almost around the clock. Need directions? Buying tickets? Purchasing a dress for a special event? Or maybe checking a recipe for effective e-commerce store SEO? 🙂

All of this and much more can be found in the virtual world. If you run an online business, you must be accessible in this space. Ensure your website is easy to browse on mobile devices, or risk falling behind in the business world.

Every engine and template of the store must be optimized for mobile devices with different screen sizes. This ensures you remain in constant touch with your audience and future customers.

Google’s preferences lean towards websites that meet the requirements and needs of mobile devices. These sites allow users to easily browse content and make purchases, for example, using a smartphone.

Websites, including e-commerce stores, that fail to meet these requirements will likely see their rankings weakened, not only in mobile search results. To check whether your e-commerce store meets mobile requirements, you can perform a simple test. A commonly used tool for this is Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, available at https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

If your e-commerce store does not meet mobile requirements, immediate improvements should be made—for the benefit of your site.

Speed of the E-commerce Store and Core Web Vitals

Modern customers are not patient. If a page they want to visit takes too long to load (think… several seconds!), they are likely to leave quickly. No wonder e-commerce store owners prioritize speeding up their sites!

Core Web Vitals are a set of 3 metrics introduced by Google to assess the quality of the user experience on a website. If the user experience is poor, the site will lose its chances of ranking highly in search results.

For example, Google’s page loads in under 1 second (data from 2022). The standard expectation for a website with rich, varied content is usually below 3 seconds. If, due to a lack of optimization, your e-commerce store takes longer to load, you risk losing customers.

Canonical Links

An important element affecting the proper indexing of an e-commerce store is setting up canonical links. This is one of the mechanisms that protects against the issue of duplicate pages. A canonical link indicates to Google’s web crawlers which version of a page’s address should be considered when indexing. Even if a page is available under two different address variants, the correctly configured canonical link prevents the risk of page duplication. Web crawlers typically do not ignore canonical links.

For the homepage with the address https://verseoads.com/, the canonical link should look as follows:

<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://verseoads.com” />

404 Error Pages on E-commerce Sites

It’s not surprising that an online store may change its product assortment over time. From an SEO perspective, the issue arises when pages start showing a 404 error. A high number of these error pages can negatively affect how search engine crawlers evaluate the site. Therefore, the issue should be effectively resolved by implementing redirects from non-functioning pages.

Connecting your website to Google Search Console gives you access to a list of 404 error pages—those that no longer exist. The solution is to set up redirects from these pages to relevant, existing pages on the same site (ideally with similar content) or to the homepage.

Implementing redirects from 404 pages is particularly important when page URLs change, especially if those pages had previously been linked. Links leading to 404 pages don’t support the effective SEO of an online store, but with correct redirects in place, the site can still benefit from the backlinks acquired. Additionally, redirects help retain visitors on the site, as a 404 page may be confusing and encourage them to leave.

It’s important not to abandon the 404 error page entirely. While it should serve as an informative page, it should also aim to keep potential customers engaged within the site. A creative or inviting 404 error page that encourages users to explore other parts of the store can reduce bounce rates. Moving away from the standard, dull 404 page is a good practice.

Indexing an E-commerce Store by Google Crawlers

To achieve effective search engine optimization (SEO) for an e-commerce store, it must be indexed by Google. This is especially important for new websites, which should have an appropriately configured robots.txt file and meta robots tags that are crawler-friendly, as well as being submitted for indexing via Google Search Console. Only an e-commerce store indexed by web crawlers will be included in Google’s search engine index. A separate issue arises when a site is removed or temporarily disappears from the index. This can occur in specific circumstances.

An e-commerce store should have its meta robots tags and robots.txt file configured to allow the website to be indexed by web crawlers.

The simplest, crawler-friendly content for the robots.txt file is:

User-agent: *

Allow: /

This content allows crawlers to index the entire website without any exclusions (which, of course, can be added as needed).

Sample meta robots content to enable indexing by crawlers:

<meta name=”robots” content=”index, follow” />
<meta name=”robots” content=”ALL” />

Setting up the meta robots and completing the robots.txt file is somewhat optional. It is assumed that their absence does not prevent web crawlers from accessing the website. However, it is advisable to set up such “invitations” on your website, especially since it doesn’t take much time. By doing this, you can ensure that web crawlers won’t overlook your site.

Not every website is included in the search engine index. It is important to highlight the most common reasons why a website might not be indexed by search engines.

The first reason is the content of the meta robots and robots.txt file, which may contain instructions that prevent crawlers from indexing the website. The solution is to update these files to enable indexing, and then submit this change through Google Search Console.

The second reason is a penalty from Google. In the context of SEO, this refers to websites that have been penalized by Google (e.g., a filter or ban). Such penalties can hinder or even completely prevent the SEO of e-commerce stores. The most severe violations can lead to the permanent removal of a website from the search engine index. In such a case, the most reasonable solution is to create a new website with a new domain.

The third common reason for a website’s absence from the search engine index is technical issues with its functionality. A website experiencing operational problems (which may range from a hacking incident to a simple failure to renew hosting) may be excluded from search results until the issue is resolved. After fixing or restoring the website, it is advisable to notify Google through Google Search Console to ensure that the site is re-indexed.

Using Google Search Console is not mandatory—Google crawlers will notice the appearance of a new site or changes made to an already known site even without it. However, based on experience, submitting changes for indexing through Google Search Console can significantly speed up the actions of Google’s web crawlers. This is particularly important in the context of SEO. A change that is quickly implemented and indexed can often lead to an immediate increase in keyword rankings, sometimes as soon as the next day.

HTTPS – A Must for E-commerce Stores

Data encryption is one of the key aspects that must be addressed for e-commerce stores. A security certificate reduces the risk of intercepting data transmitted between the user’s browser and the server where the e-commerce store is hosted. The absolute minimum for e-commerce stores is the implementation of an SSL certificate on sensitive pages, such as forms, login, registration, and the shopping cart. This ensures that data transmitted through these forms is properly secured, and the entire website is better rated by Google’s search engine.

Implementing an SSL certificate in an e-commerce store also has a pro-sales effect. With increasing awareness of security issues, e-commerce customers have learned to pay attention to whether the website they want to make purchases on is secure. Stores without an SSL certificate may be avoided for this reason. Google also takes a critical stance, warning users against accessing such sites and lowering their rankings in search results.

Proper implementation of the security certificate should be complemented by performing a 301 redirect. For search engine crawlers, the addresses https://www.onlinestore.com and http://onlinestore.com are considered two separate locations on the Internet. Although they have identical content, images, pages, etc., they create a duplicate e-commerce store, which is definitely unfavorable. Therefore, it is important to implement redirects.

After implementing HTTPS, it is also necessary to check the functioning of the e-commerce store – ensuring that links lead to pages with the correct addresses, the purchasing process runs smoothly without errors, etc. The sitemap.xml file will also need to be updated.

Lack of knowledge leads to questions. Lack of reliable answers leads to assumptions. At Verseo, the first 5.0 marketing agency, we feel a responsibility to educate the market. In this section, we dispel common but misguided beliefs about e-commerce SEO. Check how many of these have become entrenched in your own views, and then refresh your knowledge to start relying on facts!

2. Myth: A good agency can position a website and push it to the top of search results in a few weeks. 

   This is actually two myths in one. First, SEO is a long-term process that requires months, sometimes even years, to achieve optimal results. What’s worse, once a position is achieved, it can easily be lost—especially if competitors ramp up their efforts.The second myth in this statement is the guarantee of achieving TOP1 or TOP3 positions. E-commerce SEO is both highly dynamic and has a significant inertia, making it impossible to confidently promise a specific position.
   

3. Myth: SEO is important, but today social media dominates the internet.
   This is not exactly a myth, but it is more of a quarter-truth. Social media plays a significant role in online brand building, and there is no doubt about that. However, for an e-commerce store, social media is usually a supplement, not the main channel for promotion and customer outreach. 

   The main issue with social media is the transient nature of its content—platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and others rely on constant scrolling and replacing one post with another. SEO, on the other hand, is about answering specific queries, which makes it more effective in the long run. Another reason is simply that Google has far more users than individual social media platforms. More than 90% of internet users rely on Google, while a smaller proportion regularly uses social media (although it’s still an impressive number). Furthermore, social media links are marked as “nofollow,” meaning they don’t directly impact SEO. 

4. Myth: It’s enough to create a few microsites and add many links leading to the target website to improve SEO for an e-commerce store.
   This is a gross simplification and shows a lack of understanding of SEO reality. Such practices were effective a decade ago, when the algorithm was not as complex as it is today. Now, SEO is much more sophisticated and demanding. A newly created, anonymous site with no meaningful content and no quality backlinks holds almost no value for SEO. 
5. Myth: Word-of-mouth marketing is an easy way to improve SEO.
   This is another outdated SEO tactic. Nowadays, links placed on forums or in comments under articles are mostly tagged with the “nofollow” parameter, meaning they are not seen by crawlers as an “invitation” to visit the linked page. 

   Furthermore, the popularity of forums has significantly declined—while some niche forums still attract users, most online discussions have moved to social media. Word-of-mouth marketing can help with brand awareness online, but it’s often mistaken for spam in many cases. 

6. Myth: SEO can be done on your own; there’s no need to hire an agency.
   With basic knowledge, determination, and plenty of time, it’s possible to improve a website’s ranking to some extent. However, this only works in highly niche industries where competition is low. E-commerce SEO, due to strong business competitors and market saturation, usually requires more comprehensive measures. For example, professional keyword analysis software used by top SEO agencies costs around PLN 2,000 per month for one company. The cost of SEO for an e-commerce store depends on various individual factors. 
7. Myth: A one-time investment in SEO is enough; after that, you can just continue if necessary.
   Unfortunately, this approach leads to much worse results than regular, multi-step work on SEO. For SEO to be effective, it needs to be continuous—the process is essentially never-ending. Business competitors are constantly active, and we’re talking about an e-commerce store, which, regardless of the industry, faces fierce competition. One-time “quick fixes” will generate weaker results at much higher SEO costs. 
8. Myth: Good content will speak for itself, and no additional support is needed.
   Idealism is a virtue, but business on the internet operates by different rules. There is some truth to this statement—high-quality content indeed has many SEO benefits, and without it, SEO efforts are impossible. However, this is not enough to run an e-commerce store with ambitions of relying on Google traffic. 
9. Myth: Only main keywords matter, and you should focus solely on them.
   It’s true that more people will search for “sports shoes” than “Adidas Predator Freak+ FG sports shoes,” but both phrases can result in conversions in your store. The first belongs to the “short-tail” category—frequently searched but very competitive and expensive to target. The second is more specific, making it easier to position for, and users searching for such a detailed model likely know exactly what they want and are ready to make a purchase. Therefore, there is a higher probability of them buying from your store if they land on your page first.

In the first year of collaboration, we typically increase the visibility of a website in search results by an average of 419%. Can every site achieve such a result? It all depends on the industry, the current state of website indexing, previous SEO actions, the level of competition, and financial investments.

The effectiveness of SEO is usually measured by three key metrics: the number of keywords ranking in the TOP 50, TOP 10, and TOP 3 search results. The most desirable positions are those in the TOP 3, as they generate the most traffic. Few users go beyond the first page of results, and even less so to the second page, so analyzing positions beyond the TOP 50 is often ineffective.

Let’s take a look at a few examples from Verseo’s portfolio.

Case Study – E-commerce Store Selling Glasses

The company “Optyk Biela,” owner of the online store e-okularnicy.pl, has been operating in a stationary form since 1969 and online for nearly 10 years. It offers glasses and accessories — frames, the option to mount corrective lenses, and sunglasses. E-okularnicy.pl reaches potential customers through SEO and social media.

Verseo started working with the company in November 2021, during their migration to a new e-commerce platform. Since their previous sales were largely based on organic traffic, the drops in SEO performance were felt quite strongly.

Optics is a specific industry, so it required a personalized strategy. We shortened our standard SEO offer by omitting certain aspects while expanding it with other actions. After the client approved, we signed a contract worth PLN 3,000 per month (net).

After one year of cooperation, visibility in the TOP 3 increased from 58 to 345 keywords, and in the TOP 10 from 364 to nearly 1,200. The traffic parameter in SEMSTORM, which takes into account the number of keywords, their visibility, and search volume, grew from 268 to 10,425.

Case Study – Online Furniture Store

In December 2020, our experts began working on the SEO for a company in the furniture industry. Although the company had been operating for nearly 20 years, its online presence was virtually non-existent. After conducting a detailed SEO audit, it became clear that the website was ranking in the TOP 50 search results for just one keyword. It didn’t appear in the TOP 3 or even the TOP 10 for any keywords — a situation that made it impossible to effectively run the online side of the business.

Thanks to the development of a customized SEO strategy and its execution by Verseo specialists, excellent results were achieved within just six months of collaboration. By June 2021, the website had experienced a significant increase in online visibility. From having only one keyword in the TOP 50 a few months earlier, the website now ranked for 500 keywords. Most importantly, it made it into the TOP 10 for 25 keywords and into the TOP 3 for 5 keywords — a result that enabled a significant improvement in traffic statistics, increased customer acquisition, and allowed the company to look optimistically toward its digital future.

Case Study – Online Store in the Home & Garden Category

Let’s look at another example. A store in the “Home & Garden” category was launched in early 2020. Almost immediately, in March 2020, the client reached out to Verseo to start working together. Due to the very short presence of the store online, the website had no chance of ranking high in Google search results. The store was only ranked in the TOP 50 for 12 keywords, and both the TOP 10 and TOP 3 seemed far out of reach. The task of Verseo specialists was to change this situation. We prepared a long-term plan, proposed necessary changes, and started the entire process. This is how the store’s visibility looked before we started SEO actions.

After just over six months of focused work, the results were highly satisfactory. The store made it into the TOP 50 for nearly 400 keywords. In terms of the TOP 10, it ranked for over 50 keywords, and it reached the highly competitive TOP 3 for more than 10 keywords.

An online store should be accessible under only one address. While having too many options usually isn’t a problem, in this case, duplicate websites are detrimental. A duplicate online store can be observed when the website is accessible under multiple addresses, such as:

www.my-domain.com
my-domain.com
my-domain.com.pl
www.my-domain.com.pl

In such a situation, the only correct solution is to choose the strongest version of the website. We select only one variant from them, and for the others, we set up a 301 redirect and, of course, test whether it works. The strongest version of the website can be suggested by Google by entering site:[domain address] and showing how many links are indexed for a given version of the online store.

A mistake that requires immediate intervention through a 301 redirect is the parallel operation of the website with and without an SSL certificate:

• https://my-domain.com/
• http://my-domain.com/

The importance of the SSL certificate for online stores is discussed in detail in point 5.

The third type of duplicate to eliminate at the website construction stage is the potential duplicate of the homepage (which may arise, for example, due to technical reasons), resulting in the operation of parallel addresses such as:

• www.my-domain.com
• www.my-domain.com/index.php
• www.my-domain.com/index.html
• www.my-domain.coml/index.php/
• www.my-domain.com/index.html/

The same issue would apply to versions without “www” in the URL. The solution is a 301 redirect to one chosen, simplified address, in this case, www.my-domain.com.

When implementing redirects, they should be permanent 301 redirects, as these are viewed more favorably by search engine crawlers than temporary 302 redirects. After implementing the redirects, it’s essential to verify that they are functioning correctly. It’s important to remember that only properly executed redirects ensure the influence of links originally leading to the subpages we want to redirect.

When taking specific actions, we want to know whether they yield the expected results. When it comes to business, the key question is whether they are profitable! The same applies to the SEO of online stores. The success of a website’s SEO can be measured in many ways. It all depends on the set business goal and the brand’s marketing strategy.

Below, we detail the specific indicators of good SEO.

How Important Is Measuring SEO Success?

When measuring the effectiveness of SEO efforts for an online store, you can examine indicators such as search engine rankings, organic traffic growth, and conversions.

It is crucial to identify weak points, eliminate actions that are ineffective, and focus on activities that bring positive business results. This saves time, which is doubly valuable in SEO. SEO results for e-commerce sometimes take months, or even years, to materialize. If we don’t track their effectiveness, we may be heading in the wrong direction, wasting months on actions that do not yield the intended results.

Monitoring SEO success is also important for financial reasons. No one wants to pay for solutions that don’t bring expected results or lose customers that could have been acquired through organic traffic if SEO were done correctly.

Tips for Using Google Analytics and Google Search Console to Track Your Online Store’s SEO Performance

To track the SEO performance of your online store using Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you should:

1. Set up both tools on the website being optimized (your e-commerce site).
2. In Google Analytics, check reports related to organic traffic sources, page visibility, and page popularity.
3. In Google Search Console, monitor organic search results, page impressions in search results, click-throughs, and position metrics.
4. Analyze trends in the data, such as popular queries, keywords, and pages that attract the most organic traffic.

Use the collected data for optimizing your SEO strategy, aiming to improve the visibility of your website domain in search engine results.

This process is continuous, so the above steps should be regularly incorporated into your business activities. If you don’t have the time for this, you can outsource the SEO of your online store to a digital marketing agency.

How to Set Realistic Goals and Measure ROI from SEO Activities

To set realistic goals and measure ROI from SEO activities, you must first define your business goals. These will directly influence the SEO goals and the methods to achieve them. Metrics can be analyzed using specialized tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

When calculating ROI from SEO activities, compare the costs of investing in website optimization with the benefits achieved based on the established SEO goals.

Can You Stop SEO for Your Online Store After Achieving Your Goal?

SEO for your online store requires continuous attention. Firstly, because competition is always active and is also targeting the keywords you may be ranking for. Virtually no company in the world is free from competitors. Additionally, the market is constantly changing, your product offerings may expand or evolve, which will require updates to your SEO efforts for the keywords that matter to you.

Moreover, Google rewards websites where something is “happening”—ongoing content additions, optimization of subpages, and link building. If such activities stop, you can expect a decline in rankings as competitors continue their SEO efforts.

Want to learn more and understand why SEO for online stores is crucial for success? Check out our blog, where we address many issues related to this and other methods of effectively promoting your online store and service pages.

Why Is It Worth Running an Online Store?

Entering e-commerce has many advantages—both for buyers and for you as the seller. Operating in a virtual environment allows you to significantly reduce business costs. You don’t need to store inventory, hire additional salespeople, and your sales reach essentially has no territorial limitations.

You also have much larger and more measurable advertising options. And what about the buyers? Regardless of location, time, or available funds, they can make a purchase with just a few clicks. It’s this unlimited availability that is driving e-commerce to dethrone other branches of retail sales.

Marketing for E-Commerce – What Works?

Among the billions of global internet users, over half make purchases online. No one who is thinking about running or already operates an online business can ignore this fact. There are several basic ways to develop any e-commerce business. One of them is search engine optimization (SEO).

Social Media

In industries such as cosmetics, clothing, electronics, or jewelry, social media can be an incredible ally. Many brands have built their recognition through social media and influencers who use these platforms. Skillful use of social media will generate significant traffic and sales on your target website. Additionally, social media offers relatively precise customer targeting for promotions. Through them, you can interact with users and have the chance to build a true community around your brand. Even a small, but vibrant community of ambassadors can resonate with hundreds or even thousands of other potential customers who are still undecided.

Google Ads

Do you need quick results? Results that are easy to measure, compare, and continuously monitor? Choose Google Ads. Google’s advertising system offers a transparent and fair click-based payment model. This means you only pay when someone clicks on your text or graphic ad and is redirected to your landing page. That’s half of the success, right? Alongside website and online store optimization, this is the main focus of Verseo’s agency. Clients appreciate this solution for its in-depth analytics and flexibility. Depending on the weather, the calendar date, events, and other factors impacting your business, you can turn campaigns on and off, adjust your budget, and tailor graphic and text formats to specific needs.

Search Engine Optimization for Online Stores

Being high in the organic search results is more than justified! Firstly, businesses and stores present on the first page of search results earn the trust of users. Research shows that in 95% of cases, searchers don’t move to the second page of search results, so being in the top 10, especially in the top 3, ensures substantial traffic, depending on the keywords being targeted. General or highly competitive keywords can be very difficult to achieve, but that doesn’t mean they are the best or only solution. Long-tail SEO for your online store helps – more specific queries which often convert better.

Search engine optimization for an online store is a long-term process in which it’s not advisable to change keywords (though new ones can be added), nor to change the company responsible for SEO. This is due to the nature of the SEO work, the link-building strategy, and most importantly, the time it takes to see results. However, it’s definitely worth the effort. A well-optimized store can bring substantial profits just from ranking highly in search engines for carefully selected keywords.

Search engine optimization (SEO) for online stores can confidently be called an investment that will bring measurable benefits over time. Below, we present a graphic with case studies of stores and websites that have partnered with our agency.

Why Choose SEO for Online Stores with Verseo?

1. SEO for online stores is the most cost-effective long-term method of customer acquisition.
2. The cost of acquiring a new customer decreases by an average of 82% within 8 months.
3. Verseo is the first Marketing 5.0 agency in Poland – we combine new technologies with the expertise of professionals, optimally supporting business growth and online store SEO.
4. The increase in revenue from SEO was 139% (2020/2021 data)!
5. Clients increase their SEO budget by an average of 22.5% annually (data from January 2023).
6. Annually, we write nearly 60 million characters of valuable content for clients.
7. Our SEO experts are supported by over 20 advanced external tools.
8. The average increase in visibility for our e-commerce clients in the TOP 10 is +506%.
9. 96% of SEO clients renew their contracts with us.

By the time we reach this point, the process of e-commerce store SEO and all its nuances should already be well explained. However, we know that a solid understanding provides a foundation for making thoughtful and informed decisions, which is why in this section we will highlight the most important issues.

Frequently Asked Questions – e-commerce SEO for online stores

Below you will find answers to questions that are most frequently asked by potential clients interested in e-commerce store SEO with Verseo, within the framework of Marketing 5.0.

What are the best practices for e-commerce store SEO?

The best practices for e-commerce store SEO primarily involve optimizing the store for search engines. Analyze the e-commerce store in terms of basic SEO principles, review the keywords and place them in key areas. Don’t forget to enrich valuable and constantly updated content with these keywords. Links (both internal and external) are also of great value. When acquiring external links, choose them carefully and focus on quality.

Additionally, as part of e-commerce store SEO, refine the website’s navigation for ease of use and enhance loading speed. Customers are not patient!

What tools can be used to improve e-commerce store optimization?

There are many tools available that you can use to optimize an e-commerce store. Some of the most important ones include Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs, which will help you analyze keywords. Google Analytics is your go-to tool for traffic analysis on the site. If you want to optimize content, use the intuitive Yoast SEO plugin, and check the website’s loading speed with Google PageSpeed Insights.

Some of the tools for optimizing e-commerce stores are free, but for expanded functionality of certain tools, you will need to pay. Consider whether it might be more cost-effective to outsource SEO for your e-commerce store to a digital marketing agency, which guarantees access to such tools as part of the service, relieving you of the responsibility for monitoring and taking corrective actions.

What mistakes should be avoided when optimizing an online store?

The list of mistakes to avoid when optimizing e-commerce stores is long. Some of the most important ones include using keywords in content that holds no value for users. Additionally, overusing keywords or selecting the wrong ones—where the keywords do not align with the business profile or are too competitive to rank for without substantial site optimization—are significant errors. Other key mistakes involve incorrect linking practices, such as using unethical methods, purchasing links, or directing traffic to domains with poor reputations in Google rankings.

What benefits does search engine optimization bring to an online store?

Search engine optimization (SEO) for an online store brings many benefits. The greatest of these is increased visibility in search engines, which can lead to more website traffic and, consequently, more sales! This also helps strengthen the brand’s positive image and builds greater trust among consumers. SEO efforts for e-commerce can also lead to a higher return on investment. Although SEO results typically take some time to materialize, in the long run, it is the most cost-effective method of acquiring customers.

Other key benefits include the ability to conduct detailed optimization analyses. With comprehensive statistics and reports, you can track whether your SEO activities are delivering the desired results.

What factors influence the SEO of an online store?

The Google algorithm takes into account over 200 factors when ranking a website for a specific search query. Some of the most important factors include:

• The quality and value of the content on the website, including product descriptions, articles, and blogs.
• Optimization of the online store for search engines, including the use of relevant keywords, meta tags, and headings.
• The loading speed of the website.
• External links pointing to your online store.
• The accessibility of the online store and its user-friendliness.
• Activity on social media and its impact on traffic to your website.
• Adherence to the ethical and quality guidelines of Google and other search engines. Unethical practices (black hat SEO) are penalized.

How long does the SEO process for an online store take?

How long does SEO take for an online store? Our favorite answer here is – it depends. It depends on factors such as the competitiveness of the industry, business goals, the size and complexity of the website, and the scope of SEO work required. Depending on the starting point, the SEO process for an online store can take anywhere from several months to over a year, and in some cases, even a few years.

It is important to note that SEO is an ongoing process and requires continuous effort. Therefore, when asked how long SEO for an online store takes, the answer is – it’s continuous! Optimization of the online store never ends.

What metrics should be monitored to assess the effectiveness of SEO for an online store?

To assess the effectiveness of SEO for an online store, it is essential to monitor metrics that help estimate the achievement of business objectives. Depending on the priorities for the optimized domain, we can track metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, average session duration, or the visibility of the online store. This will make it easier to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken and the time needed to reach the desired goal.

What are the key stages of the SEO process for an online store?

The SEO process for an online store should begin with a market and competition analysis. This helps identify the target audience, choose relevant keywords, and evaluate the competitiveness of the industry. The next step is to implement on-site optimization measures. After that, link-building strategies should be applied. The following stages include analyzing and monitoring the actions taken, along with continuously improving the strategy.

What are the most important technical factors affecting SEO for an online store?

The most important technical factors influencing the SEO of an online store are the website’s structure and architecture. They must be clear and easy to navigate. The loading speed of the site is also crucial – we all want quick responses today, whether it’s an offer or a delivery. Your site must keep up with this pace! Also, since most people browse the internet using mobile devices, your domain must be responsive. Additionally, ensure that the website code is correct and the site is secure (SSL certificate).

What content should be included on an online store’s website to improve its SEO?

The website of an online store being optimized should include unique product descriptions, a blog with valuable content, customer reviews, company information, and videos related to the products offered. This means rich, diverse, and content-rich material. The content should be optimized for relevant keywords and provide value to users.

What are the most important factors influencing conversions in an online store?

The most important factors affecting conversions in an online store include a simple purchasing process. This applies to both a short path to purchase and the right elements to support the buying decision. These include valuable product descriptions (using keywords), product specifications, and good-quality images that don’t slow down the website or affect the loading time of its elements. Customer reviews are also important as they provide social proof. Additionally, seasonal discounts and promotions (as long as they don’t conflict with the store’s policy) and security are also crucial factors.

When should you contact an SEO specialist?

It is a good idea to contact an SEO specialist during the creation or redesign of the online store. They can provide guidance on what to focus on or conduct an audit of the working version of the website, along with recommendations for changes. Implementing SEO improvements at this early stage is the best possible approach. Of course, improvements aimed at enhancing SEO effectiveness can also be applied to an existing online store, but it’s important to understand that this may involve costs for redesigning (not all changes can be made by the SEO specialist; some require the input of web developers working with specific platforms) or the need to forgo some SEO changes due to technical limitations. Some changes, however, can easily be made by the SEO expert within the scope of the SEO service agreement.

It is also possible that the SEO specialist may not have the ability to implement all the changes they deem necessary. This is usually due to the technology the online store was built on or limited access granted to the SEO specialist. Security aspects must also be considered – whether the proposed change, although beneficial from an SEO perspective, could destabilize the functioning of the online store or hinder future updates.

The scope of work required for a specific online store is determined by the SEO expert based on a site audit and link audit. This audit is more valuable if the SEO specialist has access to the store – preferred access to CMS + FTP, as it provides more useful information. The result of both audits is a list of necessary tasks to be performed, covering both onsite and offsite actions. Onsite work pertains to optimizing the online store itself.

The second area of SEO work involves link building, often referred to as offsite actions.