Paid ads stop the moment you stop paying. Organic search keeps working. For an online store, ranking on Google for the right product and category searches can deliver a steady stream of high-intent visitors without a cost per click.
This checklist covers the 20 steps we follow when optimising e-commerce websites. Work through it section by section, and revisit it whenever you add new products or redesign your store.
Keyword research
1. Map keywords to page types
Broad, category-level searches like “women’s running shoes” belong on category pages. Specific searches like “waterproof trail running shoes size 6” belong on product pages. Planning this upfront stops your own pages competing with each other.
2. Focus on buyer intent
Prioritise keywords that show someone is ready to buy, such as “buy”, “price”, “best”, “near me” or specific model names, over purely informational searches. Save informational topics for your blog.
3. Check what already ranks
Search your target keyword and look at the first page. If Google shows category pages, a single product page will struggle to rank, and vice versa. Match the format Google already prefers.
Site structure
4. Keep your structure shallow
Every product should be reachable within three or four clicks from the homepage. A clear hierarchy (Home → Category → Subcategory → Product) helps both shoppers and search engines.
5. Use clean, descriptive URLs
Short URLs with the main keyword, such as /running-shoes/trail/, are easier to understand than long strings of numbers and parameters.
6. Add breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs improve navigation, spread internal link value and can appear in Google’s search results. Mark them up with breadcrumb schema.
7. Control filters and faceted navigation
Filters for size, colour and price can create thousands of near-duplicate URLs. Use canonical tags and sensible indexing rules so Google focuses on your important pages rather than every filter combination.
Product pages
8. Write unique product descriptions
Copying manufacturer descriptions means competing with every other retailer using the same text. Write original copy that explains benefits, use cases, materials and sizing in your own voice.
9. Optimise titles and meta descriptions
Include the product name, key attribute and brand in the title tag. Write meta descriptions that sell the click: mention a benefit, price point, free delivery or guarantee.
10. Use descriptive image alt text and compressed images
Alt text helps accessibility and image search. Compress images and serve modern formats like WebP so pages load quickly.
11. Add product schema
Structured data for price, availability and reviews can make your listings stand out with rich results. Most modern platforms and SEO plugins can generate it for you; just make sure it is accurate.
12. Collect and display reviews
Reviews add fresh, unique content to product pages, answer buyer questions and build trust, which supports both rankings and conversion rates.
13. Handle out-of-stock and discontinued products properly
Keep temporarily out-of-stock pages live with a restock message. For permanently discontinued items, redirect to the closest alternative or relevant category instead of leaving a dead page.
Category pages
14. Add helpful copy to category pages
A short introduction above the products, and an expanded guide or FAQ below, gives Google context and helps shoppers choose. Keep it useful rather than stuffed with keywords.
15. Link between related categories and products
Internal links from blog posts, related categories and “customers also viewed” sections help search engines discover pages and understand how your catalogue fits together.
Technical SEO
16. Make your store fast
Use caching, a CDN, lazy-loaded images and a lean set of apps or plugins. Monitor Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console and fix pages flagged as slow.
17. Be mobile-first
Most e-commerce traffic is mobile, and Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing. Test menus, filters, product galleries and checkout on real phones.
18. Submit an XML sitemap and monitor indexing
Add your sitemap to Google Search Console and check the Pages report regularly for errors, excluded URLs and crawl issues.
19. Fix duplicate content and broken links
Use canonical tags for product variants, redirect old URLs with 301s and fix broken internal links. Regular site audits catch these issues before they cost you rankings.
Content
20. Publish content that answers buyer questions
Buying guides, comparisons, how-to articles and FAQs attract shoppers earlier in their journey and link naturally to your products. Content also earns backlinks, which remain one of the strongest ranking signals.
How long does e-commerce SEO take?
Technical fixes and on-page improvements can show results within weeks, especially for pages that already rank on page two. Competitive category keywords usually take several months of consistent work. SEO compounds: the earlier you start, the sooner it pays off.
Want us to audit your store?
Ecomalign’s digital marketing team runs technical audits, keyword strategy, on-page optimisation and content for e-commerce brands. If your store is not getting the organic traffic it deserves, we will find out why and fix it. We also build SEO-ready stores from day one through our website development service.
Request a free SEO review and get a clear list of the quick wins for your store.
