E-commerce SEO: the online shop SEO guide

What is e-commerce SEO?

E-commerce SEO is the process of optimising an online shop to appear higher in search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic. It encompasses a variety of strategies and tactics, including keyword research, on-page and technical optimisation, link building and content creation.

The ultimate goal of e-commerce SEO is to increase your shop's visibility, gain more qualified traffic and ultimately increase sales.

Why is SEO so important for online shops?

Let me tell you from my experience: There are more online shops than ever before - and there are more every day. This means that competition in the digital world is tougher than ever - and will be even tougher in the future. It is therefore crucial that your online shop can stand out from the crowd. A powerful SEO strategy can make all the difference here because it helps you to be more visible and thus attract more customers.

Think about it: if someone is looking for a product that you offer, where will they search first? Exactly, on Google or another search engine. If your website manages to appear on the first page - or even better, among the first results - for relevant search queries, you have a much better chance of attracting potential customers to your shop and generating sales.

I will now show you which e-commerce SEO tips and strategies can make this work.

Effective tips and strategies for e-commerce SEO that really work

I've put together a series of tips and strategies that can help you improve your e-commerce SEO. These tips are not only effective, but also tried and tested and easy to implement. They cover various aspects of SEO, from technical optimisations to content strategies.

So, let's waste no time and jump right in!

The power of a website audit: Uncovering errors and warnings

A website audit is a great way to find out whether your website has any errors and if so, which ones. During such an audit, all aspects of your website - from the technical side and content to internal and external links - are scrutinised.

With the help of various SEO tools, such as Screaming Frog, you can quickly and easily uncover errors and warnings that your website may have.

Some examples of common errors that are discovered during website audits are

• Broken links
• missing or duplicate meta tags
• title tags that are too long or too short
• Duplicate content
• and much more

Such errors lead to search engines categorising your website as less trustworthy and of lower quality - and this has a negative impact on your ranking.

Eliminate critical errors and reduce maintenance effort

Once you have identified all errors and warnings with the help of a website audit, it's time to fix them.

You should start with the most critical errors: Broken links, non-indexable content or problems with the crawl budget definitely belong at the top of your priority list.

Once you have fixed these critical errors, you can move on to the less urgent problems, such as optimising meta tags or eliminating duplicate content.

Bear in mind that regular maintenance and improvement of your website are crucial to ensure that you remain at the top of the search engine rankings.

The effort may seem tedious at first, but believe me: an error-free website is the cornerstone of a successful e-commerce SEO strategy. So invest the necessary time and energy to set it up perfectly - and you will reap the rewards of your labour in the form of more traffic, better rankings and ultimately higher sales.

Winning through an optimised page structure

The crucial role of a well thought-out page structure for online shops

Another important facet that is often overlooked is the role of a well thought-out site structure. Believe me, it's essential.

A clear and logical page structure is not only helpful for your visitors by making the path through your online shop simple and intuitive. No, it also plays a crucial role in search engine optimisation.

If you have a clean page structure, it is easier for search engine crawlers, such as Googlebot, to explore your website and understand the content. This increases your chances of being listed higher in the search results.

A well-organised website therefore ensures that both your customers and search engines have a clear overview of your online shop.

Hierarchy and organisation of pages

You're probably wondering how you can organise your page structure in a way that is satisfactory for both users and search engines. Here are some tips to help you with this:

1. Use a hierarchical structure: Organise your product and category pages in a logical hierarchy. Start with the main categories and then continue with the subcategories until you reach the individual product pages. Make sure that each page within this hierarchy is only a few clicks away from the homepage.
2. Ensure a flat architecture: A flat page structure means that all pages of your online shop can be reached with as few clicks as possible from the start page. This is beneficial for both user-friendliness and crawlability by search engines.
3. Use meaningful URLs: Make sure that the URLs of your pages reflect the hierarchy and content of the page. Avoid long, incomprehensible URLs and instead choose short, meaningful addresses that are easy to understand for both the user and the crawler.
4. Focus on clear navigation: Intuitive navigation that helps your visitors to find their way around your website not only improves the user experience, but also allows search engine crawlers to move through your website more easily and quickly.

Set priorities: The art of keyword analysis

Why a thorough keyword analysis changes everything in e-commerce

One of the most fundamental and important tasks in e-commerce SEO is keyword analysis. I cannot emphasise enough how much of a difference a thorough and targeted keyword analysis can make in e-commerce. It helps you identify the right search terms to focus on to reach potential customers and improve your ranking in search results.

An effective keyword analysis shows you

• what your target group is searching for,
• which search terms are relevant for your products and categories and
• where there are competitive opportunities in your market.

All of this information is crucial to making the right decisions for your SEO strategy and getting the best possible ROI from your efforts.

Identify and focus on top product and category pages

To use your SEO efforts effectively, it is important to prioritise and put the right pages of your online shop at the centre of your efforts. A good way to do this is to identify the top product and category pages that offer the greatest potential for high traffic and sales. For example, you could focus on bestsellers, seasonal products or those with particularly high profit margins.

Once you have identified these pages, start identifying targeted keywords for these pages.

Use tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner, Ahrefs or SEMrush to create comprehensive lists of relevant keywords for your top pages, including search volume and competitive insights.

Taking stock and recognising ranking opportunities

Now that you've identified your top pages and the keywords associated with them, it's time to take stock of the current situation. Take a look at where your pages currently rank and which competitors are also active in this keyword area. Identify gaps and opportunities that can help you overtake your competition and increase your visibility for these keywords.

Also consider long-tail keywords and less competitive niches to capitalise on additional ranking opportunities. This can not only help you increase your organic traffic, but also allow you to reach a wider target audience and attract new customers.

OnPage optimisation for e-commerce websites

Sales-promoting title tags and meta descriptions

In my opinion, on-page optimisation is the secret weapon for successful e-commerce websites. Strong on-page optimisation starts with sales-promoting title tags and meta descriptions. Title tags are the blue headings that appear in search results, while meta descriptions are shorter texts that appear below them and describe the content of the page.

To use these two elements correctly, you should make sure that they are appealing to both search engines and users. Use your main keywords in both elements, but make sure the text sounds natural and inviting. It is important to keep an eye on the length of the texts to ensure that they are neither too short nor too long.

Convincing H1 title and structured data for product and category pages

Another essential part of on-page optimisation is the H1 title, which is the page heading. It is crucial that this title is both compelling and keyword-rich in order to appeal to both search engines and users.

For product and category pages, it is important to use consistent structure and formatting that is both appealing to the user and helps search engines understand the content of the page.

Structured data, such as schema.org markup, can be a huge help in making the content of your product and category pages more accessible to search engines.

By using structured data for product information such as price, availability and reviews, you increase the chances of Google displaying this information in search results - for example in the form of rich snippets.

Optimise URL structure and internal linking

Last but not least, the URL structure and internal linking are further invisible boosters for the on-page optimisation of e-commerce websites. Make sure that your URLs are logical and easy to understand, both for users and for search engines. Use meaningful, short URLs with relevant keywords.

Internal linking is another important aspect that is often overlooked. Link strategically from one page to another and make sure that both search engines and users can easily navigate their way through your website. This can help search engines see your site as better structured and more relevant, which can lead to higher rankings.

Technical SEO expertise for e-commerce success

HTTPS and SSL certificates: trust customers, reward Google

Security is a crucial issue in e-commerce, and technical SEO expertise can help you gain the trust of your customers and impress Google at the same time. One of the most basic security measures you can take is to enable HTTPS and use an SSL certificate for your website.

HTTPS encrypts the data between a user and your server, which means that sensitive information such as login details or payment information is transmitted securely. Google considers HTTPS as a ranking factor, and users perceive websites that run under a secure protocol as more trustworthy. You therefore benefit twice with HTTPS and an SSL certificate: you improve your SEO ranking and ensure a better user experience.

Problem solutions for duplicate content, thin content and redirect chains

Another important area in technical SEO is the identification and elimination of duplicate content, thin content and unwanted redirect chains.

• Duplicate content means that the same content is present on different URLs of your website. This can make it difficult for search engines to identify and rank the right page for a particular keyword.
• Thin content, i.e. content without information content and added value, on the other hand, is a problem as it is considered irrelevant by search engines.

In both cases, you need to analyse your website to identify such problems and take appropriate countermeasures, e.g. by using canonical tags or adding additional and relevant information to the affected pages.

• Redirect chains occur when several redirects are connected in series. These can affect the loading time of your website and lead to the link juice generated by backlinks being weakened. SEO tools such as Screaming Frog or Ahrefs can help you identify and fix such chains.

Speed up the loading time and improve mobile suitability

Loading time and mobile suitability are decisive factors in technical SEO.

• Fast loading times are essential for a good user experience, and search engines favour websites that offer their users quick access to information. To optimise the loading time of your website, you can use image compression, browser caching and minification of CSS and JS files, for example.
• Mobile suitability is also an important ranking factor, as more and more users are making their online purchases via smartphones and tablets. Make sure your website has a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and optimise the content to be easy to read on smaller screens.

Increase e-commerce success with link building

Backlinks as an SEO turbo for online shops

Now I'd like to tell you about link building, one of the most effective and sustainable methods for boosting your e-commerce success.

Backlinks are basically links from other websites that point to yours. They work like recommendations and increase the authority and trust in your online shop.

Search engines see backlinks as a sign of the credibility and quality of your website, which ultimately leads to your site being ranked higher in search results.

Track down link building opportunities: Store Finder, blogs and more

To get really good backlinks, you first need to track down link building opportunities. Here are some examples of how you can do that:

• If you have a physical retail shop, register your shop in local directories and store finders. This can provide your online shop with high quality local backlinks.
• Build relationships with influencers, bloggers and editors in your industry. They could link to your product or shop in their articles, which will generate valuable backlinks.
• Write guest articles for popular blogs, online magazines or news sites in your field and place targeted links to your shop in them. This can not only provide valuable backlinks, but also increase the visibility of your shop among your target group.

Outreach strategies: How to get high-quality backlinks

Outreach is a central component of any successful link building strategy. It's essentially about contacting other website owners and influencers in your niche and convincing them to link to your shop. Here are some tips that can help you get quality backlinks:

• Personalise your outreach requests and show why your shop or product is relevant and interesting for their target group.
• Provide value: Make sure the link you're requesting offers real value to the recipient and their readership. For example, you could provide relevant resources, exclusive discounts or interesting information.
• Be patient and persistent: Outreach can sometimes be tedious and often requires several attempts. Don't give up, remain polite and persistent, and you will achieve success sooner or later.

Find wow blog topics and create engaging content

Let's talk about the power of great content.

You might be thinking: "Why does my online shop need a blog?"

Well, the answer is simple: high-quality content is a real trump card in e-commerce SEO. It can help you increase your visibility on search engines, drive more traffic to your product and category pages and strengthen your customer loyalty.

A blog is an excellent way to create useful, interesting and relevant content for your target audience. Good content encourages visitors to stay on your site longer, visit more pages and ideally become paying customers.

Identify relevant topics and keywords for the perfect blog post

To create truly captivating blog articles, you first need to find out which topics and keywords are relevant to your target audience. The results of your keyword analysis and an understanding of your customers' needs will help you do this.

Think about what kind of information, tips or trends might interest them and find suitable topics that offer your readers added value.

In addition to other SEO measures, make sure to include your selected keywords in the text in a natural way to increase the visibility of the post in search engines. However, avoid keyword stuffing - the unnatural repetition of keywords - as this can put off both search engines and readers.

Create and optimise engaging blog articles

Once you've found the perfect topics and keywords, it's time to create stunning blog articles. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

• Captivating headline: Start with a powerful headline that grabs your readers' interest and makes them want to keep reading. Make sure it contains your main keyword and summarises the topic of the article well.
• Clear structure: Structure your blog post clearly and concisely, for example with subheadings, bulleted lists and paragraphs. This makes the text easier to read and emphasises the most important information.
• Simple style: Avoid complicated sentences and technical jargon and instead choose short sentences in a relaxed, appealing style. This will make your text easy to understand and enjoyable to read.
• Useful information: Offer your readers real added value by providing well-researched information, useful tips or interesting insights. This will set you apart from the competition and keep your readers loyal to your online shop.
• Call-to-action: Conclude your article with a motivating call-to-action that encourages your readers to take the next step, for example by visiting a product page, subscribing to your newsletter or sharing the article on social media.

Boost sales through targeted conversion optimisation in e-commerce

Increase success through improved conversion rates

Let me show you how you can boost your sales through targeted conversion optimisation in e-commerce.

When it comes to making more sales with your online shop, improving the conversion rate is one of the most important factors. The conversion rate is basically the percentage of your visitors who actually complete a purchase on your website. The higher this rate is, the more customers you can attract and the more successful your shop will be.

Identifying optimisation potential for conversion

In order to carry out targeted conversion optimisation, you first need to identify the potential for optimisation. This means finding out which areas of your website are in need of improvement and in which aspects they are already performing well.

You can use web analytics tools such as Google Analytics to collect and analyse data, or even use your customer feedback to find out where there are still weaknesses.

Optimise product pages and payment processes

Once you have identified the potential for optimisation, it is time to work specifically on improving the individual elements. For product pages, for example, you should pay attention to appealing product images, meaningful and sales-promoting texts as well as clear and easy-to-understand navigation.

When it comes to the payment process, it is important to make the entire process as simple and smooth as possible. Make sure that your checkout system is clearly structured, offers various payment methods and uses optimised forms.

Use A/B tests to maximise the conversion rate

An effective way to find out which optimisations actually lead to a higher conversion rate is to carry out A/B tests.

In A/B tests, you show two different user groups different versions of the same page - e.g. an original version (A) and a modified version (B) - and measure which variant achieves a higher conversion rate.

Through continuous testing and optimisation, you will develop a better understanding of what really works and what doesn't in your online shop. And this will help you to increase sales by gradually improving your conversion rate.

Measure, learn, adapt: Monitoring success and continuous optimisation

Tracking tools for your e-commerce success: Google Analytics and Search Console

To ensure that you are on the right track and can continuously optimise your SEO strategy, solid tracking tools are essential. Tools like Google Analytics and the Google Search Console allow you to monitor your website for key performance indicators and measure the success of your SEO efforts. Let me briefly explain how these two tools can help you:

• Google Analytics: This comprehensive analytics tool allows you to monitor all key metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, dwell time, user behaviour and much more. Here you can also set and track conversion goals to see if your visitors are taking the desired actions.
• Google Search Console: With the Search Console, you can track how your online shop is performing in Google search results. You receive information about your ranking positions, the keywords you rank for and technical aspects of your website, such as indexing problems or outdated sitemaps.

Keep an eye on the decisive KPIs

Keep an eye on the decisive KPIs (key performance indicators) to measure the success of your e-commerce SEO strategy. You should focus on the following indicators in particular:

• Ranking positions: Here you can see how well your website ranks for certain keywords in the search results. A higher ranking means better visibility and, ideally, more traffic and sales.
• Organic traffic: Organic traffic shows you the number of visitors who come to your website via search engines such as Google. Increasing organic traffic is a good sign that your SEO strategy is working and that you are becoming more visible in the search results.
• Conversion rate: The conversion rate shows you what proportion of your visitors actually become customers - for example by purchasing a product or subscribing to your newsletter. An increasing conversion rate is an indicator that your website not only has a high reach, but is also successfully acquiring customers.

Continuous improvement through data-based action

Use the data obtained to continuously optimise and adapt your e-commerce SEO strategy. Regularly monitor the development of your KPIs, carry out A/B tests and implement improvements to your website on this basis. This is the only way to achieve long-term success in this highly competitive market.

Further online shop SEO measures

User experience (UX) and SEO

Optimising the user experience (UX) on your e-commerce shop has a positive effect on your SEO. Google itself has confirmed that user experience is an important ranking factor. This means that websites that offer a particularly positive user experience are favoured and listed higher in search engine results.

UX & web design

A key aspect for a good UX is the web design of your online shop. An appealing, intuitive web design that allows visitors to navigate effortlessly and quickly find what they are looking for is crucial. Clean structures, clear menu navigation and ease of use contribute to a positive user experience. If you can increase the time spent on your website and reduce the bounce rate, these are excellent signals for Google that your site is particularly user-friendly.

UX & content

But it's not just the web design that's important, your content also contributes greatly to the user experience. Make sure that you offer your visitors high-quality, interesting content that is precisely tailored to their needs and interests. This will increase visitor loyalty. Users who find added value on your website will keep coming back. Clear call-to-actions that invite the user to do something specific are also part of a positive user experience.

Voice search and SEO

With the triumph of voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant, voice search is also becoming increasingly important. According to forecasts, around half of all search queries could be made verbally rather than in writing in the coming years. This development also poses a challenge for the SEO of online shops.

Voice search works differently to conventional text input in a search engine. The voice commands and queries that users send to their voice assistants are often longer, complete sentences and sound like a conversation. Instead of just searching for "shoes", the user asks, for example, "Which running shoes for women can you recommend?".

For e-commerce websites, this means that they need to align their SEO with this new type of search. Instead of keywords, it is no longer enough to optimise short terms such as "shoes". Instead, longer, conversational long-tail keywords that correspond to typical voice commands should be incorporated into the strategy.

Local SEO for e-commerce

Local SEO plays a major role for local businesses that also operate an online shop and focus on specific regions or delivery areas. As studies and statistics show, around half of all Google searches already have a local connection. 88% of people who search for a local shop or business on their smartphone visit it or contact it by phone - within just 24 hours of searching.

These figures prove the potential of localising your SEO strategy. In order to be found locally, your shop should definitely be listed on Google My Business. All important information about your business can be entered here. You should also use targeted search terms with a local reference, such as "bookshop Cologne" or "pizza service Hamburg", for your keyword research.

Image optimisation

Visual impressions play a major role in e-commerce. Product images are essential so that prospective customers can get a good impression of the products on offer. But images should not be neglected for your ranking either. With a few simple steps, images can be optimised so that they are not only visually appealing, but also support your SEO.

File name and alt text

File naming is an important point. Use meaningful file names that contain relevant keywords. This improves the findability of your images in the image search. You should also provide your images with alt texts. In these texts, you can describe the product images semantically so that Google and other search engines can better understand and categorise the image content.

File size

Large files are counterproductive as they increase the loading time of your page - a ranking factor. Image compression can be used to reduce file size without compromising quality. This not only increases your image search rankings, but also improves the performance of your website.

Mobile SEO

Mobile devices have long been ubiquitous. More and more shoppers are accessing shops on the go or researching in advance on their smartphone. Optimising your website for mobile use is therefore essential. According to statistics, mobile devices now account for over 50% of global internet traffic!

Responsive web design & loading speed

To ensure the mobile readiness of your online shop, a responsive web design is essential. The website should adapt to different screen sizes and be optimally displayed on mobile devices. Loading speed is also particularly important for mobile users. If the content loads too slowly, users will quickly leave the site.

User-friendliness

In addition to performance, user-friendliness is also crucial on mobile devices. Make sure that the most important information remains easy to find and that navigation and operation are self-explanatory. This improves the user experience, which in turn rewards Google. This is because a responsive design, fast loading times and ease of use have a positive effect on mobile rankings.

Video SEO

Videos on the website can significantly improve the customer approach in online shops. Products can often be presented more vividly and emotionally with short clips than with photos. According to studies, many shoppers also feel more confident in their purchase decision when they have seen videos. E-commerce providers should therefore definitely utilise this option.

However, careful optimisation is required to ensure that videos are not only visually convincing but also easy to find in search engines. Videos should be provided with meaningful titles, descriptions and tags that contain relevant keywords(more on video SEO). Transcriptions of the spoken content are also helpful to provide Google with more context.

To increase reach, we recommend embedding the clips on video platforms such as YouTube. However, a link to the website should then be included in the description in order to redirect traffic to the shop. With these measures, moving images can be used specifically for your own ranking.

SEO and social media

Even if social media activities do not have a direct influence on the ranking of a website, they can significantly improve the awareness and findability of a brand. According to experts, links and mentions on social media platforms, for example, indirectly help to improve SEO.

A well thought-out social media strategy can therefore increase overall visibility. When content is frequently shared and distributed, this has positive effects such as more traffic, backlinks and engagement. To strengthen this process, content should be optimised for social networks from the outset, for example with appealing images and headlines that encourage sharing.

Valuable customer relationships can also be established and strengthened via social media. If followers share the content more frequently or make positive references to it, this in turn generates organic links, which also have a positive effect on the ranking. Coordinating SEO and social media strategy therefore makes perfect sense.

Conclusion and outlook: The path to permanently successful e-commerce SEO

The essential elements for a high-performance online shop

Let's briefly summarise the essential elements that make up a high-performance online shop:

• Thorough keyword analysis and prioritisation to identify the right terms for your target group
• Effective on-page optimisation, including appealing title tags, meta descriptions, H1 titles and structured data
• Implementation of technical SEO measures such as HTTPS/SSL certificates, elimination of duplicate content and improvement of loading times
• Intelligent link building strategies to increase the number and quality of backlinks
• Creation of engaging blog content that offers added value for your target group and attracts more visitors to your website
• Targeted conversion optimisation through data-based action to maximise sales

The future of e-commerce SEO: what can we expect?

The e-commerce industry is constantly evolving, and the same goes for SEO. In the future, we can expect new technologies, platforms and ranking factors that offer both challenges and opportunities. Examples of this include the growing importance of machine learning and artificial intelligence in search engine algorithms, the increasing use of voice assistants and voice search, as well as increasingly sophisticated personalisation and targeting options in online marketing.

In order to remain successful as an e-commerce operator in the future, it is important to stay on the ball, keep an eye on trends and developments and continuously adapt and develop your SEO strategy.

Final tips for e-commerce operators: SEO strategies that sell

Finally, I would like to give you a few final pieces of advice for your e-commerce success:

1. Focus on your target audience: always make sure to keep the needs and interests of your target audience in mind and align your SEO strategy accordingly.
2. Be patient and persistent: SEO is a long-term endeavour - don't expect miracles overnight, but work continuously and persistently to improve your website and your visibility in the search results.
3. Learn from the best: Analyse successful online shops and take inspiration from their strategies to follow your own path to success in e-commerce SEO.

Overall, the path to consistently successful e-commerce SEO involves targeted measures, continuous optimisation and a deep understanding of your target group's needs. By pursuing human-centred, data-driven and future-proof strategies, you lay the foundation for long-lasting success in online retail.

Frequently asked questions about e-commerce SEO for online shops

What is e-commerce SEO?

E-commerce SEO refers to search engine optimisation for online shops and webshops. The aim is to make the e-commerce shop more visible in Google and other search engines through various measures. Special SEO tools and SEO agencies help with this. The aim is to direct more visitors to the e-commerce website via organic search and thus increase sales. This includes on-page measures, technical SEO, link building and content marketing.

What is an SEO concept?

An SEO concept comprises the entire strategy and approach to make an e-commerce website successful through search engine optimisation. It includes the definition of goals, keyword research, the creation of SEO texts, technical on-page optimisation and off-page measures such as link building. A well thought-out SEO concept helps to build up targeted efforts and improve visibility in search engine results step by step.

Can you do online shop SEO yourself?

You can also carry out basic SEO measures yourself, e.g. on-page optimisation, content creation, registration in directories, etc. However, advanced tactics such as link building usually require the expertise of an SEO specialist. E-commerce SEO in particular requires a lot of specialised knowledge. It therefore often makes sense to call in professional support from an SEO agency, at least in part.

Is SEO online marketing?

SEO is an important part of online marketing. While online marketing encompasses all digital marketing measures, SEO focuses specifically on visibility in search engines. Other online marketing channels include social media, display advertising, affiliate marketing and email marketing. SEO ideally complements these in order to direct visitors to the website via organic search.