Ecommerce SEO basics: get your store found on Google

Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps people find your store when they search for what you sell. Unlike ads, the traffic doesn’t stop when you stop paying. It takes months to build, so the best time to start is before launch. Here are the fundamentals.

1. Understand what your customers search for

Keyword research means finding the words your customers actually type:

• Start with the obvious product terms, then look at Google’s autocomplete, “People also ask” and related searches.
• Look at competitors’ category names and product titles.
• Prioritise specific, buying-intent phrases (“waterproof commuter backpack 20L”) over broad ones (“backpack”), especially early on.

Map one main keyword theme to each important page, so pages don’t compete with each other.

2. Optimise product pages

• Title tag and H1: include the product type and key attribute.
• Unique descriptions: never paste the manufacturer’s text, which appears on hundreds of other sites. Write your own (the description writer gives you a head start).
• Image alt text: describe what’s in each image, accurately.
• Clean URLs: short and readable, like /products/waterproof-daypack.
• Reviews and FAQs: fresh, relevant text that answers real questions.
• Structured data: most platforms add product schema (price, availability, reviews) automatically. Check it’s present.

3. Optimise category (collection) pages

Category pages often rank for broader terms. Give each one a clear title, a short introduction explaining the range and helping shoppers choose, and good internal links to subcategories and best sellers.

4. Technical basics

You don’t need to be technical, but check:

• Mobile-friendly: Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site.
• Speed: compress images, limit heavy apps and test with PageSpeed Insights.
• HTTPS: secure on every page.
• Sitemap: submitted in Google Search Console.
• No duplicate content: variant and filter pages shouldn’t create endless near-identical URLs (good platforms handle this with canonical tags).
• Broken links and 404s: fix or redirect them, especially after changing product URLs.

5. Content that earns traffic

Helpful articles bring in people earlier in their buying journey: guides, comparisons, how-tos and gift guides related to your products. Each article should genuinely help, link naturally to relevant products and be updated over time.

Good content ideas come from customer questions. Every question you get by email is a potential article.

6. Earning links and mentions

Links from other reputable sites remain a strong signal. Earn them by:

• getting featured in gift guides and roundups
• partnering with creators and complementary brands
• telling your founder story to local press and niche blogs
• creating something genuinely useful (a guide, tool or data) that others want to reference

Avoid buying links or joining link schemes; they can get your site penalised.

7. Free listings and local SEO

Register with Google Merchant Center for free product listings where available. If you have a physical location or serve a local area, set up a Google Business Profile.

8. Track progress

Set up Google Search Console (impressions, clicks, rankings and indexing issues) and an analytics tool (traffic and sales by channel). Review monthly. SEO is a long game; look at trends over quarters, not days.

Common mistakes

• Thin, copied product descriptions
• Changing URLs without redirects
• Slow sites weighed down by too many apps
• Chasing broad keywords too early
• Expecting results in weeks instead of months

Want SEO built in from day one? We include it in every store build.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Platform features and pricing change, so check the provider's official pages before deciding. See our Disclaimer and editorial policy.