93% of internet-based experiences start by searching. 75% of people don't even get past the initial page in results. That is why SEO is essential for any website, let alone ecommerce brands.  

No matter the size of your online store, if your business isn't listed in the top positions on search results, it could miss out on potential customers and sales. 

The issue? There's plenty of information competing for customers' attention on the internet. A good SEO strategy will allow you to gain more visitors, provide them with the information they're seeking and help convert more of them into paying customers. 

In this e-commerce SEO list, we're cutting out the jargon, eliminating confusion, and providing you with a checklist of simple-to-implement SEO strategies that can increase engagement, traffic, and conversions. 

Your SEO Ecommerce Checklist

1. Start With Keyword Research 

You've probably heard about the importance of keyword research, but did you know that it should be the first step when implementing every SEO strategy? This is because the words you choose will impact the content, copy, and even the technical SEO you implement. 

Google Keyword Planner is an excellent place to begin your search for keywords. Enter the variations of your product's name, and it will assist you in finding similar keywords. 

Another great source for keyword research? Amazon. Yes, Amazon may be one of your largest competitors, but the best part is that you can look through its subcategories and categories to find keyword suggestions. It's an excellent idea to create a separate browser window and type in the keywords related to your product. 

2. Narrow Down Your Keywords 

You probably have a huge number of keyword lists. To begin narrowing it to ones with the greatest relevance and achievable objectives, look at the monthly volume of searches for each keyword using Google Keyword Planner. Search for keywords that demonstrate commercial intent and have moderate to high competition. This will give you an idea of what you'll need to concentrate on. 

3. Tidy Up Your Website Architecture 

How your website is structured is crucial from both a user's and the crawler's perspective. 

Most online stores benefit from a rational flat website architecture that ensures that all product pages can be accessed three clicks away from the homepage. If you're looking for ways to improve your SEO on the internet, redesigning your website's architecture could be an excellent way to begin. Here are some suggestions to follow: 

• Use a flat design to ensure that your visitors and crawlers of search engines can quickly navigate your site in only a few mouse clicks from your home page. 
• A page must not be more extended than three mouse clicks to access the other pages. 
• The main pages ought to be linked to your homepage, and they must, in turn, link your subpages with the most relevance to the content they contain. 
• Group the pages according to the relevance of keywords or topics. 

4. Implement Technical SEO

The importance of technical SEO for eCommerce websites is far greater since they typically have lots of pages. 

Here's a useful technical SEO checklist to refer to: 

• Perform a site audit: The most popular tools for auditing your site are Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and SEMrush. These tools will examine your site to identify any SEO issues that may affect your site and help you address any issues. 
• Speed up Your Website: Google is now using your site's speed as an algorithm for ranking websites. Speeding your site by upgrading your platform and keeping loading times for images low can boost your rankings and profits. 
• Fix duplicate content: One of the most frequently encountered issues on eCommerce websites. It is possible to fix this issue using canonical tags, which can tell search engines not to treat duplicate pages as distinct. 

An ecommerce website is extensive, with hundreds of product pages and many glitches. Hiring a technical SEO expert can resolve all your store issues in no time.  

5. Prioritize On-Page SEO 

On-page SEO is the process of improving your site's visibility, which is why search engines will show it in search results containing your keywords. This is an easy-to-follow page SEO checklist that you can follow to ensure that you're using all your keywords in the correct areas: 

• URLs 
• Meta-descriptions and titles  
• Image alt tags 
• Titles of pages 
• Paragraph Copy 
• Heading 
• Subheading 
• Names of image files 
• Product descriptions 

Keep in mind that there are human beings, and not only search engines, who will be reading your titles and descriptions. It is essential to include keywords for SEO. However, you should also consider human factors when adding pages to your site. Use Meta descriptions and page titles to inform visitors to understand why you should make them click. 

6. Create a Solid Internal Link Structure 

People will spend more time on your website if it's easy to locate what they seek. The longer time spent on your website, the more search engines think of your site as valuable and reliable. Your internal links act as a map for search engines by showing how you guide users to your website. Using a well-thought-out, user-friendly, and efficient internal linking structure is crucial. It leads visitors to their preferred or desired destination. 

7. Build Links 

To boost the credibility of your site and increase the authority of your site, you must gain links from quality websites that contain content that could be considered relevant to your products and customers.  

The links you earn should be "followed" and occur naturally within the text of the article or page. These so-called "link farms" and low-quality websites could do your site greater harm than good, so be sure that the sites you're looking at are legitimate websites with high authority. 

One of the most effective methods to start link building is by creating quality content that other websites would like to distribute to users. It is possible to offer the material to the sites you want to share it with to publish in exchange for the possibility of a backlink to your website. Should the information be intriguing enough, it could be published naturally. It may also be beneficial to build an influencer network and affiliates you can utilize to build backlinks and social proof for your company. 

Takeaway  

SEO for websites that sell online doesn't have to be complicated. With the help of the checklist above, you'll be able to optimize your site and compete with competitors in your field. 

Managing an ecommerce business, handling orders supply and demand, replying to customers on social media, and keeping a tab on its website pages can take a toll on you.  

Consulting a digital marketing agency to run, maintain and update your website for SEO can boost its google ranking. Consider hiring one and see the change.