Getting traffic to your ecommerce site is one thing. Getting those visitors to buy something? That’s where most online shops struggle. You might be ranking well, pulling in decent numbers, but if people aren’t converting, you’re basically running an expensive hobby rather than a business.
SEO and conversion optimisation aren’t separate issues. They’re two sides of the same coin. When you optimise for search engines the right way, you’re also improving the experience for real people who might spend money with you. This helpful ecommerce SEO checklist focuses on the stuff that moves the needle on both rankings and conversions.
Sort Out Your Site Structure First
Navigation matters more than people think. If someone lands on your site and can’t figure out where to go next, they’ll leave. Simple as that. Your category pages need to make sense. Your internal linking should guide people naturally through your product range.
Search engines also look at how your site is organised too. A messy structure confuses Google’s crawlers just like it confuses your customers. Keep your essential pages within three clicks of your homepage. Use breadcrumb navigation so people (and search engines) know exactly where they are. Create a logical hierarchy that flows from broad categories down to specific products.
The URL structure plays into this, as well. Keep URLs short and descriptive. “yoursite.com/mens-running-shoes” beats “yoursite.com/category/cat123/product456” every single time, for users and for search engines.
Product Pages Need More Attention
Most ecommerce sites phone it in with product descriptions. They copy whatever the manufacturer sent over or write two sentences and call it done. That’s leaving money on the table.
Your product pages are where conversions happen, so they need to work hard. Write unique descriptions for each product. Yes, even if you’ve got hundreds of them. Talk about benefits, not just features. Answer the questions people have before they buy.
Images matter enormously. Multiple high-quality photos from different angles. Zoom functionality. Videos, if you can manage it. People can’t touch or try your products online, so you need to make up for it with excellent visuals.
Technical bits count, too. Include schema markup so Google can show rich snippets with prices, availability, and ratings in search results. Those star ratings in search results increase click-through rates significantly. Make sure your page titles include the product name and relevant keywords without looking spammy.
Speed Isn’t Negotiable
Slow sites kill conversions. People won’t wait around while your page loads. They’ll just hit the back button and buy from someone else. Google knows this, which is why site speed affects your rankings.
Compress your images. Most ecommerce sites upload massive files straight from their phone or camera. Those need to be optimised. Use lazy loading so images below the fold don’t slow down the initial page load. Consider a content delivery network if you’re serving customers across different regions.
Check your site on mobile devices regularly. Most ecommerce traffic comes from phones now, and mobile users are even less patient than desktop users. If your site takes more than three seconds to load on mobile, you’re losing sales.
Get Your Content Strategy Right
Blog posts and guides do more than just attract traffic. They build trust and authority. When someone searches for “how to choose running shoes,” you want to be the site that answers that question comprehensively. That’s how you can get them to check out your running shoe collection.
Write content that your target customers search for. Use tools to find real questions people ask. Answer them thoroughly. Link to relevant product categories within the content, but don’t be pushy about it.
Content also gives you opportunities to rank for broader, informational keywords that product pages can’t target effectively. Someone searching “running shoe buying guide” isn’t ready to buy yet, but they might be in a few days. You want to be the site they remember.
Reviews and User-Generated Content
Customer reviews serve double duty. They convince other people to buy, and they add fresh, unique content to your product pages. Google loves seeing regularly updated content with natural keyword usage, and reviews provide that.
Make leaving reviews easy. Send follow-up emails after purchases. Offer small incentives if necessary. Respond to reviews, especially negative ones. It shows you care and gives you another chance to include relevant keywords naturally.
User photos work brilliantly, too. People trust other customers more than they trust your marketing copy. When someone posts a picture of themselves using your product, that’s gold for both conversions and authenticity.
Make Your Traffic Work Harder
You’re already spending time and money on SEO. You’re already getting people to your site. The question is whether those visitors convert or bounce away to buy from someone else.
Converted specialises in exactly this challenge. Getting the right traffic to your site and making sure it converts. With experience stretching back to 2011 and a decade-long focus on purchase behaviour and conversion-focused design, we understand how to bridge the gap between traffic and results. If you want your ecommerce site to generate revenue rather than just visitor numbers, their approach to marketing and conversion optimisation is worth exploring.
