According to an Ahrefs report, a staggering 96.55% of websites don’t receive any organic traffic from Google. The secret to joining the other 3.45%—businesses that consistently appear at the top of Google’s search results (SERPs)—lies in using proven search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.

Let’s explore some of the latest eCommerce SEO best practices and expert tips that can help your online store maximize visibility, attract more visitors, and boost conversions.

Ecommerce SEO Cheat Sheet

Not sure where to start? Here’s a straightforward, no-fluff to-do list to get your online store ranking higher and reaching more shoppers.

Optimize product titles and headings
Use descriptive, keyword-rich titles and write detailed product descriptions. Give shoppers all the information they need to feel confident about making a purchase.
Showcase reviews and FAQs
Collect and display customer reviews, and include Q&As directly on your product pages. You can also build a dedicated FAQ page to cover common questions.
Build optimized collections
Group related products into collections (ideally with 3–5+ items and clear search demand). Don’t forget to optimize your collection titles, descriptions, and headings.
Link collections in your main navigation
Make sure your key collections are easily accessible. Avoid orphaned pages by linking them directly from your main navigation.
Publish blog content
Write helpful articles targeting informational queries around your products. Use these posts to naturally link back to relevant products and collections.
Implement structured data
Add schema markup to help search engines better understand your pages. Examples include:
- AggregateRating for reviews
- Product markup for details like pricing, availability, shipping, and returns (Shopify handles much of this automatically)
- Sync with Google Merchant Center for broader visibility
Boost site speed
A fast, smooth shopping experience keeps customers happy and search engines impressed.
Track your rankings
Regularly monitor performance with Google Search Console. If rankings dip, adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.

5 Ecommerce SEO Best Practices for 2025

As we head into 2025, standing out in search results means being strategic with your SEO efforts. From choosing the right keywords to creating content that meets your audience’s needs, these best practices will help your online store stay competitive and visible. Let’s dive into the top strategies you should focus on this year.

1. Find the Best Keywords for Your Ecommerce Store

Keyword research is the foundation of any strong SEO strategy. It helps you discover the exact phrases shoppers type into Google when they’re searching for products like yours. Once you identify those keywords, you can naturally weave them into your product pages, collections, and blog posts—giving your site the best chance to rank higher and attract the right audience.

Research the Best Keywords to Target

The right keyword research tool will make it much easier to uncover high-value search terms for your store. Ubersuggest and Moz Keyword Explorer both offer free versions with upgrade options, while Ahrefs—though priced at $99 per month—provides robust features for in-depth keyword analysis and rank tracking.

Once you’ve chosen a tool, start identifying the phrases people use when they’re actively looking to buy products like yours. A simple way to get started is by searching for one of your products on Google. Take note of which businesses rank at the top, plug their site into your keyword tool, and see which terms they’re ranking for. Then, apply a similar strategy to your own site.

For example, searching “rosette shaped succulents for sale” shows Succulents Box ranking in the first position. By analyzing their keywords, you can discover what’s driving their visibility—and borrow insights for your own SEO strategy.

Ensure Your Keywords Have Purchase Intent

Not every Google search means someone is ready to buy. That’s where search intent comes in—the reason behind a search. For your ecommerce store, you want to focus on keywords that show buying intent.

For example, someone searching “prickly pear cactus” might just want photos or care instructions. But a search for “prickly pear cactus for sale” signals they’re ready to make a purchase.

A simple way to spot purchase intent is to look at what types of pages Google ranks for a keyword. If you see product or collection pages dominating the results, that’s a clear sign the keyword has buying intent—and it’s one worth targeting.

Place Keywords Strategically Across Your Website

Once you’ve built a solid list of keywords that match your products, the next step is to weave them naturally into key areas of your site. This helps search engines understand what your pages are about and improves your chances of ranking higher.

Here’s where to place them:

Meta title – The page title that appears in Google search results.
Meta description – The short description under the title in search results.
H1 headline – The main heading visitors see at the top of a page, like a blog post or landing page.
Product or collection descriptions – Use keywords in the boxes where you describe items or collections.
Blog posts – Create articles around your keywords, such as how-to guides or definitions.
URLs – Include the keyword at the end of the page link, e.g., www.yourshop.com/the-keyword.

👉 You can manage all of these placements in the back end of your ecommerce platform. Just remember: avoid keyword stuffing. Keywords should fit naturally into your content so it still reads smoothly and makes sense to your shoppers.

Here’s how this plays out across different parts of your store:

Product pages – Focus on single products, e.g., “ruby glow succulent.”
Collection pages – Group products with a common trait, e.g., “indoor succulents.”
Blog articles – Target informational queries, e.g., “How often should I water indoor succulents?”

Add Keywords to Every Meta Title

A meta title is the page title that appears in Google search results—and it’s one of the most impactful places to add your keywords. Optimizing meta titles is a low-effort, high-reward SEO tactic that can deliver results much faster than you might expect.

While many say SEO takes six months to show results, improving your meta titles can sometimes lead to noticeable ranking jumps within the first month. That’s how powerful they are.

Most ecommerce platforms make it simple to set meta titles. For example, on Shopify, just head to your admin dashboard, select the page you want to edit, and scroll down to the “Search engine listing preview” at the bottom. From there, you can customize both the meta title and description.

Here’s a real-world example: Succulents Box ranks on the first page of Google for the keyword “tulip prickly pear cactus for sale.” Their meta title reads: “Tulip Prickly Pear Cactus | Succulent Care Instruction.”

By including both the product keyword (tulip prickly pear cactus) and an informational phrase (succulent care instruction), they’re capturing buyers ready to shop and searchers looking for care tips—broadening their reach with a single title.

👉 Pro tip: Just like meta titles, always add your target keyword to the meta description. Together, these two fields give search engines (and shoppers) a clear signal about what your page is all about.

2. Build Backlinks and Internal Links

Link building is all about earning trust online. It happens when other websites—whether brands, blogs, or publications—link to your content. The more high-quality backlinks you earn, the more credible your site appears to Google, which rewards that credibility with higher rankings. In short: if people trust your content enough to link to it, Google will too.

Backlinks are a cornerstone of ecommerce SEO, and there are countless strategies for building them. A smart starting point is to create content that’s genuinely worth sharing. For example, while another brand might not link to a simple product collection page, they might happily link to a blog post full of practical advice, like a guide on succulent care tips. From there, you can internally link that blog post to your own collection or product pages—passing valuable SEO authority along to them.

In addition to backlinks, don’t overlook internal linking. This involves creating connections between your own pages—for instance, linking from one blog post to another, or from a blog article to a relevant collection page. Internal links help search engines understand your site structure and strengthen the visibility of your most important pages.

👉 Quick takeaway: Backlinks build credibility from the outside world, while internal links create a strong, supportive structure within your own site. Together, they help boost rankings across your entire store.

3. Set Up Google Merchant Center and Sync Your Product Feed

If you want your products to show up in Google’s Organic Product Grids—those highly visible shopping-style results in search—setting up Google Merchant Center (GMC) is a must. By syncing your product feed, you make it easier for Google to pull in your listings and showcase them directly to shoppers.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to get started:

Sign up for Google Merchant Center – Head to the Google Merchant Center signup page. You’ll answer a few quick questions about your business, such as whether you sell online, have a retail store, or both.
Enter your website – If you sell online, Google will ask for your shop’s URL.
Choose checkout options – Select whether customers check out on your site, on Google, or at your physical store.
Add your products – You can upload products manually or automatically. For the automatic option, follow Google’s steps to add structured data to your online store.
Verify your site – Link your store to your Google Merchant Center account for verification.
Connect Shopify (if applicable) – If you’re using Shopify, link it directly to Google Merchant Center for seamless product syncing.

👉 Why it matters: Showing up in organic product grids puts your products front and center in search results—boosting visibility without the extra ad spend.

4. Focus on Ranking Your Collection Pages

When it comes to ecommerce SEO, collection pages are your best friend. While product pages highlight a single item—like a blue candle cactus—a collection page showcases an entire category, such as all cactus plants.

Google tends to favor collection pages for broader, non-branded searches (e.g., “indoor succulents”) because they give shoppers more options. Product pages, on the other hand, usually rank better for very specific queries (e.g., “ruby glow succulent”).

Another advantage? Collection pages respond especially well to backlinks, making them easier to boost in rankings. That’s why it’s often smarter to put your SEO energy into collection pages rather than product pages, which can act like a “dead end” in search.

For example, Urban Americana, a vintage mid-century modern shop in Long Beach, California, ranks on page one of Google for the keyword “vintage mid century modern furniture”—thanks to its optimized all-furniture collection page. Instead of showing just one product, this page displays an entire category, offering shoppers more choice and keeping them browsing longer.

💡 Pro tip: Always link to your collection pages in your site’s main navigation. If you have too many to feature, link related sub-collections or “child” collections from your main ones. This keeps your site organized while ensuring all important pages are easy to find—for shoppers and for Google.

5. Create a Blog That Builds Authority in Your Niche

A blog is one of the most powerful tools in your ecommerce SEO toolkit—but not just because of the extra traffic it brings. Its real strength lies in creating topical relevance: showing Google that your site is an authority in your niche.

Google prioritizes sites that demonstrate expertise. That can come from a strong backlink profile, but also from high-quality content that answers the exact questions people are asking about your products.

Take Succulents Box as an example. Instead of publishing giant “ultimate guides,” they focus on short, targeted posts around informational keywords like:

When should I water my succulents?
How to deal with transplant shock
Can succulents grow well in sand?

Each post then links back to the most relevant collection page (e.g., an article about succulents that thrive in sandy soil linking to that specific collection). This not only helps shoppers but also strengthens the SEO signals of those collection pages.

👉 The key: Don’t worry about writing long, exhaustive guides. Google actually favors granular, hyper-focused content that targets long-tail keywords. For instance, instead of writing one massive post on “succulent care,” publish individual articles like:

How to care for the kalanchoe flapjacks succulent
How to care for fishbone cactus
How to care for echeveria raindrops

By stacking lots of these smaller posts, you’ll build topical authority, attract backlinks, and give your collection pages an SEO boost.

The Benefits of Investing in Ecommerce SEO

A thoughtful ecommerce SEO strategy pays off in ways that go far beyond just getting clicks. Here are some of the biggest benefits:

Achieve long-term results
Unlike paid ads—where traffic stops the moment you stop spending—SEO builds momentum over time. Once your pages begin ranking, they can continue driving traffic, boosting brand visibility, and generating sales without constant reinvestment.
Attract high-intent shoppers
SEO helps you reach people who are actively searching for what you sell. That means the traffic you attract is more likely to convert. For example, if your site ranks at the top of Google for “rare succulents”, you’re capturing buyers ready to make a purchase—often before they consider your competitors.
Generate predictable, cost-effective traffic
Paid ads can deliver quick wins, but they’re also expensive and unreliable. SEO, on the other hand, creates a steady stream of shoppers with real purchase intent. It’s a sustainable, cost-effective way to grow your revenue, build brand awareness, and strengthen trust in your business over the long term.

Ecommerce SEO Best Practices FAQ

How do I optimize SEO for ecommerce?
To optimize SEO for your online store:

Use clear, descriptive product titles and headings.
Encourage and showcase customer reviews and FAQs.
Build and link to product collections strategically.
Ensure every page is accessible through your main navigation.
Publish blog posts that answer shopper questions and link back to collections.
Add structured data markup so products appear in rich results.
Improve site speed for a smoother shopping experience.
Monitor rankings regularly and adjust your SEO strategy as needed.

How does SEO work for ecommerce?
Ecommerce SEO helps search engines discover, index, and rank your store. It involves optimizing product and category pages with the right keywords, improving mobile usability, building backlinks, and enhancing product media (like images and videos). By measuring performance and refining tactics, you make your store more visible to the shoppers who matter most.

What are the top 5 SEO recommendations for ecommerce?

Do thorough keyword research tailored to your niche.
Build strong internal links and earn backlinks to key pages.
Set up Google Merchant Center and sync your product feed.
Prioritize ranking collection/category pages over individual products.
Maintain a blog to establish topical authority in your industry.

5 Proven Ecommerce SEO Strategies to Boost Site Traffic in 2025