Ecommerce Website SEO Mistakes to Avoid
Ecommerce Website SEO Mistakes
A strong SEO strategy is essential for online stores. It helps potential customers find you in the search engine results pages (SERPs) and increases the chances of making a sale. However, many ecommerce sites make mistakes that quietly harm their rankings, reduce organic traffic and damage conversion rates.
Below are the most common ecommerce website SEO mistakes and how to avoid them. By fixing these, you can improve visibility, increase click-through rate and create a better experience for your target audience.
Poor Site Structure and Navigation
Site structure is more than just organisation. Search engines use it to understand your content, and customers use it to find products quickly. If your site is confusing, visitors leave and rankings drop.
Group products into clear categories and subcategories that match customers' search patterns. Add breadcrumb navigation to help users see where they are. Use internal linking to connect related product pages, which keeps people browsing and helps search engines discover more of your content.
Weak or Duplicate Product Descriptions
Duplicate content is one of the biggest problems for e-commerce websites. Many copy manufacturer descriptions, which can negatively impact rankings. Search engines prefer unique, detailed information.
Write original product descriptions for every item. Include relevant keywords naturally, explain key features and benefits, and focus on what the customer wants to know before buying. This will make your product pages more useful and help them appear for the right search query.
Ignoring Keyword Research and Search Intent
Without keyword research, you risk targeting terms that don’t match what your target audience is actually looking for. This can mean high traffic but low sales.
Research relevant keywords that fit your products and have commercial intent. Instead of only targeting broad terms, consider long-tail phrases that are specific, such as “waterproof hiking boots size 8.” Matching the right keywords to your content helps your e-commerce website appear in front of potential customers at the right stage of their journey.
Poor Mobile Experience
With mobile-first indexing, Google mainly uses the mobile version of your site to decide rankings. If your online store is not mobile-friendly, it will perform worse in search results.
Make sure your site is responsive, loads quickly and is easy to navigate on smaller screens. Keep checkout simple with clear call-to-action buttons and minimal form fields.
Ineffective URL Structure
Complicated URLs filled with numbers or symbols are difficult for search engines and users to understand. Clear, descriptive URLs improve usability and can make links more appealing, which may increase click-through rates.
Use short, keyword-rich URLs that explain the page content, such as /mens/leather-wallet rather than /product?id=2837.
Not Using Structured Data
Structured data, also known as schema markup, helps search engines understand your pages. It can also make your listings stand out with rich snippets showing product reviews, prices and availability.
The most useful types for e-commerce sites are Product, Review, Offer, and Breadcrumb schema. Adding these can make your products more visible in SERPs and help attract more clicks.
Neglecting Image Optimisation
Large, unoptimised images slow down loading speed, harming rankings and user experience. Always compress images without losing quality, use responsive image formats, and add descriptive alt text that includes relevant keywords. This can also help bring in organic traffic from image searches.
Ignoring Product Reviews
Product reviews are a powerful form of social proof. They build trust with potential customers and keep product pages updated with fresh content. When marked up with structured data, they can also show star ratings in SERPs, which can boost click-through rates.
Encourage reviews, display them clearly and respond to feedback where possible.
Slow Site Speed
A slow e-commerce website frustrates users and can harm rankings. Large image files, unoptimised scripts and poor server performance are common causes.
Use a content delivery network, enable caching, compress files and reduce unnecessary scripts. A fast site keeps users engaged and improves organic traffic.
Not Tracking Performance
If you are not tracking results, you cannot improve them. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console show which pages bring in organic traffic, which search queries you appear for, and where users drop off.
Regular checks mean you can fix problems early, such as falling rankings or a drop in click-through rate.
Conclusion – Improve Your SEO and Grow Your Sales
These e-commerce website SEO mistakes are common, but they can all be fixed. By improving site structure, creating unique product descriptions, targeting the right keywords and keeping your site fast and mobile-friendly, you can increase organic traffic and sales.
If your e-commerce site needs a fresh SEO strategy that avoids these mistakes and focuses on results, our team can help. We create tailored SEO strategies for online stores that improve rankings, boost click-through rate and make your products easier for your target audience to find. Contact us today to see how we can help your business grow.