If your e-commerce store isn’t ranking, you’re leaving money on the table—plain and simple. Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day, and a massive chunk of those are shoppers looking for products just like yours. But if your site isn’t optimized, they’ll never find you. Instead, they’ll land on your competitors’ pages and checkout while you’re stuck wondering why traffic is flatlining.
Here’s the truth: paid ads alone won’t cut it anymore. The cost of PPC is rising, and relying solely on paid traffic is a race to the bottom. Studies show that organic search drives 53% of all website traffic, making it the single most powerful driver of e-commerce sales.
So, how do you claim your share of that traffic? It’s not just about ranking—it’s about ranking for the right keywords, optimizing for conversions, and structuring your site to dominate search results. Whether you’re struggling to get your products seen or looking to scale beyond paid ads, mastering e-commerce SEO is your ticket to long-term, high-quality traffic that converts.
Keyword Research for E-Commerce Success
Why Keyword Research Matters for E-Commerce SEO
If you’re not ranking for the right keywords, your e-commerce store isn’t reaching the right audience. It’s that simple. The key to driving high-intent organic traffic is knowing exactly what your potential customers are searching for—and optimizing your site accordingly.
Effective keyword research isn’t just about finding high-volume terms. It’s about understanding buyer intent, leveraging competitor insights, and structuring your site so that every product and category page ranks for the right queries.
Let’s break down the strategies that will increase your organic traffic, boost conversions, and position your store ahead of the competition.
Understand Search Intent: Not All Keywords Are Created Equal
Not all search traffic is valuable. You need to target keywords that match what your customers actually want to do—not just what they’re curious about. That’s where search intent comes in.
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Informational Keywords → Users researching but not ready to buy (e.g., “Best hiking boots for beginners”)
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Navigational Keywords → People looking for a specific brand or store (e.g., “Nike Pegasus 40 running shoe review”)
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Commercial Keywords → Shoppers considering a purchase (e.g., “Nike vs Adidas running shoes comparison”)
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Transactional Keywords → Ready-to-buy customers (e.g., “Buy Nike Pegasus 40 for flat feet”)
Use Keyword Research Tools to Find High-Converting Terms
Guesswork doesn’t cut it in SEO—finding high-intent, high-converting keywords requires tools that provide real search data. Google Keyword Planner offers free insights into search volume and competition levels, while platforms like Ahrefs and SEMrush help uncover competitor rankings and hidden opportunities. Google Autocomplete and the “People Also Ask” section reveal trending queries that users are actively searching for, and Amazon or eBay Suggest can highlight what real shoppers are looking for when they’re ready to buy. While a broad keyword like “best men’s running shoes” may have high search volume, a more specific term such as “Buy Nike Pegasus 40 for flat feet” is far more likely to drive conversions.
Optimize for Product & Category Keywords
Your category and product pages are your biggest opportunities for SEO success—but many e-commerce stores ignore them.
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Category Pages → Target broad, high-traffic keywords (e.g., “https://runnersathleticcompany.com/category/20033/men-s-running”)
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Product Pages → Target specific, transactional keywords (e.g., “https://runnersathleticcompany.com/product/2449195/brooks/mens-addiction-gts-15”)
Your URL structure also matters. Instead of generic URLs like:
/products/12345
Use an optimized, keyword-friendly structure:
/mens-running-shoes/brooks/mens-addiction-gts-15
This makes your pages more search-friendly, user-friendly, and shareable.
Leverage Long-Tail & Question-Based Keywords
Long-tail keywords aren’t just great for blogs—they can drive highly qualified traffic to your product pages.
For example:
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“Best waterproof hiking boots for wide feet”
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“Affordable gaming laptop under $1,000”
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“natural face moisturizer for dry skin”
These keywords are less competitive but convert higher because they match specific buyer needs.
Another SEO hack? Question-based keywords. Many shoppers ask detailed product-related questions before buying. Optimizing for these can help you rank in Google’s featured snippets (the box at the top of search results).
For example:
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“what are the best running shoes?”
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“Does Nike Pegasus 40 work for overpronation?”
Adding FAQs to your product pages can help capture these search queries and increase organic traffic.
Avoid Keyword Cannibalization & Optimize for SEO-Friendly Content
One of the biggest SEO mistakes e-commerce sites make is keyword cannibalization—when multiple pages compete for the same keyword, weakening your rankings.
For example, if you have 3 different pages targeting “Best running shoes for flat feet,” Google doesn’t know which one to rank—so it splits ranking power across all three, making it harder to rank any of them well.
To avoid this:
Ensure each page targets a unique keyword with distinct intent.
Use canonical tags for similar product variations to prevent duplicate content.
Build strong internal links between related product and category pages to improve rankings.
Proper keyword organization ensures higher visibility, better rankings, and a smoother user experience.
On-Page SEO Optimization for Product & Category Pages
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Optimize Product Titles & Meta Descriptions – Use clear, keyword-rich titles and compelling meta descriptions to improve CTR and rankings.
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Use SEO-Friendly URLs – Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-optimized (e.g., /mens-running-shoes/nike-pegasus-40).
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Write Unique Product Descriptions – Avoid duplicate content, highlight benefits over features, and naturally integrate target keywords.
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Leverage Structured Data (Schema Markup) – Add product, review, and breadcrumb schema to enhance search visibility with rich snippets.
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Optimize Images for Speed & SEO – Use compressed images, descriptive alt text, and WebP format to improve load times and rankings.
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Improve Internal Linking – Connect related product and category pages to enhance SEO value and user navigation.
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Ensure Mobile-Friendliness & Fast Load Times – Optimize for mobile-first indexing, improve page speed, and enable lazy loading for images.
Technical SEO for E-Commerce Websites
Ensure Mobile-Friendliness for Google’s Mobile-First Indexing
Google now prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings. Since most online shopping happens on smartphones, your store must be fully responsive. If your site doesn’t display properly or loads slowly on mobile, you’re losing potential customers. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your site’s responsiveness and fix issues like text too small to read, unclickable buttons, and poor navigation.
Use a mobile-responsive design that adapts to all screen sizes
Ensure text is readable and buttons are easy to tap
Optimize for touch-friendly navigation and avoid intrusive pop-ups
Improve Site Speed & Core Web Vitals for Better Rankings
Site speed directly affects user experience, bounce rates, and conversions. If your store takes longer than 3 seconds to load, potential buyers will leave before even seeing your products. Google’s Core Web Vitals measures speed, responsiveness, and visual stability—key ranking factors for e-commerce sites.
Compress images and use WebP format for faster load times
Enable lazy loading so images and scripts load only when needed
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to serve pages faster globally
Optimize Crawlability & Indexability for Search Engines
If search engines can’t properly crawl and index your website, your products won’t appear in search results—no matter how good your SEO is. Ensuring that Google can efficiently access and understand your pages is a must.
Submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console to help bots find important pages
Use robots.txt to prevent Google from indexing pages like cart, checkout, and admin sections
Check for crawl errors in Google Search Console and fix them immediately
Fix Duplicate Content with Canonical Tags & Pagination
E-commerce stores often struggle with duplicate content issues, especially when using similar product pages, faceted navigation, and sorting filters. If Google detects duplicate pages, it may choose the wrong version to rank—or worse, not rank any at all.
Use canonical tags (rel="canonical") to tell Google which version of a page to prioritize
Avoid duplicate product descriptions—write unique content for each variation
For paginated category pages, use proper pagination tags (rel="next" and rel="prev")
Optimize Internal Linking & Site Structure
A well-structured site helps both users and search engines navigate your store efficiently. A messy, unorganized website leads to poor user experience and lower rankings.
Create a hierarchical site structure with clear category and subcategory pages
Implement breadcrumb navigation to help users and Google understand your site’s organization
Internally link related products and categories to distribute SEO value across pages
Content Marketing & Blogging for E-Commerce SEO
Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive organic traffic to your e-commerce store. While optimizing product and category pages helps with transactional searches, blogging and content marketing attract potential buyers before they’re ready to purchase. By creating informative, engaging, and SEO-optimized content, you can position your store as an industry leader, improve search rankings, and nurture potential customers until they’re ready to buy.
One of the biggest advantages of blogging for e-commerce is the ability to rank for long-tail and informational keywords that your product pages might not capture. For example, instead of targeting a competitive keyword like “best running shoes”, a blog post titled “How to Choose the Right Running Shoes for Your Foot Type” can bring in shoppers who are still researching. Over time, they build trust with your brand and are more likely to convert when they’re ready to make a purchase.
To make blogging work for SEO, focus on high-value content that directly relates to your products. Writing how-to guides, product comparisons, expert tips, and customer stories not only helps with search rankings but also enhances user engagement. For example, a furniture store could write a guide on “10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Sofa for Small Spaces”, linking back to their best-selling products. This creates a seamless journey from information to purchase.
Stop Losing Customers to Competitors – Let’s Boost Your E-Commerce SEO!
Great content doesn’t just drive traffic—it turns visitors into customers. If your e-commerce store isn’t ranking or converting, it’s time for a smarter strategy. At The Growth Shark, we specialize in SEO-driven content marketing that attracts, engages, and sells. Let’s build a content strategy that works for your brand and your bottom line. Schedule a free strategy session today!
