Ecommerce SEO Checklist
A complete checklist to help your online store rank higher, attract buyers, and drive consistent sales from organic search.
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Site Architecture & URL Structure
Plan a clean category → product structure
Design your store so shoppers and Google move logically: Homepage → Category → Subcategory (optional) → Product. Clear structures help pages rank for broader terms on categories and specific terms on products.
Use Short, Readable URLs for Categories and Products
Keep URLs lowercase and human-readable (e.g., /mens-running-shoes/nike-pegasus-41). Avoid random IDs unless needed, and keep one stable URL per product to prevent duplicates.
Create Unique Category Page Content (Not Just Grids)
Add a short intro + helpful subheadings, internal links, and FAQs on category (PLP) pages. Treat categories as “traffic magnets,” not just product lists, to capture broad intent like “men’s jeans.”
Make Pagination Crawl-Friendly on Category Pages
If you use pagination (page 1, 2, 3…), ensure each page is indexable with unique titles and internal links. Infinite scroll should have crawlable, paginated URLs behind it so Google can access all items.
Technical SEO & Index Management
Manage Filter and Sort Pages to Prevent Index Bloat
Filters and sorting options (like brand, color, size, or price) can generate thousands of similar URLs. Only let important filter pages be indexed — block or add “noindex” to the rest. This keeps Google from wasting crawl budget and prevents duplicate content issues.
Use Canonical Tags Consistently on Variants
If color/size variants get unique URLs, set rel=canonical so Google understands the main version—or canonicalize each variant to itself if all should rank separately. Keep internal links consistent with your choice.
Avoid Duplicate or Low-Value Pages
Don’t create multiple pages with almost the same content just to target similar keywords. Combine similar pages or make each one unique so every page has a clear, useful purpose for visitors.
Handle Out-of-Stock vs Discontinued Products Smartly
Keep temporarily out-of-stock pages live (show alternatives, keep availability in schema). For permanently discontinued items, redirect to the closest relevant page to preserve equity.
Maintain and Optimize Out-of-Stock Product Pages for SEO
Keep out-of-stock product pages live so they can retain backlinks and continue ranking. Add structured data showing “OutOfStock” status and link to similar in-stock products to keep the page useful. Removing or redirecting these pages too soon can cause loss of rankings and broken links.
Submit product and image sitemaps
Auto-generate XML sitemaps that include only indexable, canonical URLs. Maintain an image and video sitemap (large catalogs rely on image search). Resubmit in Search Console after big changes.
Fix broken links, redirects, and soft 404s
Run regular crawls to catch 404s, mis-mapped redirects, or empty collection pages. Clean status codes help users and keep Google focused on quality URLs.
Follow Platform-Friendly SEO Practices (e.g., Shopify)
If you use Shopify or a similar platform, rely on the platform’s default canonical tags for filtered collections and avoid mixing “noindex” with canonicals, which can confuse Google. Follow your platform’s SEO documentation to manage filter and collection URLs safely
On-Page Optimization & Product Content
Write Original Product Titles and Descriptions
Avoid manufacturer copy-paste. Describe key benefits, specs, and use cases in plain language—this helps you rank for long-tail queries and improves conversions.
Optimize images: size, alt text, and formats
Compress images, serve modern formats (WebP/AVIF), and write concise alt text that describes the product (e.g., “men’s blue running shoes”). Faster, descriptive images improve UX and long-tail discovery.
Strengthen Internal Linking (Breadcrumbs + Related)
Use breadcrumbs (e.g., Home > Shoes > Running) and “related products” blocks to pass authority to key pages and keep users exploring. Add descriptive anchor text, not “click here.”
Capture Reviews and Q&A on Product Pages
Enable verified reviews and short Q&A sections; mark them up with Review/AggregateRating where allowed. Fresh UGC (user-generated content) increases relevance and conversion.
Add Helpful Buying Guides and Comparison Content
Publish evergreen guides, fit/size charts, and comparison pages that answer pre-purchase questions and win featured snippets/AI answers. Interlink them to categories and products.
Schema & Structured Data
Add Product structured data (schema) on all PDPs
Use Product schema to show price, availability, ratings, shipping info, and more in search. Validate with Google’s Rich Results tester so your products are eligible for rich results. (Schema = extra code that explains your content to search engines.)
Keep price and availability accurate in markup
Make sure structured data (price/availability) matches what users see on the page. Inconsistent data can break eligibility for rich results.
International & Merchant Optimization
Use Merchant Center for free product listings (Shopping tab)
Send product feeds to Google Merchant Center so products can appear in unpaid listings across Google surfaces (Shopping tab). Keep feed attributes (price/availability) in sync with the site.
Localize ecom pages correctly if you sell internationally
Use separate URLs per language/country and implement hreflang so shoppers see the right version (e.g., /de/, /fr/). Keep currency, units, and shipping info localized.
Use a CDN and Regional Caching to Improve Global Speed
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) stores your site’s files on servers around the world so customers load pages from the nearest location. This speeds up image and product delivery, improves Core Web Vitals, and supports conversions for international shoppers.
Performance, UX & Trust
Speed up PLPs/PDPs for Core Web Vitals
Minify/defer JS & CSS, lazy-load below-the-fold images, and pre-load hero assets. Healthy CWV (LCP/INP/CLS) reduce bounce and improve rankings—test on mobile.
Verify what Google actually renders
JavaScript can hide content if rendering fails. Use Search Console’s URL Inspection to compare user view vs Google render; fix blocked assets or consider server-side rendering for critical content.
Make Returns, Shipping, and Trust Signals Visible
Prominently show shipping times, returns, warranties, and safe-checkout badges on PDPs. These trust cues aid conversions and reduce pogo-sticking.
Tracking, Monitoring & Maintenance
Monitor Search Console and rich result reports
Track indexing, product enhancements, and warnings (e.g., price/availability issues). Prioritize errors on high-traffic templates first.
Track category and product performance separately
In analytics, segment by page type (PLP vs PDP) to see where traffic and revenue grow or drop. Optimize the bottlenecks (e.g., slow PLPs or thin PDPs) with targeted fixes.