7 Expert Ecommerce SEO Strategies to Skyrocket Sales

What if a single tweak to your e-commerce website could dramatically boost your search engine rankings? In this article, we’ve gathered insights from top SEO managers and consultants who share their most impactful optimisation tactics. With seven expert tips ahead, you’re just steps away from unlocking game-changing strategies for your store. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

• Create Informative Category Pages
• Use Structured Data Markup
• Redirect Removed Product Pages
• Enhance Category Page Content
• Optimise Internal Linking Structure
• Move Keywords to Transactional Pages
• Audit and Remove Low-Performing Blog Posts (Yes this works for ecom too!)

Create informative category pages

One powerful optimisation tactic I used for an e-commerce site involved strategically building out category pages with content specifically designed to answer common customer questions and support their purchase decision. The goal was to create a page so informative that it would prevent the user from returning to the search engine—a signal Google loves because it means we've met the user's needs in one visit.

For instance, I worked on an apparel website with a category for "winter running gear." We transformed the category page from a simple product list to a valuable resource hub. In addition to product options, we added sizing guides, material breakdowns, climate suitability tips, and even care instructions. By anticipating potential customer questions—like which material is best for warmth, or what layering options work well in freezing temperatures—we added content that functioned like a mini-buying guide, right there on the category page.

Blake Smith, Founder & SEO Consultant, Blake Smith Consulting

Use structured data markup

One effective website-optimization tactic that significantly improved search-engine rankings for an e-commerce site was implementing structured data markup using Schema.org. By integrating JSON-LD format for Product schema on our product pages, we provided search engines with detailed information about each item, including names, prices, availability, and aggregate ratings. 

After ensuring the markup was error-free with Google's Structured Data Testing Tool, we monitored performance through Google Search Console. This led to higher search visibility, richer snippets in search results, and, ultimately, an increase in organic traffic and sales. Structured data not only enhanced our rankings but also improved the overall user experience.

Shreya Jha, Social Media Expert, Appy Pie

Redirect removed product pages

Dealing with removed and out-of-stock product pages properly. Typically, most sites have them default to 404 or delete the product page, which you never want to do since it keeps being displayed on Google for a while later. If a user drops into a 404 from the SERP, it will hurt your rankings.

Instead, what I do is redirect them to alternatives. If the alternative is highly similar to the original product, I create a 301 redirect. If there's no similar alternative, I redirect them to the category pages or display the alternatives on the original page.

Bonus tip: I always make sure the back-links are properly redirected, too!

Lana Rafaela Cindric, SEO & Content Manager, SiteGuru

Enhance category page content

One effective optimisation tactic I've used for an e-commerce website is implementing category page content optimisation. Often, category pages are thin on content, but they're essential for ranking in competitive product niches. For an online store selling outdoor gear, I focused on adding rich, keyword-optimised content to each category page.

Instead of just listing products, I added a concise yet engaging intro, product highlights, buying guides, and even FAQ sections that answered common customer questions. For example, on a "Camping Tents" category page, we included a section about the different types of tents, material choices, and tips for picking the right size. This content served two purposes: it helped users make informed decisions and provide search engines with keyword-relevant information.

The results were noticeable within a few months. Organic traffic to the category pages increased, bounce rates dropped, and several pages climbed into the top 5 search positions for key terms like "best camping tents" and "waterproof tents for camping." This strategy of optimizing content on high-impact pages can make a significant difference in search rankings and user engagement.

Hicham Badri, Blogger, SEO Expert

​

Optimise internal linking structure

A straightforward tactic that has proven to boost rankings for an e-commerce site involves optimising internal linking for both relevance and hierarchy. I worked with a site that had a scattered link structure, which was making it harder for search engines to understand its main pages. By reorganising their internal links to prioritise top-performing categories and product pages, we created a clearer site hierarchy that search engines could easily crawl. 

Additionally, we adjusted anchor text for each link to better reflect specific keywords we aimed to rank for. In doing so, we also reduced link clutter by only keeping links with a direct relevance to user intent on each page. As a result, the site's category pages saw a 25% increase in organic traffic, with certain key products moving from page two to page one of Google in just a few months. It was an effective way to raise the overall authority of priority pages without adding extra content.

Paul DeMott, Chief Technology Officer, Helium SEO 

Move keywords to transactional pages

One effective optimization tactic I used for an e-commerce client involved moving high-ranking keywords from a content page to the more transactional category pages. Originally, a guide on leather furniture ranked for key commercial terms, driving most of the site's traffic. To boost conversions, we optimized the category pages by updating meta-tags, adding internal links from the guide, enhancing site navigation, and adding relevant content to the category pages.

Within a few months, the keywords shifted to these category pages, and rankings improved to the top-three positions. This approach led to a 200% increase in conversions, showing the power of aligning high-intent keywords with transactional pages.

Victor André Enselmann, Founder, Modeva

Audit and remove low-performing blog posts

I run a large house-cleaning company based in Sydney, Australia, and do all the SEO in-house. I coordinate our front-end and back-end website developers, as well as our content writers and link outreach specialists, to make sure our campaigns are running smoothly and we're getting as many new leads per day as possible with the traffic we receive from Google.

We noticed around April 24 that traffic to our blog posts was diminishing, which I didn't mind as it wasn't affecting our top or bottom-line revenue since we were still ranking for money keywords. However, around the end of May and June, we noticed that our service pages, where we obtain bookings, were losing a lot of traffic.

We tried everything to fix it, including better internal linking, fixing site speed issues, and multiple audits from some of the most renowned SEOs online.

Nothing we did fixed it. I then hypothesized that maybe because the blog posts had lost a lot of traffic, Google then doubted the authority of our site and devalued our site as a whole because of those blog posts.

I did a thorough audit of the traffic history of more than 300 blog posts on our site using both Google's Search Console and Ahrefs to find out which pages had backlinks. I used a criterion of relevancy (is the blog post within our wheelhouse), traffic in the last 16 months, and impressions to cull over 70 blog posts. Since then, we have seen an upsurge in traffic of 35%, and we've doubled the number of keywords that are ranking in positions 1-3.

Delah Gomasi, Managing Director & CEO, MaidForYou

Conclusion

Incorporating these 7 proven strategies into your ecommerce SEO strategy can be the game-changer your business needs to dominate search engine rankings. From expanding category pages with high-intent keywords to auditing underperforming content, these tactics are proven to drive organic traffic, improve user experience, and ultimately boost sales. SEO is an ongoing process, but with these actionable insights from industry experts, you’re equipped to make meaningful changes that yield measurable results. Start implementing these tips today and watch your ecommerce store rise above the competition! Head back to out blog home for more SEO tips!