eCommerce
Product Page SEO: best practices for eCommerce product pages
April 29, 2023
Having decided to create an eCommerce store, you are probably wondering how you will increase traffic to your online store.
One of the effective and budget-friendly options to increase traffic to your store is focusing on SEO for product pages. With the right product page SEO best practices, you can achieve the most effective long-term results with your online store.
The goal of search engine optimization for an eCommerce store is to attract more visitors, who will then convert into leads and sales.
In this article, we'll be looking at the product page SEO best practices.
But before starting to talk about how to achieve this, let’s first take a look at what it is SEO for product pages.
What is SEO for product pages?
What is product page optimization in the first place?
Product page optimization is the process that aims to improve the conversions for the product. It's not specifically page optimization for acquiring traffic and improving ranking.
SEO for product pages refers to optimizing product pages strategically for search engines. A product page is where your users can find helpful information about your product such as a size, dimensions, description, and other relevant information.
SEO for product pages aims to improve the visibility and ranking of a product page in search engine results. This can be achieved through a variety of tactics, such as optimizing the page’s content and HTML tags, using relevant keywords, and ensuring that the page loads quickly and is mobile-friendly. By improving the ranking of a product page, you can increase the chances of attracting more traffic and potential customers to your online store.
The importance of SEO for product pages
You now understand what product page SEO is and how it works. But why is it so important?
By implementing product page SEO best practices, you can improve the chances that your product pages will appear higher in search engine results for relevant keywords and phrases.
SEO for product pages can attract traffic and potential customers to the website, leading to increased sales and revenue.
Moving forward, product pages SEO can increase user engagement.
Well-optimized product pages can give users the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision.
SEO for product pages can include product descriptions, images, customer reviews, and other relevant content. By providing users with a positive and engaging experience on the product page, you can increase the chances that they will make a purchase.
Other than that, SEO for product pages doesn’t require a large marketing budget.
Some of the best practices for product page SEO can be implemented at little or no cost. Additionally, many free or low-cost tools and resources are available online. These SEO tools can help you implement and track the success of your product page SEO efforts.
Product page SEO best practices
Product page SEO typically includes a variety of techniques to improve the visibility and ranking of products in search engine results. The following are the steps of product page SEO best practices:
Keywords
Product SEO description
Product image optimization
Internal linking
Product page URLs
Backlinks
Product page breadcrumbs
Product page schema markup
Determine the best keywords for products
SEO for product pages begin with keyword research.
How to choose the best keywords for your product SEO?
Start with a list of relevant keywords to your product or industry. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest can help you develop ideas.
Analyze the search volume for each keyword. The keywords you choose should have enough search volume to be worthwhile but not so much that the competition will be too intense.
Consider the competition for each keyword. To determine how difficult a keyword is to rank, use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. Look at the number of websites competing for the keyword and their relative authority.
Consider the intent behind each keyword. Are people searching for informational content or want to make a purchase? Targeting keywords with high commercial purposes can be more valuable for your business.
Use long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific phrases that are less competitive and can still drive relevant traffic to your site if you’re just starting to work on SEO for product pages.
Test and optimize. Once you have a list of keywords, start using them in your website’s content and track your performance. Test and optimize your keyword strategy to see what works best for your business.
The best practice for keyword generation is also about being intuitive. Meaning, you can think of the search terms that you’d want to add to a search box to find your products.
Write product description with relevant keywords
Product page SEO best practices include optimizing product description with relevant keywords.
Once you've researched the best keywords for your products, include them in product description, title, image alt text, and URL. In its simplest form, these are processes of on-page optimization.
Original and well-written product descriptions are an effective tool for guiding your customers through the sales funnel.
Product descriptions play a crucial role in your SEO for product pages strategy. Optimizing your product descriptions for SEO can improve your search engine rankings, drive more traffic to your site, and increase sales.
Product page: SEO meta description and title
When optimizing eCommerce product pages for search engines, 2 of the most crucial elements to pay attention to are the SEO meta description and title. The title, often the first thing both search engines and users see, should be succinct and incorporate relevant keywords that potential customers might use. This not only aids in improving search visibility but also attracts the right audience.
On the other hand, the meta description, although not a direct ranking factor, offers a brief overview of the product and serves as a digital "elevator pitch." A compelling meta description can significantly influence click-through rates, enticing users to delve deeper into what the product offers. In the vast landscape of e-commerce, fine-tuning these two elements is essential for standing out and ensuring your products reach their intended audience.
Optimize product images
Another best practice for eCommerce product page SEO is image optimization. As a page content, product images play a crucial role in ranking.
The images of your products are also essential for an online shop’s success; they determine most of the sales you make. Before making any purchases, clients want to check the details of the products visually.
According to Salsify, 73% of shoppers need a minimum of three images to make a buying decision.
Being a part of on-page SEO, eCommerce product image optimization includes:
image size & dimensions
proper file names
compression
right file format
image alt text
Let's review each one to successfully implement SEO for product pages.
SEO product image file size
The best dimensions for images will depend on the specific layout and design of the product page, as well as the type and size of the images being used.
It is best to use images that are large enough to provide users with the details they need to make a buying decision while not too large that they significantly slow down the loading time of the page.
In terms of image size, we refer to the dimensions of an image (such as 1020 x 580 pixels). The file size is the amount of storage space, such as 150 kilobytes. Keeping your image files below 70-80 KB is ideal for SEO product images.
The table below is shared by Google to help us understand the pixel-to-byte relation.
To check the dimensions, you can inspect elements to understand what size an image is displayed at.
SEO product image file names
Another way to practice SEO for product pages is choosing the image file names.
Use image file titles that accurately and clearly describe the image when naming image files. Rather than “Image04”, or random “assdfgh”, use the product name itself or relevant keyword.
Using keywords in image file names will help search engines to identify the image on the product page. A keyword should be included in the file name of your image if you want to rank for it.
You can check the image file names in the URL of a webpage, browser, or by inspecting the image.
Compress images
Compressing images is another way to successfully practice SEO for product pages. Image compression will lower your product page loading speed which is a ranking factor.
Compressing images implies reducing image size without lowering quality. Compression can be divided into two types: lossy vs. lossless.
Lossless – reducing file size without affecting quality.
Lossy – significantly reduces file size but may affect quality. The “lossy” compression process has several levels: some are not even visible to the human eye, while others are more aggressive and affect the quality.
You can use free image compressor platforms like Optimizilla to bulk compress your images for free.
SEO for product pages: image file format
Using the right file types, you can minimize the size of your files. JPEG files are commonly used in eCommerce stores because they offer higher quality with smaller file sizes.
You can use some apps & plugins on your eCommerce platform to bulk change the file format automatically.
SEO for product pages: image alt text
Text describing an image on a webpage is called alt text (short for alternative text). In addition to alt text, it is also called “alt attributes” and “alt tags.”
Alt text helps Google to understand what the image is about by using alt text.
Additionally, it can make your site more accessible and provide users with information about what an image should look like if it’s broken. Google can better understand the context of a site’s images to rank them more appropriately.
This is how it looks like:
The following is best SEO for product pages practices for images:
Keep alt text 125 character or less
Don’t use “image of” or “picture of” as alt text
Be descriptive without going overboard when adding alt text.
If you needed to describe a picture to someone, how would you do it?
When writing alt text, it’s best to keep it to 125 characters. Typically, screen readers stop reading alt text after 125 characters.
Use proper headings on your product pages
Being a part of on-page SEO, using the proper headings is one of the best practices for product page SEO.
Heading levels are used to organize the content on a page and indicate the information hierarchy. In general, you should hierarchically use heading levels, with the page’s most important heading being a Heading 1 and subheadings being heading 2, 3, and so on.
Using heading levels consistently and logically to create a clear information hierarchy for users and search engines is essential. Avoid using multiple H1 tags on the same page, as this can confuse search engines and dilute the importance of the main product title.
Additionally, include relevant keywords in the heading tags to improve SEO for product pages and eventually search engine visibility.
Practice internal linking
Internal linking is one of the crucial factors for SEO for product pages. This allows visitors to navigate easily between different pages on your website and helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your website.
Internal links can be text links, image links, or any other type of HTML link.
To optimize your internal links for SEO:
Maximize link equity and link juice for better search rankings
Use link-building strategy for your product page
Link juice or link equity is a term used in search engine optimization (SEO) to refer to the value or authority passed from one webpage to another through hyperlinks.
When a web page links to another, it gives some of its value or power to that page, known as link equity. Link equity improves the search engine rankings of the linked page as well as the domain authority of the website.
In general, high-quality and relevant links from reputable websites are considered to have more link equity and can be more beneficial for improving search engine rankings.
How to practice internal linking for product page SEO?
Use internal linking on product pages to pass link juice and link equity within the website. This can help improve the product page’s search engine ranking and the website’s overall domain authority.
Identify high-quality pages on your online store and give links to the product pages.
By this way, you can increase the “link equity” and “link juice” flowing to your product pages. By practicing internal linking will help improve your search rankings and drive more traffic to your product pages.
Best practice for product page SEO, also consider:
using descriptive anchor text for links
linking to relevant pages
using mix of "dofollow" and "nofollow" links
Product page SEO URLs
Product page SEO best practices require a good permalink structure on your eCommerce store.
To use proper URL structure on your eCommerce store:
Use readable URLs
Use lowercase letters in URLs
include keywords in URLs
First thing about SEO for product pages is that URLs must be readable by both readers and search engines.
Using your URL, search engines can determine what the page is about based on what it says. If you want your content to be understood by your target audience, avoid using dynamically generated URLs and customize them.
For instance, if you sell white women’s sneakers, you should write the URL as follows:
http://yourdomain.com/white-women-sneaker and not this way:
http://yourdomain.com/index.php?=5756787=g89=?p=943
Secondly, it's recommended not to use capital letters in URL.
Do capital letters in URL affect SEO? Yes and no. Most web servers are case-sensitive, so using capital letters in the URL could result in errors or broken links.
Furthermore, as a best practice for SEO in product pages, you need to improve URL slugs. You can optimize your online store URLs by including keywords.
Slugs are parts of URLs that identify specific pages and posts on a website. The slug is typically the last part of the URL and is often used to describe the page or position in a concise and user-friendly way.
For example, if the URL of a blog post is “www.example.com/blog/how-to-optimize-your-website-for-SEO,” the slug would be “how-to-optimize-your-website-for-SEO.” Slugs are often used to make URLs more descriptive and keyword-rich, which can help improve the search engine ranking of the page or post.
It is possible to rank eCommerce product pages higher in the search engine results if the slug includes relevant keywords.
Additionally, having a descriptive and user-friendly slug makes it more likely that people will click on the link to the page in the search results, which also helps improve its ranking.
Generally, you should keep your URLs under 60 characters, including the domain name and the slug. The exact length will, however, depend on the content of the page and the keywords you intend to target.
Acquire backlinks
Backlinks are considered votes for a page by Google and other search engines. You can improve SEO for product pages by linking to other websites that are relevant to yours and have authority.
To optimize your backlinks for SEO, there are a few best practices you can follow:
Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites. These links carry more weight than low-quality or irrelevant links.
Use anchor text that accurately reflects the content of the page you are linking to. Avoid using the exact anchor text repeatedly, as this can appear spammy to search engines.
Engage in link-building activities, such as guest blogging or creating valuable resources that other websites will link to. This can help you acquire more high-quality backlinks over time.
Add breadcrumbs to your product pages
Adding breadcrumbs is another successful practice of SEO for product pages.
A breadcrumb is a type of navigational element that helps search engines and users understand your eCommerce site structure. They are typically displayed in a horizontal line above the main content of a page and provide a hierarchical path of links that allow users to navigate back to previous pages.
In an eCommerce store, breadcrumbs can help users navigate the site and understand its current location within its hierarchy.
There are several advantages to using breadcrumbs on product pages for SEO practices
Improved navigation: Breadcrumbs help users navigate through the structure of your website, which can enhance the overall user experience and reduce bounce rates. This can be especially helpful on eCommerce products SEO, where users may look for specific products or categories.
Enhanced crawlability: A search engine’s crawlability refers to the ability to access and crawl page content. Web crawlers can easily access all the content on a site if it has no crawlability issues. Breadcrumbs help search engines understand the structure of your website, which can improve the crawlability of your site. This can help search engines find and index more of your pages, improving your site’s visibility in search results.
Increased relevance: By including relevant keywords in the breadcrumb trail, you can help search engines understand the context of your product pages and improve their relevance for specific queries. This can help your pages rank higher in search results for relevant keywords.
Better user experience: Breadcrumbs provide an additional layer of navigation for users, which can help them find what they are looking for more easily. This can improve the overall user experience and increase the likelihood that users will continue to browse your eCommerce product pages.
Generate product schema markup
Schema.org markup is especially important for generating traffic in terms of SEO for product pages. Schema markup provides a common vocabulary of microdata that helps search engines understand web content better.
Product schema markup is a type of structured data that can be added to e-commerce product pages to provide additional information about products to search engines. Information such as product names, descriptions, images, availability, prices, etc., can be included in this database.
Data can be structured around people, places, and things using the schema vocabulary. Google crawlers understand what a particular type of schema on a web page means and can serve richer results based on that information.
A significant benefit of Schema markup is that it makes your web pages appear in rich results or more prominently on SERP.
See, for example, the first page of search results for “Nike.”
This SERP offers more than just a blue, clickable page title and meta description; it also includes rich results at the top. This rich set of results is powered by schema.org markup.
As of now, Google offers over 30 different kinds of rich results. These are some of the most common search terms you’ve likely seen on Google:
Article
Breadcrumb
Event
FAQ
How-to
JobPosting
Product
Q&A
Video
Your website may not be appearing in rich search results yet, which is a huge missed opportunity to stand out from your competitors.
Here is a free tool to generate schema markup for your online store pages: Schema Markup Generator.
FAQ on SEO best practices for ecommerce product pages
How do I SEO my product page?
Best SEO for product pages practices include:
Unique product page URL
Using relevant keywords in URL, product title, product description, image alt text
Compressing large image files
What is one good SEO practice when listing a product?
Other than the listed product page on-page optimization techniques, SEO for product pages includes adding product schema markup. Product schema markup is a code snippet added to a webpage that provides search engines with detailed information about a product, enhancing its presentation in search results.
How do SEO rank product pages?
While the fundamental principles of SEO apply to both product pages and other types of web pages, product pages often have unique considerations. For instance, they can benefit from specific structured data like product schema markup to display price, availability, and ratings in search results.
Moreover, issues like duplicate content can be more prevalent with product pages, especially on eCommerce sites that feature similar product descriptions across multiple listings. So, while the core SEO strategies remain consistent, product pages may require additional or specialized optimization techniques.
What is a product page SEO description?
A product page SEO description, or meta description, is a short summary designed for search engines that provides an overview of a product's details. Typically limited to 150-160 characters, it aims to attract users from search results to click on the page. While it doesn't directly impact rankings, it can influence click-through rates.
How do I get backlinks to my product page?
Create valuable content related to your product.
Guest post on relevant industry blogs with links back to your product.
Collaborate with influencers for product reviews.
Form partnerships with complementary businesses for link exchanges.
Actively participate in industry forums and communities.
Read also successful digital PR practices for eCommerce products.
Do product titles affect SEO?
Yes, product titles significantly affect SEO. They play a crucial role in determining keyword relevance and can directly influence click-through rates from search results.
How does SEO work for ecommerce products?
SEO for e-commerce products involves optimizing product titles, descriptions, images, and URLs for search engines to improve visibility in search results. Additionally, implementing structured data like product schema markup can enhance product listings, making them more appealing in search results. Off-page factors, like backlinks and social signals, also contribute to the ranking of e-commerce product pages.
SEO for product pages: Takeaways
SEO is essential to running an eCommerce business. By implementing product page SEO best practices outlined above, businesses can improve the visibility and ranking of their product pages, attract more traffic and potential customers, and increase their chances of generating sales and revenue.
Some key takeaways to remember when practicing SEO for product pages include:
Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the best keywords to target for your products.
Optimize product descriptions to include relevant keywords and provide helpful information to potential customers.
Use high-quality images and optimize them with descriptive file names and alt tags.
Practice inbound linking to ensure your product pages are linked internally to other pages on your website to help search engines understand the relationship between them.
Create unique and descriptive URLs for each product page, and use keywords in the URL if possible.
Monitor your backlink profile and acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to improve your product page’s authority.
Use breadcrumbs to improve the navigation, crawlability, and relevance of eCommerce for SEO purposes.
Track and analyze the performance of your product pages to identify areas for improvement and continue to optimize your SEO efforts over time.
By following these product page SEO best practices, you can effectively acquire traffic and customers to your eCommerce store.
