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What To Check For When Auditing For E-commerce

When conducting an e-commerce SEO audit, it’s essential to follow a comprehensive e-commerce SEO audit checklist to ensure that your online store is optimized for search engines. An SEO audit for e-commerce site involves reviewing various aspects of your website, from e-commerce SEO technical audit elements to on-page optimizations. Here’s a detailed guide on what to check for during an e-commerce SEO audit:

1. Technical SEO

  • Website structure and hierarchy.
  • URL structure and permalinks.
  • Sitemap and robots.txt file.
  • HTTPS implementation.
  • Page load speed and performance.
  • Mobile-friendliness and responsiveness.
  • Schema markup for product pages.

2. On-Page SEO

  • Title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags (H1, H2, etc.).
  • Keyword optimization in product descriptions.
  • Image alt tags.
  • Canonical tags for duplicate content.
  • Internal linking structure.

3. Content Quality

  • Product descriptions: Ensure uniqueness and informativeness.
  • Blog content: Relevance and quality.
  • User-generated content (reviews and ratings).

4. Product Pages

  • Unique product descriptions for each item.
  • High-quality images with descriptive alt tags.
  • Product reviews and ratings.
  • Clear pricing and availability information.

5. User Experience (UX)

  • Site navigation and organization.
  • Mobile optimization and responsive design.
  • Checkout process ease and security.
  • Site search functionality.

6. Site Speed

  • Page load times across devices.
  • Image optimization.
  • Minimization of HTTP requests.
  • Caching and compression.

7. Technical Issues

  • Broken links and 404 errors.
  • Redirects (301 and 302 redirects).
  • Duplicate content issues.
  • Use of structured data (schema markup).

8. Local SEO (if applicable)

  • Google My Business profile optimization.
  • Local keyword targeting.

9. Backlink Profile

  • Quality and relevance of backlinks.
  • Toxic or spammy backlinks.

10. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

  • Checkout process optimization.
  • Calls-to-action (CTAs) and buttons.
  • Product page layout and design.
  • Abandoned cart recovery strategies.

11. Analytics and Tracking

  • Google Analytics and Google Search Console setup.
  • Tracking and analyzing user behavior.
  • Monitoring key performance metrics.

12. Security

  • Regular security audits.
  • HTTPS implementation.
  • Protection against malware and hacking.

13. International SEO (if applicable)

  • Hreflang tags for multiple languages and regions.
  • Currency and pricing adjustments.

14. Social Media Integration

  • Ensure social sharing and integration options are optimized.

15. Legal Compliance

  • Privacy policy, terms and conditions, and other legal requirements.

Conducting an e-commerce SEO audit using this e-commerce SEO audit checklist will help you identify areas for improvement, ensure your website’s SEO health, and boost its visibility in search engine rankings.

What tools can you use to conduct SEO audits?

You have several options when it comes to SEO audits:

  1. Do It Yourself (DIY): Clients with a good understanding of SEO can perform their own audit using the checklist provided. There are many online resources and tools available to assist in the process. Use a tool like Screaming Frog to highlight any technical errors
  2. Paid Services: Clients can opt for paid SEO audit services provided by various SEO tools and agencies. These services often offer in-depth analysis and recommendations based on the audit results. There are several you can try. Semrush gives you keywords, competitive analysis, article ideas, and a set of other tools. Then there is Ahrefs or Moz.
  3. Experienced SEO Marketing Agency: You can turn to an experienced SEO marketing agency to conduct the audit. Such agencies can not only perform the audit but also develop the right SEO strategy, improve the website’s structure, analyze competitors for further promotion, and work on improving the site’s position by increasing targeted traffic within a specified timeframe, often within three months.

By choosing the approach that best suits their needs, you can ensure that you e-commerce website is fully optimized for search engines, driving increased organic traffic and improving their online visibility.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nataliia Yuzhaninova is SEO manager of marketing agency Atomic Leap.

LinkedIn: Nataliia Yuzhaninova