SEO for online shops: you should know that

From giants like Amazon to small handicraft shops : the number and variety of online shops is enormous. But so does the competition. The result: a good Google ranking can be decisive for the success of shops.
In this article we will show you how you can optimize your own shop specifically for search engines .

Online shop SEO: what is it actually?

Search engine optimization – in short SEO – for stores covers all measures to ensure the rankings of online shops in search engines like Google to improve . In many ways, online shop SEO is similar to classic search engine optimization that is used on blogs and websites. In both cases, the focus is on user-friendliness . Customers should be able to find their way around the site, be able to use it technically flawlessly and see content that interests them.

In the details of the practical implementation, however, there are a few special features to consider for online shop SEO.

Keyword research as the basis for your shop SEO

When customers type in a query in Google’s search field, they expect a certain result. Understanding this expectation and delivering appropriate content is the core of SEO.

It is therefore helpful to do keyword research right from the start . It tells you the exact wording that your customers are looking for and allows conclusions to be drawn about the search intent. For example, if users enter “buy candle holder” on Google, it is very likely that they actually want to buy a candle holder. With “candlestick price” or “candlestick decoration ideas”, on the other hand, they want information or inspiration.

You can get your first keyword ideas by typing keywords into Google yourself. The autocomplete function will then show you related searches. You can get even more and more detailed data from keyword tools such as KWFinder or Ubersuggest.

Write SEO texts for your online shop

As soon as you have an overview of relevant search queries, you can write SEO texts for your shop. Each page should be optimized for a different keyword. To do this, put it in the H1 and at least one H2 heading as well as in the running text . In addition, it makes sense to include the keyword in the meta title and the meta description – less for the sake of ranking than to increase the click rate in the search results.

However, be careful not to add too many keywords to your texts. Above all, they should be helpful and interesting for the readers and easy to grasp.

In many online shops, products are offered in several versions, which then have their own shop pages. The texts on these pages are usually very similar or even identical. This can lead to problems because Google does not know which product variant it should display in the search results (SERPs): the knitted sweater in red, blue or green? In the worst case, no version will rank on page one.

You could now try to write a separate text for each sweater, but let’s be honest: you actually said everything in the first text and you probably don’t have too much time either.

The problem is easier to solve by setting canonical tags . These give Google a hint as to which product variant you prefer and would like to see it in the SERPs. All others are ignored by Google. You can find brief instructions on how to do this in our article on Duplicate Content under the keyword “Canonical Tag”.

Image SEO for your shop

You can also optimize the images in your shop for search engines . This improves your visibility in the image search , but can also have a positive effect on your ranking in the standard search . This is how you do it:

1. Before uploading, make sure that your picture is not too big . Try to keep the file size below 200 kilobytes – very large images can affect the loading speed of your shop.
2. Allocate a meaningful file name before the upload . Instead of 38392.JPEG, name your photo, for example, blau-strickpullover.jpeg. It is best to use a suitable keyword again here.
3. After uploading, give the image a title in which the keyword appears.
4. Write a short description of what can be seen in the picture in the “Alttext” or “Alt-Tag” field. You can also include your keyword here.

Shop SEO for the category page

The category pages of your shop give customers an overview of your offer and are among the most important points of contact. That’s why Google generally likes to display them in the SERPs.

Take advantage of this by not only optimizing product pages , but also writing texts with relevant keywords for the category pages and doing image search engine optimization.

Apart from these measures, the main aim is to offer your customers the best possible user experience. This includes, for example, sorting your products sensibly and highlighting bestsellers. A filter function is also useful , with which customers can search for specific products or variables such as size or color. There is also room for customer testimonials and ratings on the category pages.

It should go without saying that the pages load quickly and can also be used problem-free on mobile devices .

Costs for SEO in online shops

If you have read this far, you will know that SEO for online shops is a complex topic and it requires a lot of resources to implement . Either you invest your own time or you outsource shop SEO to agencies or freelancers.

The prices can vary greatly . They depend, among other things, on how big your shop is and how much work it causes accordingly. If you only have ten products on offer, the optimization effort is less than with hundreds of different products.

There is also the question of which tasks you would like to hand over. The technical optimization? The keyword research? The texts? Or the whole package?

Hourly rates for SEO specialists usually start at around 70 euros, but they can also be significantly higher.

Conclusion: user-friendliness is the focus of online shop SEO

There are numerous measures you can take to get your shop as high as possible in Google’s search results : composing SEO texts, image SEO or optimizing the loading speed.

Ultimately, however, it is not about writing as many keywords as possible on your product and category pages or getting lost in technical subtleties. Rather, it is important to offer your customers an overall excellent user experience.

If they feel comfortable in your shop, they stay there for a long time, interact with the pages and thus send positive user signals to Google. In this way, happy customers not only affect your sales, but also your rankings and visibility.

Also Read: What is SEO? A Clear Overview (from meaning to approach)