9 Ecommerce SEO Mistakes: Common Mishaps to Avoid

December 25, 2024

The 9 common ecommerce SEO mistakes include:

  1. Insufficient keyword research.
  2. Poor site structure.
  3. Duplicate or shallow content.
  4. Neglecting mobile optimization and site speed.
  5. Weak product descriptions and meta tags.
  6. Not leveraging user-generated content.
  7. Broken links and missing HTTPS.
  8. Weak internal linking.
  9. Failure to track analytics.

These are the most common mistakes that can reduce your store's visibility. They also lead to a poor customer experience, which lowers your conversion rates. Healthy SEO is a must for a successful, sustainable ecommerce business.

According to Backlinko, the top 3 search results on Google get 75.1% of all clicks. Optimizing your store to rank for targeted keywords is crucial for visibility. SEO also improves customer experience, which leads to higher conversion rates.

A top contributor in an SEO Reddit thread shared their opinion on the biggest SEO mistake. They explained that good content alone does not rank. The biggest mistake for newbies is the lack of authority.

Another Reddit user shared the 2 biggest SEO mistakes that they observed. These were over-reliance on technical foundations and creating content in a silo. They explained that consistent technical updates do not help your SEO. Writing helpful content without analyzing competitors' websites also does not help.

I've been doing SEO for different business models for over a decade. It's been my main strategy for driving traffic. This is how I was able to make multiple 6-figure businesses, including an ecommerce store. In this article, I'll go into details on what the 9 biggest ecommerce SEO mistakes are. I'll be providing real-world examples and solutions.

1. Insufficient Keyword Research

Keyword research is the first important step in ecommerce SEO. According to BrightEdge, 68% of website traffic comes from search engines. Effective implementation of keywords is crucial for website visibility. Ahrefs reported that 91% of content gets no Google traffic due to poor keyword targeting.

Pets.com was a fast-growing brand that suddenly went bankrupt. This was due to its inability to outperform its competition with its marketing. The company failed to do comprehensive research, which led to ineffective marketing strategies. This is one of the main reasons for the low online visibility that led to the company's eventual crash.

SEMrush says that ranking for irrelevant terms leads to a 50% higher bounce rate. Keyword gaps (missing relevant keywords vs. competitors) can reduce organic visibility by 40%. Beginners often make the mistake of not doing enough keyword research. The result is often a low search ranking for the main keyword and its variations.

Solution: Comprehensive Keyword Research and Implementation

Ahrefs reports that targeted keywords increase organic rankings by 45%. Investing in comprehensive keyword research and implementation increases visibility. Forrester Research found that companies that invest in keyword research see a 13x ROI in their SEO.

Edelweiss Bakery is a local bakery in Florida that struggled with online visibility. They hired a local SEO agency to conduct comprehensive keyword research. This allowed for on-page optimization and increased their search rankings. Within 4 months, the bakery's organic traffic saw a 214% increase. They also attracted 230 backlinks organically, which further enhanced their presence.

2. Poor Site Structure

Forbes says 61% of users will leave a site if they can't find what they want in a few clicks. Usability Geek found that 88% of visitors won't return to a site after a bad experience with its navigation. Search engines can only crawl a certain number of pages per site visit (crawl budget). A poor structure wastes this budget and leaves important pages unindexed. According to SEMrush, this can lead to a 15-20% reduction in organic rankings.

J.Crew, a well-known American apparel retailer that faced SEO challenges in 2020. They hired an SEO agency to handle the optimization of their website. However, the agency did not address a lot of the site's issues. They had multiple URLs for the same products and inconsistent internal linking. Poor categorization made it hard for search engines to index the site. This led to decreased visibility from lowered search engine rankings.

Baymard Institute found that 26% of ecommerce sites lack a clear category structure. This issue makes it hard for search engines to navigate. Backlinko says that poorly structured sites experience a 25% higher bounce rate.

Solution: Streamline Your Site Structure

Search Engine Journal states that 75% of top-ranking sites use structured navigation. Google prefers a clear URL hierarchy with a logical and semantic structure. Baymard Institute reports that well-structured ecommerce sites increase conversion rates by 35%. Smashing Magazine says that proper categorization reduces cart abandonment by 12%.

Naturalmat customers struggled to find products due to the confusing website. The website also did not match the seamless, consultative experience of the showrooms. Naturalmat partnered with the digital agency Swanky. They migrated their store to Shopify Plus and revamped their user experience. This led to a more seamless customer journey and increased sales.

3. Duplicate or Shallow Content

SEMrush reports that duplicate content leads to a 30-50% drop in rankings. Whether intentional or accidental, this happens often. Google penalized 29% of all websites it analyzed for having duplicate content. Search Engine Watch found that thin content is responsible for 25% of penalized sites. This includes web pages with little or no original text.

Wayfair and its sister site, AllModern, both listed identical product descriptions for the same items. Google tagged this as duplicate content. It made it hard for search engines to choose which site to rank higher for relevant queries. Some of its pages would not even show up in Google's search results. You can only find them under "omitted" results.

Adobe found that 38% of site visitors leave if the content is unoriginal or repetitive. This is especially relevant for sales pages or blogs. Visitors want original, useful content. They don't want generic info that's easy to find elsewhere.

Solution: Create Original and Informative Content

HubSpot reports that users spend more time on pages with unique, in-depth information. Informative and original content leads to 77% more user engagement. Well-researched content gets 1.7x more inbound links. This further boosts your domain authority.

Overstock faced duplicate content issues in the early 2010s. Affiliates were allowed to use Overstock's product descriptions on their own websites. This caused duplicate content on many websites and a drop in search rankings. Overstock lost visibility and credibility, leading to fewer sales. The solution was to redo the product descriptions and update the affiliate program guidelines. Affiliates could not use the same descriptions to avoid duplicate content. Overstock also used canonical tags to signal which was the original authoritative source.

4. Neglecting Mobile Optimization and Site Speed

Aumcore found that 53% of mobile users prefer mobile-friendly websites for shopping. Google has a mobile-first indexing policy. This means that Google uses your site's mobile version for ranking and indexing. Think with Google reports that mobile optimization affects 96% of website rankings.

Macy's ran into optimization issues during a critical shopping period. During Black Friday in 2018, slow loading times led to many shoppers abandoning the site. Macy's poor mobile optimization gave users a negative experience and led to missed sales opportunities.

Statista reported that 60% of global e-commerce sales were from mobile devices. 83% of these expect a loading time of 3 seconds or less, according to WebFX. The average mobile loading time is 8.6 seconds, while the top-ranking pages average 1.65 seconds. You likely won't rank on Google if you cannot optimize your site to load on mobile in less than 3 seconds.

Solution: Invest in Mobile and Site Speed Optimization

Forrester Research found that smooth mobile shopping boosts conversion rates by 67%. Think with Google says that 89% of users will recommend a brand after a good mobile experience. A Google study shows that cutting page load time from 6 to 2 seconds boosts organic traffic by 15-30%. These stats highlight the importance of mobile and site speed optimization.

The Crunch Cup had a high bounce rate and low conversion rate due to slow mobile loading pages. Unoptimized large image sizes consumed excessive bandwidth, leading to slow loading times. JavaScript and CSS files were also delaying the loading of visible content. The Crunch Cup compressed images to WebP format. They minified JavaScript and CSS files to remove unnecessary characters. Their mobile load times were reduced by 50% while bounce rates dropped by 20%.

5. Weak Product Descriptions and Meta Tags

A Heroshe Blog survey found that detailed product content drives 87% of purchases. Lack of descriptions leads to lost sales opportunities. Using the manufacturer's description can create duplicate content and lower your search ranking.

Counter Couture is a brand specializing in handcrafted apparel and home goods. Their product pages lacked detailed descriptions and optimized meta tags. The minimal product information failed to engage potential buyers. Their meta titles were either missing or not tailored to relevant keywords. All of these lowered their rankings and click-through rates.

Meta descriptions should be concise, with a length of 150 to 160 characters. Google rewrites more than 60% of meta titles and meta descriptions. This happens because of their irrelevance or lack of optimization. This AI rewrite results in search snippets that fail to attract clicks.

Solution: Use Original Product Descriptions and Optimize Meta Tags

Salsify reports that unique product descriptions increase conversion rates by up to 30%. Think with Google reports that enhancing meta tags for mobile leads to a 20% higher CTR. These stats highlight the importance of original, quality product descriptions and optimizing meta tags.

ProStockHockey had underperforming product pages. Their product descriptions were weak and generic. Their meta tags were also not optimized for targeted keywords. This led to poor visibility and a low CTR. They addressed this by creating product descriptions that highlighted the features and benefits. Keywords were strategically integrated into meta titles, descriptions, and on-page content. This led to an increase in organic traffic, a high CTR, and higher customer engagement.

6. Not Leveraging User-Generated Content

The use of user-generated content (UGC) is especially important for ecommerce SEO. BrightLocal reported that 84% of consumers trust online reviews. Stackla found that UGC influenced the purchase decision of 79% of buyers. Curalate says 85% of shoppers seek user-generated content before buying.

Before adopting UGC, Urban Outfitters struggled to build trust with new customers. Their product pages lacked customer reviews and visual content. This lack of customer engagement made many customers hesitant to make a purchase.

Solution: Include UGC in Your Product Pages

Yotpo says that including UGC on product pages increases conversion rates by 150%. Spiegel Research Center found that products with reviews are 270% more likely to sell. Bazaarvoice found that product pages with 20+ reviews get 44% more organic traffic. This is due to better engagement and keyword diversity.

Coca-Cola relied on traditional advertising and was slow to adopt UGC. In a time of falling sales, it began using UGC to reach younger audiences. They provided customers with the option to print personalized names on bottles. This personalization encouraged customer engagement on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The brand also promoted the use of hashtags like #ShareaCoke and #CocaColaMoments. The use of UGC led to a 2% increase in U.S. sales during a period of decline.

7. Broken Links and Missing HTTPS

Ahrefs reports that 73% of visitors who encounter a broken link will leave the site. This is because broken links make customers suspicious of the site. This results in a 44% lower conversion rate, according to the Baymard Institute. Broken links waste search engines' crawl budgets and lower the chances of indexing. Even Google’s John Mueller confirmed that broken links can lead to dropped rankings.

Petez Pop experienced a decline in customer engagement and reduced search engine visibility. An audit of the site discovered a high number of broken links leading to 404 error pages. The outdated and incorrect links caused customers to leave the site. The links also wasted crawl budgets, which reduced the site's visibility.

GlobalSign reports that 82% of users will not browse a site that shows a "Not Secure" warning due to the lack of HTTPS. According to HubSpot, 40% of buyers will abandon transactions on a site that lacks HTTPS. Blue Foundation Media says users avoid sharing info on unsecured ecommerce sites. Missing HTTPS leads to a 36% lower conversion rate.

Solution: Ensure All Links Are Active and Use HTTPS

Baymard Institute says sites with well-maintained links have a 40% higher engagement rate. It also improves conversion rates by up to 20%. Routine link audits are essential to ensure that there are no broken links. Search Engine Land found that sites using HTTPS have 5-10% better rankings. Customers also spend 25% more time on a website with HTTPS as they feel safer.

ASOS had many broken links from outdated product pages. This affected both internal links and external backlinks. Many customers got 404 pages when accessing old links from social media and blogs. This frustrated customers and led to lost sales opportunities. They implemented 301 redirects and did outreach to fix broken links with live pages. They also designed a user-friendly 404 page that guides users back to the main site. Their organic traffic rose by 18% in three months. Their bounce rate fell by 12%, and they made 10% more sales.

8. Weak Internal Linking

Weak internal linking will hinder search engine crawlers from indexing pages. Ahrefs reports that 65% of websites have orphaned pages. The lack of internal links pointing to them makes them invisible to search engines. Search Engine Journal found that weak internal linking reduces organic traffic by 20-30%.

Trophy Central's site did not have a drop-down menu, resulting in poor internal linking. The poor internal linking reduced its visibility for relevant keywords. Customers had difficulty locating specific product categories. The poor customer experience led to high bounce rates.

Solution: Implement Strategic Internal Linking

Structuring links in a logical hierarchy improves search engine crawlability and user navigation. According to Yoast, this can improve SEO by 15%. Links on high-traffic pages that point to lower-ranking ones boost visibility by 25-30%. Using keyword-rich anchor text can enhance the linked page's ranking. Searchmetrics says that anchor text contributes to 20% of SEO weight.

Represent Clothing was struggling with weak internal links and low domain authority. Poor internal linking hurt navigation and link equity across its many product pages. This led to low visibility, which made it hard for them to compete with other brands. Represent Clothing then focused on link building through guest posts and niche blogs. They also acquired backlinks, which increased their domain rating. Within 20 months, their organic traffic increased by 407%. They were ranking in the top three positions on Google for 1,340 keywords.

9. Failure to Track Analytics

Moz estimates that businesses without analytics are 30% less likely to find converting keywords. Ahrefs reports that 68% of organic traffic comes from long-tail keywords. Poor visibility and low traffic result from a lack of keyword tracking.

Sawyer Twain's lack of analytics tool use caused poor page optimization. Their slow-loading pages resulted in high bounce rates and low visibility. The brand also lacked mobile analytics tools, which prevented it from optimizing for mobile. As most of ecommerce traffic came from mobile devices, it was a missed opportunity. Sawyer Twain's failure to track customer activity prevented the identification of sales funnel issues.

Lack of analytics tracking also leads to customer and budget issues. HubSpot reports that businesses without analytics tools have 15% higher churn rates. Shopify estimates that 50% of businesses with no analytics experience inefficient marketing spending.

Conclusion: Implement Analytics Tracking

Implementing analytics tracking improves visibility, customer experience, and sales. Moz says that tracking analytics can improve targeted keyword rankings by 30%. It can also identify crawl errors and slow loading times, further improving visibility. Crazy Egg discovered that tracking customer analytics improves organic conversion rates by 10-15%. Adobe reports that monitoring product pages can boost organic sales by 30%.

Village Cricket Co. was experiencing multiple SEO issues in 2022. They had low organic visibility, content gaps, weak linking, and unoptimized product pages. Without tracking analytics, they could not find the source of the issues. Their situation did not improve until they started tracking analytics. They pinpointed the direct causes of the issues and started implementing improvements. They switched to SEO-focused content, started backlinking campaigns, and made other SEO improvements. This led to a 350% increase in organic search revenue by the end of the year.

Ecommerce SEO Best Practices

  • Keyword Research: Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to find product, category, and long-tail keywords.
  • Product Page Optimization: Write unique descriptions, use keywords in titles and alt tags. Implement schema markup for rich snippets.
  • Site Structure: Use logical navigation, flat architecture, breadcrumbs, and internal linking.
  • User Experience (UX): Optimize for mobile, ensure fast loading speeds, and secure HTTPS connections.
  • Content Creation: Publish blogs, videos, FAQs, and seasonal content with relevant keywords.
  • Local SEO: Optimize for local keywords, maintain NAP consistency, and use Google My Business.
  • Backlinks: Build backlinks through influencer collaborations, guest posts, PR, and agencies.
  • Category Pages: Optimize titles, add descriptions, and offer sorting/filter options.
  • Technical SEO: Maintain XML sitemaps, robots.txt, canonical tags, and fix 404 errors.

These are some of the best ecommerce SEO practices that improve organic visibility. There is no all-in-one solution for ecommerce SEO. Some aspects may be more important for your store based on your situation. You should focus on improving what fits best for your business.

Several Reddit users share their opinions on the best SEO practices in a thread. They highlight the optimization of category pages and individual listings. Quality backlinks is important for building authority. Avoiding keyword cannibalism and duplicated content is also crucial.

As your store grows, it gets harder to manage your SEO needs. The solution for this is automation through the use of AI tools or outsourcing.

Will AI Kill SEO?

AI will not kill SEO, but it will change how the processes work. AI increases productivity and drives automation. This leads to time- and cost-effective SEO processes. It makes it easier for SEO specialists and agencies to optimize pages in a shorter time frame.

However, you should still be careful when using AI. The use of AI to create content tends to lower the quality of content. Search engines updated their algorithms to penalize low-quality AI-generated content. This was due to the sudden widespread use of AI to quickly publish content. Use the right tools and effective prompts to maintain quality and avoid penalties.

Best AI Tools for SEO

  • Ippei's Content Writer uses an agentic workflow with multiple AI agents for different tasks. This includes research, outlining, writing, and editing. It uses real-time SERP data for keyword optimization. Its focus on producing human-readable, SEO-optimized content makes it stand out.
  • Claude has advanced generative AI models that create naturally sounding content. It adapts style, integrates keywords seamlessly, and can produce high-quality, SEO-friendly content.
  • ChatGPT supports multimodal inputs that generate SEO-optimized content. It also suggests keywords and improves current content.

These are only a few of the best AI writing tools for SEO. The right tool for you will depend on your SEO needs and content style.

My Number 1 SEO Strategy

Local SEO is my number 1 strategy for generating organic traffic. It's easier, cheaper, and more efficient to target local areas than to rank for global keywords. Google reports that 46% of all searches are seeking local information, and 28% of those lead to a sale.

I also use local SEO in my number 1 business, local lead generation. I create and rank a niche site on Google, then rent it out to local businesses. They pay me $500 to $3,000 a month for the organic traffic the site receives. The site continue to attract leads as long as it stays ranked. This gives me a steady flow of predictable, passive income.

conclusion-lead-gen-maps

It costs as little as $30 a month to maintain, as you don't run any ads or marketing campaigns. You often only need to outrank a handful of sites in the local search results. A site can stay ranked on Google for years before needing an update. This frees up your time to focus on scaling. You only need to repeat the rank-and-rent process. There is no limit to how much you can scale. I own multiple sites that earn me over $52K a month in passive income. Check out local lead generation for my number 1 passive income business model.

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Ippei Kanehara
Founder/CEO

$52K per month providing lead generation services to small businesses

Ippei.com is for digital hustlers, industry leaders and online business owners.

His #1 online business recommendation in 2024, is to build your own lead generation business.

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