E-commerce SEO mistakes can be the silent killer of your online store’s potential.
Despite offering advantages like price reductions, convenience, and customization, many promising e-commerce sites are struggling to rank high in search results.
Often, this is due to overlooked or underestimated SEO errors.
As we’ve explored in our discussions of e-commerce SEO trends for 2024 and the vital role of social commerce, mastering SEO is essential for success.
Now, let’s delve into major E-commerce SEO mistakes that could be holding your online store back.
By identifying and correcting these errors, you can unlock your website’s true potential and drive significant improvements in performance.
To Top your E-commerce site in search ranking let’s start with correcting the mistakes.
1. Redundant and Weak ContentÂ
Search engines are particular in providing users with the most relevant and unique results. Due to this, they often penalise or ignore e-commerce sites with two significant issues:
Redundancy
Sites overflowing with duplicate content make it difficult for search engines to determine the most valuable pages to rank. This can lead to lower search visibility and traffic loss.
Weak Content
Thin or low-quality content, particularly in product descriptions, provides little value to users.
Search engines may deem such pages less important, further hampering your site’s ranking potential.
Common Duplicate Content Issues for E-commerce
Manufacturer-Provided Product Descriptions
The widespread reuse of identical manufacturer descriptions across multiple sites creates a significant duplicate content problem.
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Category and Tag Pages
Products belonging to multiple categories or tags can lead to the same content appearing on many pages, confusing search engines.
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Printer-Friendly Product Pages
These versions can be seen as duplicates, diluting the SEO power of the original product page.
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Tracking Parameters in URLs
Adding tracking parameters for marketing campaigns can make search engines view the same page with different URLs, leading to duplication issues.
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Pagination
If paginated product listings or reviews are indexed, search engines may struggle to identify the primary pages to rank.
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Staging Environments
 Accessible staging or development sites mirroring your live site produce a major duplicate content problem.
2. Not Promoting User Reviews
User reviews are an incredibly powerful form of user-generated content (UGC).
If you’ve neglected to provide a way for customers to leave reviews, you’re missing a major opportunity.
No amount of meticulously optimized content can match the persuasive power of genuine user feedback when it comes to building trust, credibility, and boosting your search engine rankings.
Why User Reviews are Vital.
Good reviews help potential buyers trust your business and become more likely to make a purchase.
Search engines adore the original, keyword-rich content that user evaluations offer.
Good evaluations verify your items, drawing in new customers and expanding your social media presence.
Websites containing reviews are rewarded by search engines, which frequently results in higher search ranks.
3. The Front End IssuesÂ
a) Poor Site Design
When it comes to the front-end, it’s the place that hooks the user.
Designing the front-end is a tricky task – it demands the best of both worlds.
It must be simple to understand, yet also attractive, well-presented, and stylish.
E-commerce sites must fulfil multiple criteria, and sometimes with good intentions, designers can make some key mistake.
Confusing navigation
Websites with illogical category structures, broken links, and ineffective search functionality force users to struggle to find what they’re looking for.
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Overwhelming visuals
E-commerce sites that use too many distracting graphics, videos, and colours can slow down page load times and make the layout appear cluttered and unprofessional.
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Complicated checkout process
Requiring users to create an account, fill out lengthy forms, or navigate through multiple pages to complete a purchase is a common cause of shopping cart abandonment.
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Lack of trust signals
The absence of security seals, customer reviews, and contact information can make shoppers wary of entering payment details on an e-commerce site.
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Inconsistent branding
Using different logos, fonts, and color schemes across pages creates a disjointed user experience and makes the site appear amateurish.
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Unresponsive design
Websites that don’t adapt well to different screen sizes and devices frustrate mobile users and limit accessibility.
B) Slow Loading Pages
Nothing drives away customers faster than a slow website.
Slow loading product pages irritate users, leading to lower conversions, increased bounce rates, and ultimately, lower search rankings.
Poor website structure is a major culprit, but there are other factors to consider, like unnecessary plugins and poor image optimization.
While these issues might sound familiar, many businesses still overlook their importance.
Here are some Ecommerce SEO mistakes often overlooked:
Poor Server Performance
A website hosted on a shared server with many other sites can experience slowdowns due to resource sharing.
Unsuitable Server Location
Hosting your site far from your target audience increases load times due to longer travel distances for data.
Heavy Traffic
Sales events or traffic surges can overload servers, causing site-wide slowdowns.
Excessive Flash Content
Flash files are large and can significantly increase loading times.
Increased HTTP Requests
Too many JavaScript, CSS, and image files lead to more requests, slowing down the page.
Code Density
Excessively dense or poorly written code can hinder website performance.
Large Image File Sizes
High-resolution images without optimization take longer to load.
Unoptimized Code
Inefficient code adds unnecessary bloat, slowing down the website.
Too Many Third-Party Extensions
Excessive plugins or extensions can impact site functionality and loading speeds.
Page Sizes Are Too Large
Overall large page sizes due to excessive elements contribute to slow loading times.
c) Ignoring Mobile First Priority
With mobile commerce sales set to reach $4.5 trillion by 2024, optimising your e-commerce site for mobile is crucial.
Yet, many businesses still underestimate the consequences of poor mobile experiences, leading to high bounce rates and lost sales.
Common Mobile Optimization Mistakes
Unresponsive Design
Sites that don’t adapt to various screen sizes make navigation and product discovery difficult for mobile users.
Slow Page Loading
Large images, Flash content, or unoptimized code lead to frustratingly slow load times on mobile devices.
Intrusive Interstitials
Pop-ups or interstitials that block content on mobile devices create a negative user experience and violate Google guidelines.
Faulty Redirects
Sites that incorrectly redirect mobile users to the homepage instead of the relevant mobile version cause frustration.
Illegible Text
Small fonts or poor colour contrast make content difficult to read on mobile screens.
Difficult Navigation
Complex menus or tiny links that are hard to tap on mobile hinder the shopping experience.
Lack of Mobile Keyword Research
Sites that fail to optimise for mobile-specific search terms miss out on potential traffic.
Inconsistent NAP Information
Incorrect or mismatched business details (name, address, phone number) across listings make it harder for mobile users to find and trust your business.
4. The Backend Issues
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a) Improper Alt Text
Optimising alt text for product images on e-commerce websites significantly boosts visibility in image search results, attracting more potential customers.
Neglecting this aspect of e-commerce SEO is a costly mistake that can significantly hinder search visibility and miss conversion opportunities.
The Consequences of Missing Alt Text
Missing alt text creates barriers for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers.
It also limits your SEO potential as search engines can’t fully understand your image content.
Broken images with no alt text offer zero information to the user.
Neglecting alt text risks accessibility compliance issues and creates an inconsistent, potentially confusing experience for shoppers.
Finally, it wastes the chance to get your images indexed and drive traffic from image searches.
b) Ignoring Basics of On Page SEO
Overusing keywords and failing to fix broken links are serious e-commerce SEO mistakes that confuse both search engines and users.
A 404 error is a major letdown, especially when a potential customer arrives on your site ready to buy.
While these issues might seem basic, their prevalence makes it important to address them.
Keyword Stuffing Issues
Keyword stuffing involves overloading content with the same keyword or variations, trying to manipulate search rankings.
This includes forced, unnatural keyword placement that harms readability.
Deliberately violating search engine guidelines with excessive repetition risks penalties.
Even overusing keyword-rich anchor text in your internal links can appear spammy and hurt your SEO.
Broken Link (404) Issues
Broken links are a common e-commerce SEO mistake that can have a devastating impact on your website.
When users encounter a frustrating 404 error page due to incorrect URLs, deleted content, or misdirected links, they’re likely to leave immediately.
This leads to high bounce rates, signalling to search engines that your website may have quality issues.
Ultimately, numerous broken links, as a significant e-commerce SEO mistake, have a severe negative impact on your search engine rankings and overall visibility, frustrating users and potentially costing you customers.
Other issues in a Nutshell
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Improper Internal Linking
Weak internal links confuse users and search engines, limiting site navigation and hurting page authority.
Ignoring Local SEO
Neglecting local optimization means missing out on customers actively searching for your products or services nearby.
Lack of Follow-Up
Failing to use analytics and track performance means you’re making decisions without crucial data, hindering your SEO strategy’s success.
How to correct E-commerce SEO Mistakes
Use canonical tagsÂ
Employ canonical tags to clarify preferred versions of web pages and avoid duplicate content issues.
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Craft unique product descriptions
Write original and compelling product descriptions for each item to enhance clarity and appeal.
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Incorporate user-generated content
Feature reviews and feedback from customers to build trust and social proof.
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Simplify website design
Create a streamlined user experience by integrating menus and improving overall navigation.
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Optimize images
Reduce image file sizes for faster loading and include descriptive alt text with relevant keywords.
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Conduct keyword research
Thoroughly research keywords, focusing on long-tail phrases, to target your ideal audience.
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Resolve 404 errors regularly
Perform periodic website checkups and fix broken links to improve user experience.
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Implement strategic internal linking
Establish a thoughtful internal linking structure to help users and search engines navigate your site effectively.
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Claim your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Take ownership of your GBP listing and actively manage local reviews for better local SEO.
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Utilise analytics for tracking
Set up robust analytics tracking to monitor website traffic and user behaviour, enabling informed decision-making.
Conclusion
Never underestimate the impact of seemingly “simple” SEO elements on your e-commerce success.
A robust online store demands both strategic vision and technical excellence.
By addressing foundational E-commerce mistakes and continuously refining your approach, you’ll unlock your site’s true potential and gain a significant edge over less SEO-savvy competitors.