Ecommerce SEO is a little tricky because with so many pages on your site, you may not know which ones to prioritize for optimization and which ones can be left alone.
Since every small business needs a custom SEO based on a number of factors, such as target audience, competitors, budget, resources, product ranges, and more, one strategy will surely differ from the other.
However, we are here to give some effective c-commerce SEO tips for small businesses in the UAE and beyond that might help you beat your competition and establish a dominant presence online.
See which ones suit your SEO approach and apply them as soon as you can.
E-commerce SEO Tips for Small Businesses
1. Do your keyword research carefully
Keyword research comes first because its importance cannot be overstated.
When looking for keywords, do not just look for popular search terms but think about why people are searching for them. After all, buyer intent goes deeper than just traffic; it taps into what stage of the buyer’s journey your audience is in.
For instance, are they just browsing for information or are they ready to buy? When you know their intent, you can tailor your content to match their needs at that exact moment.
Also, long-tail keywords always work – no matter the type of website you have. Think about it – someone searching for “best hiking shoes under $100 for wide feet” knows exactly what they want compared to someone just typing “best hiking shoes.”
2. Add content and keywords to your category pages
Your category pages are also important, so do not ignore them. Describe what makes these products so special, answer common questions with an FAQs section, and guide shoppers through their decision-making process.
Look for high-volume, low-competitive keywords for the category pages as well, and include them systematically in the content.
You can also automate product listings with an API feed for platforms like Google Surfaces. It is a free way to get your products on Google and attract organic traffic.
Most eCommerce platforms make it easy to connect these feeds to showcase your products without the need for costly PPC ads.
3. Create full-featured product pages
In eCommerce SEO, your product pages are your storefront, so you want them to shine.
A full-featured product page is more than just a place to slap a price tag – this is where you build trust and excitement.
Start with engaging and detailed descriptions that make shoppers feel like they’re holding the product in their hands.
Add original, high-quality photos that show every angle, and make sure they are clear and professional.
Include customer reviews too since they work as a proof that your products deliver on their promises.
Don’t forget to add extra information like discounts, size guides, or product specs to answer any lingering questions.
4. Get your CTA buttons perfect
We consider CTA buttons as the final nudge that turns a browser into a buyer. These buttons need to stand out with clear, action-driven language like “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now.”
Not only that, make them eye-catching and strategically placed so customers know exactly where to click next.
If you see people visiting your pages but not ordering much, you have to replace and redesign all the buttons, including the writing to see if they work from now on.
5. Consider a “Buyers Guide” section
Let us say you are running an online store that sells outdoor gear.
If there are camping tents, you can create a buyer’s guide covering topics like “How to Choose the Perfect Camping Tent for Your Adventure,” “Top Features to Look for in a Tent,” and “Comparing Tent Materials: What’s Best for Your Trip.”
In each guide, you should dive deep into the specifics e.g. the benefits of waterproofing, different types of tent poles, or the pros and cons of various sizes. You can also add tips on how to set up and maintain the tents.
By creating this detailed content, you will help your audience make informed buying decisions while also providing Google keyword-filled content to boost your SEO.
6. Try blogging to build authority
Do not write blogs just for the sake of SEO. Make every blog a masterpiece with deep insights about the products available in your store for sale.
This is your opportunity to leverage the power of long-tail keywords. But they should not be buying keywords (best running shoes near me) but informational keywords (e.g. how to find the best running shoes).
When giving tips, you can share the links to the running shoes on your store and encourage the reader to order from you. If there are discounts or other offers, you should always highlight them.
Also, not every post has to be about your products. Always look for ways to solve the real-life problems of your readers and subtly position your products as part of the solution only when applicable.
Since blogging is a long-term strategy, it is an excellent way to provide value to your audience and earn their trust by helping them find the right products.
7. Get backlinks from credible sources
Although link building is an age-old SEO tactic, its importance has never subsided over time.
After all, Google uses links to crawl a website and understand its content and how one website is related to another website.
Many websites have resource “best-of” lists that include links to recommended products, tools, or brands. Reach out to these sites if they’re highly credible and request to be featured in a relevant list.
Other common link building strategies work fine here as well, such as writing guest posts, sharing content on social media, broken link building, claiming unlinked mentions of your brand, and so on.
Just make sure you are building genuine relationships with relevant, high-authority websites. This might take time but it is worth the effort. Paid ads might stop driving traffic the moment your budget dries up, but a strong backlink profile will continue to boost your SEO long-term.
8. Optimize your homepage
Your homepage is your first chance to make a lasting impression. Start with a clear, bold value proposition that instantly tells what sets your brand apart. This could be unique designs, eco-friendly materials, or unbeatable quality. Also, share what makes your company special, whether it is years of experience, awards, or a loyal customer base.
Don’t just showcase product after product; use it to tell your brand story too. Add customer reviews or social proof to build trust and credibility.
Make the design clean and intuitive with clear calls-to-action like “Shop Now” or “Discover More.” these days, interactive elements like rotating banners, exclusive offers, or personalized quizzes also help increase audience engagement.
Always keep in mind that you want sales, not just nice traffic volumes and empty carts. When your homepage stands out, people will be more inclined to order from your store.
9. Do not try to rank every page
An ecommerce site has dozens to hundreds to even thousands of pages. So, you should never try to rank them all because this is practically impossible.
The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. For example, in business, 80% of sales might come from 20% of customers. That means a small portion of causes usually leads to most of the effects.
As a result, there is no need to rank 500 products. Focus on the top 20% to rank first and stay first.
In order to do that, you have to first know which products might actually sell well and help you make money. If you can find out the keywords that convert well during your keyword research session, you will be in a better position than most of your competitors.
10. Other critical SEO components
So far, we have talked about the techniques that can help level up an estore’s SEO.
However, that does not mean you should not consider other essential on-page, off-page, and technical SEO factors.
Let us have a look at them one by one:
User friendly
We do not need to emphasize the importance of a user-friendly site. You are sure to have a high bounce rate and poor session duration if you fail to keep the site easily accessible and useable.
All of the menus should be easy to find and use with drop-down menus for subcategories.
In your search bar, use filters to narrow down search results based on size, color, price, etc.
The checkout process should be simple and effortless. This is when a user is about to turn into a customer. You should try to reduce the number of steps, allow guest checkout, and provide clear instructions to simplify it.
Simple URL structure
Create clean and descriptive URLs that accurately reflect the page content. For example, use www.yoursite.com/shoes/mens-running-shoes instead of www.yoursite.com/prod?id=12345.
Schema markups
Google uses schema markups to understand your content better. You can use product schema to include details like price, availability, and reviews. This will allow you to have rich snippets and make your listings more appealing.
Fast loading speed
Your ecommerce store might have many product images. Compress all of the images without sacrificing quality.
Include relevant keywords while accurately describing the image content. For example, instead of “shoe1.jpg,” use “blue-mens-running-shoes.jpg.”
Also, reduce the number of elements on each page (like images, scripts, and CSS files).
Another trick is to store parts of your site in users’ browsers so they do not have to reload them on their following visits.
You can distribute your content across different servers too so as to deliver it faster to users based on their geographical location.
Mobile optimization
Most of the web visitors now come from mobile devices. That means you cannot take it for granted.
Use responsive design so that the layout adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes.
Meta titles and descriptions
Maintain the preferred length for meta titles and descriptions. For meta titles, it is 50 to 60 characters, and 155 to 160 characters for meta descriptions.
Try to keep the keywords on the first parts of the title and descriptions so that they do not lose their visibility.
Site hierarchy
A logical site hierarchy is a must to improve navigation for both users and Google. Organize your site with clear categories and subcategories.
Sitemap
Create an XML sitemap that includes all your important pages and submit it to Google Search Console to help make your site easily discoverable and indexable.
Social sharing
Communicate with your users as much as you can and encourage them to share your products on social sites by adding social sharing buttons to your product pages.
Wrapping it up
Finally, we believe that once you follow these e-commerce SEO tips for small businesses, you will see positive results within a short period of time.
Remember that SEO is not a sprint but a marathon where every keyword, every backlink, and every piece of quality content adds up over time.
Every small business has the potential to make it big. You should not be disappointed if your current SEO strategy is not working in your favor.
Wadi Al Bada IT Solutions is a UAE-based digital marketing and SEO agency. With our years of deep industry knowledge, experience, and experience, we can create a customized e-commerce SEO plan that works only for your business.
For further discussion, feel free to book a call and talk to one of our SEO consultants.
