An ecommerce search engine optimization audit is a 360-degree evaluate of your web site’s search engine optimization efficiency by way of technical setup, on-page optimization, website construction, backlink profile, and extra.
Consider it like a routine check-up to your on-line retailer.
As a substitute of ready for site visitors to drop or gross sales to decelerate, you may proactively discover and repair issues earlier than they spiral into income leaks.
Finished proper, an search engine optimization audit helps you:
- Determine methods to enhance rankings and consumer expertise
- Detect points affecting your natural efficiency
- Defend and maintain long-term development
Extra importantly, this audit creates an search engine optimization technique grounded in information, not guesswork.
On this information, I’ll break down a 4-stage course of for conducting an ecommerce search engine optimization audit.
I’ve additionally ready a free audit workbook that can assist you doc findings, prioritize fixes, and drive measurable outcomes.
Core Parts of an Ecommerce search engine optimization Audit
In contrast to a conventional web site audit, a well-rounded search engine optimization audit for ecommerce focuses on 5 key elements.
1. Technical search engine optimization
Technical search engine optimization ensures serps can discover, crawl, and index your web site.
It prevents essential points like:
That is essential for ecommerce web sites since URL buildings and enormous inventories can create crawlability issues.
2. On-Web page search engine optimization
On-page search engine optimization permits serps to know the content material and objective of every web page in your website.
A powerful on-page setup consists of title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and extra.
It additionally covers inner linking patterns to make sure hyperlink fairness flows to your most essential pages.
3. UX and Efficiency
This a part of the audit evaluates:
It helps optimize your UX, so guests can simply navigate your retailer, keep longer, and convert.
4. Off-Web page search engine optimization
Off-page search engine optimization appears at exterior alerts that affect your website’s authority, similar to:
Put merely, off-page search engine optimization covers all the pieces exterior your web site that exhibits serps you’re a reliable model.
5. Aggressive Evaluation
Aggressive evaluation assesses how your website stacks up in opposition to different manufacturers.
Benchmarking your efficiency in opposition to opponents helps you discover gaps and alternatives to outrank opponents on natural search.
Now that you already know what to audit, let’s stroll via the right way to do it — step-by-step.
We’ll break it down into 4 sensible phases that map again to the core elements.
Obtain our free audit workbook to raised perceive each step and implement them for your corporation.
Stage 1: Can Google Discover My Retailer and Merchandise?
A great ecommerce search engine optimization audit begins by checking whether or not serps can truly discover, crawl, and index your pages.
Regardless of how nicely you optimize pages, they gained’t rank or drive site visitors in the event that they’re invisible to serps.
In brief: This stage lays the groundwork for all the pieces else that follows.
Right here’s what to search for on this stage:
Test If Your Pages Are Listed in Google
An internet web page turns into seen in search outcomes and begins rating solely after it’s added to a search engine’s index.
Begin your audit by heading to Google Search Console (GSC) to evaluate the index standing to your pages.
Open your GSC dashboard and go to the “Pages” report below the index part.
The report will listing all non-indexed pages with particular causes:
- Found – presently not listed
- Crawled – presently not listed
- Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag
- Web page with redirect
If pages aren’t added to Google’s index, it might be as a result of points with web page high quality, crawl finances, or duplicate content material.
Use the “URL Inspection” device to study why a web page isn’t listed but.
On this instance, the URL has been found however not listed.
Press the “Request Indexing” button to manually submit a web page for indexing.
Guarantee Key Pages Are in Sitemap and Crawlable
A clear, correct sitemap helps serps uncover your most essential pages.
Your sitemap ought to embrace hierarchical URLs for all sorts of pages, like classes, merchandise, product variations, and extra.
Right here’s what an ecommerce retailer’s sitemap appears like:
Test whether or not your sitemap is up to date robotically everytime you add new pages.
Open Google Search Console and go to the “Sitemaps” part.
This report exhibits when your sitemap was final submitted and browse by Google. It additionally highlights the standing and variety of URLs found.
On the identical time, test your robots.txt file.
This file tells serps which components of your website they shouldn’t crawl.
Go to yoursite.com/robots.txt to see in the event you’re unintentionally blocking any pages or folders.
You should utilize Google’s robots.txt Tester to validate your setup.
Determine and Repair 4xx/5xx Errors That Damage Visibility
Test your HTTPS standing codes to find pages with 4xx or 5xx errors.
These errors clarify why serps can’t entry your pages.
Use instruments like Screaming Frog and Semrush Website Audit to test your HTTPS standing codes.
Right here’s the right way to do it with Semrush:
Go to the Website Audit device, and add your area.
Observe the steps on this information to configure and customise your Website Audit undertaking earlier than operating the crawl.
While you’re prepared, hit “Begin audit.”
As soon as the outcomes are in, navigate to the “HTTPS” a part of the audit overview.
Right here, you’ll see any points with HTTPS standing codes and the right way to repair them.
You may as well go to the “Crawled Pages” part in your report and filter information based mostly on standing codes.
For instance, I utilized the “Problem Standing” filter to search out pages with damaged or blocked standing codes.
Listed below are the filtered outcomes displaying all of the pages assembly this standards:
Evaluate all of the pages displaying errors and plan methods to repair every kind of error.
For instance, if a web page displaying the 404 error is outdated and now not wanted, you may take away it out of your sitemap.
Use Canonical Tags to Keep away from Duplicate Content material
Ecommerce websites usually battle with duplicate content material as a result of a number of product variants or filtering choices.
This will confuse serps and have an effect on your rankings.
That’s why canonical tags are essential to inform serps your
most popular model of a web page.
For instance, the athleisure model Alo Yoga makes use of canonical tags for shade variants, similar to:
- Metal gray: airlift-intrigue-bra-steel-grey
- Anthracite: airlift-intrigue-bra-anthracite
To forestall serps from seeing these pages as duplicate content material, every product variant features a canonical tag pointing to a single, fundamental product URL.
Use free canonical checker instruments like Detailed to test whether or not all product variants are canonicalized to the primary URL.
Stage 2: Do Folks Uncover and Go to My Pages?
The next step is optimizing your pages to rank nicely and enchantment to searchers.
Give attention to enhancing how your listings seem in search engine outcomes pages (SERPs) and matching them to the appropriate search intent.
This optimization can increase impressions, site visitors, and, finally, income.
Right here’s what to test on this stage:
Optimize Titles and Meta Descriptions for Clicks
Title tags and meta descriptions are sometimes the very first thing searchers see.
Are yours compelling sufficient to earn the press?
For instance, after I seek for “wholesome soda,” I discover this web page by Zevia Soda.
The title tag emphasizes its fundamental worth proposition: Zero Sugar Pure Flavored Soda.
And the meta description doubles down on this, highlighting zero energy and the number of flavors.
Use Backlinko’s free search engine optimization checker to search out any essential points right here.
Add any web page and hit “Test search engine optimization” to get began.
Right here’s how the device flags points associated to your web page’s title, headings, meta description, and different components:
Add Structured Schema for Wealthy Outcomes
Schema markup with tags like Product, Evaluate, and FAQs can improve your listings with wealthy snippets.
Visible cues like pricing, scores, reductions, and supply particulars simplify the purchasing expertise and might increase CTR to your pages.
Right here’s how they give the impression of being:
Google’s Wealthy Outcomes Take a look at is a useful device to validate your schema markup with all these components.
For instance, I ran a take a look at for a hair oil product web page to see what sort of wealthy snippets it has.
The report indicated that this web page has 4 snippets, however a few of them are invalid.
On additional evaluation, I found that one of many snippets is lacking the evaluate and score fields.
This product itemizing gained’t qualify for full wealthy outcomes except you add such required fields to your schema.
That’s how one can evaluate schema markup for particular person pages.
To test the schema for all your pages, revisit your Website Audit report on Semrush.
Within the Overview part, you’ll see information for the “Markup” class.
Press “View particulars” to get deeper insights about your website’s schema.
For instance, the report exhibits:
- Variety of pages with markup
- Type of schema markup for all pages
- Kind of structured information out there to your pages.
Map Goal Key phrases to the Proper Pages
One other essential process on this stage is checking whether or not your key phrases align with the precise consumer conduct and intent.
Map every web page to its goal key phrases and search intent.
Consider this map to search out pages focusing on the fallacious key phrases or intents. Right here’s an instance:
You may as well run a Google seek for your low-ranking key phrases and see the form of pages showing in SERPs.
Then, examine these top-ranking pages together with your content material to search out areas of enchancment.
Optimize Pictures and Add Alt Textual content
Your on-line retailer can drive important site visitors by optimizing photos and multimedia property.
Picture optimization can:
I searched “blue ceramic dinner plates” to see this in motion.
Under the same old product listings, the pictures part additionally exhibits product listings for folks to browse extra choices.
As part of your audit, test whether or not your photos have related file names and keyword-rich alt textual content.
Semrush’s Website Audit report may also flag photos lacking alt textual content attributes.
Stage 3: Are Guests Staying and Shopping for?
The following a part of your audit explores how customers work together together with your website and whether or not they convert or bounce.
You need to know:
- Are folks spending sufficient time in your retailer?
- Are they dropping off after viewing one product?
- Is one thing within the consumer journey inflicting friction?
If folks consistently depart your retailer with out shopping for, your website’s UX would possibly need assistance.
Right here’s what to test on this stage:
Enhance Load Occasions and Cellular Usability
Gradual pages = Poor expertise = Larger bounce fee.
An ecommerce website audit reveals which pages are loading slowly and want your consideration.
It additionally checks your web site’s responsiveness throughout totally different screens, particularly cell units.
Google PageSpeed Insights is a trusted device for evaluating your retailer’s consumer expertise based mostly on Core Net Vitals:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading pace
- First Enter Delay (FID): Tracks time to interactivity
- Cumulative Structure Shift (CLS): Checks visible stability throughout load
Right here’s an instance report I generated:
This web page failed to fulfill the benchmark for an excellent consumer expertise for cell units.
Keep in mind to test the web page pace particularly for cell since Google’s mobile-first indexing method prioritizes cell units.
Simplify Web page Design and UX
Design performs an important position in instilling confidence amongst potential prospects.
While you ship a frictionless consumer expertise with good design components like CTAs, belief badges, and accessible navigation, customers stick round for longer.
This sends highly effective alerts to serps and improves search engine optimization metrics like dwell time, web page views, bounce fee, and extra.
The truth is, our rating elements research reveals that pages with a better “time on website” are inclined to rank greater in Google.
Repair Pages Concentrating on the Identical Key phrase
Ecommerce websites usually have a number of pages focusing on the identical key phrase, like class filters or related merchandise.
Because of this, many pages compete in opposition to one another for a key phrase.
Since serps can’t determine which web page to rank greater, your rankings are diluted.
Discuss with your Website Audit report to search out errors pointing to duplicate content material and determine:
- Close to-identical pages competing for a similar key phrases
- Variants (shade, dimension) are revealed as separate URLs
Add Inside Hyperlinks to Enhance Relevance
Strategic inner hyperlinks create logical paths between pages, hold customers engaged longer, and distribute authority.
So, even when searchers land on one in all your weblog posts, they’ll discover their approach to a related product web page and make a purchase order.
Right here’s how Tonal, a health gear model, does this in its articles:
Stage 4: The place Am I Behind My Rivals?
Within the remaining stage of your ecommerce search engine optimization website audit, broaden the scope and have a look at the competitors.
If a competitor ranks above you for key phrases or earns higher backlinks, they’re claiming site visitors that might be yours.
So, perceive your aggressive panorama to determine missed alternatives to your search engine optimization efforts.
Audit and Strengthen Your Backlink Profile
Backlinks are one other essential rating sign.
In the event you function in a aggressive class, backlinks can have a decisive impression in your natural visibility and site visitors.
Begin with a backlink audit to see the place you presently stand.
This audit will show you how to uncover:
- Excessive-authority domains are already linking to your website
- Poisonous or spammy hyperlinks which will damage your rankings
- Pages incomes essentially the most backlinks (and why)
- Alternatives to reclaim or construct new backlinks
You may as well benchmark your backlink profile in opposition to opponents and plan the following steps.
I used Semrush’s Backlink Hole device to check Fabletics’ backlink profile with two opponents.
You’ll be able to add as much as 4 fundamental opponents and press “Discover prospects.”
The device will analyze each website’s backlinks and present you curated prospects to your website.
You could find the very best, sturdy, weak, shared, and distinctive domains that hyperlink to your opponents however to not you.
For Fabletics, the device suggests domains like healthline.com, usnews.com, americanexpress.com, and extra.
Use this information to prioritize outreach or content material partnerships to your link-building efforts.
Uncover Key phrase Gaps and Rating Alternatives
Use instruments like Semrush’s Key phrase Hole or SimilarWeb to see which key phrases your opponents rank for however you don’t.
This will help you:
- Determine new content material alternatives
- Strengthen underperforming pages
- Reclaim rankings for key phrases you’ve misplaced visibility on
Focus particularly on high-intent, bottom-funnel phrases that drive conversions, not simply site visitors.
For instance, let’s say a competitor ranks for “purchase minimalist trainers.”
In the event you promote the identical kind of product however don’t seem in search, that’s a transparent hole — and an opportunity to win again visibility.
Methods to Prioritize search engine optimization Points You Determine in a Website Audit
While you’re taking a look at a laundry listing of points out of your search engine optimization audit, it’s simple to really feel overwhelmed.
Every thing appears essential. The place do you even start?
Our search engine optimization audit workbook robotically calculates the precedence degree based mostly on each subject’s impression, effort, and scope.
Impression
Learn how fixing a problem will transfer the needle for your corporation.
- Will it enhance site visitors, rankings, or conversions?
- Or, will it go largely unnoticed by serps and customers?
The best approach to decide impression is by taking a look at which pages are affected.
If high-revenue class or product pages are at stake, it’s a high-impact drawback.
But when the issue is restricted to low-ranking weblog posts, then the stakes are decrease.
Effort
When you’ve categorized points on a scale of low to excessive impression, take into account the trouble required to repair every one.
Realistically calculate effort by way of time, technical complexity, and capability required to resolve an issue.
Scope
Scope appears at scale.
Estimate how massive the issue is by checking if it’s:
- Remoted
- Web page-level
- Website-wide
And if it’s a page-level concern, you need to zoom into the kind of pages affected.
Prioritization Framework
Right here’s how one can prioritize points based mostly on impression, effort, and scope:
- Precedence 1 (Fast wins): Resolving these issues can result in important search engine optimization positive aspects with out draining assets
- Precedence 2 (May be pressing): A few of these points want consideration as a result of they’ll have an effect on your key income drivers
- Precedence 3 (Hardly ever pressing): Automating or dealing with these points in month-to-month cycles is an efficient guess
- Precedence 4 (Low impression): Spending assets on these time-consuming duties can delay extra significant work
Listed below are a number of examples to see this prioritization framework in motion:
Troubleshooting Information
We created a fast information itemizing the options for a number of the most typical search engine optimization points for ecommerce shops.
While you’re prepared with a prioritized listing, confer with this information to search out potential causes and options shortly.
Construct a Retailer That Google (and Buyers) Love
Your on-line retailer has untapped potential.
A structured search engine optimization audit offers you readability to comprehend this potential.
It pinpoints the place you’re shedding site visitors, which pages are underperforming, and what fixes will transfer the needle.
Work via our ecommerce search engine optimization audit guidelines to determine points and implement options.
And whenever you’re able to degree up your technique, try our information on the greatest methods for ecommerce search engine optimization.
It’s full of examples, workflows, and instruments that can assist you flip natural site visitors into your best-performing channel.
