Launching a Shopify or WooCommerce store is the easy part. Getting it found in Google when there are thousands of near-identical products competing for the same search terms is where most stores fall down. If you’re still deciding on a platform, read our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison first – the checklist below applies once you’ve launched.
1. Product pages need more than the manufacturer description
Pasting the manufacturer’s product description onto your page means you’re now competing against every other store using the exact same text – and duplicate content rarely wins. Unique descriptions, even short ones, give Google a reason to differentiate your page.
2. Category structure is your internal linking strategy
A clear, logical category hierarchy isn’t just for navigation – it’s how link equity flows through your store and how Google understands what you actually sell. Flat, disorganised category structures make every product page start from a disadvantage.
3. Watch for duplicate content from filtering and variants
Colour and size filters, sort options and faceted navigation can generate thousands of near-identical URLs. Left unmanaged, this creates serious duplicate content issues. Canonical tags, and being deliberate about what’s indexable, matters more on ecommerce sites than almost anywhere else.
4. Out-of-stock and discontinued products need a plan
Don’t just delete a product page the moment it’s out of stock – that page may already have rankings, backlinks and reviews attached to it. Keep it live with clear messaging, or redirect thoughtfully rather than leaving a 404 or, worse, silently removing an indexed page.
5. Page speed matters more here than on content sites
Ecommerce sites tend to be image and script heavy, and cart abandonment climbs sharply with load time. This is both a conversion issue and an SEO one – Google’s Core Web Vitals are a ranking factor, not just a UX nicety.
6. Structured data for products
Product schema (price, availability, reviews) is what enables rich results in search – star ratings, price, stock status shown directly in the search listing. It’s a meaningful click-through rate advantage over competitors without it.
7. Reviews aren’t just for trust
Genuine product reviews add unique, regularly updated content to product pages – exactly the kind of signal that helps a page stay relevant over time, on top of the conversion benefit.
We build and optimise both Shopify and WooCommerce stores, with Ecommerce SEO built into the build rather than bolted on afterwards. Get a free quote if your store needs a proper look.