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Did you know that e-commerce sites that regularly perform SEO audits and make changes to improve see up to a 50% increase in organic traffic?
An SEO audit for an e-commerce site is a comprehensive analysis of all the things that influence your website’s search engine visibility and performance.
This type of audit dives deep into the technical, on-page, and off-page aspects of your site to identify issues and areas for improvement.
This type of audit dives deep into the technical, on-page, and off-page aspects of your site to identify issues and areas for improvement.
In this article, we’ll explore what’s not included in an e-commerce SEO audit, why regular audits are important, and provide an 18-step checklist for performing your own audit.
What is Not Included in an E-Commerce SEO Audit
When it comes to an e-commerce SEO audit, it’s crucial to know what is not covered so you can set realistic expectations.
Design Overhaul
An SEO audit focuses on technical and content aspects, but it does not include a complete design overhaul of your website.
While some design elements might be adjusted for better SEO performance, a full redesign is outside the scope of a standard audit.
Extensive Content Creation
The audit will point out content gaps and suggest improvements, but it doesn’t involve creating new content from scratch.
You’ll receive recommendations on what content to add or optimize, but producing this content is typically your responsibility or that of a content creation team.
Social Media Strategy
While social signals can impact SEO, a technical SEO audit does not include a full-fledged social media strategy.
The audit might suggest integrating social sharing buttons or improving social links, but managing and creating social media content is not part of the audit.
Paid Advertising
SEO audits focus on organic search performance and do not cover paid advertising strategies.
Recommendations will be geared towards improving organic search visibility rather than optimizing PPC campaigns or other paid channels.
Why is it Important to Regularly Audit Your E-Commerce Website?
Regularly auditing your e-commerce website is essential for maintaining optimal performance and staying competitive in the market.
Keeping Up with Algorithm Changes
Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving.
Regular audits help you stay on top of these changes and adjust your SEO strategies accordingly.
This proactive approach ensures that your site remains competitive and continues to rank well.
Identifying and Fixing Issues
Over time, technical issues like broken links, slow loading times, and duplicate content can creep into your site.
Regular audits help identify and fix these problems before they negatively impact your rankings and user experience.
Improving User Experience
A well-optimized site provides a better user experience, which can lead to higher conversion rates and customer retention.
Regular audits help you identify areas where user experience can be improved, from site speed to mobile usability.
Enhancing Security
Security is essential for e-commerce sites.
Regular audits can help identify vulnerabilities and ensure that your site is secure, protecting both your business and your customers.
How to Perform an E-Commerce SEO Audit – 18 Steps Checklist
Ready to dive into your own e-commerce SEO audit?
Here’s an 18-step checklist to guide you through the process:
1. Crawl Your Website
Use tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to crawl your website.
This will help identify broken links, duplicate content, and other technical issues.
2. Check for Indexing Issues
Make sure all important pages are indexed by search engines.
Use Google Search Console to spot indexing issues and submit sitemaps.
3. Analyze Site Speed
Site speed is a big deal for ranking and user experience.
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check and improve your site’s loading times.
4. Review Mobile Usability
With mobile-first indexing, your site needs to work well on mobile devices.
Check your site’s mobile usability with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
5. Examine URL Structure
Make sure your URLs are clean, descriptive, and SEO-friendly.
Avoid complex or lengthy URLs.
6. Audit On-Page SEO
Review your title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and keyword usage.
Optimize them for your target keywords.
7. Check for Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can hurt your SEO efforts.
Use tools like Copyscape to find and eliminate duplicate content.
8. Evaluate Product Pages
Make sure each product page is optimized with unique descriptions, high-quality images, and relevant keywords.
9. Analyze Internal Linking
Internal links help search engines understand your site structure.
Make sure your site has a logical internal linking structure.
10. Review External Links
Check the quality and relevance of your backlinks.
Use tools like Ahrefs to analyze your backlink profile.
11. Assess User Experience
User experience (UX) impacts SEO.
Make sure your site is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and user-friendly.
12. Monitor Social Signals
Social media can influence SEO.
Make sure your content is shareable and engaging on social platforms.
13. Check for HTTPS
Security is a ranking factor.
Make sure your site uses HTTPS and that your SSL certificate is properly installed.
14. Evaluate Local SEO
For e-commerce sites with a local presence, local SEO is vital.
Make sure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information is consistent and optimized.
15. Optimize Category Pages
Category pages should be optimized with relevant keywords, unique content, and a clear structure.
16. Review Schema Markup
Schema markup helps search engines understand your content better.
Check if you’re using the right schema types and if there are any errors in your structured data.
17. Check for Broken Links
Broken links can frustrate users and hurt your SEO.
Regularly check for and fix any broken links on your site.
18. Review Analytics Data
Use Google Analytics to review your site’s performance data.
Identify trends, high-performing pages, and areas needing improvement.
Conclusion
Doing regular SEO check-ups is important for your e-commerce website.
By following the 18-step checklist, you can find and fix technical problems, make your content better, and improve your website’s performance.
These steps help keep your site healthy and competitive in the online world.
Remember, an SEO audit is not something you do just once.
It’s a regular task that keeps your website in good shape and helps your business grow.
Happy auditing!