Complete Guide to Product Page SEO: Boost Your Store’s Growth

Your product pages should contain keywords that shoppers are typing into search engines like Google. For instance, if you sell luxury watches, you’ll want your product pages to appear in search results for user queries like “high-end watches” or “designer watches.”

This is where keyword research comes in handy. This SEO practice will help you identify relevant keywords that your audiences are searching for, allowing you to add them to your product pages for greater search engine visibility.

To conduct keyword research for product page SEO, you can use tools like:

• Google Keyword Planner (free) – Though this tool is primarily used for Google Ad campaigns, you can use it to find keywords related to your business.
• Google Trends (free) – Used to discover what searches are currently popular on Google. It’s most useful when looking for particular products that are trending right now.
• Keyword surfer (free) – An SEO Chrome extension that generates keyword ideas based on queries you type into Google search.
• Semrush (paid, but first 10 searches are free) – An in-depth SEO tool for keyword research, showing important data like search volume and how difficult it is to rank for specific keywords.

Why To Use Long-Tail Keywords for Product Page SEO

During the product page optimization process, I recommend paying extra attention to long-tail keywords. These are keywords that are slightly longer and more specific than your average search term, and tend to have less than 1,000 searches per month. Here’s an ecommerce example:

• “Luxury watches” = short-tail keyword
• “Luxury watches for women under $5000” = long-tail keyword.

Long-tail keywords tend to have less competition than short-tail keywords due to their lower search volumes, so it’s easier for your product pages to rank for them.

They can also lead to increased conversion rates, since they better reflect a consumer’s precise needs. For example, if someone types “best waterproof hiking boots for winter” into Google search, they likely have a clear idea of what they’re looking for, which increases their chances of making a purchase once they’ve found your page!

Once you’ve found your keywords, it’s time to optimize your product pages. One of the simplest ways to do that is by creating descriptive, SEO-friendly URLs for each of your product pages.

Descriptive product URLs are essential for two reasons: they increase website accessibility by helping shoppers find what they’re looking for, and help Google to better understand the contents of your product pages and rank them in search results.

A good product URL might look like this: 

“onlinestore.com/tops/linen-blue-crop-top”

This URL is effective because it features a keyword that shoppers might be looking for (“blue crop top”) and clearly describes what product is sold on the page.

You’ll also need to add your keywords to your product page titles, which includes H1s and meta titles. I’ve outlined what each of these titles are to get you started:

If you’re using an ecommerce builder like Shopify, you’ll be able to easily tweak these titles from your dashboard or website editor.

Website navigation plays a significant role in a user’s online shopping experience. If your category pages aren’t arranged logically, it’s more difficult for shoppers to find what they’re looking for, leading to increased user frustration and high exit rates.

Additionally, if Google can’t navigate your website properly, it won’t be able to discover all of your website’s pages and show them in search results.

To optimize your website’s navigation, consider: 

• Grouping your products wisely – Assess your product catalog and see what specific items have in common. Are there general category pages you can split them into on your website? A furniture store might separate its products depending on the room an item is found in (bedroom, bathroom, etc), or what kind of furniture it is (beds, tables, etc).
• Using subcategories – Once you’ve identified general categories, see if you can also create product subcategories to organize more specific types of products. For instance, a clothes store might have a general category for “shoes” followed by subcategories for “sneakers,” “flats,” and “boots.”

Your website’s listings must feature clear product copy that tells shoppers all they need to know about an item. This includes its standout features, alongside any key details like pricing, materials, sizes, and colour options.

But what do great product descriptions look like? Here’s an example from clothes store Anthropologie:

“An ode to ethereal occasionwear, the breathtaking Lucina blossoms with soft flowers across its one-shoulder silhouette, finished with adjustable straps for a flattering fit.”

By Anthropologie

100% Viscose

Side zip

Adjustable straps

Side slit with ruffle trim

Machine wash

Imported”

This description works because it’s short but sweet, aptly describing the appeal of a dress in one sentence. The item’s highlights (i.e. its “adjustable straps”) are also mentioned, while the scannable bullet points provide shoppers with extra information so they can make an informed decision.

When writing your product descriptions, here are some additional factors to keep in mind:

• Integrate your keywords – For ecommerce SEO best practice, your primary keyword should appear in your product copy too. To prevent keyword stuffing, I recommend strategically adding your keyword once or twice to the body copy.
• Keep your copy digestible – You need to make it easy for shoppers to scan your page and find the information they need. Keep your sentences short and use bullet points or numbered lists to describe features.

Optimized product imagery can also drive website traffic to your online store. By making your images SEO-friendly, you’ll help search engines discover your website’s visual content and rank your store’s pages in image search results.

Here are a few image optimization methods you can use:

• Upload high-quality imagery – If someone sees low-quality images on your store, they’re more likely to click away, which signifies to Google you’re providing visitors with a bad experience. To avoid this, your product pages should contain unique images showcasing quality lighting and uncluttered backgrounds.
• Check your photo resolution – Your product photos may appear in Google Image results, so you’ll want your images to look good no matter where they’re shown. As a general rule of thumb, make sure that photos have an image width of around 1200 pixels to maintain their quality.
• Add alternative text – Alternative text is a sentence that describes what’s contained in your website’s imagery. It’s recommended for product page SEO because it helps Google understand what items are featured in your store’s imagery, while improving website accessibility for visually-impaired shoppers who use screen readers.

In August 2022, Google rolled out its first “helpful content update” to reward websites producing original, people-first content. Rather than creating content just to please Google’s algorithm, your content should fulfill key user needs first.

For instance, if a customer is deciding whether to buy a dishwasher from your store or not, your store’s content should be informative, accurate, and trustworthy enough to help them make a purchasing decision.

To make sure that your product page content is “helpful” and meets customer expectations, here’s what you can do: 

• Provide essential information – Depending on your industry, you need to disclose key information to shoppers. For electronic items, that might include storage and battery life, while food products will need to mention key ingredients and their nutritional value.
• Make use of product videos – By creating short tutorial videos and adding them to your product pages, you can show customers how to use your items.
• Add FAQs – You might find that customers are always asking a particular question about one of your products. To clear up these commonly asked questions, you can add an FAQ section to your product page that contains all the relevant information.

Ecommerce schema markup is when you use a piece of webpage code to tell Google how you’ve structured your website’s content. This helps Google better organize your content so it’s ready for search engine results.

When you add this code to different webpages, you can increase your chances of appearing in Google search snippets, like the Google Shopping snippet below:

🤔 Want to get started? Read our complete guide to ecommerce schema markup now

If a shopper is won over by your product description, you need to make it easy for them to add that item to their cart. A clear call-to-action button, such as “add to cart” or “proceed to checkout” will ensure that they follow through with a purchase.

To increase conversions here, make sure that your buttons standout. I recommend using an eye-catching contrasting colour that draws shoppers in, like in this example:

The way that your website looks, feels, and runs can significantly impact product page SEO. If your website speeds are slow or your buttons are unresponsive, shoppers are likely to grow impatient with your store and head to a competitor’s page instead.

Poor user experience can lower your website rankings, since the search algorithms will pick up on visitors who are clicking on your website from search, only to leave a few seconds later. If you want your product pages to shine and keep customers engaged, here’s what you can do: 

• Regularly test website speeds – Slow loading pages are not only frustrating for users, but they’re also a detriment to your website’s rankings. This is why you must regularly test your website’s speeds and optimize your pages accordingly. For example, if you have a content-heavy page that’s loading slowly, you may need to compress your product photos for improved speeds.
• Check your design is responsive – Worst case scenario: a customer clicks on the checkout button, but it doesn’t send to them the next page to complete their purchase. To stop this from happening, test out your website on desktop and mobile to make sure that your pages are working as they should.
• Keep your product page designs simple – As users navigate through your online store, it should be easy for them to get from point A to point B. Try to organize your content logically, using clear navigation bars, menus, and headers to help them easily browse your store.

To build trust on your website, it’s important to include user reviews or testimonials on your product pages as a form of social proof. If visitors can see that customers have purchased from your website and have positively reviewed your products, they’re more likely to view your store as trustworthy and make a purchase themselves.

Social proof can also have a positive impact on SEO. For instance, positive reviews signify to search engines that your website is reputable, which boosts your domain authority, while they can also increase user engagement on your store by lowering your page bounce rates.

To encourage users to leave product reviews, keep things simple! You could send them an automated follow up email after they’ve made a purchase, offer them an incentive like a discount, or add a clearly labelled review section to your product pages where users can upload a photo, message, and star rating themselves.

To better cater to customer needs and encourage repeat purchases, I recommend adding personalised product recommendations to your product pages. This can be as simple as adding a “recommended for you” or “you may also like” section to your product pages, encouraging shoppers to take a look at other items in your store.

Here’s an example:

But why is this important for SEO? Adding these personalized product sections enhances your internal linking strategy, since it connects different parts of your website together. This makes it easier for Google to discover your webpages and display them in search results.

Additionally, if website visitors are clicking on these personalised links, this can improve customer engagement because it encourages them to spend more time on your website, which tells Google that your website is valuable.

🛒 Want to keep increasing your sales? Learn how to cross-sell too!

Even if you’ve aced the last twelve steps, there’s still one key thing you need to do: regularly test and audit your website. This will help you maintain effective SEO for product pages, since you’ll be able to spot any weaknesses in your current strategy and create an action plan to make further improvements.

Here are a few easy ways to test your product pages: 

• Conduct ecommerce A/B testing – To see what customers are engaging with the most, consider A/B testing different versions of a product page. Use this as an opportunity to see how they react to different page elements, such as call-to-action buttons, colours, or specific product imagery.
• Test product pages across different devices – Your shoppers will be visiting your website through mobile and desktop devices, so make sure that it runs smoothly from both touchpoints. You’ll want to check that your pages are responsive and render well.
• Use free SEO tools to analyse key data – If you’re auditing your content a few times a year, I suggest using SEO tools to help you record and analyse your data. For example, you could use Google Analytics to create a report that visualises changes in a key search metric over time, be it bounce rates or total sales.

Now that you know these 13 key product page optimisation strategies, you’re well on your way to increasing traffic to your online store. 

But remember, although you want your website to rank on Google search, your user’s needs will always come first. For the best product page SEO, make sure that your online store is speedy, responsive, contains useful information, and has clear calls-to-action. This will lead to a fantastic user experience that’ll give customers the confidence to make a purchase from your store.