How an eCommerce SEO Audit Can Increase Your Conversion Rates

If you’re looking for ways to increase your online store’s rankings and sales, conducting an eCommerce SEO audit is time. It is not just a mere technicality. This strategy can help you beat your competitors on the search engine results page and transform browsers into purchasers. With due attention to the aspects of your site, you get a wealth of opportunities to optimize your online store.

At tiny lever, we conduct comprehensive eCommerce SEO audits that go beyond surface-level fixes. We analyze site architecture, on-page SEO, technical elements, and content quality, to identify areas for improvement. Our strategies include optimizing landing pages, enhancing user experience, and leveraging white hat link building to boost website rankings and conversions.

As an SEO audit services provider, we’ll shed light on the specifics of eCommerce SEO auditing and show how an eCommerce SEO checklist can boost your sales. From knowing why it matters for better conversion rates to the specific steps to conduct it effectively, this guide will help you increase your revenue and enhance your online presence.

Why Does SEO Audit Matter for eCommerce Conversion Rates?

An eCommerce SEO audit reviews an online store to analyze its strength in products, categories, and keywords. Unlike other SEO audits, it prioritizes eCommerce-specific factors such as optimizing product pages, improving product category hierarchy, and refining filters to provide a seamless shopping experience.

How an eCommerce SEO Audit Improves Navigation and Performance

An ecommerce SEO audit is a powerful tool for identifying areas where users may be dropping off due to poor site navigation or slow load times. Here’s how it can help:

Layout Analysis: This step checks the layout of the eCommerce website’s product pages to see whether they are easy to navigate.
Navigation Label Review: You can find generic or confusing navigation labels during a site audit. Instead of such general labels as “Products” or “Services,” the audience can locate the desired information instantly.
Option Overload: An SEO audit can show if a site has too many navigational links, which confuse users. It is recommended that the site have no more than 7 main navigation items and use subcategories to enhance the users’ experience.
Navigation Item Order: This evaluates the sequence of the items in the navigation. Due to the Serial Position Effect, important items should be placed at the start and end of the navigation bar.
Page Speed Analysis: Analyzes page loading time throughout the site. A one-second delay can reduce conversions.
Mobile Performance: Since most mobile site visitors will leave if pages take more than 3 seconds to load, mobile page speed receives special attention in an SEO audit.

Maximizing Conversion with High-Intent eCommerce Keywords

Optimizing for keywords that target users closer to purchasing is crucial for eCommerce businesses and marketers. Some types of eCommerce keywords include:

Transactional Keywords: Indicate immediate purchase intent. Example: "Buy crypto online"
Commercial Keywords: Reflect research before a potential purchase. Example: "Best running shoes for flat feet"
Product-Specific Keywords: Target specific items or features. Example: "iPhone 13 Pro Max 256GB"
Discount and Deal Keywords: Focus on finding offers or sales. Example: "Black Friday laptop deals"

Key Components of an eCommerce SEO Audit

An eCommerce SEO audit comprehensively evaluates an online store's SEO performance. The key components of an effective eCommerce SEO audit include:

Technical SEO Analysis: Focuses on the backend elements of a website to make it easily crawlable and indexable by search engines. This includes checking site speed, mobile-friendliness, security, URL structure and identifying crawl errors or broken links.
On-Page Optimization: Improves title tags and meta descriptions, headers, images, and internal links. It also checks their relevance to the keywords and fixes duplicate content.
Content Strategy Review: Ensures the website’s content aligns with user intent and provides value. This includes assessing product descriptions blog posts, and expanding content to answer potential customer questions or fill in content gaps.
Backlink Profile Analysis: This process analyzes the quality and relevance of external links, identifies toxic backlinks, and studies competitors’ profiles to find opportunities for improvement.
Conversion Rate Optimization Insights: Optimizes user experience to improve the website’s conversion rates. By assessing site navigation, checkout processes, and UX elements, businesses can identify friction and adjust accordingly.

How an SEO Audit Leads to Better Conversion Rates

An SEO audit for eCommerce site can increase conversion rates by enhancing different aspects of the web-based store. Let's explore how:

Attracts More Users

Effective keyword and content optimization are crucial in attracting more likely users. If you target relevant keywords and create high-quality content, you can:

Draw in Users: This increases the likelihood of conversions as these users intend to purchase.
Address Customer Pain Points: Informative, relevant content that answers common questions builds trust and encourages purchases.
Optimize Product Descriptions: Clear benefits and relevant keywords ensure your products appear in search results when users are ready to buy.

Reduces Bounce Rates and Boosts Conversions

Site speed is one of the most crucial elements of an eCommerce SEO audit, as it can reduce bounce rates and increase conversions.

Impact on User Experience: Site speed impacts how users interact with the e-commerce website. Fast-loading web pages encourage visitors to spend more time on the products and buy them. However, slow-loading web pages frustrate users, resulting in high bounce rates and lost sales.
Search Engine Rankings: Google and other search engines consider site speed one of the ranking factors. Fast-loading websites have better ranks and, subsequently, better visibility and organic search traffic.

Enhances Appearance and Functionality for Conversions

An eCommerce SEO audit can greatly enhance conversion rates by enhancing the numerous parameters of an online store’s appearance and functionality. Here's how clear layouts, compelling descriptions, and SEO-friendly design elements contribute to higher sales:

Improved Navigation: Products are easy to locate when the site has a clear and logical structure.
Visual Hierarchy: White space, contrasting colors, and strategic element placement highlight key areas, such as call-to-action buttons.
Benefit-Focused Content: It is much easier to persuade a client to purchase a product when you show how the product will assist the reader in solving their problems.
Structured Data: Implementing structured data allows search engines to better understand your content. This can result in rich snippets appearing in search results, increasing click-through rates.

Steps to Conduct an eCommerce SEO Audit

Before performing an eCommerce SEO audit, you must know what can make or break your store’s visibility. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure your eCommerce site is optimized for search engines and users alike:

1. Start with a Technical Audit

Conducting a technical SEO audit is crucial for uncovering and addressing issues hindering your eCommerce site's visibility in search results. Here's how to leverage Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to identify and fix key problems:

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that provides valuable insights into your website's performance and organic traffic.

Identify Indexing Issues: Use the Index Coverage report to check which pages Google indexes are relevant to you. This will help you ensure that all your important pages are visible in search results.
Analyze Crawl Errors: Review the Crawl Errors report to find pages that Google's search engine bots couldn't access. This could be due to server errors, broken links, or incorrect redirects.
Monitor Core Web Vitals: Check the Core Web Vitals report to assess your site's loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog is a powerful website crawler that can help you identify technical SEO issues.

Conduct a Full Site Crawl: Enter your website URL in Screaming Frog and start a crawl. This will give you a comprehensive overview of your site's structure and potential issues.
Find Broken Links: Go to the "Response Codes" tab after the crawl and look for Client Error [4xx] results. This will show you all the broken links on your site.
Analyze Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: Review these crucial on-page elements using the "Page Titles" and "Meta Descriptions" tabs. Filter for missing, duplicate, too long, or too short titles and descriptions.
Identify Duplicate Content: Navigate to the "Content" tab and filter for "Exact Duplicates" and "Near Duplicates." This will help you find and address duplicate content issues, which can confuse search engines.
Check for Missing Alt Text: Use the "Images" tab to find images without alt text.
Review Site Structure: Review your site’s architecture from the “Architecture” tab to identify internal linking and site depth issues.

2. Evaluate Content for Search Engine Optimization and Engagement

The next step of an eCommerce SEO audit is reviewing your content. This includes on-page text, meta tags, and keywords to ensure they match user intent and search engine needs.

Assess Your On-Page Content: Start by reviewing the existing material on your website, such as product descriptions, category pages, and blog posts. Look for opportunities to naturally incorporate relevant keywords into your content without sacrificing readability or quality.
Play Attention to Meta Tags: Ensure that each page has unique, compelling meta titles and descriptions that include relevant keywords and accurately represent the page content. Remember the recommended character limits: 50-60 characters for title tags and 150-160 characters for meta descriptions.
Conduct Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the terms and phrases your target audience uses to find products or information related to your business. Informational keywords are useful for eCommerce sites and should be combined with commercial keywords.
Ensure Content Quality and Relevance: Provide detailed descriptions of products exclusive to your online store. Do not use descriptions from manufacturers or suppliers to avoid replicating the content.

3. Analyze User Behavior

An eCommerce SEO audit must be done with user behavior in mind. This is necessary to determine how they interact with your site and what should be changed to improve the results. You can make informed decisions about improving your SEO strategies by monitoring bounce rates, session duration, and conversion paths.

Analyzing Bounce Rates

Bounce rates show how engaging your website is. A high bounce rate means users leave quickly without exploring, hurting your SEO. To analyze bounce rates, use Google Analytics and customize your reports.

The average bounce rate for eCommerce sites is 20% to 45%. To better understand your bounce rate, compare it to your competitors. For example, if your online clothing store has a higher bounce rate on product pages than competitors', there may be problems with product descriptions, images, or page layout.

Evaluating Session Duration

Average session duration shows how long users stay on your website. A longer session usually means visitors find your content valuable and are more likely to convert. You can track this metric in Google Analytics alongside bounce rates for a full view of engagement.

A good session duration is between two and four minutes, but it depends on the type of website. For example, if your eCommerce site selling electronics has a shorter session duration on product comparison pages, users may not be able to find the information they need.

Analyzing Conversion Paths

Understanding user conversion paths is key to optimizing the user journey and improving SEO. Google Analytics Path Exploration report helps you visualize these paths and spot bottlenecks or drop-off points.

By analyzing conversion paths, you can identify where users face obstacles before completing a purchase. For example, a drop-off at the checkout page may mean issues with payment, form complexity, or trust signals. You can use these data to make targeted improvements, enhance conversion, and increase user satisfaction and engagement.

4. Prioritize Actionable Fixes

When conducting an eCommerce SEO audit, focus on fixes that will most affect conversion rates. Here’s how to prioritize your efforts:

Address Critical Technical Issues: Start with technical problems like broken pages or server errors. These issues can significantly disrupt the user experience and prevent search engines from properly crawling and indexing your site. Fixing these first ensures a smoother, uninterrupted experience for users and crawlers.
Prioritize Key Product and Category Pages: Your most important product and category pages should be the focus of early optimization. These pages are likely to drive conversions.
Improve Site Speed and Mobile Responsiveness: Site speed and optimization directly impact user experience and search engine rankings. Addressing these elements ensures visitors have a seamless experience across devices.
Optimize Low-Performing, High-Potential Content: Identify pages that are already ranking but still need to reach their full potential, especially those stuck on search results' second or third page. These pages can be brought to the first page with some tweaking, like enhancing content, including keywords or meta tags.

Implement Structured Data Markup: Adding structured data markup to product pages enhances search listings with rich snippets, such as price, availability, and reviews. These visually enhanced listings can increase click-through rates by giving more detailed information in the search results.

Key Takeaway

A good eCommerce SEO audit considers the perspective of search engines and visitors to your site. It highlights what you can optimize to speed up the site, improve the mobile experience, and create engaging product descriptions. Your goal here is to attract visitors to your site, engage them, make them purchase, and keep them returning for more.

However, these audits are time-consuming and may yield slow results compared to paid advertising. It can be overwhelming, especially for larger eCommerce sites with thousands of products. Moreover, applying the changes may require substantial resources and technical expertise. And let’s not forget that search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. Strategies that are effective today may quickly lose their impact.

How can you ensure your eCommerce SEO audit strategies stay effective over time? tiny lever is an SEO marketing agency that offers comprehensive SEO audits that go beyond basic checklists. From optimizing site speed to crafting compelling blogs and product descriptions, we focus on long-term improvements. Contact us via david@tinylevermarketing.com or fill out this form to see real results without the fluff.