3 minutes reading
Today, competition in the market is greater than ever before. Online shops therefore have to fight effectively for users' attention and high positions in Google search results. For this, well-optimised SEO is essential to attract traffic to the site and convert it into customers. Unfortunately, e-commerce owners often make mistakes that prevent them from successfully achieving these goals. In this article, we will outline the most common SEO mistakes made by online shop owners and specific tips on how to fix them.
Lack of optimisation for keywords
Many online shops do not pay sufficient attention to choosing the right keywords. For example, they often focus on generic phrases with high search volume that are also highly competitive.
How to fix it?
Choose keywords that match user intent, betting on long-tail keywords that are more specific and less competitive. Use tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Google Keyword Plannerto find the keywords that best match the products in your shop. Using these phrases will help increase your shop's visibility and attract users who are already closer to making a purchase decision.
2. Duplicate content on the website
Duplicating product and category descriptions is one of the most common SEO mistakes in e-commerce. Often owners copy content from manufacturers or repeat the same descriptions in different places on the site.
How to fix it?
Take advantage of the opportunity to create additional, unique content on category pages, such as buying advice or technical specifications. In addition, use canonical markers (canonical tags) to avoid content duplication problems. You can use these tags, for example, when the same product is available in different variants.
3. mismatched meta tags and titles
Often meta tags and page titles are neglected and thus do not reflect user intent or do not contain key words.
How to fix it?
Well thought out meta titles and descriptions is the basis of SEO. Page titles should be descriptive, specific, contain keywords and at the same time be inviting to users. Meta descriptions, although they do not have a direct impact on ranking, increase click-through rate (CTR) in the search results, which can improve the visibility of the site.
4. lack of optimised photos and graphics
Shop pages often contain high-resolution images that are not properly optimised, which increases page load times and negatively affects UX.
How to fix it?
Make use of image compression tools. Also remember to add attributes alt to images, which improves the shop's visibility in Google image search results, while also acting as an accessibility feature for people with visual impairments.
5. ignoring page load speed
In an age where users expect instant access to content, a slow-moving website can put off potential customers.
How to fix it?
Make use of tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights to analyse site speed. Improve server performance, reduce the size of graphics, remove unnecessary plug-ins and scripts to speed up site loading.
No internal linking strategy
Many e-commerce owners forget about internal linking, which helps users and search engine robots to better navigate the site.
How to fix it?
It is worth using an internal linking strategy in product descriptions, blog posts and also on category pages. By introducing links to related products or related categories, users can easily discover further offers, which increases time spent on the site and improves SEO.
7. Lack of optimisation for mobile devices
More and more users are shopping via mobile devices. Unfortunately, some shops are still not adapted for display on smartphones or tablets.
How to fix it?
Invest in a responsive design that automatically adapts to different devices and screen resolutions. Check your website regularly for functionality on mobile devices.
Summary
SEO optimisation in e-commerce is a process that requires time, commitment and continuous analysis. By avoiding the above mistakes and implementing specific actions, you can significantly improve the visibility of your shop. SEO is a long-term investment that, if properly managed, will yield a return in the form of stable, organic traffic.
