Run An Ecommerce SEO Audit in 4 Stages

An ecommerce SEO audit is like a full health check-up for your online store.

We look at everything — your website’s structure, content, speed, links, and more — to see what’s working and what needs fixing.

Instead of waiting for sales to drop or your website traffic to slow down, you can spot problems early and fix them before they hurt your business.

When done right, an SEO audit can help you:

• Find ways to get better rankings and improve user experience
• Spot hidden issues that affect your traffic
• Keep your website growing in the long run

Most importantly, it helps you build your SEO strategy based on real data, not just guesses.

In this guide, we’ll show you a 4-step process to do an ecommerce SEO audit. We’ve also made a free workbook to help you track your results, fix issues, and grow faster.

When done right, an SEO audit can help you:

Unlike regular websites, ecommerce sites need a deeper look. Here are the five main areas we focus on:

1. Technical SEO:

This makes sure search engines can find, read, and understand your website. It helps avoid big problems like:

• Slow page speed
• Same content showing in many places
• Broken links inside your site
• Search engines wasting time on the wrong pages

This is extra important for online stores since product pages and filters can make things messy.

2. On-Page SEO:

This part helps search engines understand what each page is about.

It includes:

• Titles and meta descriptions
• Page headings
• Using the right keywords
• Linking between pages to guide users and search engines

3. UX and Performance:

Here, we check how your website looks and feels to users.

We look at:

• Mobile friendliness
• Page loading speed
• Easy navigation

When your site is easy to use, people stay longer and are more likely to buy.

4. Off-Page SEO

This includes things outside your website that help build trust, like:

• Quality backlinks
• Online reviews
• Brand mentions

These signs show search engines that your brand is real and trustworthy.

5. Competitive Analysis

We also check how your website compares to your competitors. This helps you find what they’re doing better — and what you can improve to beat them in search results.

Stage 1: Can Google Find Your Online Store and Products?

Before anything else, we need to make sure Google can find and show your store in search results.

Even if your content is great, it won’t matter if search engines can’t see it.

This first step is like setting the base for everything else we do in SEO.

Here’s how you can check:

Are Your Pages in Google’s Index?

For your pages to show up in search results, they must be in Google’s index. You can check this using Google Search Console (GSC). Go to the “Pages” section under the “Index” tab.

Look for pages that aren’t indexed and the reason why — it could say:

• Discovered – not indexed
• Crawled – not indexed
• Blocked by ‘noindex’ tag
• Page redirected elsewhere

Use the “URL Inspection” tool in GSC to see why a page isn’t showing.

If it’s all good, hit the “Request Indexing” button to tell Google to index it.

Is Your Sitemap Clean and Crawlable?

Your sitemap tells Google what pages to look at. Make sure it includes all important pages — like product, category, and version pages.

Check if your sitemap updates automatically when you add new pages. You can do this in GSC under the “Sitemaps” section. Also, visit your robots.txt file at yourwebsite.com/robots.txt.

Make sure you’re not blocking important pages from search engines. Use the robots.txt Tester tool to double-check.

Fix Any 4xx or 5xx Errors

Pages that return 4xx (like 404) or 5xx errors won’t be seen by search engines. You can find these errors using tools like Screaming Frog or Semrush Site Audit. Set up your website there, run a crawl, and it will list all error pages. Fixing these helps make sure your whole site is visible.

Use Canonical Tags to Avoid Duplicate Content

In ecommerce, many products look similar or have small changes, like different colors or sizes.

This can confuse search engines and hurt your ranking. That’s why we use canonical tags to show the main version of the page. For example, a brand may have one main product page and use canonical tags on the color variants to point back to that page. It’s a smart way to keep everything clean and clear.

Stage 2: Are People Finding and Visiting Your Pages?

Once your pages are visible to search engines, the next step is to make sure people click on them. This stage is about improving how your pages show up in search results and making sure they match what users are looking for.

Here’s how you do it:

Write Better Titles and Descriptions

Your title and meta description are the first things people see in search results. Make sure they clearly show what you’re offering and why someone should click.

For example, a title like “Zero Sugar Natural Soda” and a description like “No calories, tasty flavors” can grab attention. Simple, clear, and to the point — that’s what works.

Add Schema Markup for Rich Results

Schema markup adds extra details to your listings, like:

• Star ratings
• Prices
• In-stock status
• Delivery info

This makes your page stand out and increases clicks.

Use Google’s Rich Results Test to check if your schema is working properly.

It will also show if anything needs fixing.

Match Keywords to the Right Pages

Each page on your site should focus on the right keywords. Think about what people are searching for and make sure your content matches that.

If someone searches for “running shoes for women,” your page should clearly focus on that topic, not just “shoes.” This helps your page rank better and get the right visitors.

Optimize Images with Alt Text

Don’t forget your images. Good images help your page rank in Google Images and make it easier for people to understand your content. Always use alt text that describes what the image shows. For example: “blue ceramic dinner plates” instead of just “plate.” This helps both users and search engines.

Stage 3: Are People Staying on Your Website and Buying?

Now it’s time to see how visitors are using your site. Are they sticking around? Are they making a purchase or leaving quickly?

You should ask:

• Are people spending time on your store?
• Do they leave after viewing one product?
• Is something making it hard for them to shop?

If visitors keep leaving without buying, your website experience may need some work.

Here’s what to check:

Check Page Speed and Mobile Friendliness

If your pages are slow, people won’t wait — they’ll leave. An SEO audit can show you which pages are taking too long to load. You also need to make sure your website works well on mobile phones, since most people shop on their phones today.

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights help check your site’s speed and mobile performance.

It looks at things like:

• How fast your page loads
• How quickly users can click and interact
• Whether things jump around while loading

Focus especially on mobile results, because Google cares more about mobile users.

Make Your Website Easy to Use

Simple design makes people feel more comfortable. Clear buttons, trust signs (like payment badges), and easy navigation all help users stay longer.

When people enjoy using your site, they’re more likely to buy — and search engines notice that too. Sites where people spend more time often rank better on Google.

Avoid Competing Pages

Sometimes, your site has more than one page trying to rank for the same keyword. This confuses Google and weakens your ranking. For example, two pages selling the same product in different colors might compete with each other. Check your site audit report to find these pages and combine or update them if needed.

Add Internal Links

Help users move around your site easily. If someone reads a blog post, guide them to related product pages using links. This keeps people on your site longer and improves your chances of making a sale.

Stage 4: Are You Behind Your Competitors?

Now let’s look at how your site compares to others. If your competitor is getting more clicks or links, they’re getting traffic that you could be getting too.

This step helps you find what you’re missing.

Review Your Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. They help search engines trust your site.

Start by checking:

• Which good websites are linking to you
• If there are any bad or spammy links hurting you
• Which of your pages are getting the most links
• Where you can get more good links

You can also compare your links with your competitors using tools like Semrush.

Find out who’s linking to them but not to you — then reach out or create content that gets noticed.

Find Keyword Gaps

Check which keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t. This shows you where you’re missing out. You can use tools like Keyword Gap or SimilarWeb for this. Look for important search terms that people use when they’re ready to buy — not just browse. For example, if your competitor shows up for “buy minimalist running shoes” and you sell the same product, but don’t rank — that’s a missed chance.

How to Handle the Issues You Find

After your audit, you’ll probably have a long list of things to fix. It might feel like everything is urgent. But not all problems are equal. Here’s how you can sort them:

Impact

Ask yourself: Will fixing this problem bring in more traffic or sales? Pages that bring in money — like main product pages — should come first. Blog posts or less important pages can wait.

Effort

Now think about how hard it is to fix. Does it take a few minutes, or does it need a developer? Plan based on your time and resources.

Scope

Some problems affect just one page. Others might affect the whole site. Site-wide problems need more attention. But for small issues, you can fix them over time.

How to Prioritize Fixes

Here’s a simple way to decide what to fix first:

• Priority 1: Easy wins with big results. Fix these first.
• Priority 2: Needs attention soon, especially if they affect your main products.
• Priority 3: Can wait a bit. You can handle these in your monthly updates.
• Priority 4: Low impact. Don’t spend too much time on these right away.

Quick Fix Guide

We’ve also made a simple guide with common SEO problems and how to solve them. Once your list is ready, this guide helps you fix things quickly and confidently.

Build a Store That Shoppers and Google Love

Your store has so much potential. A good SEO audit helps you find out what’s holding you back — and what you can fix to grow faster. Use the audit checklist to fix issues, improve pages, and get better results. And when you’re ready for the next step, check out our full guide on SEO strategies for ecommerce. It’s full of tips, real examples, and tools to help turn your traffic into sales.