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Product page SEO — and SEO in general — isn't about gaming the system. So, what’s it about?

Search engines prioritize web pages containing well-organized information that offer a great user experience. The bottom line: What's good for search engine rankings is also good for sales — and vice versa.

In other words, every minute you spend on product page SEO is a minute spent improving your user experience and, as a result, your sales conversion rates.

It gets better. You can do product page SEO for 'free' — it needn't cost you a dime.

Successful ecommerce SEO requires time, effort, a willingness to learn, and some scrappy resourcefulness — but you're already here reading this, so clearly you've got what it takes!

Let's get into it — here are 14 product page SEO best practices to implement today.

1. Make Sure Your Product Pages Are Visible in Search Engine Results

First things first: Before you work on SEO for ecommerce product pages, check if your pages are visible in search engine results. Otherwise, you may waste a lot of time.

To see which pages on your site are in Google's index (Google’s repository of websites), search: 

If your web pages are showing up, great! If not, you need to resolve some technical issues before your web pages appear in search results.

Here's a crash course on how to diagnose and fix those problems using Google's Search Console:

• Review Your Robots.txt File: Check that your robots.txt file isn't stopping Googlebot from checking your pages. You can do this with the Robots.txt Tester in Google's Search Console.
• Verify Your Page URLs: Ensure your URLs are tidy and don't contain odd characters, like spaces or brackets that might confuse Google when it scans your site.
• Double-Check Your Meta Tags: Make sure none of your pages have the 'noindex' meta tag, which tells Google not to include them in search results.
• Look for Crawl Errors: Use the Crawl Stats report in Google's Search Console to spot any issues Google runs into while scanning your site.
• Inspect Your Sitemap: Ensure your sitemap is current and properly structured. You can submit it to Google via the Sitemaps report in Search Console.
• Ask Google to Try Again: After making any fixes, prompt Google to re-scan and re-list your pages using the URL Inspection tool in the Search Console.

If you want more information, check out Google's guide to crawling and indexing.

2. Identify the Keywords You Want Your Product Pages to Rank For

Keyword research is vital to ecommerce product page SEO.

'Keywords' are the words and phrases people enter into search engines to search for what they want. And it pays to determine what your target buyers are typing into Google, and include those keywords and phrases in your product pages.

To do this, first identify your target keywords. You can use a tool like:

• Semrush
• Word Tracker
• Keywords Everywhere
• Moz Keyword Explorer
• Google Keyword Planner

In the example below, I used Semrush to search for the keyword 'probiotic moisturizer.'

Then, make a list of keywords that you can include in your product pages, along with:

• Keyword search volume: The number of people searching that term each month.
• Keyword difficulty: How difficult it is to rank for the keyword.

It’s not always helpful to fixate on keywords with the highest volumes. Instead, focus on choosing the most relevant keywords for your target buyers — which are almost always 'long-tail keywords.'

Long-tail keywords — which are just longer, more specific keyword phrases — typically have a higher buyer intent than shorter keywords. 

For example, someone searching for 'men's rain jackets' might be interested in getting one at some point. Meanwhile, someone who searches for a 'men's lightweight summer GoreTex rain jacket' likely has a much higher purchase intent.

You'll learn how to use these keywords throughout the rest of this article. But for context, this product page SEO example from Boissance is optimized around the search term, 'probiotic gel moisturizer.'

3. Create Reader-Friendly, Search Engine Optimized Product Page URLs 

Concise and descriptive URLs help search engines understand a website's structure and content categorization, which leads to higher rankings.

Moreover, when visitors see a descriptive URL that they can read, they're more likely to click on it. For example, which link would you rather click?

Good product page SEO URLs:

• Are descriptive and accurate
• Include helpful keyword search terms 
• Are easy to read and understand
• Are reasonably short
• Use hyphens to separate words 
• Are written in lowercase

Here's a good SEO product page URL example from Bison Coolers:

Finally, establish a consistent URL structure early on and stick to it as your product catalog grows. That way, you'll avoid future issues.

4. Add Breadcrumbs to Your Product Pages

Breadcrumbs are another way to rank your web pages higher, because they help search engines understand your website's content.

WP Standard includes breadcrumbs above the product's name in this product page SEO example.

These internal website links also help visitors navigate your product pages efficiently. Efficient browsing can lead to longer visits to your website and more sales.

5. Highlight Related Products to Optimize Internal Linking

Another way to improve your product page SEO is to include links to related or recommended products — like Gymshark.

This internal linking improves SEO by making it easier for search engines to discover and understand how product pages relate to each other.

Highlighting related products can also increase page views, time spent on site, and, hopefully, your average order value.

6. Write Keyword-Optimized Product Names

Search engines want to provide the most accurate and relevant results to searchers. For this reason, including relevant keywords in your product names helps search engines better index your product pages.

Additionally, well-optimized product page names make it easy for searchers to find what they're looking for — which is why they typically contain the following: 

• Brand name
• Product name
• Model number
• Sizes available
• Colors available

For example, the folks at Dixon did their product page SEO research and learned that 'flat bill snapback' receives an average of 500 more monthly searches than 'flat snapback.'

This is probably why they named this product "Pastime Flat Bill Snapback - Red, White, & Blue."

Now, if your target buyers are likely to search for a product using numeric identifiers, such as stock-keeping units (SKUs), universal product codes (UPCs), or European article numbers (EANs), include these numbers in your product page title tags and URLs.

For example, Lego, and Lego resellers, include product numbers in product page titles and URLs.

7. Use Header Tags to Structure Content

Header tags are used to structure and organize titles, headings, and subheadings within web content. They signal to users and search engines what a page is about and how it's structured.

For example, this blog post uses an H2 header for "Basics of Shopify SEO" and an H3 header for "Install Google Analytics."

Here’s the recommendation for product page SEO: Use the H1 heading for the product name and H2 headings for other important sections, such as product specifications, frequently asked questions, and product reviews.

In this example, TO'AK Chocolate structures its content using header tags to improve SEO and the user experience.

8. Write Detailed, Search Engine Optimized Product Descriptions

Search engines reward content that meets the audience's needs, is well-organized, and easily navigable. So, write for buyers, not for bots.

With this in mind, let's review this user-friendly, search enging optimized product description from Biossance.

Here are some of this product page's SEO highlights:

• Keywords: It includes relevant keywords, such as "Probiotic Gel Moisturizer," "hydrating gel," and "squalane oil."
• Related keywords: It uses relevant search phrases, such as "restore skin," "shrink pores," and "morning moisturizer."
• Structured data: It uses bullet points for easy readability.
• Product specifics: It highlights important information, such as the product size and ingredients.
• Header tags: It has clear and engaging headers that use header tags to make the descriptions easy to read.

The product description is also highly relevant and engaging to the target audience — specifically, it:

• Highlights benefits, such as "visibly calms redness and soothes skin," "reduces excess oil," and "supports a healthy microbiome."
• Addresses the target audience directly, such as "people who have reactive, congested, blemish-prone skin" and "oily, acne-prone, or sensitive skin."
• Builds trust and credibility by citing a consumer study: "100% agree their skin looks calm and less irritated."
• Shares a complete and detailed list of ingredients

9. Write Unique Product Descriptions for Each Product Page

If you're selling 30 different t-shirts, you may be tempted to write a great product description and use it as a template for every product page. 

However, doing so would create 'duplicate content' — identical or similar content appearing on multiple web pages — and that's terrible news for product page SEO. Duplicate content confuses search engines, dilutes search rankings, and is often penalized.

Write unique product titles and descriptions for every page to avoid harming your product page SEO.

Now, it's okay to use automated description generators — especially if you need to write unique product descriptions for hundreds or even thousands of web pages. This is because Google doesn't penalize AI content. Instead, it rewards high-quality content, AI-generated or not, and penalizes poor-quality content.

Just check and edit every product description manually before you post it.

10. Write a Unique, Search Engine Optimized Meta Description for Each Product Page

Meta descriptions are summaries that appear in search results, providing users with a preview of the web page's content.

Again, your SEO product page meta descriptions should:

• Be unique to each product page.
• Include target keywords and phrases.
• Be easy to read.
• Be around 150 characters long.
• Encourage clicks by highlighting relevant product features and benefits.

Here's an example of a good SEO product page meta description from Nalgene.

11. Optimize Product Images for Search

Optimized product images help search engines better understand page content, which is good for SEO in general. Plus, you can rank images in image search results and drive more traffic. 

First, write descriptive image alt tags and file names to optimize product images for search engines.

Alt tags provide a way to include image descriptions that feature product names and context, benefiting both visually impaired users and search engines. Here's an example from Chubbies.

This product image above has the following alt tag: "The Khakinators 5.5" (Stretch) – Image 1 – Chubbies Shorts."

Instead of naming image files generically, like "Image928645.jpg," use descriptive and keyword-rich names, such as "Women's Slim Jeans—Distressed Blue—Brand Name," to enhance search engine visibility and relevance.

Next, you can optimize the images using free tools like TinyPNG and Adobe Express (a Free image resizer).

Compress images into formats like JPG or PNG to reduce file sizes. This will increase page loading times, which can help improve product page SEO. Ensure that your images are responsive and automatically fit all screen sizes.

12. Write an FAQ Section to Rank for More Search Queries

Including a FAQ section is a great way to answer common customer questions, enhance user experience, and reduce support questions.

Plus, FAQ sections can improve product page SEO by increasing the amount and variety of relevant keywords and search terms on your product pages.

BeardBrand features an FAQ section on its product pages.

You can find relevant questions to answer in your FAQ section using tools like:

• Semrush
• Answer the public 
• Also Asked

In this example, I used Semrush to identify questions related to the keyword 'beard brush.'

13. Include Reviews to Increase Relevant Keywords and Phrases

Ratings and reviews offer another excellent opportunity to improve user experience and increase the amount of relevant keywords and phrases on your product pages.

Reviews are also a form of 'social proof' — a factor that influences people to follow the actions of others confidently. For this reason, positive reviews typically increase sales conversion rates.

For example, Tommie Copper features ratings and reviews on its product pages:

Plus, search engines often include these ratings in search engine results pages (SERPs).

14. Include Clear Pricing, Availability, and Delivery Details

Transparent pricing, product availability, and shipping information are non-negotiables for a positive user experience. Without these elements, many users will leave your page — in marketing, this is called 'bouncing.'

If your product page bounce rate is high, search engines will interpret it as a sign that your page has poor-quality content, and your rankings will suffer.

Additionally, search engines may find it helpful to display this information to searchers, like in this example from Skull Candy.

So, ensure that your pricing, product availability, and shipping information are accurate, up-to-date, and easy to find. 

In this product page example, Harper's Bazaar clearly shows the number of pairs in stock in each size.

In another example, Rebecca Minkoff shares shipping details on every product page.

Summary: 14 Product Page SEO Best Practices 

Product page SEO isn't about gaming search engines. It's about creating well-organized, user-friendly pages, which improves search engine rankings and user experience — leading to higher sales.

In summary, here are 14 SEO best practices for product pages:

1. Make sure your product pages are visible in search engine results
2. Identify the keywords you want your product pages to rank for
3. Create reader-friendly, search-engine-optimized product page URLs
4. Add breadcrumb links to your product pages
5. Highlight related products to optimize internal linking
6. Write keyword-optimized product names
7. Use header tags to structure content
8. Write detailed, search-engine-optimized product descriptions for search
9. Create unique product descriptions for each product page
10. Write a unique, search engine-optimized meta description for each product page
11. Optimize product images for search
12. Write an FAQ section to rank for more search queries
13. Include reviews to increase relevant keywords and phrases
14. Include transparent pricing, availability, and delivery details

Finally, product page SEO is rarely a small undertaking. So, start by optimizing the pages of your best-selling products to ensure you get the most from your efforts. Good luck!