The ULTIMATE 25-POINT Ecommerce SEO Audit CHECKLIST - 2024

Ecommerce websites typically have lots of SEO issues because they handle numerous product pages, dynamic content, and frequent updates. 

Luckily, we can prevent all that with a solid ecommerce SEO audit. 

This article will take you through 25 SEO issues to improve your site's performance and boost your search engine rankings. 

Plus, we’ll share our insider tips and audit two ecommerce websites in real-time.

Let’s begin.

TL;DR

• Ecommerce SEO Audit Importance
  • Identifies and fixes technical issues
  • Enhances user experience
  • Boosts search engine rankings
  • Optimizes content strategy
  • Improves backlink profile
• What is an Ecommerce SEO Audit?
  • Comprehensive review of website to find SEO issues
  • Focuses on technical SEO, content quality, backlinks, organic search traffic, keyword optimization, and user experience
• Technical SEO Audit Checklist
  • Site Speed: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights; optimize images, browser caching, JavaScript
  • Crawl Errors: Use Google Search Console to identify and fix errors like "404 Not Found"
  • Mobile Usability: Ensure responsive design, accessible elements on smaller screens
  • SSL: Ensure website uses HTTPS
  • URL Structures: Keep URLs clean and descriptive with relevant keywords
  • Pagination: Proper linking and indexing of paginated pages
  • Internationalization: Use hreflang tags and offer localized content
  • Navigation Menu: Ensure intuitive and accessible navigation
  • XML Sitemap: Keep it up-to-date and properly submitted to Google
  • Robots.txt File: Ensure it allows access to all necessary sections
  • Core Web Vitals: Use tools like Lighthouse to evaluate LCP, FID, CLS
• On-Page SEO Audit Checklist
  • Duplicate Content: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Siteliner to find and consolidate duplicate content
  • Internal Linking: Create a logical path through the site, linking important pages frequently
  • Meta Titles: Ensure each page has a unique, descriptive title with relevant keywords
  • Meta Descriptions: Write unique, engaging summaries for each page
  • Meta Tags: Properly set up meta tags, use "noindex" tags where necessary
  • Image Alt Text: Ensure descriptive alt text for each image with relevant keywords
  • Product Descriptions: Write unique, detailed, keyword-rich product descriptions
  • Content Cannibalization: Merge similar pages, update internal links, use canonical tags, or redirect less relevant pages
• Off-Page SEO Audit Checklist
  • Number of Referring Domains: Aim for backlinks from diverse, reputable domains
  • Number of Backlinks: Focus on quality over quantity
  • Quality of Backlinks: Avoid links from low-quality sites
  • Anchor Text Distribution: Ensure natural distribution, avoid overusing exact-match keywords
  • Link Relevancy: Get backlinks from relevant sources
  • Social Media Links: Include links to social media profiles for better indexing
• General Tips
  • Regular audits help maintain and improve SEO performance
  • Address both technical and content-related issues
  • Improve user experience to reduce bounce rates and increase conversion rates

What Is an Ecommerce SEO Audit?

An ecommerce SEO audit is a comprehensive review of your eCommerce website.

The point is to sleuth out SEO issues that impact its visibility in search results. 

A generic audit examines various aspects, including technical SEO, content quality, and backlink profile, to ensure your website meets search engine algorithms' standards. 

We’ll also look at your organic search traffic, keyword optimization, and user experience. 

Pro tip: There are different types of specialized SEO audits. You should ask for these specifically if you have specific SEO goals or SEO issues.

For example, technical audits focus on crawl errors and loading speeds.

Content audits assess keyword usage and duplicate content in more depth. 

Insider tip: Certain SEO elements are not included in your audit.

‍For example, an SEO audit won’t conduct content gap analysis so you can uncover relevant keyword opportunities. That’s part of your content strategy services.

Why Have an Ecommerce SEO Audit?

• Identify and fix technical issues: An audit helps you uncover technical SEO issues like broken links, slow load time, and crawl errors that may be affecting your site's performance.
• Enhance user experience: Addressing SEO elements such as mobile usability and page speed improves the user experience. That means you reduce your bounce rates and increase your conversion rates.
• Boost search engine rankings: Regular audits ensure your website aligns with the latest search engine algorithms. So, instead of being downgraded, you can maintain or even improve your search engine rankings and overall online visibility.
• Optimize content strategy: Evaluating your product descriptions and blog posts allows you to refine your content strategy. 
• Monitor and improve backlink profile: By analyzing your backlink profile, you can identify high-quality backlinks and address potential issues with toxic links, enhancing your off-page SEO efforts.

25-Point Ecommerce SEO Audit Checklist

Let’s dive into the issue you’re here for: the complete audit checklist for your ecommerce website. 

Technical SEO Audit Checklist

1. Site Speed

Audit your site’s loading speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.

Enter your URL and review the suggestions provided to improve load time. Focus on optimizing image sizes, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing JavaScript. 

Let’s see how the ecommerce store StockX is doing in terms of site speed.

Google identified a series of issues:

But we also see the solutions.

And not that we’re bragging, but we can implement all of them.

Remember: A faster website has a better user experience and higher search engine rankings because fewer people will bounce off it.

Your visit depth rate will also increase, so you have another awesome ranking factor checked.

Insider Tip: We typically focus on image optimization first.

Reducing file sizes by 50% without losing quality has been a game-changer for our clients' site speeds and overall SEO performance.

2. Crawl Errors

Insider story: One time, one of our clients didn't know why their pages weren't indexed.

They came to us, and we discovered numerous crawl errors.

After fixing these issues, their search rankings improved significantly within weeks.

To audit for crawl errors: 

• Accessing Google Search Console. 
• Navigate to the "Coverage" report to identify any errors that search engine bots encountered while indexing your site. 
• Look for "404 Not Found" pages. 
• Resolve these by fixing broken links or setting up 301 redirects to relevant pages. 

Remember: Keep an eye on this report to ensure all critical pages are accessible to search engine crawlers.

3. Mobile Usability

77% of your ecommerce traffic comes from mobile.

‍66% of your order share also comes from mobile.

So, ensure that your website is responsive and that all elements are easily accessible on smaller screens.

Pay attention to touch elements, text size, and overall navigation to cater to mobile users effectively.

Insider story: We had a client whose bounce rate was unusually high for mobile users.

We discovered their call-to-action buttons were too small. After resizing them, their mobile conversion rates soared.

Pro tip: Checking your eCommerce site's mobile usability has been very easy ever since we got Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

So, start with that.

A quick audit of the Little Zen One babywearing website showed us some issues with its mobile optimization:

4. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

Verify that your website uses HTTPS by checking for a secure connection in the browser’s address bar.

Ensure all pages, including product and checkout pages, are secure.

This protects user data and impacts your search engine visibility positively. 

Insider tip: If you don’t have an SSL certificate, get it from a reputable provider.

5. URL Structures

We once worked with a client who had overly complicated URLs.

Simplifying these URLs improved their click-through rates and search rankings noticeably.

Here’s why:

Search engine crawlers use URLs to understand your website.

If they can’t crawl and understand your web pages, they can’t rank them.

Insider tip: Examine your site's URL structures to ensure they are clean and descriptive and include relevant keywords.

Avoid using long, complex URLs with unnecessary parameters. 

A good structure helps both users and search engines understand your pages' content better.

However, when auditing the babywearing ecommerce store Little Zen One, we found different issues with their links:

6. Pagination

To audit your site’s pagination, start by checking if your paginated pages are properly linked and indexed by search engines. 

Insider tip: Use tools like Screaming Frog to ensure that each page in a series is correctly linked to the next and previous pages. Implement rel="next" and rel="prev" tags to guide search engines through the paginated content. 

Plus, ensure that your primary content is easily accessible without too many clicks.

You want to maintain a shallow crawl depth for essential pages.

7. Internationalization and Localization

Auditing for internationalization and localization means making sure that your eCommerce website caters to different languages and regions effectively. 

So:

• Use hreflang tags to specify the language and regional targeting of your pages: This helps search engines serve the correct version to users in different locations. 
• Check that your site offers localized content: This includes product descriptions and meta descriptions in the appropriate languages. Besides, check that currency and payment options are tailored to different regions.

8. Navigation Menu

Your navigation menu is crucial for user experience and, therefore, SEO. 

Begin by ensuring that your navigation is intuitive and all important categories are easily accessible.

Use a shallow crawl depth to ensure that search engines can quickly index your key pages. 

Insider tip: Each item in your navigation menu should link to a primary category or important page to distribute link equity effectively.

9. XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website.

Therefore, it helps search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently. 

For ecommerce websites, a solid XML sitemap is crucial because it ensures all product pages, categories, and other important content are discoverable.

As a result, it improves your website's visibility in search engine results.

Insider story: We once found a client's sitemap missing key product pages.

Updating and resubmitting their sitemap resulted in a noticeable increase in organic traffic.

To do that:

• Check that your XML sitemap is up-to-date and properly submitted to Google Search Console. 
• Make sure all important pages are included and that there are no errors in the sitemap file.

10. Robots.txt File

Here’s another good story from one of our clients’ experiences.

They once accidentally blocked their entire website with a misconfigured robots.txt file.

Correcting this error restored their search engine rankings within days.

So, what is the robots.txt file?

This is a simple text file that instructs search engine crawlers which pages or sections of your website to avoid crawling.

For example, you can use this file to stop crawlers from indexing duplicate content or irrelevant pages.

But you can also use it incorrectly and block important pages from being crawled by search engines. 

Insider tip: Use Google Search Console’s “robots.txt Tester” to validate your file and ensure it allows access to all necessary sections of your site.

11. Core Web Vitals

Evaluate your site’s Core Web Vitals using Google’s tools like Lighthouse.

Focus on metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Improving these metrics will enhance user experience and boost your SEO rankings.

For example, StockX also failed its Core Web Vitals check-up:

Yes, another insider story: We worked with a client whose Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) was poor.

By optimizing their main banner image and reducing server response times, their LCP improved, leading to better user engagement and higher rankings.

On-Page SEO Audit Checklist

After solving your technical SEO issues, let’s look at your content and on-page SEO.

Here are the issues ecommerce websites typically have to deal with:

12. Duplicate Content

Having lots of pages increases the risk of duplicate content.

If Google perceives that duplicate content as malicious, it can give you a penalty.

But even if you don’t get a penalty, your ecommerce website can still be harder to index.

As such, it won’t rank as high for relevant keywords you’re hunting.

Insider story: One client had multiple product pages with near-identical content.

We consolidated these with canonical tags, resulting in a clearer site structure and better rankings.

Here’s how to solve tis issue in two steps:

• Use tools like Screaming Frog or Siteliner to find identical content across your site. 
• Consolidate duplicate pages with canonical tags or redirects.

13. Internal Linking

Internal links also help search engines crawl your website and understand what it’s about.

Besides, when you’re interlinking your articles correctly without trying to be spammy, you build up your reputation.

So, audit your internal links to ensure they create a logical path through your site. 

• Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to analyze your internal linking structure. 
• Ensure important pages, such as product categories and blog posts, are linked frequently to pass link equity and improve search rankings.

Insider Tip: We often create an internal linking map for our clients. This visual tool helps identify opportunities to link high-authority pages with those that need a boost.

14. Meta Titles

Meta titles are crucial for both user experience and search engine rankings. 

To audit your meta titles: 

• Start by checking that each page has a unique and descriptive title that includes relevant keywords. 
• Use tools like Screaming Frog to extract and analyze your site's meta titles. 
• Aim for a length of 50-60 characters to ensure they display correctly in search results.

For example, we audited the babywearing ecommerce website Little Zen One to discover the following on-page issues:

Their title tags, for example, are too long.

This one, specifically – “The Best Baby Carriers + Babywearing Outerwear – Little Zen One” – is 84 characters.

Insider Tip: We find that optimizing meta titles with primary keywords and compelling language can significantly boost click-through rates. For instance, adding phrases like "Free Shipping" or "Exclusive Deals" can make your titles more attractive.

15. Meta Descriptions

Another true story: We once helped a client by rewriting their meta descriptions to better highlight their unique selling points, leading to a 25% increase in organic traffic.

Meta descriptions provide a summary of your page's content and can influence click-through rates.

Audit your meta descriptions by ensuring they: 

• Are unique and engaging.
• Include relevant keywords. 
• Are around 150-160 characters to fit well in search results. 

Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify and improve weak meta descriptions.

Again, Little Zen One could do better with meta descriptions. Theirs are over 300 characters – double the ideal length:

16. Meta Tags

Meta tags, including meta keywords and robot tags, play a vital role in how search engines understand and index your site. 

That’s why your meta tags should be properly set up for each page. 

Insider tip: Use the "noindex" tag for pages that you don't want to appear in search results, such as admin or login pages. 

And remember to validate your meta tags using Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool.

Insider story: We've seen instances where improper use of "noindex" tags caused significant drops in search engine visibility. Correcting these tags restored our client’s page rankings within a few weeks.

17. Image Alt Text

Alt text for images is important for SEO and accessibility. 

Audit your images to ensure each one has descriptive alt text that includes relevant keywords. This helps search engines understand the image content and improves the user experience for visually impaired people.

Insider tip: We advise our clients to use specific, descriptive alt text. For example, instead of "image1.jpg," use "blue-widget-product-image.jpg" to improve search relevance.

Little Zen One generally follows this rule, but they missed two image alt attributes that we found by simply running an audit:

18. Product Descriptions

Unique and detailed product descriptions are essential for eCommerce SEO.

These descriptions should be informative, engaging, and free from duplicate content. 

For example, one client’s product pages were underperforming due to generic descriptions.

We revamped their descriptions with unique content and relevant keywords, and we got a 40% increase in product page views.

Use relevant keywords naturally and highlight each product's features and benefits. 

Pro tip: Tools like Copyscape can help detect and eliminate duplicate content.

19. Content Cannibalization

Content cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your website target the same or very similar keywords.

That leads to competition among your own pages in search engine rankings. This can dilute the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and confuse search engines about which page to prioritize.

To identify content cannibalization, follow these steps:

1. Keyword analysis: Use tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to analyze the keywords your pages are ranking for. Look for multiple pages targeting the same keywords.
2. Content audit: Conduct a thorough content audit to review the focus and target keywords of each page. Tools like Screaming Frog can help automate this process.
3. SERP analysis: Check the search engine results pages (SERPs) to see how your pages are performing. If multiple pages from your site appear for the same search query, cannibalization may be occurring.

Once identified, you can address content cannibalization using the following strategies:

1. Merge content: Combine similar pages into a single, comprehensive page that covers the topic more thoroughly. This consolidates your SEO efforts and provides a better resource for users.
2. Update internal links: Adjust your internal linking structure to prioritize the most relevant page for a specific keyword. Use anchor texts that clearly indicate the target page’s focus.
3. Canonical tags: Implement canonical tags to signal to search engines which version of a page should be considered the primary one. This is particularly useful for pages with similar content.
4. Redirection: Use 301 redirects to permanently redirect less relevant pages to the most authoritative page on the topic. This helps consolidate link equity and improve search rankings.
5. Unique content creation: Ensure each page targets unique keywords and provides distinct value. Use keyword research to identify gaps and opportunities for new content.

Off-Page SEO Audit Checklist

Off-page SEO is an important ranking factor.

The more links you get from unique and authoritative domains, the higher you rank in SERPs.

That’s because all that SEO juice from top-quality publications in your niche floats to your ecommerce store.

So, it’s important to make sure your backlink profile is made up of quality backlinks.

Let’s review the off-page issues you can audit here:

20. Number of Referring Domains

Start by auditing the number of unique referring domains linking to your eCommerce site.

Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to get a comprehensive list of all referring domains. 

Insider tip: A high number of referring domains generally indicates a strong backlink profile, but ensure these domains are reputable and relevant to your industry.

Insider story: We once had a client with thousands of backlinks but from a limited number of referring domains. We diversified their backlinks across more unique, high-quality domains, so we boosted their search engine rankings significantly.

And we see this often.

For example, Little Zen One has over 106,000 backlinks but from only 851 referring domains.

Getting fewer unique links from multiple domains is better than getting more links from the same domain in terms of SEO:

That brings us to the next point:

21. Number of Backlinks

Analyze the total number of backlinks pointing to your site.

More backlinks can improve your site's authority. In fact, the number one result in Google has 3.2 times more referring domains and, therefore, backlinks than positions 2-10.

However,  focus on quality over quantity. Use backlink checkers to identify all inbound links and assess their value.

22. Quality of Backlinks

Examine the quality of your backlinks to ensure they are from authoritative and relevant sites.

Avoid links from link farms or low-quality sites because these can damage your SEO. 

Insider story: One client was unaware they had numerous backlinks from spammy sites.

After disavowing these links through Google Search Console, their search engine rankings improved, and their site’s reputation was restored.

Tools like Ahrefs can help you evaluate the quality of your backlinks.

And a quick search showed us that Little Zen One may also have some problematic links:

23. Anchor Text Distribution

Audit the anchor texts used in your backlinks.

Ensure a natural distribution that includes branded, keyword-rich, and generic anchor texts. 

Remember: Overusing exact-match keywords can lead to search engine penalties. 

24. Link Relevancy

Ensure that the backlinks pointing to your site come from relevant sources within your industry.

Irrelevant backlinks can harm your SEO and confuse search engines about your site’s topic. 

For example, a client’s site was linked to from many irrelevant forums, which diluted their SEO efforts.

After cleaning up these links, their search engine rankings became more consistent and relevant.

25. Social Media Links

Links to your social media profiles don’t directly affect SEO – and vice-versa.

However, including links to your social channels helps Google index your website better.

A quick off-page SEO audit showed us that Little Zen One isn’t doing this step correctly:

Wrapping Up

If you’re here, you now know how to conduct an SEO audit for your ecommerce website.

Analyzing these components helps you identify areas for improvement and develop a targeted strategy to enhance your ecommerce site's SEO performance.

But if you’re not yet confident you can tackle this audit, let’s schedule a free strategy call.

We’ll personalize this SEO audit to your needs and help you strategize for all the issues we find.

FAQ

1. Is an ecommerce SEO audit worth it?

Yes, an ecommerce SEO audit is absolutely worth it. By conducting a thorough audit, you can identify and address various SEO issues that may be hindering your site's performance. This process helps improve your search engine rankings, enhance user experience, and ultimately drive more organic traffic and conversions. We've seen significant improvements for our clients after performing comprehensive SEO audits, so it’s a valuable investment for any ecommerce business.

2. How long does an ecommerce SEO audit take?

The duration of an ecommerce SEO audit can vary depending on the size and complexity of your website. Typically, we can do a thorough audit anywhere from one day to four weeks. This includes analyzing technical SEO aspects, on-page elements, off-page factors, and user experience. We ensure that each step is meticulously carried out to give you valuable insights and actionable recommendations.

3. How much does an ecommerce SEO audit cost?

Prices can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. The cost of an ecommerce SEO audit varies based on factors such as the size of your site, the depth of the audit, and the specific services included. Investing in a comprehensive audit can yield significant returns by improving your site's performance and increasing organic traffic. We offer customized audit packages to meet the unique needs and budgets of our clients.

4. How often should you conduct an ecommerce SEO audit?

We recommend conducting an ecommerce SEO audit at least twice a year. Regular audits help you stay ahead of potential issues, adapt to changes in search engine algorithms, and maintain optimal site performance. Additionally, ongoing monitoring with tools like Google Search Console can provide continuous insights between full audits. Our experience shows that frequent audits are crucial for keeping your ecommerce site competitive and relevant.

5. What are the key components of an ecommerce SEO audit?

An ecommerce SEO audit typically includes several key components:

• Technical SEO audit: Examines issues like crawl errors, site speed, mobile usability, and secure connections (SSL).
• On-page SEO audit: Reviews elements such as meta titles, meta descriptions, alt text, product descriptions, and URL optimization.
• Off-page SEO audit: Assesses backlink profile, referring domains, anchor text distribution, and the quality of backlinks.
• Content audit: Evaluates the quality, relevancy, and keyword optimization of your site’s content, identifying content gaps and opportunities.
• User experience audit: Looks at factors like site navigation, internal linking structure, and mobile-friendliness to ensure a seamless user experience.