Ecommerce SEO Audit: Checklist for Online Stores
Online stores face SEO problems other sites don't: thousands of product URLs, filters, variants, out-of-stock items and thin descriptions. Here's how to audit an ecommerce site.
Key takeaways
- Category pages usually have the most ranking potential; give them unique, useful content.
- Control faceted navigation and parameters to stop crawl waste and duplicates.
- Handle out-of-stock and discontinued products deliberately, not by deleting pages.
- Product structured data and Merchant Center feeds unlock free shopping listings and rich results.
Ecommerce sites combine every technical SEO challenge with commercial pressure. This audit builds on the complete SEO audit, focusing on store-specific issues. Platform guides: Shopify, WordPress/WooCommerce, Wix.
1. Crawl and indexation
- Number of indexed pages roughly matches products + categories + content (big gaps signal duplication or indexing problems)
- Faceted navigation: filter combinations (colour, size, price, sort) don’t create thousands of indexable URLs; use canonicals, robots.txt rules or noindex for low-value combinations (crawl budget)
- Only filter pages with real search demand (e.g. “black lawn suits”) are indexable, with unique titles and content
- Internal search results not indexed
- Pagination crawlable (normal links to page 2, 3…) and not canonicalised to page 1
2. Category pages
Category pages usually target your highest-value keywords.
- Unique, descriptive titles and H1s (e.g. “Women’s Lawn Suits” not “Collection 3”)
- A short, useful intro and buying guidance or FAQs (not a block of keyword-stuffed text)
- Logical category hierarchy matching how customers shop
- Links to subcategories and top products
- Breadcrumbs
3. Product pages
- Unique titles: brand + product + key attribute
- Original descriptions for important products, not manufacturer copy
- Good images with descriptive alt text, multiple angles, zoom
- Price, availability, delivery and returns information visible
- Reviews on the page
- Related products and links back to the category
4. Variants and duplicates
- Colour/size variants either on one URL, or canonicalised to the main product unless they have distinct demand
- Products in multiple categories use one canonical product URL
- No duplicate product pages from imports or tag pages (canonical tags)
5. Out-of-stock and discontinued products
- Temporarily out of stock: keep the page, show availability and alternatives
- Permanently discontinued: 301 to the replacement or closest category if relevant; otherwise 404/410
- Not blanket-redirecting everything to the homepage
6. Structured data and Merchant Center
- Product schema with name, image, price, currency, availability and reviews where applicable (structured data errors)
- BreadcrumbList schema
- Google Merchant Center account with a product feed, eligible for free listings (and Shopping ads)
- Feed prices and availability match the site
7. Speed and mobile
- Category and product templates pass Core Web Vitals on mobile (Core Web Vitals)
- Image sizes optimised; apps and plugins audited for script bloat
- Mobile checkout tested end to end
8. Content and internal linking
- Buying guides and comparisons linking to categories
- Links from the homepage and menus to top categories
- Seasonal pages (Eid, sale, wedding season) kept live year-round and updated, rather than created fresh each time
9. Tracking
- GA4 ecommerce events (view_item, add_to_cart, purchase) working (tracking audit)
- Organic revenue visible by landing page
10. Trust
- Clear contact details, returns policy, delivery times and payment options (including cash on delivery where offered)
- Secure checkout, reviews and real business information
Need help with a large catalogue? Request an expert ecommerce SEO audit.
Frequently asked questions
Should I delete out-of-stock product pages?
Not if the product is coming back: keep the page live and show availability. For permanently discontinued products, redirect to the closest replacement or category if one exists, otherwise return 404 or 410.
Do I need unique descriptions for every product?
For your important products, yes. Manufacturer descriptions are duplicated across many sites. For very large catalogues, prioritise top sellers and categories first.