Search engine optimization for e-commerce: Why you need SEO to grow your global business

Web traffic is one of the most important metrics for e-commerce sites. Although paid advertising is a surefire way to drive sales, organic traffic through search engine optimization (SEO) provides a powerful and cost-effective alternative.

With global e-commerce sales on the rise, online stores must strengthen their digital presence to compete in international markets. E-commerce SEO plays a key role by making websites more discoverable, improving user experience, and aligning content with search intent across multiple regions.

This article will explore SEO tips for e-commerce, explain why a focused e-commerce SEO strategy matters, and show you how to develop one.

What is e-commerce search engine optimization (SEO)?

E-commerce SEO tailors the content of an e-commerce website to improve its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). When an online storefront ranks higher on search engines like Google, target customers are more likely to find the products they need. Best practices include targeting popular keywords, enhancing site structure, improving page speed, and maintaining mobile-friendly design.

SEO for e-commerce is crucial for international companies, as it allows shops to reach customers in different regions and languages. By optimizing and localizing content for global audiences, businesses can enhance user experience and increase conversions.

What are the benefits of international SEO for e-commerce sites?

Many online stores put enormous effort into SEO strategies for their home region, but their existing strategies won’t translate directly in international markets.

International SEO introduces additional complexities, including language translation, cultural adaptation, and compliance with regional search engine guidelines. Businesses must conduct new long-tail keyword research and adapt content accordingly to maximize website discoverability in international markets.

Websites with a robust international e-commerce SEO strategy enjoy the following benefits:

1. Sustained return on investment: Unlike paid ads that cease to drive traffic once the budget is exhausted, SEO provides long-term value by continuously attracting organic traffic. It offers a high return on investment (ROI) over time.
2. Boosted brand visibility across borders: Many international users will be unfamiliar with brands that are new to the market. A well-optimized e-commerce site with high search engine rankings and quality content will enjoy increased brand awareness and enhanced trust among prospective customers.
3. Global audience reach: SEO-friendly localization helps companies connect with prospective customers in their preferred languages. Smartling’s Shopify integration streamlines the translation and localization processes for global e-commerce sites, supporting a consistent experience for international visitors.
   Enhanced trust and authority: Users perceive high-ranking websites as more credible and trustworthy, leading to higher conversions. Visitors are more likely to purchase from a website that appears at the top of Google search results and provides relevant content in their language.
4. Outperforming competitors: A global SEO strategy allows e-commerce sites to outrank established competitors, attracting more customers—or dominating niche markets before competitors enter them.

How to create a successful e-commerce SEO strategy in 6 steps

An international SEO strategy requires e-commerce sites to go beyond basic optimization techniques. Customers in each market exhibit unique search behaviors, so businesses must tailor their approach based on regional search engine preferences, customer expectations, and cultural nuances.

Here are the essential steps to build a strong e-commerce SEO strategy: 

1. Conduct keyword research for global audiences

Any e-commerce SEO strategy begins with identifying high-value search terms that customers use. However, keywords that work in a business’ home market rarely translate one-to-one in international regions.

Search behavior differs across countries and cultures, as does common terminology. E-commerce websites must research new target keywords that are relevant to their audience and incorporate them strategically throughout the page structure.

2. Address technical SEO issues

Technical SEO is a critical ranking factor for Google and other search engines. It’s even more vital for e-commerce websites because they tend to have many pages, increasing the likelihood of errors, and they garner relatively few backlinks from other sites. Technical SEO issues are frequently the tiebreaking ranking factor between e-commerce businesses.

Periodic technical SEO audits will highlight opportunities to optimize page speed, fix broken links, and implement structured data that helps search engines crawl the site. Businesses should also make sure e-commerce sites are mobile-friendly, as Google uses mobile versions of websites for indexing and ranking.

3. Develop an SEO-friendly site structure

An organized website with clear navigation helps users and search engines find products, improving SERP rankings and boosting international sales. Implementing hreflang tags allows search engines to understand multilingual websites and display the appropriate content to users based on their location.

4. Optimize on-page SEO elements

Once a business establishes site architecture, it’s time to optimize on-page SEO elements. For e-commerce sites, this process focuses on category and product pages.

Meta descriptions, title tags, internal links, and URL structures should be optimized to increase search engine visibility. Businesses should also employ SEO-friendly formatting in their translated content to enhance ranking potential in new markets.

5. Leverage content marketing in various languages

Website translation opens doors to organic traffic in new markets. Localized blog posts, product descriptions, and landing pages improve the user experience and build trust with potential customers. That means stronger loyalty and increased conversions.

Smartling’s Global Delivery Network (GDN) and CMS integrations help businesses easily deliver high-quality website experiences and content marketing campaigns in multiple languages, fostering engagement with international audiences.

6. Build quality backlinks

Backlinks from reputable websites signal credibility to search engines, improving domain authority and rankings. Online stores should seek opportunities to acquire backlinks from local influencers, industry blogs, and region-specific directories to establish authority in regional markets.

Top 4 tools every international e-commerce SEO strategy needs

Businesses need specialized tools to execute a successful international SEO strategy. These SEO tools provide data, automation, and insights that inform decisions and uncover content optimization opportunities.

Whether you’re analyzing search behavior in a new region, optimizing on-page elements, or measuring technical SEO health, a trusted SEO toolset can make a significant difference. Here’s a look at some popular solutions:

1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO software suite that helps marketing professionals increase their website’s search engine visibility. It contains tools to analyze backlinks, conduct keyword and competitor research, and track search rankings.

These capabilities are particularly important for international SEO. Online stores must understand competitors’ positioning in the new market and find long-tail keywords relevant to the target audience. Keyword research and competitor analysis are at the forefront of any market expansion strategy. 

2. Semrush

Like Ahrefs, Semrush provides insights into competitor strategies, keyword research, and SEO performance, making it a valuable tool for e-commerce websites. However, where Ahrefs is primarily a collection of SEO tools, Semrush has a broader digital marketing scope, with tools for PPC click campaigns, content marketing, and social media management—among others.

The choice between these toolsets depends on an organization’s needs. Semrush is an all-in-one platform for digital marketers that assists local SEO and content optimization in multiple languages. If the business already has robust marketing tools and only needs SEO assistance, Semrush may be overkill.

3. Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool from the search engine giant that helps businesses monitor search performance, fix technical SEO issues, and improve discoverability. 

Google Search Console allows companies to target specific countries and regions in their analyses. Marketers can identify relevant keywords for each target market and track the site’s visibility in local search results. If the website is available in multiple languages, Google Search Console helps index and optimize each version.

4. Google Analytics

Nearly all marketers use Google Analytics. This free SEO tool provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates, helping companies refine their SEO strategies. 

In addition to optimizing their ranking in search results, e-commerce businesses can leverage Google Analytics to answer granular questions about visitor behavior, such as:

• What are the most-visited product pages?
• What percentage of visitors add a product to the cart, and what percentage complete checkout?
• What are the most popular device types for viewing the website?
• What campaigns or channels are bringing in low-quality traffic vs. actual buyers?

Optimize your international e-commerce site with Smartling’s localization tools

E-commerce SEO drives valuable organic traffic to your website. Global businesses must adapt their e-commerce SEO strategies to different languages and markets to see worldwide results. 

Smartling’s translation and localization solutions enhance your e-commerce website’s global SEO efforts by delivering high-quality, localized content—including product descriptions and marketing materials—that improves search rankings and user experiences. You’ll create a seamless multilingual experience that resonates with international customers.

For more tips and strategies to optimize your global marketing efforts, download “The Ultimate Guide to Translating Your Marketing Materials.” This free eBook from Smartling explores why website localization matters and provides actionable tips to get started.