Would you like to know the difference between eCommerce SEO vs. normal SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical component of any successful online strategy, whether you're running an ecommerce store or a traditional website.
However, the specific approaches and techniques required for eCommerce SEO can differ significantly from those used in “normal” or traditional SEO. Understanding these differences is crucial for developing an effective SEO strategy that drives results for your online business.
In this article, we’re going to explore the main differences between eCommerce SEO and normal SEO
In This Article
Understanding SEO: A Brief Overview
SEO is the process of optimizing a website and its content to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). By making a website more search engine-friendly, SEO helps drive organic (non-paid) traffic to a website, leading to increased brand awareness, more leads, and higher sales.
Key Components of SEO
The three main pillars of SEO are:
- On-page SEO: This includes optimizing the content and structure of individual web pages to make them more relevant and appealing to search engines.
- Off-page SEO: Building backlinks (links from other websites to your site) and other external signals to improve your site's authority and trustworthiness.
- Technical SEO: Ensuring your website is technically sound and easily crawlable by search engine bots, with a focus on factors like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data.
The importance of SEO lies in its ability to drive high-quality traffic, improve user experience, and boost brand credibility. This is essential in helping you achieve your business goals.
What is Ecommerce SEO?
Ecommerce SEO is the process of making an online store more visible in the SERPs. The specific goals of ecommerce SEO are to drive traffic to product and category pages, increase online sales, and improve the overall user experience on your store.
Key Elements of Ecommerce SEO
- Product Pages: Optimizing product descriptions, images, and metadata to rank higher in search results.
- Category Pages: Structuring and optimizing category pages to enhance their visibility and navigability.
- Customer Reviews and Ratings: Leveraging user-generated content to build trust and improve rankings.
- Schema Markup: Implementing structured data to enhance search results with rich snippets like product prices and availability.
For online retailers, eCommerce SEO is vital to business growth as it directly impacts sales and revenue.
What is Normal SEO?
Normal SEO, or traditional SEO, optimizes non-eCommerce websites such as blogs, corporate sites, and informational portals. The specific goals are to increase website traffic, improve content visibility, and enhance user engagement.
Key Elements of Normal SEO
- Blog Posts: Creating and optimizing blog content to address user queries and rank for relevant keywords.
- Service Pages: Optimizing pages that describe the services offered by a business to attract potential customers.
- Informational Content: Providing valuable information to educate and engage the audience.
Normal SEO is crucial for blogs, corporate sites, and informational websites as it helps build brand authority, attract relevant traffic, and achieve business objectives like lead generation and audience engagement.
Ecommerce SEO vs. Normal SEO: 6 Similarities
Both eCommerce SEO and normal SEO share several fundamental similarities that form the backbone of effective search engine optimization strategies. These similarities include, but are not limited to:
1. Goal of Increasing Visibility and Traffic
Ecommerce and normal SEO share similar SEO goals:
- To increase a website’s visibility on SERPs
- To drive targeted organic traffic
Higher search visibility typically leads to more visitors and greater opportunities for conversions, whether those conversions are sales, leads, or engagement metrics.
2. Tools Used to Reach SEO Goals
Another similarity between eCommerce SEO and normal SEO is the tools used are basically the same. For example, if your eCommerce store is built on WooCommerce (WordPress), you can use a WordPress SEO tool like All In One SEO (AIOSEO) to improve your search rankings.

AIOSEO is a powerful yet easy-to-use SEO plugin with 3+ million active installs. Millions of smart bloggers use AIOSEO to boost their search engine rankings and drive qualified traffic to their online stores. The plugin has many powerful features and modules designed to help you properly configure your SEO settings.
When it comes to eCommerce, some of AIOSEO’s most prominent features include:
The WooCommerce SEO Moudule
AIOSEO has a tailor-made WooCommerce SEO module designed to help you rank your eCommerce store higher for relevant searches. The module makes it easy for you to optimize, among other things, your:
- Product titles and meta descriptions
- Product images
- Product descriptions
Next-gen Schema Generator
Schema markup, also called structured data, is essential to helping search engines better understand your content and products.

Implementing it helps boost search rankings. It also encourages engagement on SERPs as it can result in rich snippets.
Author SEO
While aimed at authors, AIOSEO’s Author SEO module is important for eCommerce merchants as it helps you demonstrate Google’s E-E-A-T signals.

This is especially important for eCommerce businesses in the YMYL (your money, your life niches) niches.
For step-by-step instructions on how to install AIOSEO, check out our installation guide.
Check out our list of the best website SEO tools we recommend for more suggestions.
3. Keyword Research and Optimization
Keyword research is essential in both types of SEO. Identifying relevant keywords that potential customers or readers are searching for is crucial.

Both strategies involve optimizing content with these keywords to rank higher in search results.
Some of the most useful tools for eCommerce keyword research include:
- LowFruits: Helps you find low competition, high potential keywords and content gaps on SERPs.
- Google Keyword Planner: Provides search volume and competition data for keywords.
- Semrush: Offers in-depth keyword research and competitor analysis capabilities.
- Ahrefs: Provides detailed insights into keyword difficulty and search trends.
You can also check out our best keyword research tools for a wider selection of tools you can use for both eCommerce and normal SEO.
When conducting keyword research for both eCommerce and traditional SEO, focus on both primary (high-volume, competitive) and long-tail (lower volume, more specific) keywords. Long-tail keywords can be particularly valuable for eCommerce, as they often indicate a higher purchase intent from the user.
4. On-Page Optimization
Both eCommerce and normal SEO require thorough on-page optimization. This includes:
- Title Tags: Crafting compelling and keyword-rich title tags.
- Meta descriptions: Writing descriptive and enticing meta descriptions to improve click-through rates.
- Headers: Using headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure content and incorporate keywords.
- Content quality: Ensuring that the content is high-quality, informative, and relevant to the target audience.
Check out our on-page SEO checklist for detailed information on how to ensure you optimize all on-page aspects of your site or eCommerce store.
5. Technical SEO
Technical SEO is crucial for both eCommerce and traditional SEO. Key technical aspects include:
- Site speed: Ensuring fast loading times to improve user experience and search rankings.
- Mobile optimization: Make sure the website is mobile-friendly as mobile searches continue to rise.
- Crawlability: Ensuring search engine bots can crawl and index the site effectively.
- Secure connection (HTTPS): Using HTTPS to secure the website and build trust with users and search engines.
Check out our technical SEO audit checklist for more information.
6. User Experience (UX)
A positive user experience (UX) is critical for both types of SEO. Factors such as easy navigation, a clean and intuitive design, and valuable content contribute to a better UX, which leads to higher engagement and better search engine rankings.
Both eCommerce and normal SEO must adhere to the guidelines set by search engines like Google. Following SEO best practices increases your chances of ranking high and generating relevant traffic.
Ecommerce SEO vs. Normal SEO: 5 Key Differences
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s drill down to the key differences when looking at eCommerce SEO vs. normal SEO
1. Target Audience
Ecommerce SEO
Ecommerce SEO is tailored to reach potential customers who are actively searching for specific products or services to purchase. This audience is typically in the latter stages of the buyer's journey, such as the consideration or decision phase. They intend to buy and are looking for detailed product information, including prices, reviews, and comparisons. The SEO strategy captures these high-intent searches to drive conversions and sales.
Normal SEO
Normal SEO aims to attract a broader audience interested in the website's content, information, or services. This audience can be at any stage of the buyer's journey, from awareness to decision. They may be seeking information, education, or entertainment rather than ready to make a purchase. The goal is to engage users with valuable content, build brand awareness, and establish authority in a particular niche.
2. Keyword Strategy
Ecommerce SEO
Ecommerce SEO emphasizes the use of highly specific, product-focused keywords. These keywords target users who are in the purchase phase of the buyer's journey. Examples include “women's blue cotton t-shirt,” “best content marketing tools,” or “cheap running shoes.”
E-commerce keyword research focuses on long-tail keywords with clear commercial intent, which tend to have lower search volume but higher conversion rates. This strategy involves optimizing product titles, descriptions, and metadata to match these specific search queries.
Normal SEO
Normal SEO utilizes various keywords, including informational and research-oriented terms. Examples include “how to start a blog,” or “benefits of yoga.” These keywords cater to users at various stages of the buyer's journey, from those seeking basic information to those comparing options or looking for tutorials.
The strategy is to create diverse content that addresses different user intents, driving traffic and engagement through blog posts, guides, and articles.
3. Content Strategy
Ecommerce SEO
The content strategy for eCommerce SEO prioritizes optimizing product pages, category pages, and other transactional content. The focus is on driving conversions by providing detailed, high-quality information about your products. This includes:
- Product descriptions: Detailed, keyword-rich descriptions highlighting features, benefits, and specifications.
- Customer reviews and ratings: Leveraging user-generated content to build trust and influence purchasing decisions. Review schema also comes in handy here.
- Visual content: High-quality images and videos that showcase the product from various angles and in use.
- Category pages: Structuring these pages optimally enhances navigation and improves visibility for broader search terms.
Normal SEO
The content strategy for normal SEO focuses on creating informative, engaging, and SEO-friendly content. This includes:
- Blog posts: Regularly updated articles that address user queries, provide insights, and establish authority in the niche.
- Guides and tutorials: In-depth content that educates the audience and helps them solve specific problems. A good approach is adopting the jobs-to-be-done framework.
- Informational Articles: Content that provides valuable information on a wide range of topics related to the website’s focus.
- Engagement content: Content designed to retain visitors, such as interactive elements, infographics, quizzes, and multimedia.
The key to creating impactful content is understanding what your target audience is looking for and what they want to achieve. Check out our guide to search intent to learn how to do just that.
4. Technical SEO
While both eCommerce SEO and normal SEO factor in technical website elements, the approach is slightly different.
Ecommerce SEO
Ecommerce SEO places a strong emphasis on optimizing site architecture and product page structure. For example, you should consider factors like breadcrumb navigation for a seamless user experience.

Other key technical elements include:
- Site architecture: Ensuring a clear, logical structure that facilitates easy navigation and product discovery.
- Product page structure: Optimizing URLs and internal linking to enhance user experience and search engine indexing.
- Rich snippets and schema markup: Implementing structured data to provide additional information in SERPs, such as prices, reviews, and availability. Google Merchant schema listing schema is fantastic at helping with eCommerce schema types.
- Site speed and mobile optimization: Ensuring fast loading times and a seamless mobile experience to reduce bounce rates and improve user satisfaction.
Normal SEO
Normal SEO focuses on technical factors that improve overall website performance and discoverability. Besides performance and UX elements, schema markup plays a huge role here. However, the type of schema used for norma websites may differ from eCommerce sites and may include blog/article schema, FAQ schema, and author schema, among others.
Concerning technical SEO, the similarities between eCommerce SEO and normal SEO are greater than the differences.
5. SEO Challenges
Anyone with a website knows that there are constant SEO challenges they must navigate. One of the most common is the everchanging search engine algorithm changes. A typical example is the March 2024 core update that obliterated many websites from SERPs. Keeping tabs on how these updates impact your site is crucial to successfully staying ahead of the competition. Thankfully AIOSEO’s Search Statistics can help you do just that.

Check out our article on checking the impact of Google algorithm updates for step-by-step instructions on how to use this handy feature.
So what are the different challenges found in eCommerce SEO and normal SEO?
Ecommerce SEO
- Managing large volumes of product pages: Keeping product information accurate and up-to-date while optimizing each page for search.
- Avoiding duplicate content issues: Ensuring unique content across similar product pages to prevent penalties and improve SEO performance.
- Handling seasonal fluctuations in traffic: Preparing for peaks during holiday seasons or sales events and maintaining steady traffic during off-peak times.
- Inventory and stock management: Ensuring that out-of-stock or discontinued products do not negatively impact SEO. You can take advantage of Google Merchant Center listing schema to display out-of-stock items on SERPs, thereby reducing bounce rates.
Normal SEO
- Creating engaging and relevant content: Continuously producing high-quality content that resonates with the audience and meets SEO requirements.
- Building quality backlinks: Earning links from authoritative and relevant sites to improve domain authority and rankings.
- Maintaining consistent traffic: Developing strategies to attract and retain visitors, ensuring steady traffic growth.
- Frequent content updates: In many instances, keeping content evergreen requires regular content optimization and content updates. This aligns with the freshness factor mentioned in the leaked Google search algorithm documents.
Understanding these similarities and differences allows businesses to tailor their SEO strategies to their specific needs, maximizing their potential for success in search engine rankings and user engagement.
Ecommerce SEO vs. Normal SEO: Your FAQs Answered
What is Ecommerce SEO?
Ecommerce SEO is the process of optimizing an online store to improve its visibility and rankings in search engines like Google. It focuses heavily on improving the performance of category and product pages, as these tend to be the most lucrative.
Ecommerce SEO is the process of optimizing an online store to improve its visibility and rankings in search engines like Google. It focuses heavily on improving the performance of category and product pages, as these tend to be the most lucrative.
Ecommerce SEO vs. normal SEO, what's the difference?
The main differences between eCommerce SEO and normal SEO lie in the target audience, keyword strategy, content strategy, and technical SEO approach.
Ecommerce SEO focuses on reaching potential customers actively searching for specific products, using highly specific, product-focused keywords. In contrast, normal SEO aims to attract a broader audience interested in the website's content, utilizing a wider range of keywords.
Is SEO worth it for Ecommerce?
SEO is extremely important for eCommerce sites because it helps them get more traffic and drive sales. When an online store appears higher in search results, more people see its products, leading to more sales over time.
SEO is also a cost-effective way to reach customers without paying for ads, builds trust and credibility for the brand, and gives a competitive edge over other online stores that may not be optimized for SEO.
Ecommerce SEO vs. normal SEO, what's the difference?
We hope this post has helped you understand the difference between eCommerce SEO and normal SEO. You may also want to check out other articles on our blog, like our guide to common SEO mistakes to avoid or our article on the benefits of SEO for small businesses.
If you found this article helpful, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You’ll find many more helpful tutorials there. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.
Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that we believe will add value to our readers.