Google has over 200 ranking factors and vague guidelines about its ranking systems. AI search is newer, and its signals are less documented. For a new store, most of the noise can wait, and a handful of basics will do more for your visibility than anything else. That’s what this guide covers.
Good product page copy does three things at once: helps readers (and bots) understand what the page is about, answers questions customers actually have, and sells. Aim for 150–300 words. Cover what matters for your category, what’s included, and anything a customer might wonder before buying — condition, compatibility, what to expect when it arrives.
If someone searches “Miles Davis Kind of Blue original pressing” and your page has only a photo and a price, you’ll lose to a competitor who went deeper. That buyer wants a specific artifact, and is interested in knowing about things like pressing details, deadwax matrix, condition, and what’s in the sleeve. Write a description that makes them trust that your product is for them.
The same answers that earn customer trust are what search engines and AI tools use to decide whether your page is worth recommending.
Your most important keywords are your product names, your categories, the problems your products solve.
The intent behind the keyword is important. Someone searching “vinyl records” might be curious, researching, or ready to buy. Someone searching “buy classic jazz vinyl records online” is ready to purchase. Same topic, completely different page.
Here’s how intent breaks down:
| Search intent | Example keyword | What the searcher wants | Page type |
| Informational | “how to clean vinyl records” | Learn or solve a problem | Blog or guide |
| Commercial | “best turntable under $200” or “jazz vinyl records” | Browsing and/or comparing options before buying | A comparison or category page |
| Transactional | “Miles Davis Kind of Blue vinyl” | Make a purchase now | Product page |
| Navigational | “[Your brand] return policy” | Reach a specific brand or page | The specific page the searcher is looking for, like a login page, a returns policy, or a homepage. |
Find keywords that big stores aren’t chasing
Major retailers like Amazon dominate broad searches like “vinyl records.” You won’t outrank them, but you don’t need to.
Longtail keywords, such as “collectible Blue Note jazz vinyl records,” have lower search volume but much higher purchase intent. The person typing that knows exactly what they want.
The fastest way to find longtail keywords is free: type your product into Google’s search bar and watch what autofills. Those suggestions appear because enough real people have typed them. Each one is a potential page worth building.
Once you know which keyword a page is targeting, here’s where it goes:
- Page title: This is the blue link that shows up in search results. Put your primary keyword in the title tag, but keep it under 60 characters. Use this free character count tool to check it.
- Meta descriptions: The summary under the title in search results that should be about 155 characters. It doesn’t directly affect ranking, but it affects whether someone clicks. Make it useful and specific.
- URLs: Make the slug (or last part of the URL) short, clean, keyword-first. /shop/jazz-vinyl-records/ is better than /shop/category/music/records/jazz-subcategory/
- Headings (H1 and H2): The H1 clearly names the product or category. H2s organize the description and answer common questions. Include your keyword naturally in both.
- Body copy: Write a human-first description. Keywords emerge from a genuine product write-up rather than being forced into one. If a keyword feels forced, the description probably needs more substance, not more keywords.
- Image alt text: Alt text describes the image for screen readers and image search. “Miles Davis Kind of Blue vinyl” is helpful; “product image 3” is not.
A clear site structure helps shoppers find what they want. It also helps search engines understand how your pages relate to each other, which is what gets individual pages ranked.
Someone should be able to reach any product within three clicks of your homepage. That means having navigational “breadcrumbs” that often look like:
Vinyl Records → Jazz Records → Miles Davis Records → Kind of Blue
This trail helps visitors find their way back and tells Google that your Miles Davis page is specifically about jazz records, not just any records. That context is what helps product pages rank for specific searches.
Products buried under four or five layers of subcategories are harder for shoppers to find and harder for Google to prioritize.
Pull up your store on your phone. If buttons are hard to tap, text is too small to read comfortably, or images are cropped in awkward places, fix them ASAP. Google ranks the mobile version of your site — not the desktop one — and more than 70% of ecommerce purchases happen on mobile.
Keep these mobile best practices in mind: Use at least 16–20px font size, buttons that are at least 24x24px, and compressed WebP or AVIF images.
If you just launched or migrated your site, check one thing first: go to Settings → Reading in your WordPress dashboard and make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked. It’s easy to forget, and it will quietly keep Google out until you fix it.
From there, Google Search Console is where you want to be. It’s a free tool that shows you how Google sees your site — what’s been indexed, what hasn’t, and why. Three things to do there:
- Find or create an XML sitemap. This is a structured outline of your site that helps search engines understand your content. Your default WordPress sitemap lives at yoursite.com/wp-sitemap.xml. For a more detailed version, go to Yoast settings, find the Technical SEO section, and toggle XML sitemaps on.
- Submit your sitemap to Google. In Search Console, add your sitemap URL under the Sitemaps tab. Expect indexing to take a couple of weeks.
- Check which pages got indexed. The most common issue beginners run into is a “submitted URL not found” error — usually it means a product page was deleted or its URL changed.
After ensuring your product pages are well-crafted, a blog becomes your gateway to potential customers who may not even realize they need your products yet.
For example, a store specializing in vinyl records can address common questions like “how can I tell if a record is warped?” and direct readers to a record cleaning kit, or “what’s the difference between 180g and standard vinyl?” while linking to a selection of audiophile pressings. By providing valuable answers on your blog, you attract individuals who are just one informative post away from making a purchase.
Unlike product pages that target customers already familiar with their needs, blog posts engage with individuals earlier in their purchasing journey, such as those who are curious, comparing options, or seeking solutions to specific problems. When a blog post effectively addresses their inquiries and links to relevant products, you create a seamless path from discovery to conversion that search engines recognize and reward.
Furthermore, the benefits of blogging accumulate over time. Each new post serves as an additional entry point to your store. For instance, a post ranking for a query like “how to properly store vinyl records” can attract readers who already own records and might be interested in related products like storage sleeves, cleaning kits, or improved turntables.
It’s crucial to be selective about the content you publish on your blog, as it reflects your store’s identity and appeals to your target audience. Focus on creating posts that offer value or interest to the individuals you aim to reach.
Discover how Tiny Wood Stove transformed from a blog into a million-dollar business.
Search engine optimization (SEO) has a compounding effect. An optimized product page continues to generate results over time, while a blog post that ranks well for relevant queries can attract new customers on a consistent basis without requiring additional effort. By establishing a strong foundation early on, you maximize the long-term benefits of your content strategy.
Here are some steps to kickstart your SEO efforts:
- Identify your key products, brainstorm relevant keywords for each, consider the search intent behind them, and assess search volume and competition using tools like Google Keyword Planner. Ensure that your product pages target commercial or transactional searches.
- Incorporate your chosen keywords into six strategic locations on each page. Tools like Yoast can assist you in this process.
- Enhance the descriptions of your top five best-selling products by including specific details, materials, target demographics, and solutions they offer. You don’t need to start from scratch—simply provide more comprehensive information than what is currently available.
- Set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap to ensure that Google recognizes and indexes your store’s pages. This essential step is free of charge.
Kevin has been a part of the Woo team since 2014, contributing to various functions over the years. Currently, he focuses on paid media, SEO, and analytics within the growth team. When he’s not optimizing for ROI, Kevin enjoys playing the guitar and spending time at Lake Tahoe with his yellow lab, Ollie.
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