When focusing on ecommerce SEO, which should you prioritize: content or link building? In this Ask An SEO piece, Mindy Weinstein responds.

Taha in Chicago submitted the query for today’s Ask an SEO.

My inquiry relates to e-commerce SEO. I’m currently employed by an e-commerce company as an SEO Executive. They have no content on the website, and they only have a few hundred backlinks overall (which is nothing in comparison to competition).

Which section ought to I prioritize first to rank category pages? Should I focus on content and on-page optimizations or build backlinks to counteract the profiles of my rivals?

Great question, Taha.

The quick response is that you should start with on-page optimization and content.

Let me now provide the detailed response, which is relevant to more than just the category pages you indicated.

Take On-Page SEO First

We are aware that backlinks are a significant component of the ranking algorithm.

To ensure that the search engines know how to rank your website, you must have optimized content on the site.

Here is a quick checklist of the things you should concentrate on for on-page optimization before you devote time to link development.

1.Choose Your Keywords and Themes

Spend some time choosing your keywords if you haven’t previously.

As you narrow down your choice, keep in mind that relevance is the most important consideration.

However broad the terms you choose, they should nevertheless be specific to your categories and items.

I like to brainstorm about keywords before using tools like Semrush, SE Ranking, or SpyFu to grow my seed list.

My list will then be prioritized after I’ve created it, usually into the following three categories: Priority 1, Priority 2, and Priority 3.

In order to prevent keyword cannibalization, you must assign keywords to each page of your website. This process is known as keyword mapping.

Once you have finished this process, it is time to optimize your pages.

Remember that a page will typically have a few secondary keywords in addition to 1-2 prime keywords.

2. Boost Your Pages

Focus on your title tags, header tags (particularly H1s), body text, and image alt attributes when you are optimizing your pages.

Although the meta description doesn’t affect rankings all that much, you should nonetheless optimize it.

The Complete Guide to On-Page SEO lists best practices for optimizing that you should adhere to.

Here’s some advice: To find out if the search engine is already recognizing your pages for pertinent queries, use Google Search Console.

You may view the inquiries for each page in Google Search Console’s Performance Report.

When optimizing the relevant page, pay attention to any of these inquiries that seem like promising keywords or may already be on your list.

Don’t ever push keywords into the body content; instead, search for ways to include them more naturally. The writing need to flow naturally.

3.Adding Useful Content

No matter the type of website, adding optimal content is essential, and ecommerce websites are no different.

I’ll concentrate on suggestions for that kind of material as you specified category pages in your query.

First and foremost, be aware that category pages offer numerous opportunities for text addition.

However, many businesses are wary of adding an excessive amount of content to category pages because they think it would detract from the shopping experience.

The good news is that there are clever approaches to incorporating optimized text without becoming overbearing.

A website user can still simply scroll through the products in each of the provided cases as they progress down the page.

The content near the bottom of the page is beneficial for optimization and also serves the visitor’s needs.

Examine + Refine

One more thing: Even after you’ve optimized your pages, keep looking for ways to make them better.

That is where the advice I gave can be useful.

Make it a habit to check the effectiveness of your pages and make any necessary modifications.