If you’re running an online store with BigCommerce, one thing’s clear: visibility matters. And that’s where this BigCommerce SEO guide comes into play.
You may have the perfect products and stunning design. However, if your site doesn’t appear on search engines, customers won’t find you. That’s why SEO is essential.
So let’s walk through how to optimize your BigCommerce store—step by step—for better rankings and more sales.
What Is SEO, and Why Should You Care?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, improves how search engines understand your site. As a result, you appear higher in search results.
The higher you rank, the more traffic you receive. Not only that, but you also attract more relevant visitors.
Therefore, following this BigCommerce SEO guide is one of the best ways to grow your store organically.
Start with Keyword Research
First things first: find out what your customers are searching for.
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. Look for terms related to your products.
Afterward, pick keywords that have a good balance between search volume and competition.
Once you have your list, integrate those keywords into your product titles, descriptions, and URLs.
This step lays the groundwork for all the strategies to come.
Optimize Your URLs
Search engines—and customers—prefer clean, readable URLs. Thankfully, BigCommerce lets you customize them easily.
Avoid long strings of numbers or irrelevant words. Instead, use your target keywords clearly.
For example, use /blue-running-shoes instead of /product?id=12345.
This BigCommerce SEO guide strongly recommends updating your URLs for every product, category, and blog post.
Enhance Your Meta Titles and Descriptions
Next, pay close attention to your meta titles and meta descriptions.
The meta title should include your target keyword and be under 60 characters. The description should stay under 160.
These elements appear in search engine results. So, they influence whether users click through to your store.
In short, strong metadata boosts both visibility and click-through rates.
Focus on High-Quality Content
Now that your structure is solid, shift your focus to content.
Every product description, blog post, and landing page should offer real value. Don’t stuff in keywords unnaturally.
Instead, use them strategically within helpful, engaging content.
This BigCommerce SEO guide emphasizes one rule: write for humans first, then optimize for search engines.
Use Header Tags Effectively
Organize your content using H1, H2, and H3 headers. These tags help break up your content and make it easier to read.
At the same time, they help search engines understand your page structure.
Use one H1 tag per page, followed by H2s and H3s where appropriate.
Be sure to include keywords naturally within these headers.
Optimize Product Images
Images enhance your store’s visual appeal. But they also affect your SEO.
Each image should have descriptive file names and alt text. This helps search engines understand what the image shows.
Moreover, compress your images for faster load times. Page speed is a crucial ranking factor.
And yes, following this BigCommerce SEO guide means treating every image as a chance to improve SEO.
Boost Your Site Speed
Fast-loading sites perform better in search rankings. Slow pages increase bounce rates and hurt user experience.
To improve speed, compress images, use fewer scripts, and enable browser caching.
BigCommerce has built-in performance tools. Use them wisely.
In addition, regularly test your site on tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
Create a Mobile-Friendly Design
These days, most online shoppers use mobile devices. So your BigCommerce store must look and work great on phones and tablets.
Thankfully, BigCommerce themes are responsive. But you should still test your layout on different screen sizes.
A mobile-optimized site keeps users happy—and keeps Google happy too.
That’s why this BigCommerce SEO guide strongly recommends mobile-first design strategies.
Build Internal Links
Internal linking helps visitors navigate your site more easily. At the same time, it strengthens your SEO.
Link product pages to related blog posts. Link categories to subcategories.
This distributes page authority and keeps users engaged longer.
More importantly, it helps search engines crawl your site more efficiently.
Create an XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap tells search engines about all the pages on your site.
BigCommerce automatically generates a sitemap, which you can find at yourstore.com/xmlsitemap.php.
Submit this to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Doing this ensures your content gets indexed faster.
Remember: the easier you make it for search engines, the better your rankings will be.
Use Schema Markup
Want to stand out in search results? Add schema markup.
Schema provides extra details—like reviews, prices, and availability—that appear directly in search listings.
BigCommerce supports schema on product pages. Still, you may need to customize some fields with help from a developer.
But the boost in click-through rates is well worth the effort.
Secure Your Site with HTTPS
Security matters to both users and search engines. Google uses HTTPS as a ranking factor.
Luckily, BigCommerce includes a free SSL certificate. Make sure it’s activated.
Double-check that all your pages load securely. Mixed content can trigger browser warnings and hurt SEO.
Again, a secure site builds trust—and improves rankings.
Encourage Customer Reviews
User-generated content improves credibility and boosts SEO. Every review adds fresh content and potential keywords to your product pages.
Encourage customers to leave reviews through email prompts or post-purchase incentives.
Plus, reviews often appear in Google search results thanks to schema markup.
So yes, another reason this BigCommerce SEO guide highlights the power of feedback.
Get Backlinks from Trusted Sources
Backlinks signal trust to search engines. But quality matters more than quantity.
Reach out to bloggers, influencers, or industry sites. Offer guest posts, product samples, or press releases.
If they link back to your store, your authority grows.
Avoid shady link farms or paid schemes. Google penalizes those quickly.
Launch an SEO-Focused Blog
Adding a blog to your BigCommerce store creates new opportunities for ranking.
Share how-tos, buying guides, or industry insights. Use your keyword research to guide content topics.
With consistent blogging, you’ll attract more traffic and build long-term authority.
In this BigCommerce SEO guide, blogging is not optional—it’s a smart growth strategy.
Track Performance with Google Analytics
Optimization never stops. Use Google Analytics to track traffic, bounce rates, and conversion goals.
Additionally, use Google Search Console to monitor keywords, impressions, and site health.
This data tells you what’s working—and what needs fixing.
Without it, you’re flying blind. With it, you can continually improve.
Avoid Duplicate Content
Duplicate content confuses search engines and dilutes your rankings.
Use canonical tags to point to the original version of a page. BigCommerce allows you to manage this easily.
Moreover, avoid copying product descriptions from manufacturers. Write your own instead.
Unique content gives your store a competitive edge.
Update Content Regularly
Search engines favor fresh content. That’s why regular updates keep your pages relevant.
Update product descriptions, rewrite blog posts, and refresh metadata.
This shows Google your site is active and evolving. It also improves user experience.
Set a monthly schedule to audit and revise old content.
Use Redirects Wisely
If you delete or move pages, use 301 redirects. This passes SEO value from the old URL to the new one.
Broken links hurt both user experience and search engine rankings.
So review your site regularly for 404 errors and fix them promptly.
It’s a small step that makes a big impact.
Test, Learn, Improve
SEO isn’t a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process.
So keep testing different approaches. Analyze what 
works. Then double down on those strategies.
Likewise, discard what doesn’t bring results.
Over time, you’ll build a site that ranks higher, loads faster, and converts better.
Final Thoughts
There’s no magic formula—but there is a clear path.
By following this BigCommerce SEO guide, you’ll strengthen your site structure, improve content, and attract the right audience.
Yes, it takes time and effort. But the results compound.
So start optimizing today. Stick with it. And watch your traffic—and sales—grow with every improvement.
