Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Learn how to improve your PlanetShopping store’s visibility in search engines using titles, descriptions, keywords, URLs, image alt text, sitemaps and other built-in SEO tools.
Purpose
Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps search engines understand your store and helps potential customers discover your products through unpaid search results.
PlanetShopping includes built-in SEO features that take care of important technical foundations while also giving you control over the content that customers and search engines see. Strong SEO combines both: a technically accessible store and useful, clearly written content that matches what customers are searching for.
Your products start SEO-ready
When you create a product in PlanetShopping, its core SEO information is automatically set up for you. You do not need to build the basic product SEO from scratch. If you want more control, you can review the SEO preview and select Edit website SEO to customise the product’s search information to suit your products, target keywords and marketing strategy.
Start with your customers
Think about the words and phrases a customer would use when searching for your products. These are your target keywords.
Choose keywords that accurately describe the product, collection or page rather than trying to attract unrelated searches. Specific phrases can be especially useful because they often reflect a clearer buying intention.
Use important keywords naturally in:
- page and product titles
- meta descriptions
- product and collection descriptions
- headings and page content
- image alt text
- URLs where appropriate
Write for people first. Repeating keywords unnaturally can make a page harder to read and does not create a better customer experience.
SEO titles and meta descriptions
The SEO title is the title search engines can use for a page in search results. The meta description is the short description that can appear beneath it.
Make each title clear, specific and relevant to the page. Put the most important information near the beginning and avoid using the same title across multiple pages.
Meta descriptions should briefly explain what the customer will find on the page and give them a reason to visit. Keep them natural, accurate and unique wherever possible.
Search engines ultimately decide how a result is displayed, so the text shown in search results can sometimes differ from the title or description you entered.
Edit product SEO
When creating or editing a product, use the SEO preview near the bottom of the product page to review how the product can appear in search results.
Select Edit website SEO to update the product’s search engine information. Use a descriptive title and description that accurately represent the product and include relevant search terms naturally.
Apply the same principle to collections and other store content: every important page should clearly communicate what it is about.
URLs
Clear URLs help customers and search engines understand a page before opening it.
Use short, descriptive URLs that reflect the page content. Where you can edit a URL, use meaningful words rather than unnecessary characters or wording. Avoid changing established URLs without a good reason because other websites or search engines may already be using the existing address.
Image SEO and alt text
Images can also contribute to SEO. Add concise alt text that describes what an image shows. Useful alt text also improves accessibility for customers using assistive technology.
For product images, describe the actual product and relevant distinguishing details. Avoid filling alt text with repeated keywords or promotional phrases that do not describe the image.
Site structure and internal links
A well-organised store is easier for both customers and search engines to understand.
Organise related products into logical collections, use clear navigation labels and link related content together where it is useful to the customer. Internal links help visitors move through your store and help search engines understand relationships between pages.
A simple structure — from your home page to collections and then to individual products — gives customers a clear path through your catalogue.
What PlanetShopping handles automatically
PlanetShopping includes technical SEO features designed to help search engines crawl and understand your online store. These include:
- canonical URLs to help search engines identify the preferred version of a page and reduce duplicate-content issues
- an automatically generated sitemap.xml file to help search engines discover your store content
- a robots.txt file that provides crawling instructions to search engines
- structured data that helps search engines understand information about your store and products
- secure HTTPS connections
- search-engine-friendly site and URL structure
These technical features work alongside the titles, descriptions, content, images and other information you control.
Your sitemap
PlanetShopping automatically generates a sitemap for your store. A sitemap provides search engines with a structured list of the pages and content they can discover.
You can find the sitemap by adding /sitemap.xml to the end of your store’s primary domain. For example: yourstore.com/sitemap.xml
As your store changes, the sitemap keeps search engines informed about your available store content.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console can help you understand how Google discovers and indexes your store.
After your store is live on its domain, add and verify the domain in Google Search Console. You can then submit your sitemap by entering sitemap.xml in the Sitemaps section.
Google controls its own crawling, indexing and rankings. Submitting a sitemap helps Google discover your pages but does not guarantee that every page will be indexed or that a page will achieve a particular search position.
Canonical URLs
Similar or duplicate URLs can make it harder for search engines to determine which version of a page should be treated as the main version. PlanetShopping automatically uses canonical URLs to identify the preferred page and help search engines avoid treating equivalent URLs as separate content.
For most merchants, no action is required.
Robots.txt
Your store’s robots.txt file provides instructions to search engine crawlers about which parts of the site they should crawl.
PlanetShopping provides this file automatically as part of the store’s technical SEO setup. It helps search engines concentrate on useful public store content rather than areas that do not need to appear in search results.
Structured data
PlanetShopping uses structured data to give search engines additional information about store and product content. This can help search engines interpret information such as products and other page details and can make eligible content available for enhanced search-result formats.
Search engines decide whether and how enhanced results are displayed, so structured data does not guarantee a particular appearance in search results.
Create useful content
Technical SEO is only part of search visibility. Search engines also need useful content that answers what customers are looking for.
Use accurate product names and detailed product descriptions. Build collections around meaningful groups of products. Where appropriate, create useful store content that answers customer questions and naturally connects to relevant products or collections.
Avoid copying the same descriptions across many products. Unique, informative content gives customers more useful information and gives search engines clearer context about each page.
Build authority over time
Search visibility develops over time. Links from relevant, reputable websites can help search engines understand that other sites consider your content useful. Brand mentions, genuine reviews, useful content and relationships with relevant publishers or businesses can all contribute to your wider online presence.
Focus on earning genuine links and attention rather than using schemes designed to manipulate search rankings.
SEO checklist
Before publishing important store content, check that:
- the page has a clear, descriptive title
- the main topic or product is obvious
- the description is useful and original
- relevant keywords are used naturally
- the SEO title and meta description accurately describe the page
- the URL is clear and descriptive
- important images have useful alt text
- related pages are linked where it helps customers
- the content is written for customers, not just search engines
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PlanetShopping handle SEO automatically?
PlanetShopping handles important technical SEO foundations automatically, including canonical URLs, sitemap.xml, robots.txt, structured data and secure store connections. You should still optimise your titles, descriptions, content, images and keywords for your own products and audience.
Can I edit the SEO for a product?
Yes. Open the product and use the SEO preview and Edit website SEO controls to review and edit its search engine information.
Where is my sitemap?
Your sitemap is available at /sitemap.xml on your store’s primary domain.
Should I submit my sitemap to Google?
You can submit your sitemap through Google Search Console to help Google discover and crawl your store content.
Does submitting my sitemap guarantee that my products will appear in Google?
No. Search engines control their own crawling, indexing and rankings. A sitemap helps them discover content but does not guarantee indexing or a particular ranking.
Should every page use the same keywords?
No. Choose keywords that match the purpose and content of each page. Product pages, collections and other content should target the searches most relevant to that specific content.
Should I put as many keywords as possible into my descriptions?
No. Use keywords naturally and write useful content for customers. Repeating keywords unnecessarily can make your content difficult to read.
Can I control exactly what Google displays for my page?
No. Your SEO title and meta description provide useful information to search engines, but a search engine can choose different text when it believes another part of the page better matches a particular search.
How quickly will SEO improve my traffic?
There is no fixed timeframe. Search engines decide when to crawl and index pages and how to rank them. Strong SEO is an ongoing process of improving your content, store structure and online authority.
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Next Step
Review the SEO information on your most important products and collections, then submit your store’s sitemap through Google Search Console once your store is live.