SEO for online stores: the basics
SEO, short for search engine optimization, means making it easy for Google and other search engines to understand your store and show it to the right people. You do not need special tools or a big budget. A handful of basic habits, applied to every page and product, covers most of what a small store can control.
Start with what searchers want
Before you write anything, think about how a customer would describe your product in a search box. They might type "handmade soy candle" or "ceramic planter for small plants", not the name you gave your range. Use their words where they are true to your product: in titles, in product descriptions and in headings. Do not stuff keywords into every sentence. Write for a person first.
Page titles and descriptions
Google shows a title and a short description for each page it lists. You can write both:
- The title is the headline of the search result and the name in the browser tab. Put the most important words first, say what the page is, and keep it short enough to read at a glance.
- The description is the line below it. It does not directly decide your ranking, but a clear one persuades people to click. Aim for roughly 120 to 160 characters, which is what search engines usually show.
Give every page a different title and description. In Payly, open the editor, pick the page, and fill in the Browser title and Search description in the page settings, then publish. A counter beside the description compares its length with the usual 120 to 160 characters. If you leave them empty, Payly falls back to the page's name and your site name for the title, and to the first words of the first text block for the description. Writing your own is better. The steps are in Help customers find your store on Google.
Write good product text
Product pages are often what people land on from search, so they deserve the most care.
- Use a clear name. "Speckled stoneware plate, 8 inch" beats "The Luna".
- Open with a useful first sentence. Payly builds the page's search description from the start of the product description, up to 300 characters, so lead with what the product is and who it suits.
- Include the facts: size, materials, care, delivery and anything a buyer would ask.
- Write it yourself. Copying a supplier's description gives a page that looks like many others.
Payly sets the product page's browser title to the product name followed by your site name. It also passes the product's price and whether it is in stock to search engines, so they can show both beside your page, and the first photo becomes the preview image when the page is shared. See How product pages work.
Describe your photos
Alt text is a short description of an image. Screen readers read it to people who cannot see the picture, it shows if the image fails to load, and search engines read it too. In Payly, select an Image block and fill in Alt text. Describe what is in the picture in plain words, such as "Speckled stoneware plates on a wooden table". Skip phrases like "image of", and do not repeat the same keyword in every photo.
Your sitemap and Google Search Console
A sitemap is a list of your pages that helps search engines find them. Every published Payly store gets a sitemap and a robots file, made for you each time you publish. The sitemap lists your pages and products. The robots file asks search engines to skip your cart, checkout and account pages, which have nothing worth indexing.
- Add /sitemap.xml to your store's address to read it, for example example.com/sitemap.xml.
- Add your store to Google Search Console, a free tool from Google.
- Submit the sitemap address there.
Search Console also shows which searches bring people to your store and flags problems Google finds. Check it now and then.
More ways to be found
- Use your own domain. Your store has a free workers.dev address, and connecting your own domain costs nothing in Payly. You pay only the registrar for the domain itself. See Connect a custom domain.
- List your store in the Payly directory. It is a public listing of stores that opted in.
- Earn links. When a local blog, a friend's site or a supplier links to you, search engines take notice. Ask politely, and make something worth linking to.
- Keep it fast and mobile friendly. Check your pages in the Tablet and Mobile views of the editor before you publish.
Be patient
A new store can take days or weeks to appear in results, and longer to rank well for competitive words. Nobody can promise a position on the first page. Meanwhile, keep adding useful pages and products, keep your titles and descriptions tidy, and send traffic from other places. Search is a slow channel that grows with the quality of your site.
Once a month, search for your own product names and see what Google shows. If a title or description reads badly, fix it in the editor and publish again.
Questions
Do I need an SEO plugin or expert?
Not to start. The basics above need no tools, and Payly handles the sitemap and robots file for you.
How long until I show up on Google?
It varies. Submitting your sitemap helps Google find your pages, but it can still take days or weeks for a new store to appear.
Does it cost anything?
Search Console is free, and Payly's SEO settings are included in every store at no charge.
Search engines change how they work and nobody can promise a ranking. Treat these as good habits, not guarantees.
