E-commerce SEO
Category Page SEO: How to Write Content That Ranks
Category pages often target the biggest keywords in a store. Here is how to give them content and structure that earns rankings.
Read articleE-commerce Link Building: How Online Stores Earn Links
Product pages rarely earn links on their own. Stores win links with guides, gift lists, suppliers, creators and PR. Here are nine methods and where to point the links.
This guide covers e-commerce link building: how online stores earn backlinks safely and which pages should receive them. It combines my link building and e-commerce SEO work.
Quick answer
Online stores earn links best with content and relationships, not product pages alone. Publish buying guides and tools, get listed by your suppliers and brands, send products to genuine reviewers, pitch gift guides and journalists, and place guest posts on relevant niche sites. Point most links at categories and guides, then pass value to products through internal links.
Where to point your links
| Page | Share of links | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Home page | Large, branded | Natural for brand mentions and PR |
| Category / collection pages | Large | Target the biggest shopping keywords |
| Buying guides and tools | Medium | Easiest to earn links for |
| Individual products | Small | Hero products only; products come and go |
9 link building methods for stores
- Buying guides: “How to choose X” pages that bloggers and forums reference.
- Free tools: size calculators, comparison charts, configurators.
- Supplier and brand pages: many brands list stockists; ask to be added.
- Creator and blogger reviews: send products for honest reviews; paid or gifted reviews should be disclosed and links marked sponsored.
- Gift guides: pitch seasonal gift guides months ahead.
- Digital PR: original data from your sales or a survey, trend reports, expert comments.
- Niche guest posts: useful articles on relevant blogs with real traffic. See site quality checklist.
- Niche edits: links inside existing relevant articles. See niche edits.
- Unlinked brand mentions: find mentions of your store and ask for a link.
Anchor text for stores
Use mostly your store name and URL, with category phrases like “waterproof hiking boots” as a smaller share. See the anchor text ratio guide.
Example
An outdoor gear store publishes “How to choose a sleeping bag temperature rating” with a simple chart. It gets cited by hiking blogs, which link to the guide; the guide links to the “Sleeping bags” collection. Plus a few guest posts on camping sites pointing to the collection with partial match anchors. The collection climbs without a single link to a product page.
What to avoid
- Cheap links from unrelated “general” blogs.
- Exact match anchors to product pages at scale.
- Undisclosed paid reviews passing ranking value; Google’s policies require sponsored links to be qualified.
Done for you
I have placed 5000+ links for clients, including brands like Capterra UK, Adobe and OKX. I only use real sites with real traffic, and every link is checked live for 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
Should I build links to product pages?
Mostly to categories, guides and the home page. Use internal links to pass value to products, and link only to hero products directly.
Are gifted product reviews safe for SEO?
They are fine when disclosed and the links are marked sponsored, as Google’s policies require for paid or gifted placements.
What is the easiest link source for stores?
Supplier and brand stockist pages, plus useful buying guides, are often the easiest starting points.
How many links does an online store need?
Compare your categories with the top-ranking competitors’ pages and match their quality links over time.
Does digital PR work for small stores?
Yes, when you have something newsworthy: original data, a useful tool or an expert angle.
Sources
Facts checked against these official pages on 10 October 2026. Read my editorial policy.
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