SEO ≠ tricks. It’s clarity + speed + structure. Do these fundamentals well, and you’ll outrank most new competitors.

Quick Prep (5 minutes)

  • Define a primary keyword for each page (e.g., handmade terracotta planters).
  • Write a human-friendly one-sentence summary per page (will become the meta description).
  • Collect original images (1000px+), name them descriptively (e.g., terracotta-planter-large.jpg).

1) Page Titles & Meta Descriptions

Every important page should have a unique, focused title (50–60 chars) and meta description (120–155 chars).

Good patterns

  • Home: Shop2Host — Launch Your Online Store Fast
  • Category: Terracotta Planters | Handmade Pots & Vases
  • Product: Large Terracotta Planter (12") — Free Shipping
  • Blog: SEO Basics for New Stores: Titles, Speed & Schema

Descriptions: promise value and include a soft CTA: “Handmade terracotta planters for home & garden. Free shipping over ₹999. Explore sizes today.”

2) Headings & Copy

One H1 per page. Make it match user intent (e.g., “Handmade Terracotta Planters”). Break content into H2/H3 blocks. Keep sentences clear, answer common questions, and avoid keyword stuffing.

3) Speed = Rankings + Sales

  • Compress images (WebP if possible). Keep hero images < 200KB.
  • Lazy-load below-the-fold images. Inline critical CSS for the above-the-fold section.
  • Defer non-essential JS; combine/minify where practical.
  • Use a CDN and enable HTTP caching (set Cache-Control / Expires).

On Shop2Host, most optimizations are built-in. You just need to upload optimized images and avoid heavy third-party scripts.

4) Schema (Structured Data)

Schema helps search engines understand your content and unlocks rich results.

  • Product (price, availability, rating) on product pages.
  • Breadcrumb on all pages.
  • Organization on the homepage (name, logo, social links).
  • FAQ on genuine Q&A sections (avoid spam).

5) Images: Alt Text, Filenames, Dimensions

  • Describe the subject in alt text: “Large terracotta planter with drainage”.
  • Use descriptive filenames: terracotta-planter-large.jpg.
  • Serve appropriately sized images (don’t ship 4000px for a 600px slot).

Link key pages to each other using natural anchor text. From your homepage, link to top categories; from products, link up to category and related items. Add a footer with essential links (About, Contact, Shipping, Returns).

7) Indexing: Sitemap, Robots, Canonicals

  • Ensure /sitemap.xml lists important URLs.
  • /robots.txt allows crawling of public pages and blocks private ones.
  • Set a canonical URL per page to prevent duplicates (<link rel="canonical" ...>).
  • Submit your site to Google Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools.

8) Content That Answers Questions

Write short, useful articles targeting beginner questions: “How to choose planter size?”, “Terracotta vs ceramic?”. Include images, brief steps, and internal links to products.

9) Optional: Local SEO (If You Have a Storefront)

  • Create/claim Google Business Profile. Match NAP (Name, Address, Phone) site-wide.
  • Collect genuine reviews (install a review widget).
  • Add LocalBusiness schema on the Contact page.

10) Launch Checklist

  • Titles & meta descriptions filled for all core pages.
  • One H1 per page, readable copy, internal links present.
  • Images optimized, lazy-loaded, proper alt text.
  • robots.txt + sitemap.xml working; canonicals set.
  • Connected to Search Console; submitted sitemap.
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