Devrims #TechTalk 069: Freddie Chatt Talks about Ecommerce SEO for Long-Term Growth

Devrims: Hey Freddie, thanks for your time and support. Tell us about your educational and professional background. How did you get started with SEO?

Freddie: Great to be here. Like a lot of people in SEO, I unexpectedly fell into a role. After dropping out of university I applied for a local marketing assistant role at an ecommerce brand hoping to get some marketing experience and see how things went. SEO was the focus of this role, with the support of an external consultant and I instantly fell in love with the channel. The diverse sets of tasks involved, and the ability to be creative, technical, and analytical – meant I was kept on my toes.

Devrims: What are some common SEO challenges specific to ecommerce websites that you frequently encounter?

Freddie: The most common challenge for brands I work with is for them to know what parts of SEO they need. Some need a lot of technical support, some need the basics being set up, some need creative link-building campaigns – some need all three. The strategic challenge for a lot of brands is often what stops them from getting started and holds back their success. 

For many brands who have attempted SEO, they often still lack basic optimizations on their category pages with no descriptions or targeting which means those pages can be essentially redundant for SEO.

In terms of specific tactical large-scale challenges for ecommerce, dealing with a broken (from an SEO standpoint) faceted navigation setup on category pages is often one of the biggest wins ecommerce stores can fix to make big inroads with SEO. 

Devrims: How do you approach content strategy for ecommerce sites differently compared to other types of websites?

Freddie: Similar principles are applied across all types depending on your business model. For ecommerce you have something to sell, so focusing on content that showcases how your product solves that problem for should always be your first priority. So if you sell a drink that can be drunk on the keto diet, you should 100% have a piece of content answering the question “what can I drink on the keto diet” – and this will both drive both traffic as well as sales as it sites near the bottom of the funnel. This is a fantastic way to get started with content for your ecommerce store and builds some traction.

As you move up the funnel, let’s use the example of selling bedroom furniture you could create content around ‘modern bedroom ideas’ which is highly image led, with tips and expert thoughts on achieving certain looks in your bedroom. Now someone searching this will likely not be in a buying mindset, they are looking for ideas. So the purpose of the content should reflect that intent, instead of trying to force the reader to a product page (still give them that option) the better approach would be to capture this traffic’s email and educate them on your brand via email marketing.

Devrims: You mention working with various ecommerce platforms. Are any particular SEO considerations or challenges unique to specific platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce?

Freddie: Shopify is easy to use, but it has some built-in limitations. For example, duplicate content can be an issue because Shopify creates multiple URLs for the same product when they’re listed in different collections. Also, you can’t fully customise the URL structure—Shopify forces some parts like /products/ or /collections/ into your URLs, which might not be ideal for SEO but isn’t a huge deal in most cases.

WooCommerce, being built on WordPress, gives you a lot more flexibility. You can customise URLs as much as you like, and you’ve got loads of plugin options to tackle specific SEO needs. But with that flexibility comes a bit more responsibility. WooCommerce sites can become slow if overloaded with too many plugins or a heavy theme, which affects SEO. Also, technical SEO tasks like optimising site speed or fixing issues can require a bit more manual work compared to Shopify.

So, while both platforms can perform well in search rankings, Shopify is simpler but less customisable, and WooCommerce gives you more control but demands a bit more technical know-how. It really comes down to what’s most important for your business—convenience or control.

Devrims: Can you elaborate on your approach to reducing reliance on paid traffic? How do you balance organic and paid strategies?

Freddie: Balancing organic and paid strategies is key to improving profitability while building long-term growth.

My approach to reducing reliance on paid traffic starts with making the most of your organic search by targeting high-converting, low-competition keywords that are already driving sales in your paid campaigns. 

Paid traffic gives you a treasure trove of data—like which keywords are converting well—so you can use that to guide your organic efforts. It’s about leveraging what you already know works.

I don’t suggest abandoning paid entirely—there’s a balance to strike. Use paid ads to boost new content or products and to keep momentum in competitive spaces. 

But the goal is to gradually shift more of your traffic to organic channels, reducing your overall ad spend while maintaining growth.

Devrims: What key metrics do you focus on when measuring the success of your ecommerce SEO campaigns?

Freddie: When it comes to measuring the success of an ecommerce SEO campaign, the #1 metric is always revenue—because if SEO isn’t driving sales, it’s not doing its job. Here are the top 5 metrics I track:

1. Revenue: This is the ultimate measure of success. I track how much money is being generated from organic search traffic.
2. Organic Traffic: More traffic from search engines indicates that SEO efforts are bringing people to the site. It’s a good way to see if we’re moving in the right direction.
3. Keyword Rankings: I focus on whether we’re ranking higher for the target keywords that matter most for the business. Higher rankings mean more visibility.
4. Conversion Rate from Organic Traffic: This shows how well the traffic we’re attracting is converting into actual sales. Quality over quantity here—it’s not just about more visitors, but about visitors who are buying.
5. Search Impressions: These can be a great leading indicator that the SEO strategy is working. Even before traffic and rankings improve, rising impressions show that your pages are becoming more visible in search results. It’s often the first sign of progress.

Devrims: Let’s do a quick rapid-fire round.

Books or Movies	Movies
Day or Night	Day
Tea or Coffee	Coffee

Devrims: How do you integrate SEO strategies with other aspects of ecommerce, such as user experience and conversion rate optimization?

Freddie: These three elements go hand in hand—there’s no point driving traffic if your site isn’t set up to convert or if visitors are having a bad experience.

More specifically… 

SEO and UX: A key part of SEO is making sure the site is easy to navigate and loads quickly. Search engines favour fast, user-friendly sites. I make sure the site architecture is clear and intuitive, with well-organised categories and product pages. This not only helps Google crawl and index the site but also ensures users can find what they’re looking for without frustration, which keeps them on the site longer and reduces bounce rates.

CRO and SEO: The goal of SEO is to bring in relevant traffic that’s likely to convert, so the focus is on aligning keywords and content with user intent. I make sure that the pages people land on from search results are optimised to drive conversions, whether it’s clear product information, a fast checkout process, or trust signals like reviews and testimonials.

Devrims: What advice would you give to ecommerce businesses just starting to invest in SEO?

Freddie: My first piece of advice is to be patient. SEO isn’t a quick win, but it’s one of the most powerful long-term strategies for sustainable growth.

Get your foundations right. Make sure your site is technically sound—this means it’s easy for Google to crawl and index, pages load quickly, and your site works well on mobile. These might not feel like SEO “wins,” but they’re crucial for everything else to work.

Target the right keywords. Don’t go after the most competitive terms straight away. Focus on low-competition, high-intent keywords that are more specific to your products and audience. These might not have the highest search volume, but they’re often easier to rank for and can bring in traffic that’s more likely to convert.

Create great content (this is a bit cliche in the SEO world but still applies). Content isn’t just about blogs—it’s everything from your product descriptions to category pages. Make sure they’re optimised for search and give users the information they need to make a purchase decision. At the same time, think about content that educates or answers questions your customers might have.

Consistency is key. SEO takes time, and you won’t see results overnight. Regularly publishing content, optimising your pages, and working on your site’s authority will pay off in the long run, but it requires consistent effort.

Don’t rely solely on SEO. While SEO is essential, combining it with other channels like paid ads, social media, and email marketing can give your brand more visibility and help you grow faster.

Devrims: What are your thoughts on the future of ecommerce SEO? Are there any emerging trends or technologies you’re keeping an eye on?

Freddie: The future of ecommerce SEO is really exciting, and there are two trends that stand out to me:

1. AI and Automation in Search: AI, especially tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI-powered updates, are becoming increasingly important in how search engines understand and rank content. For ecommerce, this means content optimisation will need to be more natural and conversational. It’s not just about keywords anymore—search intent and context are playing a much bigger role. 
2. Visual Search: As ecommerce becomes more visual, image optimisation is becoming a bigger factor. Platforms like Pinterest and Google Lens are showing us that people are increasingly searching with images rather than text. Optimising your images with the right alt text and file names, and ensuring you’ve got high-quality visuals, can give you an edge as visual search continues to grow.

Devrims: Web hosting plays a crucial role in SEO. How do you choose between managed cloud hosting and traditional hosting, and what factors should be considered in making that decision?

Freddie: When choosing between managed cloud hosting and traditional hosting, I look at three key factors: performance, scalability, and ease of management.

Performance: Managed cloud hosting typically offers faster speeds and better uptime, which are crucial for SEO. Google considers site speed a ranking factor, so a fast, reliable host can give you an edge.

Scalability: Cloud hosting is more scalable, meaning your site can handle traffic spikes without slowing down. Traditional hosting can struggle with this, especially during sales or high-traffic events.

Management: Managed cloud hosting takes care of updates, security, and backups, leaving you to focus on your business. Traditional hosting may require more hands-on management.

For ecommerce, I usually recommend managed cloud hosting for its performance and scalability, especially if you expect traffic to grow.

Devrims: Who do you recommend us to interview next?

Freddie: I’ve never read an interview with Areej Abu Ali and not learned something new, so there’s my answer.