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If you run a WooCommerce store, you probably know how crucial SEO is. Ranking your products high in search engine results is essential if you want people to find and buy them.
These days, you can’t just drive traffic without proper search engine optimization—the competition is just too fierce.
Luckily, there are tons of SEO plugins out there to help you optimize your WooCommerce site. But with so many options, it can be tricky to figure out which one is the best fit.
That’s where Rank Math comes in. It’s one of the top SEO plugins around, and it’s packed with features specifically designed to help WooCommerce stores shine in search results.
In this article, I’m going to walk you through how to use Rank Math to efficiently optimize your WooCommerce products and get them ranking high on Google, Bing, and all the rest.
With Rank Math’s powerful tools at your fingertips, you’ll be able to give your online store a serious SEO boost and watch the sales roll in.
Let’s get started.
Here’s a table of contents for quick navigation:
An Overview of Rank Math and WooCommerce
Before diving into the details, let me give you a quick rundown of Rank Math and WooCommerce.
So, Rank Math? It’s hands down one of the best SEO plugins I’ve ever come across for WordPress and WooCommerce.
You know how Yoast used to rule the roost in the SEO world?
Well, a ton of people, myself included, got tired of that monopoly and jumped ship to Rank Math as soon as it hit the market.
Even the free version of Rank Math is packed with more features than most of the top SEO plugins out there. Seriously, if you’re running a WordPress site, why wouldn’t you give it a shot?
I absolutely love how user-friendly it is. The interface is super intuitive, and the commands are a breeze to use. And don’t even get me started on all the features.
When they rolled out Content AI, it was like they took an already great product and turned it into a complete SEO powerhouse.
For all you WooCommerce users out there, Rank Math is a game-changer. It’s got a bunch of dedicated features like on-page SEO and product schema that are crucial if you want your online store to climb those search rankings. I’ll dive into those goodies a bit later, so stick around.
Now, Rank Math does have a premium version, but honestly, the free one is solid for most basic SEO needs.
If you do decide to upgrade, the prices won’t make your wallet cry—they’re actually the cheapest I’ve seen on the market.
Let’s switch gears and talk about WooCommerce for a second. It’s basically an add-on for WordPress that lets you set up an online store. As of 2024, it’s holding its own with a 20.1% market share, right behind big names like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix.
Since WooCommerce is just a plugin for WordPress, you’ve got a ton of options when it comes to other plugins for setting up and optimizing your store.
Rank Math is one of those plugins that takes care of the SEO side of things for you.
I’ve already covered all of Rank Math’s features and how to set it up on your site in another article. You can check that out by clicking the link below.
In this piece, I’m going to zero in on the WooCommerce-specific settings and features of Rank Math. So, let’s get to it.
Rank Math Set Up Process for Your WooCommerce Store
Setting up Rank Math for your WooCommerce store is simple, let me tell you.
If you already have a WooCommerce store and are installing Rank Math, the initial setup wizard will take care of nearly half the work for you, including setting up titles, meta descriptions, and integrating with Google Search Console.
As for the rest of the features, all you’ve gotta do is head over to the Rank Math SEO options on the sidebar and toggle them on. It’s seriously that easy.
Once you’ve got Rank Math installed, all you need to do is head over to the Rank Math SEO dashboard and turn on the WooCommerce option.
Boom—as soon as you do that, you’ll unlock a whole slew of WooCommerce-specific settings and features. It’s like Rank Math just knew exactly what you needed.
I’ve got to hand it to the folks at Rank Math, they really made this process super user-friendly.
No complicated setup, no headaches—just smooth sailing for your WooCommerce SEO optimization.
Trust me, once you get Rank Math working its magic, you’re going to wonder how you ever lived without it.
Optimize Your WooCommerce Store with Rank Math
Alright, let’s talk about how you can use Rank Math to optimize your WooCommerce store. Buckle up, because this plugin is loaded with features that are perfect for e-commerce sites.
Here we go:
1. Adding Schema Markup for Products
Let me tell you about schema markup—it’s like a secret language for search engines. It helps them understand what’s on your website way better than they would otherwise.
And guess what? Rank Math makes this easy with its built-in schema markup option for products.
So, how do you set it up? It’s very easy. Most of the time, Rank Math is smart enough to figure out when you’re listing a product and will automatically apply the right schema.
But don’t worry if it misses the mark—you can always jump in and tweak it yourself. Just head to the schema markup options and select ‘product schema’. Simple, right?
Rank Math doesn’t stop there. It’ll automatically grab any “Product Review” and “Product Rating” info you’ve got and add it to the schema.
Now, if you’re just starting out and don’t have any reviews or ratings yet, don’t sweat it. Google might throw up a little warning, but it’s no big deal.
As soon as you start getting some real customer feedback, that warning will vanish.
I’ve got to say, this feature really takes the headache out of optimizing your product pages for search engines.
It’s one of those things that makes me love using Rank Math for my online store. Give it a try—I think you’ll love it too.
1.1. GTIN, ISBN & MPN Schema
Let’s chat about some extra product info you can add to your schema—GTIN, ISBN, and MPN. Don’t worry if these sound like alphabet soup; I’ll break it down for you.
If your products have these numbers (like barcode numbers or book codes), you can totally add them to your product details. Rank Math’s product schema will pick them up automatically.
Now, here’s the thing—not all products have these numbers, and that’s totally fine. Google might throw up a little warning if you don’t have them, but don’t let that freak you out.
If your product doesn’t have this info, you can just ignore the warning. It’s just Google being Google, looking for data that doesn’t exist for your product.
Here’s the best part: not having this data won’t hurt your SEO one bit. As long as you’re including all the other relevant info in your schema, you’re golden. It’s all about working with what you’ve got.
So don’t stress if you can’t fill in every single field. Just focus on adding all the details you do have, and let Rank Math do its thing.
Trust me, your product pages will still be in great shape for search engines to understand and rank.
1.2. Brand Schema
Let’s talk about brand schemas and why they’re important for your online store.
You know how Google likes to keep us on our toes? Well, they’ll actually send you a warning if you forget to mention your product’s brand in the search console. Don’t worry though, it’s an easy fix with Rank Math.
When you’re setting up your brand schema in Rank Math, you’ve got plenty of options to play with. You can use tags, categories, or even details like colour, material, or product type to define your brand. It’s pretty flexible.
Now, if you’re selling your own branded products, I’ve got a nice trick for you. Just add a little snippet of code (mentioned below) to your function.php file, and it’ll override Rank Math’s default brand option. Trust me, it’s simpler than it sounds.
// Add Brand for Products.
add_filter( 'rank_math/snippet/rich_snippet_product_entity', function( $entity ) {
$entity['brand'] = 'MasteryBloging';
return $entity;
});
Remember, taking care of these details can make a big difference in how your products show up in search results. So give it a shot and see how it goes.
2. Simplify Your URLs by Removing the Base
Want to clean up those clunky product URLs? If yes, then this feature is for you.
By default, WooCommerce adds prefixes like “Shop” or “Product” to your product URLs. But you don’t have to keep them. You can easily remove these prefixes to make your URLs shorter, simpler, and more memorable.
Let’s say you’re selling a cool gadget at sanu.com/shop/awesome-gadget. With this tweak, you can trim it down to just sanu.com/awesome-gadget. Looks better, right?
Don’t worry about SEO either — this change won’t hurt your rankings. In fact, these tidier URLs can actually make shopping easier for your customers. They’ll have an easier time remembering and sharing your product links. After all, who doesn’t love a clean, easy-to-remember link?
So why not give it a try? Your products deserve to shine with clean, simple URLs that get straight to the point.
2.1. Remove Category Base
Want to clean up your product URLs? Rank Math’s “Remove Category Base” feature does just that. It gets rid of the clunky “Product-Category” part in your product links.
Let’s say you’re selling shoes, and your current URL looks like this: sanu.com/shop/product-category/shoes/sample-product
Pretty long, right? Turn on this feature, and voila. Your link becomes: sanu.com/shop/shoes/sample-product
Much neater and easier on the eyes, don’t you think? It’s a simple change that can make your online store look more professional and user-friendly.
2.2. Get Rid of the Parent Slug
This option lets you ditch that extra category folder in your product links. Confused?
Let’s say you have a product called “Sample Product” currently listed under “Shoes” on your site. The URL might look like this:
sanu.com/shoes/sample-product.
With this option turned on, bam. The URL gets shorter and sweeter: sanu.com/sample-product.
2.3. Hide the WooCommerce Generator Tag
By default, WooCommerce adds a meta tag to your product pages that shows the WooCommerce version you’re using. Turning on this option removes that tag, which helps keep your site more secure.
2.4. Turn Off Schema Markup for the Shop and Category Pages
We’ve noticed that the shop and category pages don’t really have enough details for a proper product or page schema setup. So, let’s keep things simple and turn off the schema for these pages.
It’s actually pretty easy to do—just look at the screenshot above and select the option I’ve highlighted. This will make your site run smoother and avoid any confusing signals for search engines. Plus, it’ll save you a headache down the road.
3. Product Focus Keyword
Want to focus on specific keywords for your products?
You can easily add multiple keywords and tailor your content to match them. Need help finding the right keywords? Rank Math’s Content AI tool can suggest some great options for you.
4. Product Meta Title
With Rank Math, you can easily write and optimize your product’s meta title. The Content AI tool is there to help you come up with an effective title that stands out. Don’t forget to include your main keyword in the title—it’ll give your product page a nice SEO boost.
5. Product Meta Description
Just like with your product’s meta title, it’s a good idea to add a meta description and optimize it using Content AI. You can naturally include your keywords in the description, but be careful not to overdo it—too many keywords can hurt your SEO.
If you’re curious about nailing your meta titles and descriptions, I’ve got a great article that breaks down all the best practices. It’s a quick read and packed with helpful tips.
6. On-Page SEO for WooCommerce Products
Rank Math offers the same great features for WooCommerce products as it does for blogs. Here’s what Rank Math checks to boost your product’s on-page SEO:
- Including focus keywords in your title and meta description.
- Keeping your URL short, under 160 characters, with focus keywords.
- Placing the focus keyword at the beginning of your content.
- Writing a product description that’s at least 600 words long.
- Using product schema to help search engines understand your product better.
- Adding the focus keyword to your image ALT tags.
- Maintaining good keyword density throughout your content.
- Leveraging Content AI to fine-tune your writing.
- Encouraging product reviews and ratings.
- Using power words in your title to grab attention.
- Breaking up your product description into short, easy-to-read paragraphs.
- Adding photos and videos to make your product stand out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rank Math, and how does it benefit my WooCommerce store?
Rank Math is an SEO plugin for WordPress that helps optimize your WooCommerce store by offering features like on-page SEO analysis, schema markup, and automated optimization suggestions.
How do I install and set up Rank Math for my WooCommerce store?
To install Rank Math, go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, search for Rank Math, and click Install Now. After activation, follow the setup wizard to configure the basic settings and connect your store with Google Search Console.
What are the key settings to configure in Rank Math for WooCommerce optimization?
Key settings include configuring product schema markup, setting up XML sitemaps for your products, optimizing meta titles and descriptions for product pages, and enabling breadcrumbs for better navigation.
How can I optimize product pages using Rank Math?
Rank Math allows you to customize meta titles and descriptions for each product, add focus keywords, and analyze the content for SEO improvements. Use these features to make your product pages more appealing to search engines and users.
How do I use Rank Math’s SEO analysis for WooCommerce products?
Rank Math’s SEO analysis tool evaluates your product pages for SEO best practices, providing actionable recommendations to improve keyword usage, readability, and overall optimization.
What is schema markup and why is it important for my WooCommerce store?
Schema markup helps search engines understand the content of your product pages, including price, availability, and reviews. Rank Math automatically adds schema markup to your products, enhancing how they appear in search results.
How can I use Rank Math’s XML sitemaps feature for my WooCommerce store?
An XML sitemap helps search engines crawl and index your site more effectively. Rank Math automatically generates and updates your sitemap, ensuring that all your product pages are included and easily discoverable.
Is Rank Math compatible with all WooCommerce themes?
Yes, Rank Math is generally compatible with most WooCommerce themes.
Can Rank Math help me with local SEO for my WooCommerce store?
Yes, Rank Math includes local SEO features that allow you to add local business information, and optimize for local searches.
How can I track the performance of my WooCommerce store’s SEO efforts using Rank Math?
Rank Math integrates with Google Search Console, allowing you to track key metrics such as impressions, clicks, and rankings. You can view these insights directly in your WordPress dashboard.
Can I use Rank Math’s free version to optimize my WooCommerce store, or do I need the premium version?
Yes, you can use Rank Math’s free version to optimize your WooCommerce store. It offers essential features like SEO analysis, schema markup, and sitemaps. However, the premium version provides advanced tools and additional support for more comprehensive optimization.
Can Rank Math help improve my WooCommerce store’s loading speed?
While Rank Math focuses on SEO, optimizing loading speed often involves additional strategies such as caching and image optimization. However, Rank Math can indirectly contribute by improving overall SEO performance, which can positively affect user experience and site speed.
Wrap-up: Optimize Your WooCommerce Store With Rank Math
Before we wrap this up, I’ve got to say that Rank Math is a must-have tool for WooCommerce stores. It packs more features than even the pricey options out there, which is pretty impressive.
The free version does a solid job, but if you really want to unlock Rank Math’s full potential, I’d recommend going for a premium plan. It’s worth it if you’re serious about maximizing your store’s performance.
That’s all for today.
If you enjoyed this guide, I’d love it if you could share it on your social media. Also, don’t forget to check out these other guides too—I think you’ll find them pretty helpful.