SEO: How to Improve eCommerce SEO with a Content Quality Audit with Ian Ferguson (episode 267)
by Chloe ThomasIan Ferguson is a Freelance SEO consultant, specialising in helping eCommerce brands to grow their revenue from organic search. He’s been improving SEO performance for over 15 years getting deep into technical SEO optimisation, on-page experience and lots of data crunching!
In this episode, he shares why cleaning up your site might be the smartest SEO move you make this year.
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Dive in:
[05:41] User Experience Over Quick SEO Wins
[08:30] Guiding Principles for Google SEO
[10:16] SEO Strategies Beyond Ranking
[13:55] Streamline Outdated Website Content
[19:03] “Obsolete SEO Tactics Explained”
[21:27] Optimising Content for AI Visibility
[23:17] Streamline Content; Avoid Off-Topic Posts
[27:36] Insider Tips from Ian!
SEO Should Be a Byproduct of Great User Experience
Good SEO today isn’t about tricks—it’s about building a great site for your customers. Google rewards pages that load fast, are easy to navigate, and help the shopper. If you’re doing things “just for SEO,” you’re probably heading in the wrong direction. Every change to your site should make it better for users, not just bots. Think of SEO as the reward for good eCommerce experience, not the goal itself.
Declutter Your Site with a Content Quality Audit
Old pages can drag down your whole site’s performance. That includes outdated blog posts, unused collection pages, and product pages that never get traffic. Ian suggests doing a full content audit to find and remove the bloat. Keeping only useful, well-performing content makes it easier for Google to trust your site. A leaner site helps you rank better and keeps your customers focused on what matters.
Don’t Rely on One Traffic Channel—Diversify Now
AI is changing how people find and interact with search results. If your store depends only on SEO, you’re at risk of losing visibility fast. Ian recommends building up other channels like email, paid search, and referral traffic. Make sure your site captures emails and integrates with social. That way, if Google traffic drops, your business still keeps moving forward.
Takeaways:
- Ian explains why effective SEO today must prioritize user experience, not just keyword tactics or technical tweaks.
- A content quality audit is often the best starting point, helping eCommerce brands identify and remove low-value pages that may be harming overall site performance.
- Outdated blog posts, unused collection pages, and thin product listings can all contribute to SEO bloat and should be deleted, consolidated, or updated.
- Google is rewarding focused, high-quality content—meaning brands should stay within their niche and avoid publishing irrelevant or off-topic material.
- Diversifying traffic sources is critical as AI-powered search features (like Google’s AI Overviews) reduce click-through rates from traditional organic listings.
Listen to hear Ian’s Insider Tips on SEO!
Interview Links:
- Visit us at Ferguseo
- Exclusive Offer: Get 20% off Ian’s Quality Content Audit—designed to identify which pages to keep, consolidate, remove, noindex, or delete. Just quote “Keep Optimising” in the contact form at ferguseo.com or mention it via email at ian@ferguseo.com.
- Ian on LinkedIn
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