SEO for Publishers -The Discovery Checklist

26 February 2026
eCommerce insights
A graphic of a website homepage with a sitewide banner and a book carousel.

If you want to get more books to more readers (don’t we all?) then you’ll need to make sure that your shopfront – that is, your website – is easy to find! This means focusing on your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). The better your SEO, the easier it will be to showcase your eCommerce. SEO for publishers doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be tailored.

The way you approach it will be dependent on your audience – how you are currently reaching your readers, and how you want to be reaching them. SEO as a whole also varies with trends, as shown by the changes that are already happening with the rise of AEO  (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). The suggestions below can be implemented to help keep your site healthy and discoverable after launch.

The SEO checklist:

 ✅ Mobile-friendly design 

  • Google looks at the mobile version first, and so do most web users. If your site works well on phones and tablets, it helps your visibility.
  • Check that menus, text, and images resize properly and that forms are easy to use on a phone.
  • Open a few pages on your phone – can you read content without zooming? Can you tap links easily?

✅ Keyword optimisation

  • Each page should clearly answer one main topic or question so search engines and readers know what it’s about.
  • Pick one main keyword/phrase per page and use it naturally in:
  •   the page title
  •   headings (use a question as an H2 if it helps)
  •   the first short paragraph
  • Don’t stuff keywords – write for people first.

✅ Meta titles & descriptions

  • These are what users see in search results, so they impact whether people click through.
  • Make every page’s title and meta description unique and clear about the benefit of the page.
  • Title: keep it short and focused (think ‘What this page is about, who it’s for’).
  • Meta description: 1–2 short sentences that sell the page’s value and invite a click.

✅ Header structure

  • Clear headings make pages easier to scan for readers and clearer for search engines.
  • Use one H1 (the main page title), then H2 for sections, H3 for subsections. Keep headings descriptive and helpful.

✅ Internal linking

  • Links between your own pages guide readers and help search engines understand which pages are important.
  • From related pages, add links that help users discover more (e.g., from an author page to their books). Use clear link text (avoid ‘click here’).

✅ Image optimisation

  • Images that load quickly and have descriptive alt text both help accessibility and site speed.
  • Add short descriptive alt text that explains the image (use keywords naturally if relevant).
  • Compress images so they load quickly – most image editors or CMS tools do this automatically.

✅ Track performance

  • You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
  • Set up and check Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Look for which pages get visitors, which search queries bring traffic, and any site issues flagged by Search Console.

Performance tracking and SEO tools:

🛠️ For performance & monitoring: 

  • Google PageSpeed Insights, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Trends – all free and essential.

🛠️ Keyword research & competitor checks: 

  • Ubersuggest – easy to use and often thought of as a light alternative to larger tools.

🛠️ Content creation & optimisation:

  • Outrank AI –  helps suggest topics and edits.

🛠️Technical help:

  •  Alli AI – useful for technical suggestions you can pass to your web team.

🛠️ All-round tracker & audits:

  •  Moz – a solid option for rank tracking, site audits, keyword research, often seen as a lighter version of Semrush. 
  • Semrush – a comprehensive tool that comes with great support. 

🛠️CMS plugins:

  • Most CMS platforms have SEO plugins such as Yoast that add simple controls for titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps and basic checks. If you’re not using one, we’d highly recommend it – they provide an easy way of managing your SEO and are typically extremely user-friendly, offering content analysis and guidance. 

Navigating AEO and GEO:

More readers are getting answers from AI tools that summarise search results. However, even if people don’t click, being cited builds your brand and can drive more searches for your books or authors. For example, if you are already ranking on the first page of search engine results, your content has up to a 25% chance of making it into AI summaries. Below are some suggestions that aim to keep you visible.

  • Add short, clear answers near the top of pages for common questions (think: a 1–3 sentence summary). These are the bits AI systems often pull.
  • Create visible FAQ sections on pages with common questions and short answers. You don’t have to be technical with this, but if you do want to go further, you can ask your web team to markup those FAQs so search engines understand them.
  •  For book pages, include clear facts (author, ISBN, publication date) in an easy-to-read list or box – AI systems like discrete facts.

Maintenance suggestions:

SEO is an iterative process, and particularly for eCommerce sites, where there are fewer pages but often hundreds or even thousands of products, maintaining your site (for example, regularly indexing to ensure that all content is visible to crawlers) is important. Below are some maintenance suggestions: 

  • Weekly (15–30 mins): Check Search Console for any urgent messages; glance at the top 5 pages’ traffic.
  • Monthly (1–2 hours): Update titles/meta for any pages that got less traffic than expected; refresh 3–5 pages with new facts or short summaries.
  • Quarterly: Conduct a site health review (sitemap, indexing). Refresh seasonal content and promotion pages.
  •  Yearly: Full content and SEO audit – check keyword strategy, competitor activity, and update older pages.
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