Fixing Common SFCC Technical SEO Issues: A Complete Guide

What is SFCC's SEO Architecture?

When you're working with Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC), understanding how it structures your website is key to getting SEO right. SFCC has its own way of managing URLs, page layouts, and meta information, and if you don't pay attention, small technical flaws can silently eat away your rankings.

At its core, SFCC uses a dynamic URL system — this means URLs are often generated with query parameters, category hierarchies, or search filters. That’s convenient for a storefront, but for search engines? Not always ideal.

You might end up with multiple URLs leading to the same content. That’s where canonical tags come in — they tell Google which version is the “real” one. Similarly, the Business Manager tool in SFCC lets you set meta titles and descriptions, but you need to manually ensure they’re unique and meaningful.

Also, you’ll want to keep an eye on how your faceted navigation is behaving. If it’s not configured right, it can generate thousands of thin, duplicate pages — not great for SEO.

Here is the image illustrates how SFCC structures URLs, uses canonical tags, and assigns meta data to control page indexing and avoid duplicate content.

With that foundation in place, let’s now move on to the most common SEO issues in SFCC and how you can fix them.

Common Technical SEO Issues in SFCC and Their Fixes

Now that you understand how SFCC’s SEO setup works, let’s dive into the real stuff—the common technical SEO issues you’re most likely to face on your SFCC site, and more importantly, how to fix them without pulling your hair out. Whether it's duplicate content, slow pages, or weird URLs, we’ve got you covered—step by step.

1. Duplicate Content

Let’s start with a common but sneaky SEO problem in SFCC—duplicate content. Now you might think, “Why would my site have duplicate pages if I didn’t create them?” The answer lies in how SFCC handles faceted navigation—those handy filters for size, color, brand, etc.—which create multiple versions of the same product or category page.

Here’s the thing: every time a user selects a filter, SFCC adds parameters to the URL (like ?color=red&size=large). These variations look different to search engines, even if the page content is nearly identical. That’s when Google gets confused, and your SEO ranking takes a hit.

This image shows how multiple filtered URLs (like size or color) are consolidated into one clean product page using a canonical tag.

So what do you do?

First, canonical tags are your best friend. They tell search engines, “Hey, this is the main version of the page. Index only this one.” Add these to your templates so filtered or parameterized URLs always point back to the core page.

Next, use “noindex” tags on low-value or filtered pages that don’t need to appear in search results. This keeps your site clean and focused.

Don’t skip regular audits either. Tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs can help you spot duplicates before they hurt your visibility.

2. Parameterized URLs and Crawl Waste

Let’s say your SFCC store uses filters like size, color, or sort options—each one adds a unique parameter to your URL. Now multiply that by all products and all filter combinations. Suddenly, you’ve got hundreds or thousands of extra URLs… all pointing to very similar content.

This is where crawl waste begins. Search engines like Google end up crawling these unnecessary variations instead of spending their time on your most important pages. Sounds inefficient, right? Because it is.

Your first step is to decide which URLs actually matter. Do you want search engines to index filter combinations? Probably not. In most cases, these URLs offer little standalone value and just clutter the index.

So what do you do?

You define which parameters should be crawled—and which ones shouldn’t. Google Search Console allows you to configure this under URL Parameters. Use that to tell Google what’s important.

Then, in your robots.txt, block crawling of known non-valuable parameters like ?sort=, ?prefn1=, etc.

But don’t stop there. Use canonical tags on parameterized URLs to signal the original, clean version of the page.

Platforms like seorce.com make this easier. Their AI-enhanced platform scans your site, flags crawl inefficiencies, and lets you fix them fast—without the guesswork.

Here’s what else helps:

• Run regular crawl simulations to monitor how bots navigate your site
• Use breadcrumb links to help bots rediscover deeper pages
• Audit indexed pages to find low-value URLs already in search results

Controlling crawl behavior isn’t about blocking access—it’s about guiding search engines toward what really matters.

3. Pagination and Infinite Scroll Issues

When your SFCC store has hundreds of products, how do users get to page 5 or 10 of the product list? If you’re using infinite scroll or poor pagination, chances are—search engines never get there.

SFCC stores often rely on JavaScript-based infinite scroll, which looks great for users but can be a roadblock for search engine crawlers. They simply don’t scroll like humans do. So even if your products exist on the page, they might never get indexed.

Now here’s where it gets tricky. You might think: “Okay, but I have next-page buttons too!” That’s good—but are they HTML links or just dynamic elements? If the next button doesn’t have a proper href link, crawlers can’t follow it.

On the left, you’ll see how an infinite scroll looks smooth to users but creates dead ends for bots. On the right, there’s classic pagination—pages with numbered links that search engines can actually follow.

This contrast shows exactly why your products might not be showing up in search results.

To fix this, make sure you use static, crawlable pagination links like ?page=2, ?page=3, etc. These help bots find and index your deeper pages.

You should also add rel="next" and rel="prev" tags in your page headers. These tags help Google understand the relationship between paginated pages and treat them as a single logical series instead of separate pages.

And if you're set on using infinite scroll, do it the smart way—combine it with a paginated fallback. That means having proper numbered URLs in the background even while users scroll seamlessly.

This one fix can drastically improve product discovery through search, especially for medium-to-large SFCC stores.

4. Thin Content on Product Pages

When was the last time you landed on a product page that told you nothing useful? Maybe just a product name, a generic spec sheet, and that’s it. If you're running an SFCC store, this might be happening more than you think.

Now here’s the issue — thin content. It’s when a page doesn’t offer enough valuable information for either the user or the search engine. And in the world of SEO, that’s a big problem. Why? Because Google sees those bare-bones pages as low quality — and often pushes them far down the rankings.

If your product pages have nothing more than the product title, price, and a single-line description, you’re missing a huge opportunity. You need content that engages, answers questions, and helps users make a decision. That’s what makes Google happy — and more importantly, your potential buyer too.

To visualize what we mean, see the image below for a quick comparison of a thin vs. optimized product page.

So, how do you fix it? Start with a decision: Do you want better rankings and longer on-page time? Then here’s what you should add to each product page:

• Unique, well-written product descriptions
• A short FAQ section answering common queries
• Customer reviews and ratings
• Internal links to relevant collections or blog posts
• Trust-building elements like return policies or delivery timelines

Once you make these additions, you’ll see your pages become richer, more helpful — and more visible in search results.

And remember, SEO is not just about visibility — it’s about value. Give your users a reason to stay.

5. Slow Page Load Times

Now, let’s talk about something that silently kills your SEO—slow page load times. You might think your site looks great, but if it takes more than a few seconds to load, both users and search engines will lose interest fast. On SFCC, this issue is even more common because of how dynamic and media-heavy the storefront can be.

The first thing you need to understand is what’s slowing you down. It’s usually a mix of things—large image files that aren't compressed, JavaScript files loading all at once, or unnecessary CSS that's being pulled in even when it's not needed. Sounds familiar? The problem isn't just about aesthetics. It directly affects your bounce rate, mobile usability, and how often search engines crawl your site.

So, how do you fix it? Start with image optimization. Compress your product and banner images without losing quality. Add lazy loading so that images load only when they appear on the screen. This cuts down initial load time dramatically.

Next, look at your scripts. You don’t need all your JavaScript to run as soon as the page opens. Use defer or async attributes to load them after the main content. Also, minify your CSS and JS files to remove extra bloat.

Lastly, make sure your SFCC site uses a solid content delivery network (CDN). This helps serve your assets faster by bringing them closer to your users geographically.

Fixing load time isn’t just a technical tweak—it’s a serious SEO win.

6. Improper Use of Canonical Tags

Canonical tags are one of those behind-the-scenes tools that quietly do a lot of SEO heavy lifting—when used correctly. In SFCC, it’s common for a single product to exist under multiple URLs, thanks to filters, sorting, or even marketing links. Each of those URLs can technically show the same content, which puts your site at risk for duplicate content penalties.

Search engines don't like confusion. If they see the same content under different URLs, they may not know which one to rank—or worse, they may split your ranking power across several versions. That’s where canonical tags step in. They signal the “master” version of a page to search engines so that only that URL gets indexed and credited.

Below you’ll see how different versions of the same product page (e.g., sorted by price or filtered by color) can all use canonical tags to point back to one primary, clean URL. This helps search engines understand which version matters—and which ones to ignore.

In many SFCC setups, though, these tags are either missing or pointing to the wrong URL. That means search engines might index a filtered or secondary version of your product page instead of the clean, primary one.

To fix this, you’ll want to add logic in your ISML templates that generates a canonical tag dynamically. 

If the page is a filtered view, it should point to the main unfiltered version. 

If it’s already clean, let it self-reference. This ensures consistency and consolidates SEO value.

7. Missing or Duplicate Meta Tags

When you're working on technical SEO in Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC), one of the most overlooked but critical problems is missing or duplicate meta tags. 

Now, why should this concern you? Because meta tags—specifically titles and descriptions—are what search engines use to understand and display your pages in results. If multiple pages have the same title or description, or worse, none at all, you're essentially blending unique content into a generic blob that search engines can't distinguish.

In SFCC, this usually happens when product or category pages are generated using the same templates. Without dynamic logic, they often pull the same meta values—or leave them blank. So, your organic visibility starts to weaken, and click-through rates take a hit.

To fix this, you’ll need a two-pronged approach:

• First, use dynamic variables like ${pdict.Product.name}, ${pdict.Product.brand}, or even inventory or pricing attributes to auto-generate meaningful, page-specific meta tags. This ensures scale and consistency.
• Second, offer overrides in Business Manager. This is for pages that need a more curated touch—like your bestsellers or seasonal campaigns. Giving merchandisers the option to manually update meta tags creates flexibility without compromising structure.

So the goal is simple: make every page’s metadata as unique and relevant as the content itself. That way, search engines see your site as organized, valuable, and worth ranking.

8. Orphan Pages

Orphan pages are those lonely pages on your SFCC site that aren’t linked from anywhere else. They exist, but search engines can’t easily find them because no other page points to them. If a bot can’t discover the page, it won’t get indexed—and that means it won’t show up in search results, no matter how good the content is.

Now think about it—if you’ve got high-quality product or landing pages sitting in isolation, you’re missing out on visibility and traffic. 

The first step is identifying these pages. Tools like Seorce.com can help here—it crawls your entire site and flags orphan pages along with recommendations on how to fix them. You can even pair this with its ranking and backlink tracking to see which of these hidden pages are already valuable.

Once you’ve got the list, it’s time to act. Ask yourself: where should this page live in your site’s structure? Can you link to it from a category page, homepage, or within blog content?

Internal linking doesn’t just help SEO—it improves user navigation too. 

So, every time you publish a new page, make sure it’s part of the network. A well-linked page is an SEO asset; an orphan one is just invisible potential.

9. Mobile Usability Errors

When you're managing an SFCC storefront, mobile usability isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-first indexing, which means your site's mobile version is what gets evaluated first. If that version isn't up to the mark, your rankings can quietly take a hit.

So, how do you know there’s a problem? You might start seeing issues like buttons that are too close together, text that's hard to read, or pages that don’t fit well on smaller screens. These might seem like small hiccups, but they create friction for your users—and search engines notice that.

To fix this, first check your viewport settings. If your pages aren’t scaling correctly, it’s often because the meta viewport tag is missing or misconfigured. This tag tells browsers how to adjust the page's dimensions and scaling on mobile devices. Without it, your design might look fine on a desktop but break completely on a phone.

Next, pay close attention to how touch elements behave. Are your CTA buttons easy to tap without accidentally hitting something else? Spacing matters here—your mobile design should feel spacious, not cramped.

Also, make sure your fonts are readable on smaller screens. Stick with clear, legible typography and avoid tiny font sizes. Even a great offer loses impact if users have to zoom in just to read it.

Finally, don’t guess—test. Run pages through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to catch what you might’ve missed. It gives you clear, actionable insights so you’re not flying blind when it comes to mobile SEO.

10. Incomplete Structured Data

Structured data is one of those behind-the-scenes tools that quietly boosts your SEO—especially on an SFCC site. If you’ve ever noticed some products on Google showing star ratings, price, or “in stock” labels right on the results page, that’s the magic of structured data.

Now here’s where many SFCC stores go wrong: they either skip schema markup or use it improperly. This leaves search engines guessing what your product pages are all about—and if Google can’t interpret your content clearly, it won’t reward you with rich results. And that’s a major SEO advantage lost.

The solution is straightforward. Use JSON-LD to implement essential schemas like Product, BreadcrumbList, and Review. 

The Product schema helps search engines identify the core product info—its name, price, brand, and stock status. BreadcrumbList shows how a page fits into your site’s structure, while Review and Rating schemas add that social proof users love.

Below is an image showing the difference between a standard search result and one enhanced by structured data.

On the left, you’ll see a regular listing—just a link and description. On the right, notice how much richer the result looks with added elements like price, star ratings, and stock info. These enhancements directly result from using proper schema markup.

Now, how do you apply this in SFCC? Work within your ISML templates and inject these schema blocks near the product details. And once done, don’t guess—test. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to ensure your markup works.

The payoff? Higher click-through rates and better visibility—without changing a single product description.

Best Practices for SFCC Technical SEO

Now that we've tackled the common issues, let’s shift gears and look at some smart best practices to keep your SFCC site technically sound and SEO-ready, day in and day out.

1. Implementing Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Structured data is your way of telling search engines exactly what your page is about—clearly and precisely. 

In SFCC, this matters a lot, especially when you’re trying to make your products stand out on search results.

Think of it as giving Google a cheat sheet using special code called schema markup. Instead of guessing, search engines instantly recognize details like product name, price, availability, and ratings.

You should use JSON-LD format (that’s what Google prefers) and add it directly into your product and category page templates. Focus on types like Product, Review, and BreadcrumbList. These help your listings show rich results—like star ratings and pricing—which makes your store look more trustworthy and clickable.

Don’t rely only on out-of-the-box setups. Customize the schema to match your product data. And if you’re using SFRA, you can easily slot this into the ISML templates or through controllers that render the HTML.

2. Mobile Optimization

If your SFCC store isn't optimized for mobile, you're already falling behind. Google uses the mobile version of your site to determine search rankings. That means if your mobile experience is poor, your SEO takes a direct hit.

So, what should you focus on first? Make sure your site uses responsive design. SFCC’s SFRA framework supports this well, but you still need to test each page across different screen sizes. Look at how the layout adjusts. Is it easy to tap buttons? Can users read the text without zooming?

Next, reduce anything that slows down the mobile version—like oversized images or pop-ups that block the screen. Keep your navigation simple and product pages clean. Focus on fast loading and smooth scrolling.

Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is a great tool here. Run your URLs through it regularly and fix the issues it flags. This small step keeps your site user-first and SEO-friendly.

In short, think about how your customer shops on their phone—and make sure that experience is effortless, because that’s what Google cares about too.

3. Site Speed Enhancements

Site speed isn’t just about fast loading—it’s about keeping users on your site and making sure search engines don’t penalize you. If your SFCC store takes too long to load, people leave, conversions drop, and rankings slip. That’s a real loss you can’t afford.

So, how do you fix it? Start by compressing your JavaScript and CSS files—this reduces file size without losing functionality. 

Then, look at your images. Are they unnecessarily large or uncompressed? Use modern formats like WebP and lazy-load them so they don’t all load at once.

Next, leverage SFCC’s page caching features to serve repeat visitors faster. Combine that with a CDN to distribute content globally and cut down load time, especially during traffic spikes. Also, defer non-essential scripts so they don’t block the critical parts of your page.

Speed improvements don’t just help SEO—they boost your entire shopping experience. And that’s what keeps people coming back.

4. Regular SEO Audits

Regular SEO audits in SFCC aren’t just good practice—they’re essential. Why? Because things break quietly. Pages go missing, redirects fail, duplicate content slips in. Without an audit, you won’t know until rankings drop or Google flags issues.

You should review technical areas like crawl errors, index status, broken links, and canonical tags. Use tools like Google Search Console for crawl insights and something like Screaming Frog to scan for structural issues.

SFCC also generates backend logs—go through them to catch slow pages, template errors, or broken ISML components.

Audits help you stay ahead, not react later. You don’t need to check everything daily. But every few weeks, scan your product URLs, review your metadata, and test site speed.

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s consistency. The fewer surprises Google sees, the more it trusts your site. That trust adds up to better rankings, smoother performance, and fewer SEO headaches in the long run.

Ready to Fix SEO Fast and Smart? Try Seorce Today

Fixing technical SEO issues in SFCC can feel overwhelming—but once you understand the core problems and how to solve them, it becomes manageable. You don’t need to fix everything at once. Instead, focus on what affects your site’s visibility the most.

Start by cleaning up duplicate content, speeding up your pages, and improving your crawlability. As you go deeper, tools become your best friend.

That’s where Seorce helps—it's the SEO platform built for scale, speed, and precision. You can track rankings, analyze backlinks, generate content, and fix issues—all in one AI-powered dashboard. 

So, are you ready to streamline your SEO workflow? Give it a try and see the difference.

FAQs

1. Why does SFCC create so many duplicate URLs?

SFCC’s faceted navigation and filtering create multiple versions of the same page with different URL parameters. These variations confuse search engines. Using canonical tags and setting “noindex” on unimportant filter pages helps search engines focus only on the main, important pages.

2. Can I control which SFCC pages get indexed by Google?

Yes. You can control this using robots.txt and meta robots tags. These tools tell Google which pages to crawl or skip. Use them to block low-value pages like search results or internal filters that don’t help SEO.

3. How do I fix slow page loading in SFCC stores?

Slow speed often comes from large files and unoptimized images. Compress JavaScript, CSS, and images. Use lazy loading for product pictures. A CDN (Content Delivery Network) can also speed up delivery of content to users across different regions.

4. Why are my SFCC pages not showing rich results in Google?

Rich results need structured data like schema markup. If you don’t add correct JSON-LD or microdata, Google won’t show extra info like ratings or prices. Use SFCC page templates to add product schema, breadcrumb schema, and review schema correctly.

5. What’s the best way to keep SFCC SEO healthy long-term?

Do regular SEO audits. Tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog help find broken links, missing tags, and duplicate pages. Fix problems early. Also, update content, check site speed, and keep your mobile experience smooth for better SEO results over time.