SXO: How can you combine SEO and UX to boost your conversion rate?

Traffic acquisition is no longer enough. The online stores that succeed today are the ones that manage to turn their visitors into loyal customers. During a webinar organized by PrestaShop, Cyril Prouvot and Caroline Phillips from the agency Pic Digital outlined the fundamentals of SXO, an approach that reconciles organic search optimization and user experience. From technical best practices and product page optimization to adapting to new uses linked to artificial intelligence, the two experts shared a practical methodology that can be applied immediately in PrestaShop.

Traditional SEO: solid foundations

Organic search optimization remains the foundation of any acquisition strategy. Cyril points out that PrestaShop provides all the tools needed to build a flawless technical structure: technical performance, URL management, meta tags, and image descriptions. Internal linking is a key lever. Creating logical connections between product pages, blog posts, and related products helps Google’s crawlers better understand the site architecture.

Technical performance carries significant weight in algorithms. Google favors a lightweight and fast e-commerce site for reasons related to energy savings and data center space. A high-performing site will mechanically improve its rankings. But be careful: SEO is not a one-time exercise. It is an ongoing effort that requires constant monitoring with tools such as Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or SEMrush.

Among the often-overlooked points, Cyril stresses the quality of the code when applying a PrestaShop theme. Not all themes are technically equal, and an online merchant who installs a store independently does not always have the background needed to assess that quality. Semantic markup, image descriptions, accessibility, and a mobile-first approach complete the fundamentals.

User experience in service of conversion

The fewer clicks a visitor has to make before reaching the purchase stage, the higher the conversion rate. Caroline explains that the journey must be designed according to the sector: B2B codes differ from those of the luxury market, and expensive products are not sold the same way as low-cost ones.

CTAs must be crystal clear. Ergonomics also matter: a button must be recognizable on hover, and every interaction should feel natural. Pay close attention to critical points such as the product page, the cart, and the checkout flow. These friction areas must be optimized to become as simple as possible.

On the measurement side, several indicators reveal problems: time spent on pages, bounce rate, and user journeys. Google Analytics provides this basic data, while Hotjar goes further with heatmaps and full session recordings. Reviewing the path of an abandoned cart often highlights UX blockers.

SXO: the best of both worlds

SXO reconciles acquisition and conversion. Cyril insists that every decision must simultaneously integrate these two dimensions. Creating content only for Google is no longer enough. Measuring SEO performance without evaluating its ability to turn into orders amounts to generating traffic for nothing.

Caroline highlights a fundamental point: site structure and the navigation menu. Google has a limited crawl budget when visiting a site. Structuring the site architecture so that important pages are seen quickly without harming human navigation requires real thought. Temporary promotions, for example, should not push flagship products lower in the hierarchy.

Internal linking must remain consistent. CMS pages, product guides, and blog posts capture long-tail traffic, but they must systematically point back to product pages. Generating traffic without links to transactional pages makes no sense on an e-commerce site.

Product page: the priority landing page

For Cyril, the product page is the most important page in e-commerce. A visitor searching for a product on Google rarely lands on the homepage; they go directly to the product page. The product page should therefore be designed as a true landing page.

The title should therefore target long-tail queries: it must be descriptive and enriched with keywords. Listing only the reference number is not enough. Images should include detailed alt attributes, which Google especially values. The short description, often neglected, is actually the first thing read by both crawlers and humans and deserves special attention.

Trust signals are also a key element: shipping, returns, and warranties. This information answers the questions visitors ask when they discover a site for the first time and should be visible immediately.

The long description of a product page should be structured like a blog article: H1, H2, and H3 headings, tabs, and FAQ sections. These elements appeal to both search engines and AI systems. Cyril and Caroline recommend relying on AI modules available in PrestaShop add-ons to refine the writing. Integrating OpenAI or ChatGPT into the back office makes it possible to handle catalogs with several hundred SKUs while respecting SEO logic.

AI and GEO: the new layer of optimization

Caroline introduces the concept of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), the equivalent of SEO for engines based on artificial intelligence. The numbers help put things into perspective: Google processes 14 billion queries per day compared with 37 million for ChatGPT. AI is progressing quickly, but it is still far from replacing Google in actual usage. Even so, adapting a site so that it can be understood by both worlds is becoming a major long-term challenge.

AI search works differently. Google offers AI Overviews generated by Gemini that push organic results further down. ChatGPT works in a conversational mode and generates an answer without necessarily directing users back to websites. Hallucinations still sometimes occur despite the progress.

GEO does not replace SEO, but builds on it. AI platforms draw from content that already ranks well on Google. Caroline sums it up this way: no strong SEO, no GEO. GEO enriches traditional SEO with a few targeted adjustments that make it easier for content to be presented in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini. Schema.org markup becomes crucial so that AI can connect the content to the store.

Conclusion: toward hybrid optimization

Cyril and Caroline reminded us of an often-overlooked truth: a well-ranked site that does not convert generates no revenue. SXO addresses this issue by putting acquisition and conversion on the same level. PrestaShop offers the technical capabilities to make this possible, from URL management to internal linking, as well as AI modules to enrich product pages. The online stores investing in SXO today, while also preparing the ground for GEO, are building the foundations for lasting visibility. Search behavior is evolving, platforms are multiplying, but the fundamentals remain the same: a solid technical structure, rich content, and a smooth user journey.