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campdave:

It's a major regret of mine that I didn't put enough effort into SEO when I started my site a few years ago and got to the point where I have 2600 products that may need updating.

With regard to this...

There are (fundamentally) TWO facets of so-called "SEO".

Personally I hate the term. Pick it apart and you soon realise it is a vacuous bit of terminology.

The FIRST facet is what I call TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY. This relates to how the "digital architecture" of the site is configured. Basically, it deals with how "up-to-date" and "compliant" the website's technology is, relative to what search engines "prefer", or "favour". It means having a site that comprises all the most important compliances, and the embedded functionality to deliver user efficiency for both PEOPLE, and for technical "archives" (like search engines).

The SECOND facet of "SEO" is what I call INTELLECTUAL EFFICIENCY. This relates to how one leverages the technology to gain "traction" on the world-wide-web. It is about issues like CONTENT, and GOOD IMAGES, relevant BACK LINKS, relevant SOCIAL NETWORKING, and the constant attention to the UX. In other words, what makes the site attractive and pleasant to use. It's more about HUMAN elements than the functional technology driving the site.

So... the FIRST thing that one needs to consider is TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY, because if this is not in place, no amount of INTELLECTUAL EFFICIENCY will compensate for clunky technology.

Today, of course, there are key issues to consider:-
Mobile Friendliness
Semantic Understanding (See schema.org and Googles own Structured Data Protocols)
Pagespeed
Technical Compliance and Validation (use of up-to-date versions of protocols and software).
Search Engines' Interpretation of Page Rendering (See various tools in your Google Search Console - such as "Fetch and Render").

By making sure that the TECHNLOGY accomplishes all these key parameters, you can then focus on the INTELLECTUAL elements - such as good product data and images, good stories to post on blogs and social media, RSS feeds to feedburner, and a whole lot of other "white-hat" activities that help gain traction.

If you have proper technology in place, you have more time to do the intellectual stuff, knowing that when Google sees your site, it will at the very least award good marks for technical efficiency.

By then focusing on the intellectual elements, you can actually "forget" about Google... Focus on what PEOPLE need and want. As page visits increase, so the search engine will take note, and the rise in ranking is incidental.