Shopify is the backbone of numerous small businesses worldwide. It has over 2 million stores—which has grown by 201.53% in recent years. Renowned companies like Tesla and Pepsi also rely on Shopify for their online presence.
No matter which e-commerce platform you use, it’s not just about making things to sell. To do well, you have to know how to use SEO correctly. If you want your store to be at the top of a Google search, your stuff has to match what people are looking for.
To help you, we’ve created a simple step-by-step guide to optimize your Shopify store, even if you’re new to SEO.
Shopify SEO methods
Achieving a balanced blend of different SEO methods is the key to effectively boosting your online store’s search engine ranking.
Importance of SEO
- Boosting Organic Traffic: Online stores can expect 35% of total traffic to come from search engine results pages, and this organic traffic contributes to approximately 33% of their revenue. Investing in SEO helps capture a significant share of this valuable traffic source.
- Cost-Effective Marketing: As paid advertising costs continue to rise, SEO provides a cost-effective alternative known as “free traffic.” By optimizing your website for search engines, you can reduce your reliance on expensive paid ads while still attracting potential customers.
- Increased Daily Traffic: Securing a google top ranking in search engines can lead to up to 30% more daily traffic to your website. With more visibility, more people will be able to discover your website, check out your products or services, and possibly become loyal customers.
What SEO Features Does Shopify Provide?
Shopify is designed to be search engine friendly and includes several helpful built-in SEO features:
- Automatic Sitemaps: Shopify generates sitemaps and XML sitemaps for your site.
- URL Customization: You can edit your store’s website addresses to make them SEO-friendly.
- Meta Tags: It supports meta tags, which are essential for SEO.
- SSL Certification: Shopify ensures secure browsing with SSL certification.
- Structured Data: It uses structured data to provide search engines with more context.
- Mobile-Friendly: Your Shopify store is mobile-friendly, catering to smartphone users.
- 301 Redirects: You can set up 301 redirects for better user experience.
Moreover, Shopify offers a wide range of apps for tasks like keyword research and link building. They also provide valuable SEO advice through their blog to help you improve your search engine rankings and overall site performance.
Preparing for Better Shopify SEO
Before you start working on making your Shopify store appear higher in search engine results, there are some important things you need to do first:
- Get a Custom Domain: Your store needs its own domain, like brandname.com, for better trust and memorability. Replace brandname.myshopify.com with a custom domain, typically costing $10–$20 per year.
- Install Google Analytics: Track your site’s traffic and activities for free with Google Analytics. Learn how to set it up for your Shopify store.
- Use Google Search Console: Gain insights into your page rankings, queries, clicks, and more. Set up Google Search Console for your Shopify store.
- Mobile-Friendly Theme: Ensure your theme is mobile-ready. Shopify’s free themes are generally mobile-responsive. Test its mobile compatibility with Google’s tool if you’ve made customizations.
- Remove Password Protection: If your store is still under construction, wait to unlock it for public access and search engines. Password-protected sites can’t be crawled or ranked beyond the homepage.
- Opt for a Paid Plan: While free trial stores can be crawled, they won’t yield results after the trial ends. Opt for a paid plan to see the benefits of your SEO efforts beyond 14 days.
Once these steps are in place, you’re ready to use this SEO guide to boost your store’s organic traffic and visibility on search engines like Google and Bing.
SEO Checklist
How to Improve SEO for Shopify
If you run an online store and want to boost your rankings and attract more visitors, here are some tips:
Basic tips to improve Shopify SEO :
- Choose and incorporate relevant keywords throughout your content.
- Create well-written, informative pages and make content a central part of your Shopify e-commerce marketing strategy.
- Build authority with Shopify review apps like Shopify Reviews or Yotpo.
- Pick an SEO-friendly Shopify theme with features like compatibility, speed, mobile-friendliness, clear navigation, and customization.
- Register your website with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster tools to get indexed.
- Edit your robots.txt.liquid to control page crawling and add keywords to titles, descriptions, content, and ALT text.
- Optimize your site structure, including logical content categories and clear URLs.
- Shopify generates a sitemap.xml file automatically, which you should submit for indexing.
- Use descriptive file names for images to enhance accessibility and provide context to search engines.
- Place internal links strategically to relevant pages.
- Ensure clear site menus, use search functionality, label categories and menus, and highlight essential links for easy visitor navigation.
These concise steps will help improve your Shopify store’s SEO and drive more traffic.
Advance Tips to improve SEO :
1: Avoid Duplicate Pages and Content
Duplicate pages are a common problem for e-commerce websites, especially those using Shopify’s ‘collections‘ feature. This feature helps organize your products but can lead to extra URLs. So, what does this mean for your SEO?
It means search engines might end up indexing the wrong page. Fortunately, there are simple solutions like using canonical tags and redirections. However, your website could also have duplication issues with product pages or other content.
Many people worry about Google penalties for duplicates, but it’s not a major concern. Google typically won’t penalize your site for innocent duplication. However, it can still cause problems like reducing the value of your links and making it harder for search engines to understand your site’s link metrics.
Tools to Find Duplicate content :
2: Choose Audience-Relevant Keywords
Choosing the right keywords is a foundational step in improving your SEO. It’s vital to align your keyword selection with the interests and search behavior of your target audience.
Here’s how to go about it:
- Audience Understanding: Start by thoroughly understanding your audience. Who are they? What are their preferences, needs, and pain points? What words or phrases do they use when searching for products or information related to your niche?
- Keyword Research: Conduct comprehensive keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or SEMrush. Look for keywords and phrases that are not only relevant to your products or content but also resonate with your audience’s language.
- Long-Tail Keywords: Consider incorporating long-tail keywords—more specific and longer phrases—into your strategy. These often have lower competition and can attract highly targeted traffic.
- Competitor Analysis: Study your competitors to see which keywords they are targeting successfully. This can provide valuable insights into what works in your industry.
- Search Volume and Competition: Balance keyword search volume (how often a term is searched) with competition. High-volume keywords may be more competitive, so mix in some lower-volume, niche keywords for a well-rounded strategy.
- User Intent: Keep user intent in mind. Are people searching for information, products, or solutions? Tailor your keywords to match the intent behind the search.
- Regular Updates: Keywords aren’t static. Continuously monitor and update your keyword strategy based on shifts in customer behavior and industry trends.
Keyword Research Tools :
3: Optimize Metadata
Metadata optimization is a fundamental aspect for better visibility on search engines. Here’s how to do it effectively:
- Title Tags: Craft unique and descriptive title tags for each page, product, or blog post. These tags should include relevant keywords and accurately reflect the content’s topic. Keep them concise, typically under 60 characters.
- Meta Descriptions: Crafting effective meta descriptions is essential to attract users to your website. These short descriptions should summarize the page content in 150-160 characters and entice users to click. It’s important to ensure that the meta descriptions align with the page content for maximum engagement.
- Header Tags: Utilize header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content logically. The H1 tag should contain the primary keyword and clearly convey the page’s topic. Subsequent header tags can break down content into sections, making it more readable for both users and search engines.
- Image Alt Text: Assign descriptive alt text to images on your website. This not only increases accessibility but also provides search engines with valuable information about the content of the images.
- URL Structure: Create clean and readable URLs. They should be concise, contain keywords when applicable, and represent the page’s content accurately.
- Canonical Tags: Implement canonical tags to address duplicate content issues. This tag tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred one.
4: Ensure Swift Page Loading
Page loading speed is a critical factor that influences user experience and affects search engine rankings. When your pages load swiftly, visitors will stay engaged, explore your site, and make purchases.
Search engines, like Google, also favor faster-loading websites, as they provide a better user experience.
To achieve this, consider optimizing images, reducing unnecessary scripts, and using browser caching.
5: Prioritize User Experience
In the realm of online retail, neglecting user experience (UX) is a costly mistake. A poor UX can repel customers and harm your business. An integral part of creating a positive UX is ensuring easy navigation.
Good navigation includes clear menus, helpful drop-down options, breadcrumb trails for user paths, and a convenient search bar for easy product discovery.
6: Optimize Your Strategy Using Shopify’s Blog Function
A blog lets you share helpful and interesting information about your products or industry on a regular basis. This not only gives your audience useful knowledge but also helps search engines find more content to analyze and rank your website higher in search results.
Blogs can help you target specific keywords, answer customer questions, and establish your store as an authoritative source in your niche. So, consider creating and maintaining a blog as part of your SEO efforts to improve your website’s visibility and attract online searchers.
7: Create Rich Snippets With Product Details
Rich snippets are like brief summaries displayed in search engine results. It provides valuable information about your products, such as prices, ratings, and reviews. By utilizing this feature, you make your listings more appealing and informative.
User-generated content, like product reviews and ratings adds credibility to your store and contributes positively to SEO by boosting engagement and trustworthiness. So, don’t overlook the power of rich snippets to increase your Shopify store’s visibility and appeal to potential customers.
8: Build Foundational Link
Foundational links are links that come from your social media profiles, local business directories, and specific directories related to your industry.
Additionally, consider setting up a profile on Google Business profile , even if you don’t have a physical store. This can boost your local SEO, making it easier for local customers to find you. While the SEO benefits of these links may be modest, they are simple to establish and can increase your brand’s visibility across various channels.
9: Guest Posting
Guest posting offers a way to reach a different audience while you’re still growing your own. It brings more visitors to your website and improves your search engine ranking through the backlinks it creates.
To make this work, seek out websites, publications, or bloggers in your industry with the audience you want to target. Offer to write a guest post that their audience will find appealing. Make sure the topic you write about relates to your business; otherwise, it won’t drive meaningful traffic.
These helpful tips can help you boost your Shopify store’s performance and get better rankings on search engines. This can lead to success in the highly competitive world of online shopping.
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FAQs
How do you approach an SEO Audit for a Shopify Store?
To conduct an SEO audit for a Shopify store:
- Start by analyzing the website’s structure, content, and technical elements.
- Check for on-page optimization, ensure proper use of keywords, and review backlinks.
- Evaluate page load speed and mobile-friendliness.
- Utilize SEO tools and Google Analytics to gather data and identify areas for improvement.
- Finally, create an actionable plan to enhance SEO performance.
How do I check my Shopify SEO score?
To check your SEO Score you can use JEMSU tool. Simply input your Shopify website or landing page URL along with your desired keyword for ranking. Receive your SEO score and a comprehensive report via email instantly, complete with valuable tips and recommendations to enhance your SEO performance.
Is Shopify 2.0 better for SEO?
Yes, Shopify 2.0 brings SEO improvements. It offers better customization, speed, and performance, which can positively impact SEO. However, effective SEO still depends on various factors like content quality and optimization efforts.
What are the biggest Shopify categories?
On Shopify, fashion takes the top spot as the most favored category, boasting more than 102,778 stores specializing in it. Right behind, apparel is the second most sought-after category, with approximately 105,636 stores dedicated to it.
