Image - Shopify SEO Guide
22/09/2024

Proven Shopify SEO Strategies For Better Store Visibility & Rankings

So, you’re running a Shopify store, or maybe you’re thinking about starting your Shopify SEO journey. That’s amazing! Shopify is a brilliant platform for e-commerce businesses. But let me be straight with you: it’s not enough to just have a Shopify store. To truly succeed, you need to make sure that people can actually find your store online. That’s where SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) comes into play.

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this SEO stuff, don’t worry. I get it. I’ve worked with quite a few Shopify store owners over the years, and most of them, at first, felt like SEO was some kind of mysterious, technical jargon only reserved for experts. But the truth is, while SEO does take effort, it’s not rocket science. And once you start seeing results—like more traffic and sales—you’ll be glad you invested the time.

So, let’s dive into the essentials and some proven strategies for optimising your Shopify store to improve visibility and, ultimately, sales.

Table of Contents

Why Should You Invest in SEO for Your Shopify Store?

Before we dive into the how, let’s talk a little about the why. Why should you even bother with SEO?

Think about it—when was the last time you clicked past the first page of Google when looking for something? Exactly. Most people stick to the first page, or even just the first few results. So, if your Shopify store isn’t showing up where your potential customers are looking, you’re missing out on tons of traffic—and more importantly, sales.

SEO isn’t just about ranking higher on Google for the sake of it. It’s about making sure the right people find your products. When done right, SEO helps you:

  • Drive organic (free!) traffic to your store
  • Attract customers who are already searching for what you sell
  • Increase brand awareness and trust
  • Boost your sales without having to rely entirely on paid ads

Now, you might be thinking, “Why not just run ads instead?” Well, while ads can bring traffic, they come with a cost and stop working the moment you stop paying. SEO, on the other hand, is a long-term investment. The beauty of Shopify is that it comes with some excellent built-in SEO features. All you need to do is learn how to maximise them – and that’s exactly what I’m here to help with!

What SEO Features Does Shopify Offer to Help You Succeed?

One of the reasons I love Shopify is because it’s fairly SEO-friendly straight out of the box. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to put in some work. Shopify provides several built-in features that help make your store more visible to search engines like Google, but it’s up to you to use them effectively.

Here are a few key Shopify SEO features:

  • Customisable URL structures – Shopify lets you edit your URLs, which is a big deal for SEO. More on this later, but let’s just say that a clean, keyword-rich URL is a good start.
  • Responsive, mobile-friendly themes – Google prioritises mobile-friendly sites. Thankfully, most Shopify themes are responsive, so they look great on mobile devices. This is important because a large chunk of your customers will likely be shopping on their phones.
  • Built-in blogging platform – Content is king when it comes to SEO. Shopify makes it easy to add a blog to your store, which is a fantastic way to target keywords and provide value to your customers.
  • SSL certificates – Shopify provides free SSL certificates, which means your store is secure (HTTPS instead of HTTP). This is not only good for building trust with customers, but Google also considers it a ranking factor.

Shopify SEO Essentials: What You Need to Do Before You Start

Before jumping into specific strategies, there are a few foundational tasks you need to handle first. Consider these the building blocks of your Shopify SEO strategy.

1. Secure a Custom Domain

If you’re still using a Shopify subdomain (like yourstore.myshopify.com), it’s time to upgrade to a custom domain. It looks more professional, and it’s better for SEO. Google tends to favour unique, branded domains over subdomains because they signal trustworthiness and authority.

2. Set Up Google Analytics

Google Analytics is your best friend when it comes to tracking your store’s performance. It provides data on who’s visiting your site, how they’re finding you, what products they’re looking at, and how long they’re staying. If you don’t have this set up yet, you’re flying blind. The insights you get from Analytics will be invaluable as you refine your SEO strategy.

3. Connect to Google Search Console

Google Search Console is another essential tool. It helps you monitor your site's presence in Google search results and alerts you to any issues that might be preventing your store from showing up in searches. It’s also where you can submit your sitemap (which I’ll explain shortly), helping Google index your site more effectively.

4. Choose a Mobile-Friendly Theme

Like I mentioned earlier, mobile optimisation is crucial. Google has moved to mobile-first indexing, which means it primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing. So, when choosing a Shopify theme, make sure it’s responsive and fast on mobile devices.

5. Make Your Store Live

I know this seems obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people spend ages perfecting their store and forget to make it live for customers! Until your store is live, Google can’t crawl or index your pages.

13 Proven Shopify SEO Tips to Skyrocket Your Store’s Visibility & Sales

With the basics out of the way, let’s get into the real meat of Shopify SEO – the strategies that will make a real impact on your store’s visibility and rankings.

1. Build a Clear Site Structure

Your site structure refers to how your pages are organised and linked together. A clear, logical structure helps both users and search engines navigate your site easily. Keep it simple: homepage > categories > products.

Organising your site in this way helps Google understand what your site is about, and it makes for a better user experience. If customers can easily find what they’re looking for, they’re more likely to buy!

2. Research and Use Relevant Keywords

Now, onto one of the most important aspects of SEO: keywords. Keywords are the phrases your potential customers type into search engines when they’re looking for products like yours. To rank for these phrases, you need to include them naturally in your store’s content.

There are several tools you can use to research keywords, like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs. Start by identifying what your customers are searching for, and then strategically place those keywords in:

  • Product titles
  • Product descriptions
  • Blog posts
  • Meta descriptions
  • Alt text for images (more on that in a bit)

Just be careful not to stuff your pages with keywords. Google is smart—it knows when you’re overdoing it.

3. Customise Your Store’s URLs

Speaking of structure, let’s talk about your URLs. Shopify automatically generates URLs for your pages, but they’re not always SEO-friendly. You’ll want to customise your URLs to make them clean and keyword-rich.

For example, instead of having a URL like /products/product-id-12345, change it to something like /products/blue-wool-scarf. It’s simple, descriptive, and includes keywords people are likely searching for.

4. Optimise Product and Category Pages

Product and category pages are crucial for SEO, yet so many Shopify stores neglect them. Each product page should have:

  • A clear, keyword-rich title
  • A well-written, detailed description that includes keywords naturally
  • High-quality images (with alt text—see below)
  • Customer reviews (which are a form of user-generated content and can help with SEO)

For category pages, make sure they’re well-organised and easy to navigate. Adding a short description at the top of each category page can also help Google understand what the page is about.

5. Create Content with Topic Clusters

Once you’ve got a solid list of keywords, you’ll want to organise them into topic clusters. This means grouping related keywords together and creating a central piece of content (like a blog post) around the main keyword, with supporting pages linking to it.

For example, if you sell eco-friendly clothing, you could create a blog post around "The Benefits of Eco-Friendly Fashion," and link it to related content like "How Sustainable Fabrics are Made" or "10 Reasons to Switch to Organic Cotton."

This strategy not only helps you rank for more keywords but also makes your site easier for search engines to crawl and understand.

6. Write and Share Engaging Blog Posts

Shopify’s built-in blogging platform is a powerful tool for SEO. Writing regular blog posts allows you to target keywords, answer customer questions, and provide value beyond just selling products. Plus, fresh content signals to Google that your site is active, which can help boost your rankings.

Don’t know what to write about? Start by answering the questions your customers are already asking. For instance, if you sell fitness gear, a blog post about “How to Choose the Right Running Shoes” could bring in traffic from people who are researching before making a purchase.

7. Perfect Your URL Slugs, Titles, H1s & Meta Descriptions

Getting your URL slugs, page titles, and meta descriptions right is a must. Here’s a quick breakdown:

  • URL Slugs: These are the end part of your URLs. Keep them short and keyword-rich.
  • Titles (H1s): Every page should have one clear, descriptive title that includes your main keyword.
  • Meta Descriptions: These appear under your page’s title in search results. While they don’t directly affect rankings, a compelling meta description can increase your click-through rate (CTR). Make sure it’s descriptive and includes your keyword.

8. Add Effective Alt Text for Images

Alt text is a short description of an image, and it’s used by search engines to understand what the image is about. Since search engines can’t “see” images the way humans can, adding descriptive alt text is important for helping your products appear in image search results.

For example, instead of using generic alt text like "shirt", be specific: "blue organic cotton t-shirt with short sleeves".

9. Avoid Duplicate Content and Pages

I’ve seen this issue pop up more times than I can count—Shopify store owners using duplicate product descriptions across different pages. And I get it. When you have hundreds, or even thousands, of products to upload, it’s tempting to copy and paste. Writing unique descriptions for every single product can feel like an impossible task, especially when you’re just starting out.

But here’s the thing: Google doesn’t like duplicate content. It can confuse search engines and hurt your rankings. So while duplicating content might be the easier route in the short term, it can really harm your SEO efforts in the long run.

10. Boost Your Store’s Speed

Did you know that page speed is a ranking factor for Google? If your site is slow, not only will it hurt your SEO, but customers are more likely to leave before even seeing your products. Shopify is generally quite fast, but there are things you can do to speed it up even more:

  • Compress your images (Shopify has apps for this)
  • Remove unnecessary apps and plugins
  • Use a fast, lightweight theme

11. Implement Structured Data to Stand Out

Structured data (or schema markup) is a type of code that helps search engines better understand your site’s content. Shopify supports adding structured data, which can help your products appear in rich search results (like star ratings, price, and availability). This can really make your products stand out in search results and increase click-through rates.

12. Focus on Link Building

Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—are one of the most important ranking factors. The more high-quality sites that link to your Shopify store, the more trustworthy and authoritative your site looks to Google.

Start by reaching out to blogs or websites in your niche and offering to write guest posts. You can also reach out to influencers, collaborate with other businesses, or get your products featured in online publications.

13. Leverage the Best Shopify Apps

There are plenty of Shopify apps designed to help with SEO. Some of my favourites include:

  • Plug In SEO: This app scans your store for SEO issues and helps you fix them.
  • SEO Image Optimizer: Compresses your images to improve page speed and adds alt text for you.
  • JSON-LD for SEO: Adds structured data to your Shopify store automatically, helping you get rich snippets in search results.

Let’s get your Shopify store the visibility it deserves!

Optimising your Shopify store for SEO might feel like a lot of work, but it’s worth it when you start seeing your store climb the search rankings, bringing in more traffic, and ultimately, more sales. The key is consistency—keep refining your SEO strategy, monitoring your progress, and making adjustments as needed.

And hey, if all of this feels overwhelming or you simply don’t have the time, I get it. That’s where I can help! With my Shopify SEO services, I can take care of all the nitty-gritty details and help you maximise your store’s potential. Whether it’s optimising your product pages, speeding up your site, or building backlinks, I’m here to help you succeed. Contact me or schedule a discovery call to get started!