Surpassing the competition is a key challenge for e-commerce shops. For Shopify store owners, effective search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental in unlocking organic traffic and increasing the number of purchases in a store. At Mipler, we understand Shopify vendors' struggles in standing out among contenders. That's why we've developed Mipler Advanced Reports, a multitool software designed for Shopify. It empowers you to create insightful reports of varying complexity, giving you the data-driven edge you need to grow a successful store.
In this comprehensive guide, we will introduce you to the various approaches to transform your Shopify storefront into a search engine magnet. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or beginning your business journey, this guide will illuminate the path to expertise in Shopify SEO. We'll learn on-page optimization tricks, explore the methods of content creation, and unveil link-building techniques to advance your shop's online ranking. Get ready to witness your Shopify store get a wave of qualified leads!
Can you do SEO on Shopify?
Shopify is a leading platform that has various tools for search engine optimization of online shops. Established SEO on Shopify will increase the amount of visitors, make your company recognizable, and stimulate sales. There are different methods to refine your Shopify store’s SEO:
- Provide clear structure and navigation on your website,
- Identify reasonable keywords,
- Use content marketing,
- Improve technical SEO,
- Build backlinks.
Does Shopify help with SEO?
Shopify aids in building powerful SEO in several significant ways. Recognized as a top e-commerce engine, Shopify is equipped with default SEO tools and has additional integrations for webstores. Here is how to increase SEO on Shopify:
SEO-Friendly Infrastructure
Shopify's infrastructure prioritizes supporting SEO. This platform generates clear and human-readable URLs and offers design themes that easily adjust to various devices. This approach is fundamental to earning a better position in search results since Google uses mobile-first indexing. Shopify hosts online shops on fast servers and supports CDN (Content Delivery Network), so your website will load fast in various geographical locations, which is a critical ranking factor.
Built-In SEO Features
Shopify includes several functions that directly contribute to a smooth SEO performance:
- Editable Meta Tags
Manage the meta titles and descriptions of your catalog items, collections, and blog posts, to get more views.
- Automatic XML Sitemap
Shopify develops and updates the XML sitemap automatically, so the search engines can read and efficiently index webpages.
- Canonical Tags
Shopify adds canonical tags to shops’ pages to prevent duplication, so search engines index the correct content.
Customizable SEO Elements
Shopify lets you control several key SEO elements:
- Customizable Robots.txt File
You can manage the robots.txt file to control the crawling of your site by search engines.
- Alt Text for Images
Adding alt text to the visual elements allows search engines to scan the product photos to improve your search rankings and accessibility.
- Structured Data Support
Shopify structures your information to elevate your listings with rich snippets in SERPs.
SEO Apps and Integrations
There are various applications to install in Shopify's App Store to improve SEO:
- SEO Manager
This application lets you manage all SEO elements, such as meta tags, sitemap, and keyword optimization.
- Plug in SEO
This software audits your website and gathers insights to refine SEO.
- JSON-LD
This tool adds structured data, so search engines can display rich snippets for your products.
Analytics and Insights
Analyzing your SEO metrics is imperative to finding weak points and growth opportunities.
- Google Analytics Integration
Shopify works seamlessly with Google Analytics, so one can inspect the site's traffic, user journey, and conversions.
- SEO Reporting
Use SEO-focused apps and Shopify's analytics to check rankings of key words, backlinks, and other metrics. With Mipler you can generate various reports on your Shopify store’s performance to discover valuable insights.
What is SEO in Shopify?
SEO in Shopify is a set of methods to advance the positioning of your online shop in search results. Good SEO will grow a website’s traffic to attract and convert valuable leads. Shopify has a solid functionality to facilitate SEO accessibility for vendors without extensive technical knowledge.
Where is SEO in Shopify?
SEO features in Shopify are integrated throughout the platform, so store owners can optimize their sites effectively. Here's where to look for SEO settings and tools within Shopify:
Product Pages
Each page that features a product from the Shopify storefront has fields for SEO settings:
- Titles and descriptions of items in a catalog,
- Meta title and meta description,
- URL and Handle.
Collection Pages
Same as items pages, collections have specific SEO fields:
- Collection Name and Description,
- Meta Title and Meta Description,
- URL and Handle
Pages
Static pages like "About Us" or "Contact Us":
- Page Title and Content
- Meta Title and Meta Description
- URL and Handle
Blog articles
Blogging is a crucial part of SEO, and Shopify’s blog editor includes SEO fields:
- Blog Title and Content
- Meta Title and Meta Description
- URL and Handle
Images
Visuals’ SEO is fundamental for overall site optimization. Add descriptive alt text to all pictures in the image editor under the "Edit image" section.
Theme Settings
Shopify themes have pre-installed SEO features. Access theme settings from the Shopify admin under "Online Store" > "Themes" > "Customize." Here, you can adjust various settings such as header tags and navigation.
Navigation and Site Structure
The structure can be organized from "Online Store" > "Navigation." Make the menus logical, so users can find content easily.
How to do strategic SEO for your e-commerce website Shopify?
Strategic SEO for the Shopify e-commerce store is a continuous action that involves learning about your target client’s needs, properly establishing the content and navigation of websites, and growing your online presence. Here's how to optimize Shopify SEO:
Technical settings – the basis of SEO for a Shopify store
Shopify handles a variety of SEO features, however, there are still some settings you must adjust to have a better SEO for your shop:
Custom Domain
It makes your company more recognizable and search engines tend to rank higher the sites with custom domains.
URL Structure
The catalog and collection URLs must be clear, concise, and readable. Include necessary keywords but focus on readability.
Site Speed
A website, which has a slow loading speed frustrates visitors and hurts SEO. Shopify offers speed optimization tools, but consider apps or ensure high-quality photo compression to make your site zippy.
Mobile-Friendliness
Double-check how your Shopify store works on different devices, especially phones and tablets.
SSL Certificate
Having an SSL certificate secures your online shop and reassures customers. Shopify provides this feature for every store.
Robots.txt and Sitemap
While Shopify operates these to an extent, you might need to adjust these elements to control the indexing of your store. A developed sitemap ensures a readable structure for your website and makes pages easy to find.
Structured Data Markup
In order to get richer snippets in the search results, add schema markup, so search engines will receive extra data regarding your store content.
Keyword сollection – Optimizing your Shopify Store for SEO
Defining the phrases your potential clients use to search for products online is a key step in establishing your SEO strategy. To get a better search engine ranking and attract more visitors, you must integrate these key phrases into your Shopify store’s content.
Find Valuable Keywords
Utilize various tools to discover keywords that are essential to your niche. Focus on phrases with high search volume and less competition. There are free or paid tools on the market, but both can identify necessary words widely used by your potential clients.
Understand Search Intent
Go beyond just the keywords themselves. Consider the final goal your potential customers have in mind while conducting the online search. Users might want to find information about a product type (informational intent), browse specific products (investigational intent), or ready to buy (transactional intent).
Map Keywords to Content
Match the discovered keywords to different areas of your webstore. Add high-volume keywords to useful blog posts or buying guides. Use long-tail keywords and unique phrases on catalog pages and collections.
Strategic Integration
Don't stuff keywords unnaturally. Integrate them organically into product titles, descriptions, meta descriptions, and relevant blog posts. Be mindful of your website visitors and create keyword-rich content, but don’t forget to make it readable and captivating.
With proper keyword research and implementation, your Shopify store will attract the right audience, improve its position in search results, and draw the interest of valuable potential clients.
On-page – Shopify SEO tricks
To elevate on-page SEO for Shopify stores, store owners must review and optimize different website elements that attract website visitors. Here is how to use on-page SEO on Shopify:
Content Optimization
- Naming and descriptions
Add previously researched keywords in product titles and goods descriptions that accurately describe your goods.
- Engaging content
Craft web content beyond simple descriptions and focus on the value it brings to visitors. Informative posts, buying guides, or FAQs addressing customer needs and using fitting keywords can improve your Shopify store SEO.
- Meta Descriptions
Write easy-to-read and concise meta descriptions for website pages to entice users and summarize the content of your catalog.
Strategic Linking
Connect relevant pages, collections, and blog posts within your web pages to facilitate navigation and let search engines read and index your website.
Additional Considerations
Adding schema markup gives search engines extra data about your products and enhances your online visibility.
By paying attention to these elements, store owners can improve buyers' journeys and Shopify store’s SEO to increase traffic and get better conversions. It is necessary to review and update your SEO strategy once in a while and follow evolving algorithms.
SEO Content Marketing Shopify
The captivating content that will attract potential clients must be a priority in your Shopify SEO strategy. Craft captivating blog posts, buying guides, or FAQs that address your audience’s demands and interests. Weave keywords that your future clients might look for in your website content to elevate the position in a search ranking.
SEO for Shopify Products
To advance your Shopify store’s SEO, create compelling and concise product titles and descriptions with keywords relevant to your niche. Include details that put the spotlight on product features, benefits, and specifications, while strategically adding keywords to capture leads with more detailed search queries. Your store will also benefit from high-resolution product photos that highlight your products beautifully and host informative alt-text descriptions.
SEO for Shopify Homepage
The start page is important to form the first impression of your store. Draw attention to and communicate your company's unique features with captivating value propositions and relevant keywords. Design a layout where users can easily navigate to important pages like product categories, blogs, and contact information. Remember, a webpage that takes more time to load, frustrates users and hurts SEO. Resize images so your webpage loads fast and guarantees a smooth experience.
SEO for Blog Shopify
Shopify SEO blog offers a solid toolset to turn website visitors into customers. Plan your articles around target keywords, but keep in mind the search intent behind those keywords, such as informational, transactional, etc. Optimize individual blog posts by accommodating targeted keywords in titles, meta descriptions, headings, and naturally throughout the blog while retaining readability for website users. Link relevant articles and product pages, so both customers and search engines can understand the connections between your content and catalog items.
Link building – Improve your SEO on Shopify
While on-page SEO is essential, building additional backlinks will make your Shopify store more competitive in the SEO race. Here's how to optimize Shopify SEO with link-building for better ranking:
Earning Backlinks Naturally
The easiest path to get backlinks organically is by crafting exceptional content that draws visitors’ attention and brings them value. This could be industry reports, insightful blog posts, or creative infographics. People will gladly quote your content if it offers something unique and valuable.
Store owners can contact relevant websites and blogs related to their niche and suggest contributing guest posts featuring their expertise. By doing so, owners can present their company and mention their store’s website within the author bio or blog post.
Link Building Strategies
Partner with influencers, industry leaders, or complementary companies for co-marketing opportunities. This might involve joint webinars, sponsored content creation, or cross-promotion where you can exchange backlinks.
Building Trustworthy Links
Prioritize getting high-quality backlinks over their quantity. It's advised to have a few backlinks from reputable websites rather than a multitude of links with questionable quality. Prioritize links from websites with high domain authority and content related to your niche. Try to avoid link-buying schemes, search engines penalize manipulative link-building practices. Prioritize getting backlinks organically or through genuine collaborations.
Conclusion
Shopify helps to create a solid foundation for SEO, but like any platform, it requires ongoing activities and smart tactics. By prioritizing key areas such as store structure, keyword optimization, content marketing, technical SEO, and link building, you can skyrocket your Shopify store’s position and performance in search engine results.
Frequently asked questions about Shopify and SEO
How to quickly improve SEO on Shopify?
You can quickly strengthen your Shopify SEO by enriching your product names and descriptions with relevant keywords. Also, write readable and concise meta descriptions for search results. Don't forget photos with good resolution and keyword-rich alt text. Ascertain high loading speed for SEO and website visitors.
How to cheaply increase SEO on Shopify?
There are different options on how to set up SEO for Shopify with low or no budget. Review your content, titles, and descriptions and incorporate relevant keywords. You can define necessary keywords with free research tools. Finally, you can create backlinks to your online shop by partnering with different websites in your niche.
Does Shopify have a one-time SEO setup?
No, SEO is a process that must be reassessed once in a while. You need to refresh your content to stay relevant and meet the constantly updating requirements of search engine algorithms. Consistent effort is needed to maintain efficient SEO and attract traffic to your store.
Who can help with Shopify SEO?
The Shopify App Store offers numerous SEO apps, equipped with special tools for SEO optimization. Additionally, you can contact SEO consultants or freelancers who can provide tailored SEO strategies for your Shopify store.
