Shopify, one of the leading ecommerce platforms, has helped countless businesses launch their dream website in a very short span. However, we all know that launching a store is just the tip of the iceberg.

You need to make sure that your online store is visible to potential customers to bring in traffic thereby increasing sales. This is where the role of a Shopify SEO expert comes in. 

Let us go through a comprehensive guide on SEO for Shopify - the things that you need to remember to rank your website at the top of search engine results!

Top 7 Tips To Perform An SEO Check On Shopify

Google's search engine handles roughly 3.5 billion searches every day, accounting for a large part of web traffic. In fact, searches account for up to 80% of all trackable website visitors. It's no surprise that 82% of marketers believe SEO is an effective strategy for achieving business goals.

Now that we know how important SEO can be for your online business, let us explore those 7 tips in great detail.

#1 Optimizing the structure of your Shopify theme

The way your content is visible on the website is very important for SEO ranking. When your users are able to quickly find things that they are looking for more, they tend to spend more time on your website. This in turn increases your engagement rate as well as your ranking.

But, how to make the website more engaging?

One of the important things that many shoppers forget is to not go overboard with categories and subcategories. Keep things simple and minimal.

A simple and easy-to-navigate structure can be easily crawled by search engines thereby ranking your products.

In addition, do not forget to add the About us and Contact us page. These pages, though it does not sound so important, are important for your brand’s credibility.

Finally, make sure that you have a search box on your website.

Will it directly help in SEO ranking?

Well, the answer is no, but it will help visitors easily find things they are looking for which is an essential criteria of the optimization process.

#2 Enhance the user experience of website

Improving the user experience will make the website rank higher in search engines. How? Let’s learn.

Improving speed

The speed of your website is all about accessibility. When a visitor gets everything he wants in a short span, they will obviously spend more time on the site.

You can do the following things to boost speed:

-   By using a mobile-friendly theme

-   By using images that are optimized

-   Avoiding sliders

-   Removing unnecessary apps

 Responsive design

To put simply, a responsive design means having a website which looks stunning on any device including a tablet, smartphones, or desktop.

Responsive themes are vital for improving the user experience and increasing website retention. Since Google uses time-on-page as a ranking criterion, well-designed, easy-to-navigate websites can boost search engine rankings. This, in turn, leads to more frequent shoppers and improved conversion rates, which benefits ecommerce companies.

Given the increased popularity of mobile shopping, ensuring your online business is adequately optimized for smartphones is critical.

#3 Using the right keywords

No SEO is complete without target keywords - the very foundation on which the search engine optimization is built.

But how will you get the right keywords for your online store?

The best thing that you can do is make a list of topics that your users actually care about related to your product. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about what exactly you would search for.

Also, you can find inspiration from:

-  Creating your buyer persona

-  Searching on forums and subreddits about your product

-  Trending hashtags on social media platforms

-  Looking for meta descriptions, meta titles, and image alt-text used by your competitor.

#4 Optimizing the product pages

The next SEO checklist should be about optimizing your product page with the relevant keywords.

Begin with your top pages - we are talking about your homepage, main product page, and your top-selling product page. Yes, these are the pages that are the most profitable and have the best conversion rate.

Creating title tags

You can name pages across the website by using your keywords in a consistent way.

Let’s simplify this with an example:

Keyword 1 + Shop for keyword 2 + Store name

For instance, Pink T-shirts -  Shop for pink T-shirts - XYZ store

 Creating meta title and meta descriptions

You also need to write meta titles and meta descriptions for your website. And no matter how easily your work can be done by AI in today’s time, your SEO ranking will thank you for your original content.

Make sure that the keywords fit naturally in the content without sounding forced. If they do, you should reevaluate your chosen keyword.

The alt tags need to be optimized as well, but again the keywords should not appear to be forced.

#5 Building backlinks

Ever wondered how search engines choose which websites deserve high rankings? Backlinks are similar to internet word-of-mouth and play an important role in off-page SEO. They tell search engines that other websites trust and respect your content, thereby increasing your site's legitimacy and visibility.

Here's how to get these essential backlinks for your store:

Leverage Existing Relationships: Many established brands offer linking opportunities to authorized retailers. Check their policies or reach out to confirm.

Partner with Industry Leaders: Develop connections with influential people and leaders in the field. These discussions result in excellent content that engages readers and generates valuable backlinks, which improve your website's search engine position.

Broken links: Look for broken links on websites that sell identical goods or services. Make contact with the site owners and offer your solution as a fresh and relevant substitute. This gets you a useful backlink and aids them in maintaining a high-quality customer experience.

#6 Improve rank with content marketing 

Now that we have talked about everything else, let us now focus on content marketing.

Content is the very essence that will drive users to your website. While, many ecommerce users feel that content is unnecessary or the product description is enough, you cannot just ignore its importance. 

Trust us on this - You have no idea the kind of success you are going to experience if you just feed your users with original and relevant content.

While thinking about what to write may feel daunting, you can actually make a list of all things your users generally ask about. No information about the product. We are talking about real genuine questions!

Content gives you the opportunity to actually connect with your audience without doing the actual selling. It is considered one of the easiest ways to drive more traffic and generate more backlinks.

#7 Using Shopify apps and tools

Let us guide you through top 3 tools that can help you with increasing your revenue.

Plugin SEO

This Shopify app automates regular checks of your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, site speed, content quality, and article structure. Save time and money by focusing on the most impactful optimizations.

Smart SEO

Are you sick and tired of creating alt texts and meta tags manually for your items, collections, articles, and blogs? Smart SEO is your solution. With the help of this powerful tool, suitable SEO elements are automatically generated, making it easier for search engines to find your material.

In addition to saving you time, smart SEO increases the visibility of your store. Using JSON-LD data, the program gives search engines a structured knowledge of your content, which improves the accuracy with which they index and rank your sites.

Booster SEO and Image Optimizer

Your online store's images are its visual heartbeat. They can make or break a sale, as with all things beautiful, there's a trade-off. High-quality images can also be resource-intensive, slowing down your site. That's where an image optimizer comes in. By optimizing your images, you can ensure that your site looks stunning without sacrificing speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shopify a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly platform?

Yes, Shopify is generally considered a strong platform for SEO. It offers various native features that support SEO best practices, such as customizable titles, meta descriptions, and automatic sitemap generation. Additionally, Shopify ensures all stores are HTTPS-enabled, which is a positive ranking factor for search engines.

What is Shopify SEO, and how does it work?

Shopify SEO involves optimizing your Shopify online store to improve its visibility and organic search rankings. This means making use of Shopify's integrated SEO tools, improving the site's structure, and optimizing the content. You can improve your chances of converting visitors into customers and draw in more organic traffic by putting SEO techniques into practice.

What is the cost of Shopify SEO services?

The cost of Shopify SEO services can vary significantly based on several factors, such as your store's complexity, industry competitiveness, and the scope of the SEO work required. While some basic SEO optimizations can be done at little to no cost using Shopify's built-in tools, professional SEO services can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month.

Author

Gopi Radadiya

Gopi is a vital part of our Shopify marketing team, always ready to create ecommerce solutions for our clients. When she’s not busy solving Shopify puzzles, you’ll find her exploring new tech trends and sharing her knowledge with the community.