Shopify SEO - how to improve your shop rankings

What is Shopify SEO?

Definition: What is Shopify?

Of course you know what Shopify is and you probably even run your online shop with it.

Why else would you be interested in the topic?

However, since there is one factor related to SEO that you can't influence with Shopify, I'll explain it briefly anyway.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get down to business.

Shopify SEO: What is it?

The acronym SEO(search engine optimisation) is short for search engine optimisation. Shopify SEO is therefore nothing other than the search engine optimisation of a Shopify shop or the individual product and category pages.

With the various Shopify SEO measures, you can sustainably improve the ranking of your Shopify online shop in search engine results. And increase the visibility of your e-commerce business in search engine results.

As search engines are constantly evolving - especially their algorithms - SEO is a very dynamic process. Although we SEOs now know many of the criteria that an online shop must fulfil in order to achieve top positions in Google, the exact ranking criteria are only known to the search engines, as they are very secretive about information.

Let's start with an explanation of two terms that you will come across frequently in search engine optimisation: on-page and off-page SEO measures.

SEO for Shopify shops: The most important on-page and off-page measures explained clearly and comprehensibly

Before we look at the individual optimisation methods in detail, let's first clarify the two terms that make up search engine optimisation: on-page and off-page measures.

Can you tell by the names?

On-page measures include all optimisation steps that you can carry out yourself on your website or in your Shopify shop, such as content creation or internal linking.

In contrast, the second major sub-area, OffPage SEO, includes all optimisation measures outside of your online shop, such as backlink building (link building).

And some SEO measures such as clickable anchor texts (also known as text links, anchor text) play an important role in both sub-areas.

Let's first take a look at the optimisation options that you can implement directly on your website.

The most important on-page SEO measures for your Shopify shop

As you have already learned, on-page SEO includes all optimisation steps that you can carry out on the Shopify e-commerce platform or in your online shop.

This includes the optimisation measures

• content such as texts, images and videos
• the entire website technology (which, as we already know, is only possible to a very limited extent with Shopify)
• the information and navigation structure such as the architecture of a website

You can find out more about this topic in our detailed article: The latest OnPage SEO checklist.

Let's get straight to your site's control tool: the Google Search Console.

Google Search Console - the control centre for your SEO

Why should you create a Google Search Console account?

Unlike in the past, you no longer need to register or submit your sitemap for your website to be indexed by Google ..

... we as an SEO agency still recommend this step. This is because the free tool gives you access to the reports and useful functions of the Google Search Console.

Above all, the URL check tool gives you a detailed overview of which of your product pages have already been crawled and indexed.

I have put the following video online on this topic: Google Search Console - How an SEO professional uses this tool

In it, he not only shows you the first steps, but also how you can use this SEO tool, which we believe is underestimated.

How do you create a Google Search Console account?

Before you can create your own GSC account, you need an existing Google account. If you don't have one yet, complete this step.

Then carry out the following steps:

1. Go to the Google Search Console page and click on the blue "Start now" button.
2. Then log into the tool and add your property (domain).
3. Now confirm your ownership and wait for confirmation.

If you prefer a crystal clear and illustrated guide, we recommend our article Setting up Google Search Console [complete guide].

Now let's look at the foundation of any SEO endeavour.

Keyword research: search terms you want your customers to find you with

Keywords are by definition the search terms that internet users enter into search engines in the course of their search queries. Be it to search for information on the World Wide Webor to buy products.

You have probably already noticed it yourself: when you search for information in search engines, you type a short search term (short-tail keyword) and a longer search term (mid-tail or long-tail keyword) into the search field of the respective search engine.

Short-tail keyword

Long-tail keyword

A search term can therefore consist of one word (word combination) or several words.

After your search query, search engines such as Google search their index. They then list the most relevant search results for you in so-called search results pages (SERPs).

The Google search engine uses algorithms to do this. Search engine algorithms calculate the order of the search results based on dozens of factors. And these factors include the keywords and the search intention of Google customers.

Guess how many ranking factors are considered relevant by Google?

In fact, there are far more than 200, and Google likes to keep a lid on information about the factors. So in this article, we'll introduce you to the most important ranking factors in our experience.

Let's take a look at which keywords are suitable for you as a shop owner and how you can research them.

Information-orientated vs. commercial keywords

First things first: there are different classifications of keywords: the first differentiates between the search intention of the user - this refers to the search intent (user intent).

The second classification is based on the accuracy of the search intent, its term length and the respective search volume.

We will look at the keyword types relevant to you: informational keywords, commercial investigative keywords and commercial keywords.

We have prepared this comparison to give you an optimal overview:

Although this quick reference guide contains the most important details, it does not contain all the detailed information about keywords: you can find this in our article Keywords and their use in SEO & SEA.

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Find lucrative keywords with these SEO tools

Free keyword tools

In addition to free keyword tools such as Keywordtool.io or Answer the Public, there are also a variety of paid keyword tools available for your Shopify SEO.

Paid SEO tools

It's worth thinking about investing in these practical helpers:

• Ahrefs
• KWFinder
• Xovi
• Semrush
• Sistrix

Another option is the Google Keyword Planner. Unfortunately, this can only be used with an existing Google Ads account. And you will only receive precise information if you have an active Google Ads campaign.

We would also like to introduce you to the new SEO tool from an old acquaintance. Yoast has been offering a new Shopify SEO app since January 2022: Yoast SEO for Shopify. The SEO tool is designed to make it easier to optimise content or posts.

According to Yoast, the tool recognises related synonyms, keyphrases and different word forms of your focus keyword. This allows you to write more naturally - which will appeal more to your online shop customers and Google.

If you would like to delve deeper into the topic of keyword research, we can highly recommend the blog article Keyword research: How it works, even for beginners.

Okay, now you have your keywords - what now? How can you improve SEO for your e-commerce business?

In our experience, you should add your keywords to these four places in your online shop:

1. Page title (title tag)
2. Meta descriptions (meta descriptions)
3. ALT tags of images
4. Page content

In a moment, you will find out in which content formats of your page you should use your researched keywords.

Content creation: It all comes down to relevant content

Now we come to the next point, the H1 tags or titles of your pages.

H1 tags

The first thing your customers see when they visit your online shop is the H1 heading of the respective page.

The title should contain the focus keyword of the page and encourage your readers to want to find out more.

So that's it for the on-page measures that affect the content of your page. Let's move on to the technical possibilities of search engine optimisation.

Technical SEO

Meta title (title tag)

In Shopify, you have the option of adding an individual page title for each shop page. And you should also use this option, as the page title is one of the most important ranking factors for Google.

This is because the meta title, which has recently also been called the Google title link, appears with the meta description in Google's search results. The title tag is a component of the SERP or Google snippet and appears in the Google search results as a clickable link. If a Google user clicks on it, they will be taken to your page.

If you would like to add a meta title and description to a page, proceed as follows:

1. Log into the main menu of your Shopify admin area and click on "All products".
2. Then click on the product title. Now scroll to the menu item "Search engine entry preview".
3. Click on Edit website SEO to expand the menu.
4. Enter the page title and description in the fields provided. Please note our criteria here.
5. Click on Save.

A title tag should fulfil these criteria:

• Its length should not exceed 60 characters including spaces or 580 pixels (desktop).
• Use a snippet generator to check your advert. If it is not ideal, it is better to rewrite the title link.
• Use your focus keyword and possibly other secondary keywords.
• Make sure the title tag is unique.

Meta description (meta description)

The meta description is displayed below the title link in the search results. The description should tell readers at a glance whether the content of your page is relevant to their search.

Unlike the title tag, the meta description is not a direct ranking factor. However, the more precise your description is, the fewer customers will bounce from your site back to the search results pages (SERPs). They also stay longer in your shop. A higher click rate, dwell time and low bounce rate in turn send positive signals to Google. And these user signals are in turn among the Google ranking factors. As you can see, the circle closes again.

A meta description should fulfil these criteria:

• Note the maximum length of around 160 characters or 990 pixels.
• Add meaningful keywords and information to the description.
• A call-to-action and special characters complete your description.

Page speed

Since the page experience update in mid-June 2021, the three core web vitals metrics have been used to measure the page and user experience of a page.

The better the loading speed and user experience of a page, the higher the chance of ranking prominently.

In our article All about PageSpeed and loading time optimisation with PageSpeed Insights, we go into the topic in detail. We also show you how you can use the Google PageSpeed Insights tool to optimise the loading time of your online shop.

Internal links

In Shopify, you can add an internal link to another page of your Shopify shop to a category or product description, website content or blog post. Internal linking allows you to build bridges between thematically relevant pages.

This has three advantages:

• You help Google to crawl your site in a meaningful way.
• Visitors to your shop will find it easier to navigate.
• Your customers stay longer in your shop.

301 redirects (redirects)

A 301 redirect is nothing more than a redirect from an old page to a new one. It is necessary if the old URL is no longer up to date or no longer exists.

In short: Redirects can become necessary if:

• the entire domain has been moved
• a changeover from http to https has taken place
• the path of an individual page has changed

In Shopify, you have the option of calling up the "URL redirects" menu item under the navigation tab: Shopify Admin > Online Store > Navigation > URL redirects.

With this function, you can easily create a 301 redirect from the old page to the new one.

A redirect can be created almost automatically for a single product: To do this, go to the Preview menu of the search engine entry and insert your new URL into the URL and Handle field. Below this is the "Create a URL redirect" function. This should be ticked automatically.

Existing redirects can also be imported using a CSV file and added to your shop. You can also export your current Shopify redirects.

Sitemaps

Your Shopify shop automatically generates an XML sitemap that contains the links to all categories, products, product images, pages and blog posts.

You can access it at "www.shopname.de/sitemap.xml". If you want your shop to be indexed faster by Google, you can send your sitemap to Google using the Search Console.

Canonical tags

Your online shop will sometimes contain duplicate content without you having intentionally added it.

There is often a separate page with the same content and a separate URL (Uniform Resource Identifier) for each colour, size or variant of a product. You should then provide these pages with a canonical tag that refers to the main product page.

Follow these guidelines and you will provide Google with a primary URL. This will help you avoid arbitrary indexing. Or even a lower ranking of the pages concerned.

If you have specific questions about canonical tags or other technical optimisation measures, you can contact the Shopify community at any time. Not only can you get help from other webmasters in the community, but you can also access questions that have already been answered.

You've done it! You've read the first major section of this article and the second is already waiting for you.

Shopify SEO: Off-page optimisation for your e-commerce website

Backlinks

Backlinksare links that point to your online shop from a third-party shop, website or blog article. And they are one of the most important ranking factors. The more backlinks from other, relevant pages point to your shop, the higher its link popularity will be. And Google will classify your shop as relevant.

As an online shop operator, you have the option of creating a shop profile on sites such as Amazon or Yelp. This will not only provide you with quality backlinks, but also promising traffic sources.

Anchor texts for backlinks

Google also evaluates the anchor texts of your backlinks: How are the link-providing page, the target page and the link text of the anchor text related. What about their context? Do the link texts appear natural and does the target page of the link provide the user with added value?

If you would like to find out more about SEO-relevant backlinks and how to build them, you can take a look at our article Backlinks - guide & link building tips for 2022.

Social media

To promote your Shopify shop, you can publish posts on social networks. This kills two birds with one stone: firstly, it promotes your brand awareness and online presence (visibility) of your company. And secondly, you can increase the traffic to your website.

1. To do this, create social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
2. When choosing your Shopify theme, make sure that the theme contains social media buttons: Themes such as Brooklyn, Simple, Supply or Venture have the necessary buttons.
3. You can add and activate the social sharing buttons for your blog posts and products in the respective theme.

As you can see, Shopify offers you plenty of opportunities to use e-commerce SEO to improve your company's visibility and attract more customers to your shop.

Let's continue with a few quick tips on SEO measures that you can implement yourself.

Immediately realisable SEO tips for Shopify online shops

For better illustration, we have added this video from the Shopify Help Centre. In it, you can see where and how the individual SEO tips are implemented.

Tip 1: Add a page title and meta description to your product and blog pages.

Tip 2: Optimise your images by adding ALT texts.

Tip 3: Provide each shop page with an H1 heading. Make sure you use the right keywords.

We know that was a lot of tips and information. Here is a short summary of the measures in the form of an SEO checklist.

Conclusion on Shopify SEO

You've learnt a lot about Shopify SEO in our article: We talked about keyword research and content creation and introduced you to the most important on-page and off-page measures.

In addition to helpful instructions for implementing various SEO measures, we have also provided you with an SEO checklist.

Wondering if it's worth all the effort?

Well, you'll be rewarded with

• more traffic from Google's organic search results
• more visibility and reach
• more customer enquiries and
• more sales

Ultimately, only you can decide whether you want to put what you have just read into practice yourself or contact an SEO agency you trust.

Questions and answers about SEO for Shopify online shops

Why is Shopify SEO important for my online shop?

Search engine optimisation is so important for you as an online retailer, as it is the only way to achieve top rankings for relevant search terms. This not only increases the visibility of your shop, it is also visited by more potential customers. For your Shopify shop, this means: more visibility - more traffic - more sales.

Where should I place keywords in Shopify?

After your keyword research, it's time to place them in the content of your shop. There are 6 important fields available to you in Shopify. You should insert your focus keyword:

1. in the page title,
2. the meta description,
3. the H1 heading,
4. the ALT text of images,
5. in the URLS and
6. in your texts.

How can I track the traffic of my Shopify shop?

Until recently, we would have recommended Google Analytics (GA). As you may have heard, on 13 January 2022, the Austrian data protection authority found GA to be in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Why? GA sends digital footprints such as user IDs or IP addresses to the US company.

Now you have two options: You use Google Analytics with an intermediary server. This means that the customer data is not transmitted to Google, but only the data from the intermediary server. Option number two is to use another analytics tool such as Matomo or Piwik Pro.

>> more about the TTDSG & GA ban in Austria and how you can deal with it

Do you need support with the SEO of your Shopify shop?

Then simply contact us. Write to us at our email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. call us on +43 1 353 2 353 or send us your enquiry using our contact form.