For Shopify store owners, effective SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is key to driving traffic and increasing sales. In a crowded e-commerce market, having a well-optimised store can be the difference between customers finding your products or opting for a competitor’s. Here’s how you can leverage Shopify’s platform to improve your Google rankings and enhance your store’s visibility.
Understanding Shopify SEO
The SEO principles for Shopify align with general e-commerce SEO strategies, but there are a few specific nuances. Shopify, while flexible, comes with some built-in limitations you’ll need to work around. However, with the right techniques, you can enhance your Shopify store’s discoverability and push your products higher on Google’s search results.
1. Website Structure is Crucial
Your Shopify store’s structure plays a huge role in SEO performance. The best approach is to implement a simple, clean hierarchical structure:
• Home Page > Collections > Sub-Collections > Product Pages
While Shopify doesn’t natively support URL nesting for collections (like /collections/shirts/black), you can still improve site navigation using collection pages and breadcrumbs. A clear structure helps both users and search engines navigate your store easily, improving rankings.
2. Optimise Collection Pages
Collection pages on Shopify should be optimised to enhance both user experience and search rankings. Use unique, keyword-rich descriptions for each collection and ensure your title tags are optimised. This can prevent keyword cannibalisation (when multiple pages compete for the same keyword). These pages should target broader search terms, and providing concise, engaging content helps with long-tail keyword rankings.
Tip: Look at brands like Gymshark, who’ve done a great job with optimising collection pages, incorporating filters and hierarchical organisation to improve user navigation.
3. Integrate Shopify with Google Merchant Centre
Google Merchant Centre integration is essential for showing up in Google Shopping results. Install the Google & YouTube app in Shopify to push your productsdirectly to the Merchant Centre. This enables your products to appear in Google’s Shopping tab and the popular products grid, giving you extra visibility on search results pages.
You can monitor the performance of your listings through the Merchant report in Google Search Console.
Your product pages are where the magic happens—this is where conversions take place. Start with the most popular products and optimise the following elements:
• Unique Product Descriptions: Avoid copying manufacturers’ descriptions. Conduct keyword research and write unique, engaging descriptions that speak to yourcustomers’ needs and concerns.
• Customer Reviews: Positive reviews can significantly boost trust and conversions. Enable reviews on your product pages and use structured data markup to enhance visibility through review-rich snippets in search results.
• High-Quality Images: Showcase your products with multiple, high-quality images from different angles. If possible, include product videos to engage customers further.
5. Use Structured Data
Shopify includes built-in structured data, but you can take it further by adding more schema types, such as breadcrumbs, FAQ pages, and product details. This helps Google better understand your store’s content and increases the chances of rich snippets appearing in search results.
Apps are available to make this easier, or you can customise your Liquid templates with the help of a developer to fine-tune your schema implementation.
6. Enhance User Experience (UX) and Page Speed
Mobile optimisation is key, as over 75% of online retail traffic comes from mobile devices. Ensure your Shopify store is mobile-friendly, with fast loading times and intuitive navigation.
Additionally, Shopify offers various apps to optimise website speed. A faster site not only improves UX but can also give you a rankings boost, as Google favours faster-loading sites.
7. Keyword Research: Target the Right Audience
Effective keyword research is the foundation of your Shopify SEO efforts. Identify high-intent keywords that align with what your customers are searching for at different stages of their buying journey.
Keywords can be categorised by intent:
• Informational: Customers are seeking answers.
• Investigational: They’re exploring potential purchases.
• Transactional: They’re ready to buy.
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to discover relevant terms and target them with appropriate content across your site. Competitor analysis and social media can also provide insights into popular terms.
8. Block Irrelevant Pages with Robots.txt
Managing your crawl budget is essential, especially for e-commerce sites with many filterable pages. Shopify allows you to edit your robots.txt file to prevent search engines from crawling unnecessary pages (like pages with specific filters for size or colour), which could otherwise create duplicate content and waste the crawl budget.
9. Leverage Shopify Markets for Global Selling
If you’re looking to sell internationally, Shopify Markets allows you to expand globally without worrying about currency conversions, local taxes, or duties. It’s a powerful feature to boost your store’s reach, making it easier to tap into new markets.
Conclusion: Drive More Traffic with Shopify SEO
Shopify is a user-friendly platform, but you’ll need to put in some effort to optimise your store for SEO success. By focusing on structured website architecture, optimised content, customer experience, and technical enhancements like structured data and page speed, you can stand out from the competition. With these Shopify SEO tips, your store will be in a prime position to rank higher on Google, attract more visitors, and boost your sales.