Shopify offers one of the most robust and convenient eCommerce platforms to set up your online business. In many ways, Shopify’s eCommerce platform is like an all-rounder athlete who can hit a home run whenever you throw something at it. Suppose Shopify’s eCommerce platform is an all-rounder. In that case, Shopify SEO is the bat or tool it uses to take your eCommerce store to the top.
Here, we look at Shopify SEO and discuss its role in ensuring the success of your eCommerce store. More importantly, we will provide you with some nifty tips and tricks to sharpen your Shopify SEO game. As a result, you get the desired SEO results for your eCommerce store.
Shopify Usage Statistics
- More than 4.2 million eCommerce websites use Shopify as their eCommerce platform.
- 10% of the whole eCommerce platform market is under Shopify's possession.
- Shopify's total revenue for the first three quarters of 2022 was $3.9 billion.
- &2% of Shopify's overall earnings comes from transaction/payment processing fees and other merchant services.
- The overall sales generated by Shopify over its 16 years of operation is more than $590 billion.
- Shopify expects to grow its overall sales to half a trillion in 2023.
- eCommerce companies in over 175 countries use Shopify for their online business.
Shopify as an eCommerce Platform
- Easy and fast to set up an eCommerce store for your business.
- It does not need a techie to set up a Shopify store.
- Shopify offers one of the most secure and reliable eCommerce platforms.
- Access to 24/7 customer support.
- Shopify websites come mobile-ready.
- Extensive apps to add additional features and capabilities to your website.
- Shopify offers a native payment gateway that is highly secure.
What is Shopify SEO?
We can define Shopify SEO as a set of SEO operations made explicitly for Shopify’s eCommerce platform. It is worth noting that Shopify already comes with nifty SEO tools and features. For example, posting blogs and redirecting the user to relevant pages are ways Shopify gives you more flexibility over your SEO strategy.
However, there is a significant downside to this. It can lead to the generation of duplicate content, which according to the latest Google Helpful Content update, is a strict no-no. The best approach is to hire an expert SEO company that specializes in Shopify SEO, such as Rainmaker.UNO.
Nonetheless, Shopify also specifies a set of SEO best practices to help you ensure a spot in the Search Engine Results Page or SERP. The significant suggestions by Shopify to ensure a good SEO ranking for your online store include the following.
- Make sure to remove or avoid duplicate URLs in your internal links.
- Ensure there are no duplicate or unwanted paginated URLs.
- Create blogs based on search intent optimization.
- Add structured data, such as "Product," "Article," and "BreadcrumbList."
- Find a way to handle your website's product variant pages.
- Compress the images you want to use on the Shopify website with crush.pics.
- Remove any unnecessary or dormant Shopify apps.
Tips to Master SEO for Your Shopify eCommerce Store
Mastering Shopify SEO is a complex task. Some might even call it an art because many things need to work together to form that perfect SEO strategy for a Shopify store. It is why most companies rely on Shopify SEO experts like Rainmaker.UNO for effective Shopify SEO implementation.
Moreover, the Shopify SEO requirements and implementation can vary significantly depending on your industry vertical, the types of Shopify apps you use, and more. The good news is that as a Shopify SEO expert with years of experience, we can give you the tips you need.
These tips will not automatically make you the #1 on Google result. However, it can help you in your journey to the top and mastering Shopify SEO for your online store.
Optimize the Site Structure of Your Shopify Store
One of the first steps you must take to master Shopify SEO is to optimize your eCommerce website’s structure. The key is to make your website easy to navigate for the user. In other words, the site structure should be intuitive and quickly let the users find what they are looking for without any navigation trouble.
You can use a simple site structure with categories and subcategories to accomplish this. However, ensure you do the categorization sparingly, as it can confuse the user. You can use a flat site structure to gain higher SEO rankings and enhance the user experience. Additionally, you must include a Contact page and About page as it increases your site’s credibility.
Enhance User Experience
- Boost site speed: Use mobile-friendly themes and optimized images. Avoid using sliders.
- Responsive design: Use designs that are compatible across multiple devices.
Research Your Target Keywords
An essential aspect that can decide whether your Shopify SEO is successful or not is the use of appropriate keywords. Hence, it would be best if you made it a point to research your target keywords and ensure they generate traffic from the right audience.
Using the right target keywords and creating appropriate content is the foundation of an effective Shopify SEO strategy. An easy way to find the relevant target keywords is to come up with at least five subjects or topics your target audience cares about.
You must then find the products or services you offer that closely relate to these topics. Creating a buyer persona and searching forums such as Reddit, Quora, etc., can also help you find relevant topics for your site. You can then find the appropriate keywords using tools like Semrush.
Optimize Your Website's Product Pages
Another way to ensure the best Shopify SEO results for your business is to optimize your website’s product pages. It involves using appropriate keywords on your product pages. We advise that you start with your top pages, such as your homepage, main product page, top-selling product page, etc. In other words, optimize the pages that bring you the most profit and conversions first.
Suppose you are still to launch your Shopify store, or you still need to have profitable pages. In that case, you can optimize pages that create the most buzz up to the website’s launch. Similarly, you can prioritize pages related to your most searched keywords. Besides that, you must optimize title tags and meta descriptions for your products to ensure the best Shopify SEO results.
Encourage Backlinking to Your Store
- Supplier/Manufacturer Links
- Industry/Influencer Voices
- Mentions Of Your Brand Without Links.
- Broken Links
Improve Your Ranking With Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the best and most efficient ways to improve your Shopify SEO ranking. It is the most efficient way to boost your organic traffic and bring more people to your website. eCommerce store owners often utilize content less than they should and limit their website content to product descriptions alone.
However, this approach could be better because you need unique SEO-optimized content for the search engines to notice your website. The key is to produce content that adds value to the overall benefit your brand offers its customers. Moreover, it helps to establish your brand as an expert in the industry and build trust among your target audience.
Utilize the Appropriate Shopify Apps
You can improve your Shopify SEO game by utilizing advanced and appropriate Shopify apps. You can use several tools or plugins to enhance your Shopify SEO capabilities. Consider using Plugin SEO for your Shopify store. It helps you streamline your SEO efforts and constantly updates itself to adjust to the changes in search engines.
Another Shopify app to consider to enhance your SEO efforts is Smart SEO. It helps you significantly reduce your time on SEO efforts by eliminating the need to enter meta and alt tags manually. Similarly, you can use other Shopify apps like SEO image optimizer, Semrush, and Yoast to better manage your Shopify SEO.
Eliminate Duplicate Content From Your Shopify Store
As we mentioned, the most significant challenge with Shopify SEO is duplicate content. The rule of thumb for avoiding duplicate content is that no two web pages should be identical. Having the same content on two web pages is unacceptable, whether on your website or a different one.
Any duplicate content on your website can be a disaster for your Shopify SEO efforts. Search engines, including Google, are relatively tolerant of internal duplication.
But the consequences of external duplications can be severe if found by the search engine. You can minimize the risk of recurrence in your Shopify store by performing regular tests and checks to ensure 100% original content. Furthermore, many tools, such as Semrush, can help you eliminate duplicate content.
Use Unique Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
Create Navigation Links on Your Homepage
Pro Tip: The best way to strengthen your Shopify SEO is to enable the user to access all your essential collection/product pages from the homepage. However, it would be best not to stuff all the pages together. It can ruin the user experience by making your web store confusing.
Never Skip Technical SEO
Google Analytics Integration
Don't Forget to Set Up 301 Redirects
Add Sitemap.xml to Google Search Console
Domain Canonicalization and Canonical Tag
Top Shopify SEO Apps to Boost Your Website Rankings
SEO Suite
SEO Booster
SEO Product Optimizer
SEO Doctor
Smart SEO
Plug in SEO
SEO Manager
Benefits of SEO Services for Shopify Stores
Boost Your SERP Ranking
Optimize Your Mobile SEO
Improve Your Shopify Store Security
Track Your Shopify SEO Performance
Impact of Shopify SEO on Your eCommerce Sales and Revenue
Shopify SEO can significantly impact your online store if you can execute it right. It is impossible to list all the big and small ways your Shopify SEO efforts can improve your sales and revenue. Shopify SEO can help you reach a more relevant audience and target them with appropriate content.
Moreover, it lets you bring more relevant audiences to your website and boost traffic to your online store. With the help of an advanced SEO tool and keyword research, you can target audiences with a higher chance of conversion. As a result, Shopify lets you boost your online sales and revenue.
Shopify Page Speed Optimization
- Pick a lightweight and simple Shopify theme for your website.
- Minimize the use of large-size images.
- Use Lazy Load Images.
- Minimize the use of third-party Shopify apps and JavaScript.
- Make sure to migrate all essential tracking codes to Google Tag Manager.
- Do a quick check-up on your website with the help of Google PageSpeed Insights.
Things to Consider When Hiring an Expert Shopify SEO Company
Hiring an expert SEO company is often more challenging than it looks. Of course, you can always hire the first company you consult or choose the cheapest option. But the truth is that you are practically flushing money down the toilet if you don’t do the due diligence before picking an expert Shopify SEO company.
Hence, it would be best to research before fixing an expert Shopify SEO company for your online business. An ideal SEO company will not offer impossible results—veteran SEO experts like Rainmaker.UNO can help you create an SEO plan around your requirements. Before picking an SEO service for your business, you must consider the following things.
- Ensure that your SEO service has a comprehensive picture of your competitors and their targeted keywords.
- Try requesting a quote or asking the price of their SEO services before hiring a Shopify SEO expert and ensure it's within your budget.
- Closely check the Shopify SEO company's portfolio and ensure they have the relevant expertise for your project.
- Ask questions about Shopify SEO to the experts and check how knowledgeable they are about the platform.
Wrapping Up
Shopify SEO is the most effective and cost-efficient way to boost website traffic and generate successful leads and conversions. With Shopify, you get an SEO-ready eCommerce store that gives you access to essential SEO features and capabilities. You can use Shopify apps to enhance your Shopify SEO capabilities too.
However, using the Shopify app is inadequate to help your business without an effective SEO strategy. While Shopify’s eCommerce platform enables you to run all essential SEO operations, you need an expert like Rainmaker.UNO to get the best results for your SEO efforts.
Rainmaker.UNO helps you create a unique SEO strategy tailor-made for your business. We conduct a holistic SEO analysis of your Shopify store and find your business’s ideal Shopify SEO approach. As a result, Rainmaker.UNO can design the most effective Shopify SEO strategy to get you the desired results for your online store.