Shopify SEO: how to rank your online store
Product pages, collections, URLs, speed, apps: the settings that make the difference in getting a Shopify store to rank on Google.
By Léo Chuzel · Published on · 3 min read
Shopify has a good technical foundation for SEO: fast hosting, SSL certificate, an automatically generated sitemap. But a Shopify store doesn’t rank on its own. The theme, the apps installed and above all the quality of the product pages make the difference between a store that sells thanks to Google and a store that depends entirely on advertising.
1. Work on collection pages first
People think of product pages first, but it’s often collection pages that rank for the most searched queries: “organic cotton cap”, “artisan Marseille soap”, “Provence rosé wine”. Every important collection deserves:
- a hand-written title and meta description;
- a few lines of introductory text above the products;
- a fuller text at the bottom of the page: buying advice, materials, care, FAQ;
- links to related collections.
2. Unique product pages
Copying the supplier’s description means publishing the same text as dozens of other stores. Google then has no reason to feature you. A good product page answers the buyer’s questions: what it’s for, who it’s for, what dimensions, what material, how to care for it, what delivery times. Add quality photos with descriptive alt text, and display customer reviews.
3. Understanding Shopify’s URL structure
Shopify imposes its prefixes (/products/, /collections/, /pages/, /blogs/): there’s no point fighting them. However, customise each URL’s handle so it’s short and descriptive. Note that a product is often accessible via several addresses (for example from a collection). Shopify handles this with a canonical tag, but some themes point their internal links to the wrong version: worth checking.
4. Keep an eye on app weight
It’s the first performance problem we come across on Shopify stores. Every app can add its own scripts to every page, and they sometimes stay in place after uninstalling. Take stock, remove what’s no longer used and clean up the theme code. A fast store converts better and ranks better: see our article on Core Web Vitals.
5. Choose a lightweight theme
Recent Online Store 2.0-compatible themes perform far better than older ones. Beware of “all-in-one” themes loaded with animations, carousels and features you’ll never use. A sober, well-customised theme almost always does better. For brands that want maximum performance, headless Shopify with Next.js removes this constraint.
6. Enable product structured data
Price, availability, average rating: this information can appear directly in Google results and in the free Shopping tab. Most themes include some of it; check it’s complete with the rich results test. To learn more, read our guide to structured data. Also remember to connect Google Merchant Center via the Google & YouTube app.
7. Use the built-in blog
The Shopify blog is simple but enough to publish buying guides, usage tips or behind-the-scenes stories about your brand. Every article should link to the relevant collections and products.
8. Handling out-of-stock products
- Temporarily out of stock: keep the page online, give the restock date and offer an availability alert.
- Permanently discontinued product: redirect to the replacement product or the parent collection.
- Avoid deleting pages that receive visits or links without a redirect.
9. Think international
Shopify Markets lets you sell in several countries and languages, with dedicated URLs and automatically generated hreflang tags. Translations still need proofreading: raw machine translation sells poorly. Our article on multilingual websites covers best practice.
To go further
Still unsure about the platform? Read our comparison Shopify or WooCommerce. Want to build customer loyalty? Find out how to connect a CRM to Shopify. And if your store lacks visibility, our Shopify agency in Marseille carries out a full SEO audit of your store.