When it comes to e-commerce, a great store is not enough. Be certain that people can find it. With so many businesses fighting for attention, standing out in search results really matters in attracting customers, and here steps in SEO, It’s all about fine-tuning your website so that it will turn up higher in search engine results when people are searching for products or services like yours.
For a Shopify store owner, nailing SEO can be one game-changing trick toward getting noticed and driving traffic to one’s site. But where do you begin? SEO can seem incredibly complicated with all the factors that go into the process. That’s why we’ve thrown together this straightforward Shopify SEO checklist for you.
We’ll guide you through the key actions, from setting up the right tools to improving the content on your site, fixing technical issues, and building valuable links. Whether you’re just starting out with SEO or looking to fine-tune your current strategy.
Let’s dive in and see how you can improve the SEO of your Shopify store to make sure that business stands out within the crowded online marketplace.
Shopify SEO Checklist: Boosting Your Results
This checklist can turn out to be quite useful for a business seeking to get its website high on SERPs. Even if you are building from scratch, this SEO checklist may help you make your mark with the site on Google.
SEO Basics Checklist
1. Configure Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool that will help you to monitor your site’s search traffic, to track performance and to find the problems that may stop you from getting high positions on SERP.
To begin using Google Search Console (GSC) you first need to create an account and verify your ownership of the website. There are different ways to do that, like uploading a simple HTML file on your server, adding a meta tag in your website’s header, using Google Analytics or the Google Tag Manager.
After verification is done, submit your sitemap to Google. This will help Google crawl and index your site properly so that it gets displayed in search results.
2. Set Up Bing Webmaster Tools
Don’t forget Bing! The second-biggest search engine in the U.S., Bing processes 15% of all searches.
First of all, you will need to log in to Bing Webmaster Tools and verify the ownership of your website. Verification is very similar to that of Google Search Console, it is accomplished by adding a meta tag into the header of your site, uploading an XML file, or setting a CNAME record.
Now that you have verified your site, go ahead to submit your sitemap to Bing. Doing this will let Bing crawl and index your website; hence, its visibility on Bing’s result pages will be improved.
3. Submit a Sitemap
A sitemap is the equivalent of a roadmap to your site, basically telling search engines the structure of your site. Shopify does this all automatically, but if you use WordPress, install the Yoast SEO plugin, then you can hop into Google and Bing’s Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap.
It’s automatically drafted in Shopify, and sitemap files would just be found at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml.
If you use WordPress, you can generate and manage a sitemap through the Yoast SEO plugin. If you already have a sitemap, ensure you have submitted that to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for faster crawling and indexing by search engines.
4. Set Up Google Analytics
Googly Analytics is the perfect tool if you want to know your visitors. To create a Google Analytics account, sign up at Google Analytics, then create a property for your Shopify store.
Finally, log in to your Shopify admin, then go to Online Store > Preferences. Paste your Google Analytics tracking ID in the Google Analytics account field.
This will enable you to use it in tracking key metrics—sources of traffic, users’ behavior, and conversion rates.
5. Explore SEO Tools
This can be fairly challenging to stay on top of in the world of SEO. Thankfully, there are many tools – both free and paid – that you can use to keep yourself organized.
Paid SEO tools:
- Moz for a full SEO marketing suite
- Ahrefs, all-rounder tool suite for SEO audits, research and tracking
- SEMrush, another SEO tool for tracking keywords, exploring competitor sites, and more
- Keywords Everywhere for simple keyword research
Free SEO tools:
- Surfer SEO Chrome plug-in for free search data and content guidelines
- Keyword.io for free keyword suggestions
- Screaming Frog locates crawl errors on your website
- MozBar for on the go SEO research
- Google Ads Keyword Planner to search keywords for ad campaigns
6. Verify Your Site’s Indexing Status
Make sure that your site is properly indexed by search engines by using Google Search Console to check the “Coverage” report to find out exactly which of your pages are indexed and their problems. Further, do a site search on Google with ‘site: yourdomain.com’ and you will know which its pages are indexed and their status.
On-Page SEO Checklist
Getting your individual pages ready to rank isn’t easy and takes some time. You’re going to compete with some established brands out there. If you want to make sure that your web pages are optimized, follow this on-page SEO checklist.
1. Perform Keyword Research
Keyword research identifies the terms and phrases your target audience uses when looking for products similar to your own. Find relevant keywords that have high volume but low competition using tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
Look at competitor sites for keywords they currently rank and search for gaps that might potentially be exploited. Just come up with targeted keywords directly related to your products and the intention of the customer.
2. Optimize Your Heading Tag
Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) organize the structure of your content and tell search engines how to treat it. To optimize heading tags:
Only Use One H1 Tag: Each page should have only one H1 tag. This tag should include your primary keyword and describe what your page is all about.
Use H2 and H3 Tags: Use these to subheadings and break up the content in a logical manner. Fit in as many secondary keywords as possible without forcing it, though.
For example, if it is a product page for “organic skincare products,” you would want to have an H1 tag that says “Organic Skincare Products” and H2 tags for “Benefits of Organic Skincare” and “Our Best-Selling Products.”
3. Write Compelling Title Tags
That’s only half the battle to get into the results. You also have to convince users to decide to visit your page over others. Title tags do much of this work.
Primary Keywords: Include your main keyword near the beginning of the title tag
Keep It Under 60 Characters: It should be of a length that fits well in search results.
Make It Engaging: Craft a title that will make users click, yet clearly express the value of the content.
4. Optimize Your Meta Description
Meta descriptions should be persuasive and descriptive, giving users an idea of what the page is all about. Meta descriptions summarize your page content and increase click-through rates. To optimize meta descriptions:
Include Keywords: Natural usage of primary and secondary keywords.
Keep It Under 160 Characters: Make sure that it’s concise and fully visible in search results.
Create a Call to Action: Get them to click through by highlighting benefits or offers.
5. Incorporate a Keyword in Your Page URL
URLs must be clean, descriptive, and include relevant keywords. Your URLs let search engines know what your page is about. Include your target keyword but keep URLs short and sweet by avoiding filler words.
Since search engines as well as your visitors will read your URL, you’ll want to follow a few best practices :
Make URLs readable
✔https://yourdomain.com/protien-powder
✗https://yourdomain.com/index.php?29525=p99=?
Use hyphens not underscores
✔https://yourdomain.com/protein-powder
✗https://yourdomain.com/protein_powder
Include target keywords
✔https://yourdomain.com/women-white-shoes
✗https://yourdomain.com/shoes-yellow-white-for-women
6. Write Descriptive Alt Text for Images
Alt text helps search engines know what the subject matter of your images is, and it also improves accessibility. Writing effective alt text means:
Describe the Image: The description should be in the form that gives the content of the image concisely and clearly.
Include relevant keywords: Every keyword should be integrated naturally; there must be no stuffing of keywords.
Keep it Brief: Aim for 125 characters or less.
7. Add Schema Markup
Schema markup enriches search engines’ understanding of a website and thereby increases the possibility of rich snippet appearance.
Implementation of schema markup includes the selection of the appropriate schema type related to the content, such as Product, Review, or Organization, and adding in the schema code through the insertion of schema markup into the HTML of a page or the use of a plug-in to do so.
Content Checklist
1. Create a Content Marketing Strategy
A good content marketing strategy should be in a position to help in attracting and engaging the target audience. The development of a strategy starts by defining your goals, either increasing traffic or generating leads.
Understand your audience through research into needs, preferences, and search behavior. Planning content with the aid of a content calendar is essential, for it clearly shows what the topics are, in what format they are, and when they will be published.
2. Optimize Content for Readability
Well-formatted content makes for a better user experience and encourages engagement. Break up text into manageable bits with short paragraphs to make it more readable.
Incorporate subheadings in a content with H2 and H3 tags to help organize it and guide readers through. Bullet points and numbered lists allow one to note important points in a string of information, thus making this information easy to scan.
3. Fix Duplicate Content
Duplicate content may hurt your SEO and confuse search engines. To resolve duplicate content:
Content duplication: Check for duplicate content by using tools such as Screaming Frog or Cityscapes.
Use Canonical Tags: These tags will help in specifying the preferred version of a page.
Avoid Duplicate Meta Tags: Every page should have a unique title tag and meta description tag.
4. Develop Targeted Landing Pages
Specialized landing pages can maximize conversions by targeting specific user needs. Development of effective landing pages:
Focus on a single goal: Every landing page should have only one offer or product, or focus on one campaign.
Include Relevant Keywords: Be sure to optimize the page for keywords relevant to the offer or campaign at hand.
Add strong calls to action: Instruct users on what actions to take, like signing up or buying.
Technical SEO Checklist
1. Ensure Your Store Is Mobile-Friendly
Mobile Friendliness is essential to both user experience and SEO. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your store’s mobile usability and make necessary adjustments.
Moreover, the design of the site needs to be responsive and flexible according to different screen sizes.
2. Use an HTTPS Secure Domain
HTTPS keeps users safe and ensures that you have a better search engine ranking. Enable HTTPS:
Get an SSL Certificate: Shopify provides an SSL certificate for every shop, hence giving assurance of secure transactions.
Update Internal Links: Use HTTPS on all internal links.
Example: Ensure that the URL of your store starts with https:// instead of http:// for safe browsing.
3. Verify Your Store’s Speed
Page speed is important for both User Experience and SEO. If you really want a fast store, then compress and reduce the size of your images to reduce their load time.
Simultaneously, try minimizing the code by removing clutter and using highly efficient coding. Besides, Shopify automatically makes use of a CDN to deliver content at faster speeds.
4. Fix Broken Links
Broken links can affect both user experience and SEO. To fix broken links use tools like Broken Link Checker and then update or remove them by replacing the URL with the updated one, or remove if irrelevant.
Check your site regularly for broken links and ensure that all links direct to the proper pages to maintain a seamless user experience.
5. Create an Internal Link Strategy
Internal linking will help the users in navigation and aid with better SEO. To put an internal link strategy that works into action:
Link to Relevant Pages: Add links to related products, blog posts, or categories right inside of your content.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text: The anchor text must relate to what is on the page it is linking.
6. Optimize Anchor Text
Anchor text gives context to search engines and users. Use descriptive text relevant to that linked content in optimizing anchor text.
Avoid generic phrases like “click here” and instead replace them with specific words or key terms that would let one know precisely what to expect in the linked content.
Example: Instead of using “Click here”, Use “explore our range of eco-friendly yoga mats” as anchor text for a link to a product page.
7. Create a Global Navigation Menu
A global navigation menu serves to find the key pages and enhance the site structure. In order to build up an effective menu:
Include Key Categories: Add key categories like “Products,” “Blog,” or “Contact Us.”.
Make Sure It Is Accessible: The menu should be available on all devices and easy to navigate.
Example: Add a global navigation menu with links to the main product categories of your store, special offers, and a blog.
8. Enhance Your Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals measure user experience metrics with respect to page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
It requires one to focus on the improvement of the metrics in LCP through a decrease in the load time of largest visible content, a drop in Cumulative Layout Shift to prevent shifts in content during loading, and improvements in First Input Delay by augmenting the responsiveness of the site through minimized JavaScript execution time.
For example, enhancing the server response time and reducing render-blocking resources can make your store’s LCP more efficient.
Off-Page SEO Checklist
1. Examine Your Competitor’s Backlink Profile
Knowing the backlinks of your competitors can unlock certain opportunities for your link-building strategy.
The tools to help you do this are Ahrefs and SEMrush; with these, you are able to analyze the backlinks for your competitor’s websites. Find quality links you might be able to get or replicate.
For instance, if you see one with high-quality backlinks from industry blogs, you can work out guest posting opportunities from similar sites to enhance your backlink profile.
2. Write Guest Posts
Guest posting on relevant websites can highly increase your authority and drive traffic to your storefront. Writing effective guest posts first requires one to identify the sites that have your niche and accept guest submissions.
The next will be pitching high-quality, valuable content—relevant, useful information that contains relevant links to your store.
For example, guest post on an extremely popular blog on fashion entitled “The Top 5 Trends in Sustainable Fashion” and link to your shop with eco-friendly product lines.
3. Obtain Press Mentions
Press mentions will publicize your store and increase its credibility.
To get the above press mentions, do contact journalists with press releases or pitches on some kind of remarkable event, product launch, or achievement.
Even more, use PR platforms for distributing your press releases among a bigger audience.
For example, issue a press release regarding a new line of products launch and distribute it to appropriate industry-specific media for its coverage in a bid to increase your store’s exposure and reputation.
4. Reclaim Brand Mentions
Reclaiming unlinked brand mentions can be a great way to enhance your backlink profile. You need to monitor brand mentions using Google Alerts or Mention so you know when your brand is being discussed somewhere online.
Then, upon finding the mention that doesn’t include a link, you will have to contact the site owner/author and request them to add a backlink to your store.
For example, if some blog simply writes about your store and does not use a link, email the author asking for that post to be updated with a link back to your site so that the link profile of your store is improved and more traffic can flow in.
Local SEO Checklist
1. Create a Google Business Profile
A Google Business profile is essential to customers finding your store locally. To set up:
Create and Verify Your Profile: Register for Google Business Profile, complete your profile details, and verify your business location.
Optimize Your Listing: Add accurate business information, like your address, phone number, hours of operation, and your website URL.
Example: If you have a physical store, ensure that you include your address, phone number, and store hours in your Google Business profile to gain more local customers.
2. Register Your Store on Major Directories and Platforms
Listing your store on directories increases local SEO and therefore visibility.
Listing your store successfully requires one to submit business details in main directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and other specific directories in your industry.
Make sure the listings are consistent to avoid Business detail inaccuracies, thereby safeguarding your credibility.
For example, list down your store in local business directories and ensure that the address and contact details correspond to those specified in your Google Business profile.
All this consistency will improve your local search ranking and give better accessibility to your store for customers.
3. Provide Detailed Information on Your Contact Us Page
A detailed contact us page increases trust with users and local SEO. To Optimize:
Include Numerous Ways of Contact: a phone number, an email address, and a contact form.
Add Your Address: Add your physical address and a map if there is one.
Example: A contact form, contact phone number, email, and a map indicating the store location are all important features that your Contact Us page should contain.
4. Create City-Specific Landing Pages
City-specific landing pages can work towards the attraction of local traffic. City-specific pages can be built by initially targeting local keywords in such a way that the content becomes optimal for search that has a city specification in it.
Highlight local information by including details about nearby landmarks, community events, or special offers relative to that city.
For instance, you may create a city-specific landing page like ‘www.example.com/nyc-store’ with content optimized for New York City and featuring local promotions, and events.
This way, it doesn’t just boost visibility in local search; it also interests the visitor by giving them locally relevant content.
Conclusion:
Following this complete Shopify SEO checklist will increase overall store visibility in search engine results, bring more organic traffic and, better yet — sales.
Since SEO is an iterative process, make sure to have your strategy reviewed once in a while and update it as per the new changes in search engine algorithms since you need to stay at pace with competitors.
So, give equal importance to Keyword Research, On-Page SEo, Off-Page SEO, Technical SEO, Content Creation and Local SEO. You can create robust regional visibility that will lead your Shopify store to long-lasting success in the online realm.
