SEO TO‐DOs for Shopify - spmsolutions/seo GitHub Wiki

Optimizing a Shopify site for SEO involves a combination of built-in features, third-party apps, and best practices to ensure your store ranks well in search engines. Here’s a comprehensive guide on what you should do for SEO after deploying your Shopify site:

1. Optimize Titles and Meta Descriptions

  • Home Page Title and Meta Description:
    • Go to Online Store > Preferences and set your homepage title and meta description. Make sure they are descriptive, include relevant keywords, and are within the recommended character limits (about 50-60 characters for titles and 150-160 characters for descriptions).
  • Product Pages, Collections, and Blogs:
    • For each product, collection, and blog post, scroll down to the Search engine listing preview section and customize the page title and meta description.
    • Ensure each title is unique and keyword-rich, and each description accurately summarizes the content of the page.

2. Customize URL Slugs

  • SEO-Friendly URLs:
    • Shopify automatically generates URLs, but you can edit them under the Search engine listing preview section for each page. Make sure your URLs are clean, concise, and include relevant keywords.
    • Avoid unnecessary words, special characters, and overly long URLs.

3. Optimize Images

  • Alt Text:
    • Add descriptive alt text to all images, including product images, banners, and logos. Alt text should describe the image and include keywords where appropriate.
    • You can add alt text by going to the Images section when editing a product or page and clicking on the image to edit the alt text.
  • Image Compression:
    • While Shopify automatically compresses images, you should still upload images that are optimized for the web to ensure fast load times.

4. Use a Responsive Theme

  • Mobile Optimization:
    • Ensure your Shopify theme is responsive and optimized for mobile devices. Most modern Shopify themes are mobile-friendly, but you should test your site on various devices to ensure it provides a good user experience.
  • Mobile Usability:
    • Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check how well your site performs on mobile and make adjustments as necessary.

5. Generate and Submit an XML Sitemap

  • Automatic Sitemap:
    • Shopify automatically generates an XML sitemap for your store, usually found at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.
  • Submit to Google Search Console:
    • Submit this sitemap to Google Search Console under the Sitemaps section. This helps Google crawl and index your store’s pages more effectively.

6. Optimize Site Structure

  • Internal Linking:
    • Create a strong internal linking structure by linking related products, collections, and blog posts together. This helps search engines understand the relationships between different pages on your site and can help with indexing.
  • Breadcrumbs:
    • Enable breadcrumbs in your theme settings if available. Breadcrumbs improve navigation for users and search engines, showing the hierarchy of pages.

7. Leverage Blogging for SEO

  • Content Marketing:
    • Regularly publish blog posts that are relevant to your products and industry. This can drive organic traffic and help your site rank for a broader set of keywords.
  • SEO Optimization:
    • Optimize each blog post with relevant keywords in the title, headings, and body content. Also, include internal links to related products and collections.

8. Set Up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools

  • Site Verification:
    • Verify your Shopify site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. This can be done by adding the HTML tag or using other verification methods provided by these platforms.
    • In Shopify, go to Online Store > Preferences and add the verification code in the Google Analytics section if using HTML tag verification.
  • Monitor SEO Performance:
    • Use these tools to monitor your site’s indexing status, keyword performance, and to identify any SEO issues like crawl errors.

9. Enable SSL/HTTPS

  • SSL Certificate:
    • Shopify automatically provides an SSL certificate for your store. Ensure your site is fully served over HTTPS, which is critical for SEO and security.
  • Redirect HTTP to HTTPS:
    • Make sure that all traffic is redirected from HTTP to HTTPS. Shopify handles this automatically, but you can verify it by visiting the non-HTTPS version of your site to ensure it redirects.

10. Implement Structured Data (Schema Markup)

  • Product Schema:
    • Shopify automatically includes basic schema markup for products, such as price, availability, and reviews. However, you can enhance this using apps like JSON-LD for SEO to add more detailed schema.
  • Custom Schema Markup:
    • If you need custom schema for other types of content, you can add it through your theme’s code by editing the theme.liquid or specific template files.

11. Page Speed Optimization

  • Optimize Code:
    • Minimize the use of heavy apps, large images, and complex scripts that can slow down your site. Shopify’s online store speed report (found under Online Store > Themes > Customize > Theme Settings > Performance) gives you insights into your site’s speed.
  • Lazy Loading:
    • Implement lazy loading for images and videos to improve load times, particularly on mobile devices.
  • AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages):
    • Consider using AMP for your blog posts or other content-heavy pages to improve mobile performance. This can be implemented using third-party apps.

12. Enhance User Experience

  • Navigation:
    • Ensure your site has a clear, user-friendly navigation structure. Categories, collections, and filters should make it easy for users to find what they’re looking for.
  • Search Functionality:
    • Optimize your site’s search functionality to help users find products quickly. Consider using a search app that offers predictive search and filtering.

13. Enable Social Sharing

  • Social Media Integration:
    • Ensure that your products and blog posts have social sharing buttons to encourage users to share your content, which can indirectly benefit SEO.
  • Open Graph and Twitter Cards:
    • Shopify automatically handles Open Graph tags and Twitter Cards, but you should check that these are correctly set up in your theme. You can customize these in the Online Store > Themes > Customize section.

14. Track User Behavior with Analytics

  • Google Analytics:
    • Integrate Google Analytics with your Shopify store by adding your tracking ID in Online Store > Preferences. This will help you track visitor behavior, conversions, and other important metrics.
  • Google Tag Manager:
    • If you need more advanced tracking, consider using Google Tag Manager to manage all your tracking scripts.

15. Monitor and Improve Conversion Rates

  • A/B Testing:
    • Use A/B testing tools to experiment with different product pages, checkout flows, and other elements to see what converts best.
  • Shopify Apps:
    • Consider using apps like Lucky Orange or Hotjar to analyze user behavior through heatmaps and session recordings, which can help you identify areas for improvement.

16. Install SEO Apps

  • SEO Manager:
    • Consider installing SEO apps like SEO Manager or Plug in SEO to help automate and manage your SEO efforts. These apps offer features like broken link checks, meta tag optimization, and more.
  • Image Optimization Apps:
    • Use apps like Crush.pics to automatically compress and optimize images, ensuring faster load times.

Summary

Shopify provides a solid foundation for SEO, but to fully optimize your store, you should customize titles and meta descriptions, improve site structure, optimize images, and implement structured data. Regularly monitor your site's performance using Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and SEO apps. Additionally, focus on mobile optimization, user experience, and conversion rate improvements. By following these steps, you can significantly enhance your Shopify store’s visibility and ranking in search engine results.