For ecommerce businesses selling on Shopify, search engine optimization (SEO) is a prerequisite for driving sustainable organic traffic and sales. By implementing SEO best practices, Shopify merchants can lower their cost-per-acquisition, improve conversion rates from search queries, and boost repeat purchases. This guide will explore five fundamental SEO strategies that all Shopify store owners need for growth and scalability.
1. Conduct Keyword Research
The foundation of any Shopify SEO strategy must include thorough keyword research. You need to identify exactly what terms and phrases your potential customers are searching for in Google and other search engines to discover products and services like yours. We suggest creating a list of at least 25-50+ keywords to target. Be sure to include higher volume head terms along with more precise, long-tail variations which often convert better despite less search volume. Professional SEO agencies like Renaissance Digital Marketing have advanced software to uncover the best keyword opportunities.
For a women’s clothing Shopify boutique some examples might be:
- Head term: women’s dresses
- Long-tail variation: cotton summer dresses for women over 50
Keep your flagship niche pages focused on primary terms then optimize deeper content for smart long-tail fits, keyword placement in page titles, URLs, headings, image names, and naturally throughout the content in order of priority.
2. Optimize Site Architecture
With keywords in hand, the next priority is making sure your Shopify store’s information architecture facilitates on-site SEO. Ensure product categories and subcategories are logically organized, label pages descriptively, structure URLs for keywords and clarity, and implement a clear website navigation system. Prominently display and link important pages related to commercial intent like product/category pages, shipping details, return policy in the main menu and site footer. This boosts page authority across core sections of your Shopify store to satisfy searchers’ needs.
3. Enhance Page Speed
Site speed is increasingly a ranking signal factored into search algorithms. Faster loading pages equal better user experience, lower bounce rates, higher conversions and more organic traffic. Run free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom or WebPageTest to benchmark the mobile and desktop speed of your Shopify store. Testing reveals technical areas for optimization like image compression, caching, code minimization, lazy loading, and upgrading hosting. Target sub 2 second page load times as the gold standard – every 100 millisecond delay can hamper conversions.
4. Strengthen On-Page SEO
With your Shopify store’s information architecture and page speed squared away, shift focus to on-page SEO for each URL. Craft unique title tags that balance primary keywords, descriptive phrasing, and brand naming without exceeding 65 total characters. The product description field should feature a few paragraphs about the item’s features/benefits, details like materials/sizing, quality images, specs, comparison charts etc. Outline key specifications in bullet points. Embed descriptive alt text for all images and videos plus enriched structured data. Include related keywords in H1 and H2 tags, URL, opening paragraph and 2-3 times naturally in the body content. These collective on-page SEO signals tell search engines what each page focuses on.
5. Acquire Backlinks
The quantity and quality of external websites linking to pages on your Shopify store signals trust and authority to search algorithms like Google. An effective link building campaign combines earned backlinks from guest posting on relevant niche websites, blogger outreach emails, interviews with industry publications, and high-authority directories with field-related links. Avoid low-quality networks and never buy links. Each new backlink acts as a “vote” to raise your Shopify store’s rankings for targeted SEO keywords. Monitor links pointing to top three competitors for tactical opportunities.
Mastering these core SEO strategies forms a winning playbook for diagnosing gaps limiting organic visibility and executing the necessary optimizations to help any Shopify store owner climb rankings. Software tools and professional SEO services simplify executing advanced ecommerce SEO while maximizing return on investment. But adhering to essential SEO best practices builds a vital foundation for sustainable Shopify store growth.
