fbpx


Hang Ten Media

Get Started

Shopify SEO Checklist

Shopify SEO Checklist

Shopify SEO Checklist - HTM Digital

If you want more organic traffic and transform your Shopify store into a revenue generating machine, you need to make SEO and integral part of everything you do. Every product title and description, every blog post and every collection needs to be created with SEO in mind.

If you do that, your store will bustle with eager customers, all drawn to your products without the heavy costs of paid advertising. This SEO Checklist is designed to help you get started on your road to SEO mastery. Over time, you’ll do this stuff automatically and by extension significantly boost your store’s visibility in the search engines.

By following this Shopify SEO checklist, you’ll drive high-quality, organic traffic that converts into loyal customers – for free! Remember, if you can get half your customers for free, you’ve effectively doubled your marketing budget, or halved your CPA. So, let’s get started on your road to growth and success in the ever-competitive ecommerce landscape!

If you can get half your customers for free, you’ve effectively doubled your marketing budget!

Matt Watkins, HTM Digital

This checklist is designed to go hand-in-hand with our Shopify SEO Handbook. Click the link to grab your FREE copy.

1. Understanding SEO Basics

Why Optimise your Shopify store?

  • Understand that SEO enhances your Shopify store’s visibility on search engine results pages, driving organic traffic and reducing customer acquisition costs (CAC).

2. Shopify Platform Essentials

URL Structure

  • Familiarise yourself with Shopify’s URL structure for collections, products, pages, and blogs.
  • Avoid over-tagging products to prevent unnecessary URL generation.

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

  • Ensure each page has unique and optimised title tags (up to 70 characters) and meta descriptions (up to 160 characters). Edit these in the “Search engine listing” section on the Edit Product page.

Robots.txt File

  • Learn how to access and edit the robots.txt file to control which parts of your site search engines can crawl.

3. Setting Up Google Search Console

Account Setup and Verification

  • Create a Google Search Console account and verify your Shopify store using DNS verification or an HTML tag.

Submitting Your Sitemap

  • Submit your Shopify store’s XML sitemap (found at [YourDomain]/sitemap.xml) to Google Search Console to help Google discover and index your pages.

4. On-Page Optimisation

Homepage Optimisation

  • Ensure the homepage includes SEO essentials like a meta title, description, alt text for images, and a clear hierarchy using H1, H2, and H3 tags.
  • Feature links to important pages and optimise for mobile and fast loading speeds.

Product Page Optimisation

  • Use descriptive, keyword-rich titles (but keep them short) and detailed product descriptions.
  • Structure content with proper HTML heading hierarchy and use bulleted lists for key features.
  • Optimise images with descriptive alt text and ensure they are compressed for faster loading times.
  • Take a moment to read our guide on Optimising Shopify Product Pages.

5. Content Marketing Strategy

Pillar Content and Content Clusters

  • Create pillar content (comprehensive pieces covering broad topics) and cluster content (detailed articles on subtopics) to enhance site structure and SEO.
  • Use internal linking to connect cluster content back to the pillar content.

Regular Content Creation

  • Conduct keyword research to identify relevant terms for your audience.
  • Produce valuable, well-structured content that includes clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points.
  • Optimise meta tags, add internal links, and share content through social media and newsletters.

6. International SEO

Hreflang Tags

  • Implement hreflang tags to indicate the intended language and region for your pages.
  • Use Shopify Markets to manage multi-currency, multi-language, international pricing, and domains.

Localised Content

  • Develop content that considers cultural nuances, local trends, and keywords for each target market.
  • Choose an appropriate international domain structure (ccTLDs, subdomains, or subdirectories).

7. Site Speed Optimisation

Improving Load Times

  • Optimise images by resizing and compressing them.
  • Disable unnecessary apps and evaluate theme features.
  • Reduce HTTP requests and leverage caching.
  • Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix speed issues.

8. Leveraging AI for SEO

AI Tools and Strategies

  • Use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate SEO-friendly product titles, descriptions, and metadata.
  • Conduct keyword research, optimise images, and improve content for voice search.
  • Analyse user behavior to optimise the user experience and perform A/B testing for SEO elements.

9. Continuous Improvement and Monitoring

SEO is Ongoing

  • Regularly review and update SEO practices to align with current trends and algorithm updates.
  • Use data-driven insights to refine strategies and improve performance across all marketing channels.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for more organic traffic to your Shopify store, follow this checklist and over time you’ll dramatically improve your store’s visibility in the search engines and acquire a new cohort of loyal customers for free. This Shopify SEO checklist ensures that you cover all essential aspects of SEO, from technical setup to content creation and beyond, setting you up for long-term success.