Ultimate Shopify SEO Checklist

SEO can be overwhelming for new Shopify store owners. Improving your Shopify store's search engine ranking is easy with these 8 simple tips.

  • Before you get started, set up Google Analytics and Search Console.

    See description

  • Set up Google Analytics to get a wide range of key metrics that will help you make informed decision to improve your site’s search ranking.

    See description

  • Set up Google Search Console to check indexing status and optimize visibility of your store (once you set it up you can access a lot of info right in Google Analytics).

    See description

  • 1. Submit a Sitemap to Google Search Console  

    See description

  • Sign in to Google Search Console

    See description

  • In the sidebar, select your website 

    See description

  • Click on ‘Index’ to expand the section and then click on ‘Sitemaps’ 

    See description

  • Remove outdated or invalid sitemaps (if any) like sitemap.xml 

    See description

  • Enter sitemap_index.xml into the text box that appears 

    See description

  • Click Submit 

    See description

  • Fix any "crawling" errors you see after submitting your sitemap. Search engines systematically browse through your website and all of its web pages. If they're unable to reach a specific page, you'll see an error. Get more info on what's causing it based on the error code, and fix it. 

    See description

  • 2. Do Your Keyword Research  

    See description

  • Look into keywords related to your products and store, and look for high search volume terms you want to rank for. For example, if you have a Shopify store selling leather phone cases, you might want to optimize for keywords like, "leather phone cases wallet," and "leather phone cases for iPhone XR" in addition to more general terms.

    See description

  • We recommend using a keyword research tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner or ahrefs. If you're a total newbie to keyword research, a simple way to start is by using Google Suggest. Just type a phrase into Google and see what related searches it auto-suggests.

    See description

  • 3. Optimize Your Shop's Pages Based on Your Keyword Research

    See description

  • Optimize your URL. A well-crafted URL provides both humans and search engines an easy-to-understand indication of what the destination page will be about and it should use the keyword/phrase you want to rank for. Using the example above we might want a page with the url: "mystore.com/leather-phone-case-iphonexr

    See description

  • Keep page titles short and concise. Google displays the first 50 to 60 characters for most page titles, so be sure to keep your page title below 55 characters. Ensure that it accurately describes your content and is not misleading. 

    See description

  • Meta descriptions. Like page title, meta descriptions are also truncated to 160 characters. Be sure to keep your meta descriptions brief (under 155 characters) and include keywords toward the beginning of your descriptions.

    See description

  • Use only one H1 tag on your pages. H1 tags are usually designated for page titles and should contain the page’s main keyword. 

    See description

  • 4. Optimize Your Images for SEO 

    See description

  • Make sure that you have the right to use the image.

    See description

  • Change your image filename to something that’s relevant to the page and includes one of your target keywords for the page. Using the same example, a good image filename would be "leather-phone-case-iphone-xr.jpg"

    See description

  • Always update the alt text for your images. Include your primary keyword for the page and something descriptive from the image itself. Using our example, an alt tag could be "Our supple leather phone case perfectly hugs the curves of the iPhone XR."

    See description

  • 5. Get Backlinks to Your Store

    See description

  • Guest blogging: Bloggers generally love having guest writers because it gives their site fresh content for very little effort, so it’s worthwhile to look for opportunities to secure a backlink this way. 

    See description

  • Get links from your manufacturers: If you don't make your own products, it's a common practice for many e-commerce shop owners to ask the manufacturers of the products they sell to list their shop on their directories. 

    See description

  • Get your products reviewed by influencers: Another easy way to get backlinks is by sending your products to bloggers within your niche to do a product review.

    See description

  • 6. Develop a Content Strategy  

    See description

  • Develop a mission for your blog and a content marketing strategy based on your keyword research. 

    See description

  • 7. Social Media  

    See description

  • Create social media profiles on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest (do some research to see which channels would be best for your store). You should also make it easy for your shopper's to share your images and pages on social media with "share" links on your site. 

    See description

  • 8. Additional Tips

    See description

  • Fortunately, pretty much every theme on the Shopify Theme Store is mobile friendly, but make sure yours is so you don't miss out on sales. 

    See description

  • Ensure that your store is quick and responsive. Google’s PageSpeed Insights in an excellent tool to analyze the performance of your store. 

    See description

  • To ensure you're following current best practices, visit Google’s Search Console Help Section.

    See description

  •  Use the Shopify App Store to your advantage. Sign up for a free 30 day trial of Back in Stock and send customers notifications when popular products are back in stock to maximize your sales.

    See description

  • Before you get started, set up Google Analytics and Search Console.

    See description

  • Set up Google Analytics to get a wide range of key metrics that will help you make informed decision to improve your site’s search ranking.

    See description

  • Set up Google Search Console to check indexing status and optimize visibility of your store (once you set it up you can access a lot of info right in Google Analytics).

    See description

  • 1. Submit a Sitemap to Google Search Console  

    See description

  • Sign in to Google Search Console

    See description

  • In the sidebar, select your website 

    See description

  • Click on ‘Index’ to expand the section and then click on ‘Sitemaps’ 

    See description

  • Remove outdated or invalid sitemaps (if any) like sitemap.xml 

    See description

  • Enter sitemap_index.xml into the text box that appears 

    See description

  • Click Submit 

    See description

  • Fix any "crawling" errors you see after submitting your sitemap. Search engines systematically browse through your website and all of its web pages. If they're unable to reach a specific page, you'll see an error. Get more info on what's causing it based on the error code, and fix it. 

    See description

  • 2. Do Your Keyword Research  

    See description

  • Look into keywords related to your products and store, and look for high search volume terms you want to rank for. For example, if you have a Shopify store selling leather phone cases, you might want to optimize for keywords like, "leather phone cases wallet," and "leather phone cases for iPhone XR" in addition to more general terms.

    See description

  • We recommend using a keyword research tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner or ahrefs. If you're a total newbie to keyword research, a simple way to start is by using Google Suggest. Just type a phrase into Google and see what related searches it auto-suggests.

    See description

  • 3. Optimize Your Shop's Pages Based on Your Keyword Research

    See description

  • Optimize your URL. A well-crafted URL provides both humans and search engines an easy-to-understand indication of what the destination page will be about and it should use the keyword/phrase you want to rank for. Using the example above we might want a page with the url: "mystore.com/leather-phone-case-iphonexr

    See description

  • Keep page titles short and concise. Google displays the first 50 to 60 characters for most page titles, so be sure to keep your page title below 55 characters. Ensure that it accurately describes your content and is not misleading. 

    See description

  • Meta descriptions. Like page title, meta descriptions are also truncated to 160 characters. Be sure to keep your meta descriptions brief (under 155 characters) and include keywords toward the beginning of your descriptions.

    See description

  • Use only one H1 tag on your pages. H1 tags are usually designated for page titles and should contain the page’s main keyword. 

    See description

  • 4. Optimize Your Images for SEO 

    See description

  • Make sure that you have the right to use the image.

    See description

  • Change your image filename to something that’s relevant to the page and includes one of your target keywords for the page. Using the same example, a good image filename would be "leather-phone-case-iphone-xr.jpg"

    See description

  • Always update the alt text for your images. Include your primary keyword for the page and something descriptive from the image itself. Using our example, an alt tag could be "Our supple leather phone case perfectly hugs the curves of the iPhone XR."

    See description

  • 5. Get Backlinks to Your Store

    See description

  • Guest blogging: Bloggers generally love having guest writers because it gives their site fresh content for very little effort, so it’s worthwhile to look for opportunities to secure a backlink this way. 

    See description

  • Get links from your manufacturers: If you don't make your own products, it's a common practice for many e-commerce shop owners to ask the manufacturers of the products they sell to list their shop on their directories. 

    See description

  • Get your products reviewed by influencers: Another easy way to get backlinks is by sending your products to bloggers within your niche to do a product review.

    See description

  • 6. Develop a Content Strategy  

    See description

  • Develop a mission for your blog and a content marketing strategy based on your keyword research. 

    See description

  • 7. Social Media  

    See description

  • Create social media profiles on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest (do some research to see which channels would be best for your store). You should also make it easy for your shopper's to share your images and pages on social media with "share" links on your site. 

    See description

  • 8. Additional Tips

    See description

  • Fortunately, pretty much every theme on the Shopify Theme Store is mobile friendly, but make sure yours is so you don't miss out on sales. 

    See description

  • Ensure that your store is quick and responsive. Google’s PageSpeed Insights in an excellent tool to analyze the performance of your store. 

    See description

  • To ensure you're following current best practices, visit Google’s Search Console Help Section.

    See description

  •  Use the Shopify App Store to your advantage. Sign up for a free 30 day trial of Back in Stock and send customers notifications when popular products are back in stock to maximize your sales.

    See description