Shopify store SEO – what does it do?

Shopify is a Canadian e-commerce platform that allows you to quickly create an online store, adapt it to your needs and start selling. This system gives you access to many plugins and extensions that allow, among others, integrate the website with the Amazon platform or selected payment systems. A well-configured store is user-friendly, and the sellers allow for efficient execution of orders. However, in order for customers to show up, you need to position your Shopify store.

What exactly is Shopify store positioning? This is the process by which your website is visible to Google. As a result, when the customer enters phrases related to your offer in the search engine, he will see a link to the store high on the list of search results. How high your website will appear depends on how valuable your website is. Therefore, the e-shop must be adapted to the requirements of the search engine and “prove” that the information it contains is valuable for potential customers.

How well your Shopify e-store positions itself on Google is influenced by many factors, which we’ll cover a bit later. However, it is worth knowing that thoughtful SEO activities can significantly increase its sales potential and make acquiring one customer much cheaper. Positioning will make:
– you will hit high places on the list of search results for phrases related to your business,
– you will increase traffic on your store’s website, which will give you a better chance of convincing the customer to your offer,
– you will strengthen your brand on the web, which will allow you to compete better with other e-stores offering similar products,
– you will get long-term results – you will stay in high positions in SERPs for a long time, and the cost of acquiring a client will regularly decrease.

That is why positioning your store on Shopify is a basic SEO strategy worth investing in.

Is it worth SEO a shop on Shopify yourself?

The Shopify platform itself offers a wide range of possibilities when it comes to planning SEO activities. The website provides, among others possibility:
– automatic generation of links with SEO-friendly addresses,
– generating a sitemap and a robots.txt file, which are important from the point of view of indexing the page on Google,
– editing meta tags and their automatic creation,
– optimizing ALT attributes when uploading photos to product pages.

These functionalities can be additionally extended by using appropriate extensions and additions – such as, for example, All In One SEO and similar. It must be admitted that all these tools can make your positioning work much easier. However, the question is whether they will be enough for the results of all the activities carried out to bring measurable effects.

Keep in mind that the tools that increase the functionality of Shopify alone are not enough to effectively position your store. You still need to know how to use them. Effective SEO activities consist of many elements that must be coherently combined within one strategy – this is the only way you have a chance to achieve the expected success.

That is why, especially if you have no experience in positioning Shopify stores or any other website, it is better to entrust this task to specialists. Although service by a digital agency is associated with costs, in fact … it can bring you huge savings. The reason is simple: the budget you have for positioning your store on Shopify will be used wisely, and experts will skillfully refine the strategy to translate into more effective customer acquisition.

How to SEO your shop on Shopify?

First things first: positioning your Shopify stores is a multi-step process that takes a lot of time. Don’t expect the results to come a week or two after placing the order for SEO activities. What it comes from? Positioning requires, first of all, refining the website of your store – both on the technical and content level. In addition, it begins with an in-depth audit, which is the foundation of the work carried out.

It is during the audit that specialists define:
– what the current state of your store looks like and what needs to be changed in order to match SEO requirements,
– how your direct competitors are positioning and where there is a potential to overtake them,
– what keywords can be well positioned – it is worth remembering that those promoted by many stores in the industry at the same time will be more difficult. This means that entering the TOP 10 or a higher position in the ranking will take longer and will be associated with a higher financial investment. To reduce the level of these expenses, you can choose slightly less popular phrases at the beginning, and broaden their scope, by selecting Shopify store positioning in the long-tail model,
– how to modify and expand the content in the store so that it allows for better positioning results.

The more precisely such an analysis is carried out and the better the experts understand the sales process and the specifics of the industry, the better the subsequent SEO activities will be “set”.

What about after the audit? See what exactly you need to take care of in order to successfully position your shop on Shopify.

Fast loading of the store and its flawless operation

What do you do when you want to visit a website, but the website, instead of loading in the blink of an eye, opens endlessly? Nobody likes to wait these days. That’s why most people just close that page and move on to the next one. Your clients would do likewise. Google algorithms, which determine the position of individual pages in SERPs, are designed to present the user with the most precisely matched and most accessible results. Therefore, if your e-shop on Shopify is loading slowly, do not count on good positioning results. Google will lower your ranking.

What can make your Shopify store run slow? Shopify is a SaaS platform, which means that you are not responsible for hosting the servers – although the service itself ensures their high performance and reliable operation. But not only they translate into the loading efficiency of the website. Equally important are issues such as:
– the number of installed plug-ins and add-ons – if there are really many of them, it may turn out that some will “clash” with each other, delaying the opening of the website,
– image file sizes that have been posted on product pages – if they are “heavy” and there are a lot of them, they will download slower.

Various types of errors can be an equally big problem – for example, looping redirects between tabs or many subpages with the error code 404. These elements cause discomfort to the user, and thus, they look bad in the eyes of Google.

That is why the first stage of preparing a website for positioning is to look at all the technical aspects of its operation. It also includes security issues – it is important that the website uses an appropriate SSL certificate, which eliminates the risk of data leakage. You should also update the software and other elements that are responsible for the operation of the e-store on the web.

Correct site map

How are the products in your Shopify store organized? Positioning requires a very clear division into individual categories and subcategories. If all goods are simply thrown into the store “just like that” and only the general catalog on the home page leads to them – there is no question of the effectiveness of SEO activities.

All goods should be divided into categories and subcategories – so that their structure is as ordered as possible. This is important both for the positioning of the Shopify store and for the convenience of the user himself. A well-designed sitemap will make it easier for him to find interesting products, which will increase the chance of a purchase.

Improving the site map and organizing information and product pages in general is also one of the first steps to take when positioning your store on Shopify.

Content tailored for SEO

It is in the texts on the store’s website that you can include important key phrases, which will translate into a better position in the ranking. But be careful! Good content for store pages on Shopify is not one that is filled to the brim with keywords. Yes, they should be included in the texts, but in reasonable saturation, so that the texts are natural. In addition, SEO-specific content is the one that:
– have the optimal length – currently Google prefers longer texts, provided that they have actual substantive value and meet the requirements of positioning the store on Shopify,
– contain precisely selected key phrases – should be selected through SEO analysis using advanced tools, not “by eye”,
– are clear and easy to read, and therefore contain, inter alia, H2, H3, and sometimes even deeper headings, and use content highlights,
– they are unique – you absolutely cannot afford to copy them from other websites, even if you have the right to do so. Why? Because Google considers such copies of the content to be of little value, which will translate into a decrease in your position in the SERPs.

And what are the types of texts that are expected to appear with Shopify SEO in mind? He mainly judged:
– descriptions of categories and sub-categories of products, containing keywords that are related to them thematically – if you provide accesses with budget or news, and then introduce the main ones, then add more,
– product descriptions – one will also be an addition and expanded. In the store you want them to run, or even how you want them to continue,
– content on the main page – it is worth inserting a fragment that will also present the text of the store and will be the next page that will be the sale from the service point of the website.

In the longer term, it is also worth considering a company blog that allows you to combine SEO activities with typical content marketing. By choosing the right topics of the content and taking care of regularly publishing new ones, you can significantly increase and expand the SEO potential and maintain the results achieved at the beginning.

Linking matters

The content – both in the store itself and on external portals – should contain properly created links referring to individual sub-tabs of the website. Why is it so important? Because such links also affect the efficiency of positioning your store on Shopify. The more of them, the more valuable your e-shop is in a given context by Google. So let’s fight for it.

Links can be added both in the content of individual tabs with categories and subcategories, as well as in blog articles and in texts prepared for external websites – e.g. in sponsored articles.

Don’t forget about the metadata

The metadata is primarily the title and description parameters. What are they for? In a nutshell, they are displayed in Google search results. Therefore, they fulfill marketing roles, but most of all SEO. Therefore, these metadata should:
– have the appropriate length so that they are displayed well – in the case of title it is about 60 characters, and in the case of description – about 160. It is worth sticking to these values,
– be unique – they cannot be the same for individual subpages, because it will be problematic for Google, and thus unfavorable for the positioning of the Shopify store,
– contain appropriate keywords, preferably similar to those used in H1 headers on the subpage they refer to.

While Shopify allows you to automatically create your metadata, it’s a good idea to edit it for each tab and make sure it’s unique. This will bring many benefits when it comes to website positioning.

Also, be sure to add ALT attributes to your photos – especially those posted on your product pages. These parameters are also important for SEO, and in addition, they are important from the point of view of better accessibility to published content for people with disabilities.

How long does it take to position Shopify stores?

Wondering how long will you wait for your Shopify store SEO results? Be patient as this process can take up to 6 months. However, it is worth waiting calmly – the effects of good SEO activities will last for a long time.

But be careful! A one-time “setup” of positioning is not enough. At later stages, it is worth adding new content to the e-store and updating current texts with a focus on positioning for specific phrases. All these tasks, along with monitoring the effectiveness of positioning, will be performed by a good digital agency – so that you can be sure of visible results. What if you need your store’s advertising effects on Shopify faster? Then you can invest in solutions such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads. Paid campaigns, especially those using remarketing elements, will allow you to quickly attract the attention of buyers. However, they are relatively expensive, and their effects, although immediate, are short-lived. Therefore, it is best to combine SEO and paid advertising activities into one, well-thought-out and coherent strategy. Thus, problems can be avoided and a synergy effect can be achieved.

In a stationary store, customers count on the help of the seller. Kind, smiling and kind advisers can work wonders and convince even the least determined ones to buy. It can be said that in the online store this function is performed by a description. The better it is, the greater the probability that the customer will buy the product from you, and maybe even stay with you longer? Where to start creating descriptions?

Find out who your customers are

To get your customers attention, you need to get to know them well. First, think about who and why is visiting your online store? Gather as much information as possible about your customers: How old are they? How do they look? Where they live? What do they do? Are they singles? Do they have families? How often do they shop online? How do they spend their free time? What are their daily rituals? What annoys them? Remember that the customer is not interested in what you want to sell. For him, the most important thing is what he wants to buy at the moment. Try to discover his motivations, fears and needs.

Where to find information? There are quite a few sources of knowledge about consumers and the Internet. If you haven’t done research before, start with industry reports. Important information on the demographics and behavior of your customers can be found, for example, in online tools such as Google Analytics or Facebook Audience Insight.

Create your perfect client

Once you have the knowledge, analyze the collected information and use it to create a persona, i.e. your model client. Give her a name, age and place of residence. Write where he works. Let your persona have goals and desires, but also frustrations. Suppose you run an online store with organic cosmetics. One of the persona might look like this:

Jessica is 28 years old. She is the mother of the resolute five-year-old John and the wife of the architect Tom. She graduated in human resource management, and currently lives in the capital and works in one of the corporations in the HR department.
She tries to spend her free time with her family – actively, preferably outdoors. He cares about ecology. He does grocery shopping in a local grocery store. In order not to waste time, she kept visits to the shopping center to a minimum. Instead of at a drugstore, he buys cosmetics online. Before deciding to buy, she checks the composition of products and the opinions of other customers and influencers. It focuses on quality, price is a secondary criterion.

If you define personas well, you will discover what to focus on when creating product descriptions. You will write to satisfy the curiosesity and needs of a specific target group. You will also not waste time on too general or technical descriptions. There is a high probability that no one will read them. And if he doesn’t, he probably won’t buy it.

People buy emotions, not products

Before you start creating a product description in an online store, establish the strengths and benefits of having it. Think about what problems it solves. Customers will be happy to pay if you convince them that it is your product that will have a real impact on their quality of life: they will have more time for their family, they will take care of everyday matters faster, they will be more attractive or they will save a lot of money for holidays. This is where knowing your target group comes in handy. What will convince young mothers will not go to teenagers at all.

Use the language of benefits

Remember that the language of benefits is the language of particulars. Support any benefits your product provides with concrete and true evidence. Avoid cliches and cliches. “One of a kind”, “top-quality workmanship” or “the latest fashion” – they mean nothing to the customer. The market is saturated with this type of desert returns, which is why consumers have learned to effectively ignore them.

If you absolutely want to emphasize that your product is in something “the best” – justify why, eg “The thinnest smartphones on the market. It’s only 1mm thick and you can fold it like a piece of paper”.

It’s important to be clear about the problem your product solves. If an orthopedic pillow relieves spine, head and back pain, say it simply, without any special words or fancy phrases. So that the message reaches all interested parties, not only those who have completed a doctorate in acupressure. When you make customers aware of a problem that you can solve, you will awaken in them an urgent purchase need.

The perfect product description in the online store

Length matters
An ideal description should be around 1000-1500 characters with spaces. Both your customers and search engines will like this length. In addition to the criterion of the number of characters, follow a simple rule – if you read the product description and still have questions, think again.

How much to reveal in the title?
The title should contain the brand, model and type of the product, and if possible, also a characteristic, e.g. color. It is supposed to attract attention, but above all, it should be understandable and legible. Write for people, not for the machine. Do not include detailed technical data and incomprehensible abbreviations in the name. Rely on relevant information that will help customers quickly decode what the product is.

Instead of “Tdx-18 gha roz. XS ”, write“ Alpine Tdx-18 gha (red) ski jacket size XS ”.
Also a mistake is the too general title, which says absolutely nothing about the product.
The title is of great importance for the positioning of the online store.

Show what cannot be touched

Photos are a showcase of your online store, not only the product. Don’t forget that we buy online with our eyes – we can’t touch the product or try it on. That is why it is so important that the photos are taken professionally and reflect reality as accurately as possible. They should represent exactly what you are selling, taking into account the characteristics of the product (color, shape, texture). Even if you have received photos from the producer, it is worth taking a few extra photos that will show exactly what interests your target group. Thanks to this, you will also distinguish your offer from the competition. A good example is Zappos, which shows the most important features of the products in the pictures.

Product description, or how to increase conversion?

The product description has two primary purposes: it explains the functions of the item and encourages potential customers to buy. Few of the elements on the page have such a direct impact on conversion. If you see customers entering your website, viewing products but not adding them to the cart, they are probably put off by the product description or the lack of it.

When creating a product description in an online store, follow the basic rules.
– Choose legibility and transparency. Present the most important features of the product,
– Split text into paragraphs,
– Use boldness to emphasize the most important things,
– Use bullets that help maintain clarity and make it easy for the client to scan the text with their eyes
– Use icons and graphics,
– List everything the customer gets, but also what he won’t get. If, for example, the set does not include batteries, be sure to write about it,
– Give advice and dispel doubts. Create a list of questions and answers and present possible applications of the product,
– Influence the senses and emotions that stimulate the imagination. Appeal to the sense of touch, sight, smell and hearing.

A language your customers will love

The right language is very important in creating descriptions, therefore:
– use short, single sentences,
– use the active side,
– avoid participles; instead of them use conjunctions: which, what, by what, therefore, etc.
– use dynamic verbs: decreases / increases, improves, soothes, speeds up / slows down, oils / dries, strengthens / weakens,
– avoid modal verbs that weaken the power of the message, e.g. “XYZ can minimize the risk of getting sick …”,
– avoid the verbs “to have” and “to be”; it is called energy vampires – sentences with their participation are simple, but also boring,
– use simple, user-friendly words and expressions, e.g. also instead of also, it reduces instead of eliminating, soothes instead of soothing,
– avoid the industry jargon,
– put on the language of benefits,
– give up terms that overly value products, exaggerate their advantages,
– translate more difficult terms to avoid the so-called “Knowledge traps” – a situation in which you think that a given concept is so obvious that you do not need to explain it to anyone.

From General to specific

The amount of information contained in the description depends on the industry. However, it is a good practice to present the most important data in the main description (briefly and concisely presenting the most important information and including the basic keywords). The details should be transferred to the additional description (extensive, presenting the advantages of the product and benefits resulting from the purchase, examples of applications, including elements such as: technical parameters, product specification, pattern and other keywords). Additional description should be presented in the form of legible tabs.

Bet on a hard hit

First, indicate those features that distinguish the product from the competition. Focus on its strongest points and then move on to the less significant ones. End the description with information about add-ons. Take a clothing store as an example to see what a valuable description should contain.

– First, provide basic information: cut, size, color, cut, price.
– Below is information about the size worn by the model in the photo, so that the customer has the right point of reference.
– Include product care instructions – customers often want to know how many degrees they can wash the product or whether it can be tumble-dried before buying.
– Describe the history of the manufacturer.
– List the materials from which the product was made.
– Put customer reviews and opinions.
– Also find a place for additional benefits: free delivery and return.

Make friends with a blogger

A great way to enrich your product description is to use reviews or tests in the description. Many bloggers and YouTubers work with producers and create materials about specific products. This type of content is also created at the request of specific online stores.

SEO product descriptions

Creating product descriptions for SEO is a relatively easy task. However, here too, one can overdo it. Still, most sellers focus too much on positioning and forget about users. The high position of the store in the search engine is of course very important, but don’t write just to fill the description with keywords. If you take care of the customer with substantive content on the website, Google will repay you. See what to keep in mind.

Take care of unique content
Descriptions and titles must be unique. Copying descriptions from the manufacturer’s website will not help your SEO efforts. We realize that creating original descriptions for up to several thousand products can be troublesome. If you do not have the appropriate resources, it is worth outsourcing this type of task to a company that will prepare descriptions in a professional manner.

Choose quality, not quantity
It is a mistake to saturate the text with keywords. Focus on covering the topic and providing clients with the most accurate information. Usually the key phrase appears up to 3 times in the product description with a length of 1000 – 1500 characters including spaces. You can use synonyms and synonyms that sound more natural.

Search for relevant key phrases
Thanks to them you will find out what queries are directed by users looking for solutions you offer. Tools are also helpful that will provide you with information about the most popular phrases, their position, number of searches and competition, as well as how to write to arrange a given text for a given phrase as effectively as possible.

Use materials from your blog
This is a very good practice that provides customers with valuable content and additional linking within your website. You can place an article fragment on the product card and link it directly to your blog.

Relevant Product Names (Heading H1)
The name should contain popular keywords. Each product must have an individual name taking into account the manufacturer, model, distinguishing feature, etc.

Use subheadings (in headings H2-H4)
The subheadings are an important element that improves the readability of the text. At the same time, it increases the potential in search results – especially if you include relevant keywords.

Remember about ALT attributes in graphics
Thanks to ATL attributes, the search engine will know what is in the photo. This way, you can also smuggle a keyword.

Duplicate content

There was a bit of this on the occasion of SEO, but let’s repeat it again – don’t be tempted to copy the manufacturer’s description (the exception is the product specification). But what if the products described differ only in color? Repeated assortment is a problem for many stores. How to create original descriptions for this type of product? Of course, the optimal solution would be to prepare a unique description for each of them, but with large volumes it turns out to be practically impossible. In such a situation, it is worth preparing one universal description and 1-2 sentences characterizing the changing element.

Order or write it yourself?

As always: it depends. Take several factors into account. If you run a small online store, you have time and skills – you can create professional descriptions yourself, why not. Now you know what features a sales product description should have. You are aware of what mistakes not to make. However, if you are the owner of a large e-commerce with thousands of products, and your employees have hundreds of other tasks on their minds, it is better to outsource writing to a specialized company. The price for product descriptions is relatively low compared to the losses you may incur by giving them up.