10 Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks: The Beginner’s Guide [2021]

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10 Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks: The Beginner’s Guide [2021]

The Digital Intellect finds that SEO, or search engine optimization, is one of the most powerful ways to get your site noticed. That’s why we offer eCommerce SEO services for small business owners. But we understand that you may want to take a stab at SEO prior to hiring us to see if you can get results on your own (and we’re here to help).

Today, when discussing SEO for small business, we’ve decided to focus on Shopify, an eCommerce platform with about 20% of the market share. These Shopify SEO tips will boost your site in the search engine. This generally means more visitors to your page and more money in your pocket. Check out these SEO hacks and Google tricks to elevate your eCommerce site.

10 Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks

1. Use Google Tools

One of the most important Shopify SEO tips and Google tricks is using Google tools. Yes, Shopify analytics can offer an idea about what’s going on with your eCommerce site, but it doesn’t offer a full picture. Google Analytics is a specific tool that can offer a wealth of information. That way, small business owners can make better decisions.

Top features to check out on Google Analytics are: 

  • Track both unique and total sessions as well as purchases
  • Ability to see which pages are converting the most
  • Ability to set up eCommerce store goals
  • Create funnels to see where customers are dropping off
  • Use customized segments

This is far from an exhaustive list of Google Analytics features. In fact, one we didn’t mention is the ability to integrate Google Search Console. What is Google Search Console? It’s only one of the best tools to measure your Shopify site’s performance and traffic. It can accurately show you where you rank in Google’s search results for certain keywords.

Setting up both Google Search Console and Google Analytics is relatively easy. It involves adding a portion of code to your site’s theme. Also, you’ll have to submit your sitemap to Google Search Console, which is one of the most crucial SEO and Google tricks.

2. Make Sure Your Site Isn’t Glitchy on Mobile

Did you know that over 80% of searches are made on a mobile device? Knowing this information, it’s no surprise that Google cares about how your site performs on mobile.

Optimizing your site for mobile might require that you receive SEO services for small business from a marketing agency like The Digital Intellect. Yet, there are some actions you can take as a site owner to make your site visitors and Google happy.

The easiest way to ensure that your site is mobile friendly is to look at your site through your phone. Are the words too small? Does it take you a long time to scroll to important information? Is it hard to check out items on mobile? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, fix it.

A site that’s not mobile-friendly can increase your site’s bounce rate (when a visitor clicks on the page and leaves without performing an action). This isn’t always a bad thing, but it might indicate to Google that someone else’s Shopify site should be above yours in the search results.

3. Check Your Site’s Speed

Google has changed its algorithm over the years to make its results prioritize pages with a good user experience. A large part of offering visitors a good user experience is making sure your site speed is on point. Visitors want to check out your products, not wait around to see what they could be.

Google’s PageSpeed Insights lets Shopify site owners (or anyone) paste a page’s URL and get back the speed of that page.

Site speed falls into three categories: 

  • Bad: 0-49
  • Moderate: 50-89
  • Good: 90-100

The best part about Google PageSpeed Insights is that it will tell you exactly what you need to remove to improve your site’s speed. We notice one of the biggest no-nos Google PageSpeed Insights points out is unused Javascript. If you need to improve this aspect of your site, see if you have unused apps. The extra code from these apps might be bogging down your site. Also, look at your landing page’s speed before others.

4. Update the Meta Descriptions

A meta description is a brief description that describes the content of a page. Technically, it’s an HTML tag. Meta descriptions are important for users and SEO crawlers (in theory). You’ll find the option to update your site’s meta descriptions for each page in the backend of your site.

A couple of Shopify SEO tips to craft the best meta description are: 

  • Keep it to 155 characters (not words) so it won’t get cut off and it’s easy to read
  • Include your main keyword
  • Make it interesting and write it in the active voice (this is your sales pitch to click through)
  • Don’t copy another person’s meta description

Think about making your meta description as short and engaging as possible. Around 70-90 characters is a good length. Think hard about it for the landing page especially.

You might also need to optimize your meta description. Check in and look at click-through-rates to your site before and after you change your meta description. You’ll need to wait a little time in between.

5. Think About Adding the Option for Users to Submit Product Reviews

People want social confirmation that the product they want to buy from your site is worth buying. Consider using a Shopify app to allow people to leave product reviews. This is a good thing for a few reasons.

First, it could make people more likely to purchase items off your site. Second, it could add keywords to a page that will help boost it in the search engine. Third, page visitors are likely to stay on the page longer reading the reviews. The amount of time a person stays on your site shows Google your site is worth moving up the (search engine) ranks.

6. Plan Out Content with Keyword Research

Another important Shopify SEO tip is using a keyword tool to plan out your content. There are tons of keyword research tools out there to help visitors find your site. Moz and Ahrefs are two sites that offer keyword research tools. Some search engine optimizers like to use Google Keyword Planner.

We could write an entire blog post about keyword research on its own, but we’ll give you the basics for now. According to Ahrefs, you should start out looking for keywords that have low competition and high volume. Start off by thinking of keywords that are pertinent to your industry and go from there. Then sprinkle these keywords in your blog posts. Notice we said, “sprinkle.” Keyword stuffing will get your site penalized.

7. Make Informational/Blog Posts the Right Length

Although your site sells products, it’s important to create information/blog posts alongside it. Fresh, new content is a good signal to Google and search engines in general. New content also helps your site rank for more keywords.

That said, not every post is created equal. The minimum amount of words your post should be is 500 words. Anything below that won’t add much value to your site. We think the sweet spot is 1,000 words and over, though.

But experimentation is key to finding the right length that works for you. So, test it out! Make multiple blog posts around one length and another length for others. Typically, longer content performs better, but you won’t know until you try it.

8. Headers Are Your Friend

At The Digital Intellect, headers are our friend. Headers can be your Shopify site’s friend too if you use them the right way. Headers help break up the page, which is better for the humans reading through a page and the search engine crawlers trying to figure out what the page is all about.

Take time to correctly use headers that make sense. The h1, h2, and h3 headers are especially important.

Also, make sure to keep the headers short and sweet. Most importantly, make sure your keyword is in the majority of the headers without stuffing it in unnaturally.

9. Come Up With a Link Building Strategy

This is another point that’s worth its own blog post (stay tuned). Link building is the process of getting your site’s hyperlinks featured on other people’s sites. These are known as backlinks. You may be thinking that you should just make a bunch of sites and post your link on it. But, no, seriously don’t do that.

Google wants to see backlinks from sites that have a moderate to high domain ranking and that you didn’t pay to get. It signals to search engines that your site is worth checking out and that people are directing visitors directly to your site.

Try to get backlinks by building relationships with other people that could benefit from the information on your site. Maybe include new statistics on a blog post. Or have a product that’s super news-worthy.

10. Use Informative Alt Tags That Make Sense

Last but not least, make use of your alt tags. Alt tags are great for a number of reasons. If an image breaks, alt tags help users understand what the image was supposed to be. More importantly, alt tags help visually impaired visitors understand what’s going on in a photo. So, make sure that your product photos have alt tags instead of a jumble of random numbers.

We can’t stress enough that Google deeply favors sites that offer visitors a great user experience. And that means all visitors (not just the ones that don’t have vision problems). With this, some SEOs say that alt tags help search engine crawlers figure out what a page is all about.

Tried Out All the Shopify SEO Tips? TDI Offers SEO Services For Small Business Owners

At the end of the day, you need a professional service to guarantee your search engine rank. So once you’ve implemented all the Shopify SEO tips, contact The Digital Intellect to fast track visitors to your site. Our SEO services for small business owners will get you the results you want with a lot less Googling and experimentation. Contact us now to find out how we can help you.

References:

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10 Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks: The Beginner’s Guide [2021]

Jan 22, 2021

SEO

10 Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks: The Beginner’s Guide [2021]

The Digital Intellect finds that SEO, or search engine optimization, is one of the most powerful ways to get your site noticed. That’s why we offer eCommerce SEO services for small business owners. But we understand that you may want to take a stab at SEO prior to hiring us to see if you can get results on your own (and we’re here to help).

Today, when discussing SEO for small business, we’ve decided to focus on Shopify, an eCommerce platform with about 20% of the market share. These Shopify SEO tips will boost your site in the search engine. This generally means more visitors to your page and more money in your pocket. Check out these SEO hacks and Google tricks to elevate your eCommerce site.

10 Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks

1. Use Google Tools

One of the most important Shopify SEO tips and Google tricks is using Google tools. Yes, Shopify analytics can offer an idea about what's going on with your eCommerce site, but it doesn't offer a full picture. Google Analytics is a specific tool that can offer a wealth of information. That way, small business owners can make better decisions.

Top features to check out on Google Analytics are: 

  • Track both unique and total sessions as well as purchases
  • Ability to see which pages are converting the most
  • Ability to set up eCommerce store goals
  • Create funnels to see where customers are dropping off
  • Use customized segments

This is far from an exhaustive list of Google Analytics features. In fact, one we didn't mention is the ability to integrate Google Search Console. What is Google Search Console? It's only one of the best tools to measure your Shopify site's performance and traffic. It can accurately show you where you rank in Google's search results for certain keywords.

Setting up both Google Search Console and Google Analytics is relatively easy. It involves adding a portion of code to your site's theme. Also, you'll have to submit your sitemap to Google Search Console, which is one of the most crucial SEO and Google tricks.

2. Make Sure Your Site Isn’t Glitchy on Mobile

Did you know that over 80% of searches are made on a mobile device? Knowing this information, it's no surprise that Google cares about how your site performs on mobile.

Optimizing your site for mobile might require that you receive SEO services for small business from a marketing agency like The Digital Intellect. Yet, there are some actions you can take as a site owner to make your site visitors and Google happy.

The easiest way to ensure that your site is mobile friendly is to look at your site through your phone. Are the words too small? Does it take you a long time to scroll to important information? Is it hard to check out items on mobile? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, fix it.

A site that's not mobile-friendly can increase your site's bounce rate (when a visitor clicks on the page and leaves without performing an action). This isn't always a bad thing, but it might indicate to Google that someone else's Shopify site should be above yours in the search results.

3. Check Your Site’s Speed

Google has changed its algorithm over the years to make its results prioritize pages with a good user experience. A large part of offering visitors a good user experience is making sure your site speed is on point. Visitors want to check out your products, not wait around to see what they could be.

Google's PageSpeed Insights lets Shopify site owners (or anyone) paste a page's URL and get back the speed of that page.

Site speed falls into three categories: 

  • Bad: 0-49
  • Moderate: 50-89
  • Good: 90-100

The best part about Google PageSpeed Insights is that it will tell you exactly what you need to remove to improve your site’s speed. We notice one of the biggest no-nos Google PageSpeed Insights points out is unused Javascript. If you need to improve this aspect of your site, see if you have unused apps. The extra code from these apps might be bogging down your site. Also, look at your landing page's speed before others.

4. Update the Meta Descriptions

A meta description is a brief description that describes the content of a page. Technically, it's an HTML tag. Meta descriptions are important for users and SEO crawlers (in theory). You'll find the option to update your site's meta descriptions for each page in the backend of your site.

A couple of Shopify SEO tips to craft the best meta description are: 

  • Keep it to 155 characters (not words) so it won't get cut off and it's easy to read
  • Include your main keyword
  • Make it interesting and write it in the active voice (this is your sales pitch to click through)
  • Don't copy another person's meta description

Think about making your meta description as short and engaging as possible. Around 70-90 characters is a good length. Think hard about it for the landing page especially.

You might also need to optimize your meta description. Check in and look at click-through-rates to your site before and after you change your meta description. You'll need to wait a little time in between.

5. Think About Adding the Option for Users to Submit Product Reviews

People want social confirmation that the product they want to buy from your site is worth buying. Consider using a Shopify app to allow people to leave product reviews. This is a good thing for a few reasons.

First, it could make people more likely to purchase items off your site. Second, it could add keywords to a page that will help boost it in the search engine. Third, page visitors are likely to stay on the page longer reading the reviews. The amount of time a person stays on your site shows Google your site is worth moving up the (search engine) ranks.

6. Plan Out Content with Keyword Research

Another important Shopify SEO tip is using a keyword tool to plan out your content. There are tons of keyword research tools out there to help visitors find your site. Moz and Ahrefs are two sites that offer keyword research tools. Some search engine optimizers like to use Google Keyword Planner.

We could write an entire blog post about keyword research on its own, but we'll give you the basics for now. According to Ahrefs, you should start out looking for keywords that have low competition and high volume. Start off by thinking of keywords that are pertinent to your industry and go from there. Then sprinkle these keywords in your blog posts. Notice we said, “sprinkle.” Keyword stuffing will get your site penalized.

7. Make Informational/Blog Posts the Right Length

Although your site sells products, it's important to create information/blog posts alongside it. Fresh, new content is a good signal to Google and search engines in general. New content also helps your site rank for more keywords.

That said, not every post is created equal. The minimum amount of words your post should be is 500 words. Anything below that won't add much value to your site. We think the sweet spot is 1,000 words and over, though.

But experimentation is key to finding the right length that works for you. So, test it out! Make multiple blog posts around one length and another length for others. Typically, longer content performs better, but you won't know until you try it.

8. Headers Are Your Friend

At The Digital Intellect, headers are our friend. Headers can be your Shopify site's friend too if you use them the right way. Headers help break up the page, which is better for the humans reading through a page and the search engine crawlers trying to figure out what the page is all about.

Take time to correctly use headers that make sense. The h1, h2, and h3 headers are especially important.

Also, make sure to keep the headers short and sweet. Most importantly, make sure your keyword is in the majority of the headers without stuffing it in unnaturally.

9. Come Up With a Link Building Strategy

This is another point that's worth its own blog post (stay tuned). Link building is the process of getting your site's hyperlinks featured on other people's sites. These are known as backlinks. You may be thinking that you should just make a bunch of sites and post your link on it. But, no, seriously don't do that.

Google wants to see backlinks from sites that have a moderate to high domain ranking and that you didn't pay to get. It signals to search engines that your site is worth checking out and that people are directing visitors directly to your site.

Try to get backlinks by building relationships with other people that could benefit from the information on your site. Maybe include new statistics on a blog post. Or have a product that's super news-worthy.

10. Use Informative Alt Tags That Make Sense

Last but not least, make use of your alt tags. Alt tags are great for a number of reasons. If an image breaks, alt tags help users understand what the image was supposed to be. More importantly, alt tags help visually impaired visitors understand what's going on in a photo. So, make sure that your product photos have alt tags instead of a jumble of random numbers.

We can't stress enough that Google deeply favors sites that offer visitors a great user experience. And that means all visitors (not just the ones that don't have vision problems). With this, some SEOs say that alt tags help search engine crawlers figure out what a page is all about.

Tried Out All the Shopify SEO Tips? TDI Offers SEO Services For Small Business Owners

At the end of the day, you need a professional service to guarantee your search engine rank. So once you’ve implemented all the Shopify SEO tips, contact The Digital Intellect to fast track visitors to your site. Our SEO services for small business owners will get you the results you want with a lot less Googling and experimentation. Contact us now to find out how we can help you.

References:

Sean Lee

Written By: Sean Lee

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