Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that allows businesses to create and manage their online store. However, having a Shopify website is not enough to attract potential customers. To be visible to potential customers, your website needs to be optimised for search engines. Here are some essential tips on how to optimise a Shopify website for SEO:
1. Enter SEO Information
One of the first steps to optimise your Shopify website for SEO is to enter SEO information. Shopify provides several fields where you can enter SEO information, including the page title, meta description, and URL.
To enter SEO information for your website, go to Online Store > Preferences in your Shopify dashboard. Here, you can enter your store name, set your default meta description and title format, and edit your homepage title and meta description.
You can also enter SEO information for individual product pages and collections by editing the page in the Shopify dashboard. Here, you can add a page title, meta description, and URL.
For example, if you sell handmade soap, your homepage title might be “Natural Handmade Soap | Shop Our Collection of Sustainable Skincare Products,” and your meta description might be “Discover our collection of natural handmade soap and sustainable skincare products. Shop now for the best in organic and eco-friendly skincare.”
2. Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research is an essential part of any SEO strategy. Start by identifying the keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords with high search volume.
Once you have identified your target keywords, you should integrate them into your website’s content, including product titles, descriptions, and meta tags.
To add SEO information for individual products and collections, go to the product or collection page in your Shopify dashboard and click on the “Search engine listing preview” section. Here, you can enter the page title and meta description.
For example, if one of your target keywords is “natural soap,” you could include this in your product titles, such as “Handmade Natural Soap Bars | Moisturizing and Nourishing.” You could also include it in your meta description, such as “Our handmade natural soap bars are crafted with the finest ingredients for a moisturizing and nourishing cleanse. Shop now for eco-friendly and sustainable skincare.”
3. Optimise Site Structure
The structure of your website is essential for SEO. Your website should have a clear hierarchy, with products categorised into relevant collections. This makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your website, increasing its visibility in search results.
To optimise your site structure in Shopify, go to Products > Collections in your Shopify dashboard. Here, you can create and edit collections to organise your products. You can also create subcollections within collections to create a more hierarchical structure.
For example, if you sell a range of skincare products, you could create collections for “Facial Care,” “Body Care,” and “Hair Care.” Within the “Facial Care” collection, you could create subcollections for “Cleansers,” “Moisturisers,” and “Serums.”
4. Optimise Product Pages
Product pages are the most critical pages on your website, as they directly impact your sales. Ensure that your product pages are optimised for SEO by including relevant keywords in the page title, description, and meta tags.
To optimise product pages in Shopify, go to the product page in your Shopify dashboard and scroll down to the “Search engine listing preview” section. Here, you can enter the page title and meta description.
You should also provide high-quality product images, detailed descriptions, and customer reviews to improve user experience and increase the likelihood of conversion. You can also use schema markup to provide additional information to search engines, such as product ratings and reviews.
For example, on a product page for a natural soap bar, you could include a detailed description of the soap’s ingredients and benefits, high-quality images of the product, and customer reviews. You could also use schema markup to provide additional information to search engines, such as the soap’s price and availability.
5. Improve Site Speed
Site speed is an important ranking factor in SEO. A slow website can result in a high bounce rate, negatively impacting your website’s SEO. To improve site speed, optimise your images, minify your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to serve content from a server closest to the user.
To improve site speed in Shopify, you can use Shopify’s built-in features or third-party apps. Shopify provides an image optimizer to compress your images and a CDN to serve content from a server closest to the user. You can also use third-party apps to minify your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
6. Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. Building high-quality backlinks is essential for SEO, as they signal to search engines that your website is authoritative and trustworthy.
To build high-quality backlinks, you should create valuable content that other websites will want to link to. You can also reach out to other websites in your industry and ask them to link to your website.
For example, if you create a blog post about the benefits of natural skincare, you could reach out to other beauty and skincare bloggers and ask them to link to your post. You could also collaborate with other eco-friendly and sustainable brands and ask them to link to your website.
In conclusion, optimising your Shopify website for SEO can improve your website’s visibility in search results, attract more traffic, and increase conversions. By implementing the above tips and entering SEO information in the correct fields within the Shopify platform, you can improve your website’s performance and stay ahead of your competitors. Remember to regularly monitor your website’s SEO performance and make adjustments as needed to continue improving your search rankings and attracting potential customers.
Speak to our team today to find out more about our Shopify SEO services.