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Shopify Store SEO Strategies for Small Business

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that allows small businesses to set up and run their online stores easily. However, to maximize the potential of the platform, it’s important to optimize your store for search engines (SEO). By following some best practices and utilizing the right tools, you can improve your store’s visibility and drive more traffic to your website. At Winston Digital we have developed a number of strategies to help small businesses grow sales from their stores.

Technical SEO Considerations for Shopify

The first step in optimizing your Shopify store for SEO is to ensure that your website is technically sound. This includes making sure that your website is mobile-friendly, that it loads quickly, and that it has a clean and easy-to-use navigation structure. Additionally, you should ensure that your website is properly structured with H1 tags, meta descriptions, and alt tags for images.

While Shopify is a sound platform in general, there are a lot of common technical issues that we encounter when working with clients.

Common technical issues on Shopify websites

1. Slow load times: Slow load times can be caused by a variety of factors, such as large images, a high number of HTTP requests, and poor hosting. These issues can make it difficult for users to access your website and may also affect your search engine rankings.
2. Broken links: Broken links can occur when pages or products are deleted or moved, and can lead to a poor user experience. It’s important to regularly check your website for broken links and fix them as soon as possible.
3. Duplicate content: Having duplicate content on your website can hurt your search engine rankings and confuse search engines about which page to index. To avoid this problem, make sure to use unique and informative titles and meta descriptions for each page of your website.
4. Missing alt tags: Alt tags are used to provide a text alternative for images and are important for accessibility and for search engine optimization. Make sure that all images on your website have appropriate alt tags.
5. Poor mobile optimization: With more and more people accessing the internet through mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure that your website is optimized for mobile. This includes using a responsive design, so your website adjusts to the size of the user’s screen and making sure that your website loads quickly on mobile.
6. Lack of schema markup: Schema markup is code that you can add to your website to help search engines understand the type of content on your website. It is important to use schema markup to help search engines understand and display your content in the search results.
7. Incorrect URL structure: An incorrect URL structure can affect the crawlability of your website by search engines and can result in poor user experience. Make sure that your URLs are clean, short and easy to understand.
8. Robots.txt and XML Sitemap: Robots.txt file is used to control which pages or sections of your site you want or don’t want search engines to crawl. XML sitemaps are used to inform search engines of all the pages on your website. We commonly find issues with both XML and Robots files on Shopify stores.

It is important to regularly check and maintain your website to avoid these common technical issues and keep your website in good shape.

Duplicate Content Issues Due to Category Strings

In Shopify, by default, product URLs contain category strings. This means that the URL of a product page includes the name of the category that the product is in. For example, if you have a product called “Red T-Shirt” in the “Clothing” category, the URL of the product page might be “www.example.com/collections/clothing/products/red-t-shirt“.

This can be an issue for SEO because it can create duplicate content on your website. Search engines may see the same product page in multiple categories as different pages with duplicate content, which can hurt your search engine rankings. Additionally, having long, complex URLs can make it harder for search engines to understand the structure of your website, which can also affect your rankings.

Another issue is that, in case you want to move your product to another category, you need to redirect the old URL to the new one, otherwise you will end up with broken links and lost link juice.

Additionally, having category strings in product URLs can make it harder for users to remember or share the URL of a specific product, which can affect the number of referral visits you receive.

To avoid these issues, it is possible to remove category strings from product URLs in Shopify by using a third-party app or by customizing your theme’s code. This will make your URLs shorter, simpler, and more consistent, which can improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for users to share and remember your URLs.

Content Is King: On-Site Optimization for Shopify

Once your website is technically sound, the next step is to create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience. This includes writing product descriptions, blog posts, and other content that is both informative and engaging. Additionally, you should make sure that your website is easy to navigate, with clear and intuitive categories and subcategories.

Optimizing Product Pages

On-page optimization strategies are techniques used to improve the visibility and search engine rankings of individual web pages. Here are some on-page optimization strategies specific to e-commerce product pages:

1. Optimize product titles and meta descriptions: The title and meta description of a product page are important for both users and search engines. Make sure that your product titles and meta descriptions are unique, informative, and include relevant keywords.
2. Use structured data: Structured data is code that you can add to your website to help search engines understand the type of content on your web page. For e-commerce product pages, using structured data such as schema.org can help search engines understand the details of a product, including its price, availability, and reviews.
3. Include high-quality images and videos: Images and videos can help to showcase your products and improve the user experience. Make sure that your images and videos are of high quality and that they include relevant alt tags and captions.
4. Optimize product descriptions: Product descriptions should be detailed, informative, and engaging. They should provide all the information a customer needs to make a purchase, such as the product’s features, dimensions, and materials. Additionally, it’s important to use keywords in your product descriptions, as they will help your products rank in the search engine results.
5. Use internal linking: Internal linking helps search engines to understand the structure of your website and can help to distribute link equity throughout your site. Make sure to link to relevant products, categories, and other pages within your website.
6. Use unique and informative URLs: Having unique and informative URLs can help search engines understand the structure of your website and can make it easier for users to remember and share your URLs. Make sure that your product URLs are short, simple, and include keywords.
7. Optimize for mobile: With more and more people accessing the internet through mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure that your website is optimized for mobile. This includes using a responsive design, so your website adjusts to the size of the user’s screen and making sure that your website loads quickly on mobile.
8. Use reviews and ratings: reviews and ratings can be an important factor in helping customers to make a purchase decision and can also help search engines understand the popularity of your products.

Implementing these on-page optimization strategies will help to improve the visibility and search engine rankings of your e-commerce product pages, and ultimately drive more sales and revenue for your business.

Optimizing Category Pages

Optimizing category pages is important for e-commerce sites because they play an important role in the buyer journey. Category pages are often the first point of entry for users on an e-commerce site, and they help users to navigate and find the products they are looking for.

Category pages provide an overview of the products within a certain category, making it easy for users to discover new products and explore different options. They also help to establish the site’s hierarchy and organization, making it easier for users to find the products they are looking for.

Additionally, category pages tend to rank better in Google than product pages because they usually have a higher page authority. This is because category pages often have more internal links pointing to them, and they also tend to have more external links pointing to them. Also, having multiple product pages linking to a category page can help increase its authority and make it more likely to rank well in search results.

In terms of SEO, well-optimized category pages can also help search engines to understand the structure of your website and the types of products you sell. By including relevant keywords and meta descriptions, and by using structured data, category pages can help to improve their visibility in search engine results and drive more traffic to your site.

Here are 10 on-page SEO and UX optimization recommendations for e-commerce category pages, specifically on Shopify:

1. Optimize category titles and meta descriptions: The title and meta description of a category page are important for both users and search engines. Make sure that your category titles and meta descriptions are unique, informative, and include relevant keywords.
2. Use high-quality images: Images can help to showcase your products and improve the user experience. Make sure that your images are of high quality and that they include relevant alt tags and captions.
3. Optimize category descriptions: Category descriptions should be detailed, informative, and engaging. They should provide all the information a customer needs to understand the products in that category. Additionally, it’s important to use keywords in your category descriptions, as they will help your categories rank in the search engine results.
4. Use internal linking: Internal linking helps search engines to understand the structure of your website and can help to distribute link equity throughout your site. Make sure to link to relevant products, categories, and other pages within your website.
5. Use unique and informative URLs: Having unique and informative URLs can help search engines understand the structure of your website and can make it easier for users to remember and share your URLs. Make sure that your category URLs are short, simple, and include keywords.
6. Use filters and sorting options: Filters and sorting options can help users to quickly find the products they are looking for and improve the user experience.
7. Use breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs can help users understand the hierarchy of your website, making it easier to navigate and find the products they are looking for.
8. Use a clear and consistent navigation structure: A clear and consistent navigation structure makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for, and it also helps search engines understand the structure of your website. This includes things like having a simple and consistent menu structure, and including a search bar on your website.

Creating a Content Strategy That Supports Sales

While focusing on driving sales through your e-commerce pages should likely be your first priority, there is a lot of opportunity around driving both awareness and sales for your small business through content strategy that is designed to deliver true growth.

Understand your audience

Understanding your audience is essential in creating an effective informational content strategy that supports ecommerce sales. It allows you to create content that is tailored to their specific needs and interests, making it more likely that they will engage with it and ultimately make a purchase.

To understand your audience, you can start by identifying their demographics. This includes information such as their age, gender, location, and income level. This information can help you understand what type of products and services they are most likely to be interested in.

Next, you should also identify their interests. This includes understanding what type of content they are most likely to engage with, such as videos, blog posts, or infographics. Additionally, understanding their interests can also help you identify potential content pillars, which are the main topics that you want to cover in your content.

Another important aspect to consider is identifying their pain points. This includes understanding the problems or challenges that they face and how your products or services can help solve them. By understanding their pain points, you can create content that addresses their specific needs and can help them make a more informed purchase decision.

Finally, it’s important to understand their goals. This includes understanding what they hope to achieve by engaging with your content and how your products or services can help them achieve those goals. By understanding your audience’s goals, you can create content that aligns with their needs and can help them achieve their desired outcome.

Overall, understanding your audience is a critical step in creating an effective informational content strategy that supports ecommerce sales. It allows you to create content that resonates with them and addresses their specific needs, which ultimately leads to more engagement, traffic and sales.

Define your content pillars

Defining your content pillars is an important step in creating an effective informational content strategy that supports ecommerce sales. Content pillars are the main topics that you want to cover in your content, and they should align with your audience’s interests and needs, as well as your business’s products and services.

When defining your content pillars, it’s important to consider your audience’s interests and needs. For example, if your target audience is interested in fashion, you may want to include a content pillar on fashion tips and trends. Similarly, if your target audience is interested in beauty, you may want to include a content pillar on beauty advice and product reviews. By aligning your content pillars with your audience’s interests, you can create content that resonates with them and ultimately drives more engagement and sales.

Additionally, it’s also important to align your content pillars with your business’s products and services. For example, if you sell home decor items, you may want to include a content pillar on home decor inspiration, showcasing different ways to style and decorate a home using your products. By aligning your content pillars with your business’s products and services, you can showcase your products in a way that is relevant and valuable to your audience, which can help increase interest and ultimately drive more sales.

Examples of content pillars for an e-commerce business could be fashion tips, beauty advice, home decor inspiration, DIY and how-to guides, recipes, and many more. The key is to make sure that your content pillars align with your audience’s interests and needs and your business’s products and services.

Create a content calendar

After defining your content pillars, the next step is to create a content calendar. This will help you plan and organize your content, ensuring that you are consistently publishing new content that aligns with your content pillars. Additionally, you can use this calendar to plan out seasonal content that aligns with upcoming events or holidays.

Produce high-quality content

The next step is to produce high-quality content that aligns with your content pillars. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, and other types of content that will appeal to your audience. It’s important to ensure that your content is well-researched, well-written, and high-quality in order to build trust and credibility with your audience.

Promote your content

After producing high-quality content, the next step is to promote it. This can include sharing it on social media, email marketing, and other channels. Additionally, you can use paid advertising to promote your content and reach a wider audience.

Measure and optimize your content

The final step is to measure and optimize your content. This includes tracking metrics such as website traffic, engagement, and conversions. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify which content is performing well and which content isn’t. By optimizing your content, you can increase your website traffic and engagement, which ultimately leads to more sales.

Building Authority is Just as Important as Building a Website

Backlinks are an important aspect of SEO and are a key factor in determining a website’s search engine ranking. Backlinks refer to links that point to a website or webpage from other websites. For e-commerce businesses, growing backlinks to your Shopify store can help to increase visibility, drive more traffic, and ultimately lead to more sales.

One of the main reasons why backlinks are important is that they help to establish the authority of your website. When other websites link to your site, it signals to search engines that your site is a credible and valuable source of information. This can help to improve your search engine rankings and make it more likely that users will find your site when searching for products or services related to your business.

Another important reason why backlinks are important is that they help to increase referral traffic to your site. When users click on a backlink to your site from another website, it can help to drive more traffic to your site. This can increase the chances of users making a purchase, and ultimately lead to more sales for your business.

Here are a few strategies that can be used to grow backlinks to your Shopify store:

• Create high-quality and informative content that other websites would want to link to
• Reach out to other websites and ask them to link to your site
• Participate in online communities, such as forums and social media groups, and share your content
• Create a resource or a tool that website owners will want to link to
• Do traditional PR
• Thought-leadership from people inside the company (ex: CMO speaks at marketing conferences)

Optimizing your Shopify e-commerce website for SEO is a multi-faceted process that involves a combination of technical, on-page, content and off-site strategies. Technical optimization includes resolving common issues such as product URLs containing category strings, and ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly. On-page optimization includes strategies such as optimizing category titles, meta descriptions, and using structured data.

Additionally, creating an informational content strategy that supports ecommerce sales is crucial. This includes understanding your audience, defining your content pillars, creating a content calendar, promoting your content and measuring and optimizing your content. Finally, off-site optimization is important for driving more traffic and sales to your website, and this is achieved by growing backlinks to your Shopify store. By implementing these strategies, you can improve the visibility, usability, and search engine rankings of your e-commerce website, ultimately driving more sales and revenue for your business.

If you need help with SEO for your Shopify store, consider working with a professional agency like Winston Digital. Our team of experts can help you implement these strategies and more to drive more traffic and sales to your website. Contact us today to learn more about our SEO services and how we can help your business thrive online.