How to Optimise Your Shopify Store for SEO and Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

If you're running an online store with Shopify, optimising your website for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is essential to drive traffic and increase sales. Read on for our top tips to optimise your Shopify store for SEO and help improve your search engine ranking.

1. Page Load Speed: 

Page load speed is an important factor in SEO rankings. A slow-loading website can harm your search engine ranking and reduce the user experience. Optimise your images, compress your code, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your page load speed.

2. Conduct Keyword Research: 

The first step in optimising your Shopify store for SEO is to conduct keyword research. This involves identifying the keywords and phrases that your target audience is using to search for products like yours. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify keywords with high search volume and low competition. We also love Answer The Public to identify long-tail key terms.

Once you have identified keywords, understand where you currently rank, and where you can make a difference in your current positions. There is no point going after everything, focus on keywords that are regarded as ‘low-hanging fruit’ for your brand. 

3. Optimise Your Product Pages: 

Once you have identified your target keywords, optimise your product pages accordingly. Make sure your product titles, descriptions, and tags include relevant keywords. Avoid using generic or duplicate product descriptions, as they can hurt your SEO rankings.

4. Use Header Tags: 

Header tags (H1, H2, H3) help search engines understand the structure of your website. Use your target keywords in your header tags to improve your SEO rankings. Ensure that your H1 tag is the title of your product, and use H2 and H3 tags to break up your product description into smaller sections.

5. Build Backlinks: 

Don’t see your website as an island, it needs to be connected to other websites. That’s why backlinks are one of the most important factors in SEO rankings. The more backlinks you have from high-authority websites, the better your SEO ranking, this is where your PR team comes in. Also look at creating high-quality content that other websites will want to link to, guest posting on other websites, and participating in online forums and discussions.  

6. Optimise Your Shopify Store for Mobile: 

Mobile optimization is critical for SEO rankings. Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher than non-mobile-friendly websites. Ensure that your website is responsive and loads quickly on mobile devices.

7. Use Alt Tags for Images: 

Alt tags are HTML attributes that describe the contents of an image. Search engines use alt tags to understand the contents of an image, as they cannot "see" images. Use descriptive alt tags that include your target keywords to improve your SEO rankings. It’s one step that so many brands forget about, so it’s an easy one to get ahead of your competitors. 

8. Use Social Media: 

Social media can help improve your SEO rankings by driving traffic to your website and building backlinks. Share your content on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Encourage your followers to share your content, which can help build backlinks to your website.

9. Monitor Your SEO Progress: 

It's important to monitor your SEO progress to determine what's working and what's not. Use tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to track your website's traffic and search engine ranking. Make adjustments to your SEO strategy as needed.

Optimising your Shopify store for SEO can be a time-consuming process, but it's worth the effort. Interested to know more about SEO but don’t have the time or resources in-house? Our expert team at 8th Dial are more than happy to help improve your SEO, get in touch today!

1. Page Load Speed: 

Page load speed is an important factor in SEO rankings. A slow-loading website can harm your search engine ranking and reduce the user experience. Optimise your images, compress your code, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your page load speed.

2. Conduct Keyword Research: 

The first step in optimising your Shopify store for SEO is to conduct keyword research. This involves identifying the keywords and phrases that your target audience is using to search for products like yours. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify keywords with high search volume and low competition. We also love Answer The Public to identify long-tail key terms.

Once you have identified keywords, understand where you currently rank, and where you can make a difference in your current positions. There is no point going after everything, focus on keywords that are regarded as ‘low-hanging fruit’ for your brand. 

3. Optimise Your Product Pages: 

Once you have identified your target keywords, optimise your product pages accordingly. Make sure your product titles, descriptions, and tags include relevant keywords. Avoid using generic or duplicate product descriptions, as they can hurt your SEO rankings.

4. Use Header Tags: 

Header tags (H1, H2, H3) help search engines understand the structure of your website. Use your target keywords in your header tags to improve your SEO rankings. Ensure that your H1 tag is the title of your product, and use H2 and H3 tags to break up your product description into smaller sections.

5. Build Backlinks: 

Don’t see your website as an island, it needs to be connected to other websites. That’s why backlinks are one of the most important factors in SEO rankings. The more backlinks you have from high-authority websites, the better your SEO ranking, this is where your PR team comes in. Also look at creating high-quality content that other websites will want to link to, guest posting on other websites, and participating in online forums and discussions. 

6. Optimise Your Shopify Store for Mobile: 

Mobile optimisation is critical for SEO rankings. Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher than non-mobile-friendly websites. Ensure that your website is responsive and loads quickly on mobile devices.

7. Use Alt Tags for Images: 

Alt tags are HTML attributes that describe the contents of an image. Search engines use alt tags to understand the contents of an image, as they cannot "see" images. Use descriptive alt tags that include your target keywords to improve your SEO rankings. It’s one step that so many brands forget about, so it’s an easy one to get ahead of your competitors. 

8. Use Social Media: 

Social media can help improve your SEO rankings by driving traffic to your website and building backlinks. Share your content on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Encourage your followers to share your content, which can help build backlinks to your website.

9. Monitor Your SEO Progress: 

It's important to monitor your SEO progress to determine what's working and what's not. Use tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to track your website's traffic and search engine ranking. Make adjustments to your SEO strategy as needed.

Optimising your Shopify store for SEO can be a time-consuming process, but it's worth the effort. Interested to know more about SEO but don’t have the time or resources in-house? Our expert team at 8th Dial are more than happy to help improve your SEO, get in touch today!

If you’d like to know more, get in touch via our email info@8thdial.com or Calendly.