The old saying “If you build it, they will come” is a common motivational mantra for businesses, especially during this digital age. However, when it comes to getting more sales via the Internet, it takes more than building a store to draw in more people.
This is why many businesses are turning to Shopify. Entrepreneurs are pooling their resources in improving their Shopify sales. One of the most effective ways to do so is by investing in and learning more about SEO for Shopify.
Search engine optimization for this online platform requires the optimization of your descriptions, titles, images and other elements that influence your site’s rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher you rank in the SERPs, the more traffic your Shopify store will receive. This leads to more sales.
So, if you’re interested in learning SEO for Shopify, here’s everything you need to know.
What is Shopify SEO?
SEO for Shopify stores isn’t too different from the regular SEO techniques you do on WordPress. There are some differences in approach, though. For instance, if you want to increase your products on Google, it pays to infuse relevant keywords into your image alt texts and product descriptions.
Shopify SEO also addresses duplicate content on your website. Duplicate content is a ranking killer, as well as a unique problem with Shopify. If Google realizes your content is a copy of another, it will knock you off the SERPs.
How to Optimize SEO for Shopify
Here’s how you can use SEO to your Shopify store’s advantage.
Conduct Keyword Research
The failure or success of your optimization campaign depends on the keywords you choose. Unfortunately, many eCommerce entrepreneurs take keyword research for granted — with many of them picking random keywords and hoping for the best.
Stuffing your content with any keyword is never the right strategy. Instead, look for the right keywords by conducting keyword research. Start by narrowing down your choices; niche down a bit. For example, a niche like “shoes” isn’t going to work. Pick something that is more specific. “Shoes for toddlers” is a narrower pick compared to just “shoes.”
Once you’ve determined your preferred niche, look for the right keywords. One way to do so is Amazon auto-suggest or Google. Look for the keywords customers use when searching for your products. AHREFs’ content gap analysis tool is also helpful. Just put your site and three other competitor sites to see the keywords that they’re ranking for.
Add the Keywords To Your Page Content
Once you have keywords you want to target, the next step is to make it easy for Google to find your page (with those keywords).
Determine the pages you’ll add the keywords to. The best places to start are your homepage, product category pages and product pages. But where should you place these keywords? Consider the image Alt texts, page body content, meta description and page title.
Improve Your Website’s Navigation
One of Google’s most sought-after metrics is its easy navigation. Websites that are easy to navigate are easier to use, which leads to better user engagement and lower bounce rates. So, if your website has a good navigation structure, people will stay longer on the website. As a result, your store’s rank will improve significantly.
One of the best places to start is your homepage. Make sure that people can easily reach your product pages from your homepage. Visitors shouldn’t click more than three times to reach the product that they want. Next, optimize your website menu. When you add products to the menu, the texts should match the title of the page they’re pointing to.
Get More Backlinks to Improve SEO
The quality and number of backlinks to your site largely impact your SERP ranking. For this reason, prioritize getting as many high-level backlinks as possible. These backlinks — simple links that point to your website from another website — are not created the same. For instance, links from social media websites like Twitter or Facebook do not have a significant impact on your rankings. On the other hand, links from popular websites like CNN carry heavier weight on Google’s side.
Optimize Your Website’s Speed
Nobody enjoys opening a web page that takes more than two seconds to load. If the website takes too long to load, you will most likely abandon it. Your visitors will also do the same. If they leave your website, this will lead to an increased bounce rate, which can negatively impact your Google search rankings.
Here are some things you can do to improve your web page’s speed:
- Use a lightweight theme
- Compress your product images before uploading them
- Integrate the site with Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs)
- Reduce the number of apps on your website
- Use Jpeg images
Invest More Time in Blogging
If you want to improve Shopify’s SEO, don’t forget to publish insightful and relevant blog content. Take advantage of the eCommerce platform’s blogging feature. To get the best results, write content around keywords that you want to target. So if you want to write about your milk tea products, why not write blogs about Starbucks boba or any boba-related topic?
Publishing blog posts that are in line with your niche makes it easy for Google crawlers to know what your website is about.
Incorporate Your Shopify Markets for International Selling
Before, if you wanted to sell products outside of your country, you needed the services of another retailer or use the marketplace. The launch of Shopify Markets enabled sellers to directly offer their products to customers worldwide without using other solutions for localized language, currency conversions and tax importation.
Use SEO To Set Yourself Apart from the Competition
Shopify is one of the best platforms for people who want to move their business online. It’s easy to build, intuitive and offers many opportunities to drive traffic and generate more sales. But even the best stores cannot succeed on their own.
You need to put in some work in maximizing your opportunities to attract a following that keeps your business running. By using the techniques above, you’ll improve your Shopify store’s visibility, convert more people into customers and boost your overall sales.
