Shopify SEO is not magic. Most stores rank poorly because they skipped basics, not because Shopify is bad at SEO. Here's the exact checklist we run on every Shopify build.
Technical foundation
- Custom domain (not myshopify.com)
- HTTPS forced sitewide
- Submit sitemap.xml to Google Search Console and Bing
- robots.txt customized if needed (Shopify's default is usually fine)
- Canonical tags correct on collection pagination
- 301 redirects for any old URLs (use Shopify's URL Redirects)
- Mobile usability: no zoom-required text, tap targets sized correctly
On-page (every product + collection)
- Unique title tag, 50–60 characters, keyword near the start
- Unique meta description, 140–160 characters, with CTA
- One H1 per page, keyword-rich
- H2/H3 hierarchy without skipping levels
- Image alt text describing the product (not 'IMG_2034.jpg')
- Image file names use hyphens, lowercase, descriptive
- Product description over 150 words of unique copy
Schema / structured data
- Product schema with price, availability, reviews
- Organization schema sitewide
- BreadcrumbList on collection and product pages
- FAQPage schema on FAQ pages
- LocalBusiness schema if you have a local presence
Content & blog
Shopify's built-in blog is fine. Publish 1–4 posts per month targeting buyer-intent keywords. Each post should be 800–1,500 words and include at least 2 internal links to relevant collections or products.
Local SEO (if applicable)
- Claim and complete Google Business Profile
- Consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across web
- Location pages for each service area you target
- LocalBusiness schema with areaServed
- Local citations on Yelp, BBB, Apple Maps, Bing Places
Performance
Speed is now a ranking factor and a major conversion lever. Audit on PageSpeed Insights. Aim for 70+ on mobile. Strip unused apps, lazy-load below-the-fold images, and serve modern image formats.