Does Shopify Have Good SEO Tools - Shopify SEO Review

Although it's the most popular e-commerce platform, does Shopify have good SEO tools? This Shopify SEO review explores the good and the bad this platform has to offer. 

Does Shopify Have Good SEO Tools - Shopify SEO Review

Shopify has become one of the most popular e-commerce platforms for businesses.

Businesses all over the world are using Shopify to sell products or services. 

This platform helps small businesses create online stores. These include online marketplaces, pop-up shops, social media sites, and brick-and-mortar locations. 

But does Shopify have good SEO tools? That's what you're about to find out.

This ultimate Shopify SEO review examines what Shopify offers when it comes to SEO. We will also discuss some of the most common SEO issues Shopify merchants encounter.

🛍️ What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a cloud-based e-commerce platform for building and managing online stores. 

Shopify has become one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world. This platform has 2.1 million active users and 4.4 billion online stores.

Many factors stand behind its global success. For instance, its user-friendly interface, robust features, customisable themes, and app store.

Shopify logo

When you create a Shopify store, you can connect it to your existing sales channels. These channels may include the following:

  • Social media channels
  • Online marketplaces
  • Your website
  • Your blog
  • Pop-up shops
  • Retail shops and physical locations
  • Wholesale channels (only available to Shopify Plus accounts)

Connecting all your sales channels to Shopify lets you keep track of important data. All your orders, products, and customers will be in one place.

You can use various tools and features for your online store. This includes:

  1. Payment processing
  2. Customisable website templates
  3. Secure shopping carts
  4. Inventory management
  5. Shipping and tax calculation tools

Merchants can use extra functionalities when setting up their Shopify sites. They can do this through various third-party apps and services Shopify integrates with.

Once you select a pricing plan that works best for you, you can start setting up your online store. 

This process includes choosing a website template. After that, you can customise your site's design and layout. You can then start adding products and other types of content. 

You can manage inventory, process orders, and track sales and customer data.

🛒 How Does Shopify Work?

Setting up a Shopify store is a straightforward process. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes

Once you sign up for an account, the next step is to select a pricing plan.

There are four main Shopify pricing plans and three alternative solutions for businesses:

  1. The Basic Plan ($24 a month) for solo entrepreneurs
  2. The Shopify Plan ($69 a month) for small teams
  3. The Advanced Plan ($299 a month) for established businesses
  4. The Plus Plan ($2,300 a month) for more complex businesses

Shopify also offers alternative solutions for your business:

  1. The Starter Plan ($5 a month) for selling products or services on social media apps only
  2. The Retail Plan ($89 a month) for in-person selling tools
  3. The Enterprise Commerce Plan (custom pricing), which is available upon request

No matter what plan you choose, you only pay $1 per month for the first three months. The Basic, Shopify, and Advanced plans are billed once a year. But if you pay monthly, you will be able to save up to 25%.

Shopify prices for different plans

You can try each plan for free. The plans include a Shopify online store, different sales channels, point of sale (POS) systems, and 24/7 support.

Once you have chosen a pricing plan, this is what you should do next:

  1. Connect your Shopify store to your existing sales channels.
  2. Add the products you are selling and enter the necessary details for each product.
  3. Set up the available payment methods.
  4. Choose the shopping options and the tax rate.
  5. Pick from a selection of Shopify themes and customise the design.
  6. Install one of many Shopify apps to improve your store.
  7. Launch your Shopify store!

👍 Is Shopify Good for SEO?

This e-commerce platform offers excellent marketing tools for small businesses. But is Shopify good for SEO?

The short answer is yes. But it depends on how you use it. 

If you optimise your shop for search engines, Shopify can be quite effective. It can help you drive more organic traffic to your store.

Shopify offers various built-in features designed for SEO. For example:

  • The automatic generation of meta tags and alt text
  • Automated sitemaps
  • Integration with Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools

Many third-party apps offer advanced SEO features. These tools can further improve rankings and online visibility on SERPs.

Shopify has proven to be a reliable platform for organic search results. It considers all aspects of SEO, enabling users to achieve better search results.

Note that the platform doesn't guarantee high rankings on search engines. But Shopify's SEO tools make it easier for small business owners to optimise their sites. They can do so if they don't have any prior knowledge of SEO

Shopify's user interface is intuitive. Anyone can use these tools with ease. 

Shopify supports popular plugins like Yoast SEO and All-in-One SEO. It provides merchants with various customisation options.

Shopify helps businesses optimise web pages for online visibility in organic search results. That way, customers can find what they're looking for without effort. 

It's no wonder many businesses choose Shopify for their online store needs.

🔨 Shopify SEO Tools

Now that we've covered the question "Is Shopify good for SEO?" let's review key Shopify SEO tools for your Shopify store.

You can use the following SEO tools to improve the search rankings of your online store:

  • Shopify site structure. Shopify's website architecture is optimised for search engines. It's designed for ease of use.
  • Meta descriptions and meta title tags. Increase your online visibility by optimising a meta description and meta tag for each web page.
  • Custom URLs. Shopify allows users to customise a page URL's structure. This makes it easier to optimise for search engines.
  • Image SEO. Optimise images of your products with alt tags. This helps Google understand their subject matter.
  • Site speed. Shopify is optimised for speed and performance. This improves user experience and optimises your website for SERPs.
  • Mobile compatibility. Shopify offers a great mobile browsing experience. This is an important Google ranking factor.
  • Google Analytics. This web analytics tool can track traffic, user behaviour, and other metrics.
  • Google Search Console. This free tool provides information on a store's positioning in search results.

The best Shopify SEO tools will depend on the specific needs and goals of Shopify stores. Exploring different Shopify SEO tools is a good idea. It will help you determine which tools provide the most value for your unique situation.

⭐ What SEO Apps Does Shopify Offer?

Aside from using various SEO tools, you can also install Shopify's SEO apps. 

Here are the best Shopify SEO apps you can use for your online store:

  1. SEO Manager
    You can find this SEO app on the Shopify app store for free. It's designed to automate and optimise your SEO. It has tools like meta tag optimisation, XML sitemap generation, and keyword suggestions.
  2. TinyIMG SEO & Image Optimizer
    This app doesn't only compress your images for better site speed. You can also use it to optimise image alt text, JSON-LD, 404 pages, 301 redirects, rich snippets, meta tags, etc.
  3. SEO Booster
    If you're looking for a free app for your SEO, SEO Booster is an all-in-one SEO solution. It comes with SEO reports, tag bulk updates, basic speed-up, and sitemap submission.
  4. Smart SEO
    Smart SEO is one of the most popular Shopify apps for search engine optimisation. It can improve your store's ranking on search engines. It has a free version, but you can choose a paid plan for advanced SEO features.
  5. Avada SEO
    This automated SEO tool kit is an image optimiser and a page speed-up tool. It also optimises your meta tags and structured data, and it detects broken links.
  6. Plug in SEO
    This Shopify SEO app will increase your traffic and sales. It provides a range of SEO features. This includes on-page SEO, content analysis, keyword tracking, and site speed optimisation.
Shopify app store

🚩 Are There Any Issues with Shopify's SEO?

Shopify merchants can use various apps and features to improve their site's SEO

But, they can also encounter some common SEO issues, which is why you might ask yourself, is Shopify bad for SEO?

Shopify is a reliable e-commerce platform. But here are some issues you may come across:

  • Duplicate content
  • Canonical tags
  • Limited structured data
  • Editing your Shopify sitemap
  • Lack of advanced customisation
  • Adjusting a Robots.txt file

The most common problems Shopify users encounter are duplicate content and canonical tags. 

Duplicate content is necessary on e-commerce sites like Shopify. But Google sees it as a red flag when indexing web pages. 

To deal with this issue, Shopify started adding canonical tags. They tell Google which version of the page is "canonical" or the preferred version. 

Shopify doesn't use an internal linking structure. It uses but links to non-canonical pages by default. 

Shopify's canonical tags are automatic, so you can't change them. The only step you can take to prevent this issue is to avoid duplicate content wherever possible.

Similar issues occur with sitemaps. Shopify automatically generates your store's sitemap xml file and offers limited editing options. 

The same applies to the robots.txt file. You need to address descriptions on product pages and meta tags manually as well

This can be an issue for those who don't know how to code.

🧪 How to Improve Your SEO Strategy on Shopify

Shopify offers various SEO features and tools. But you can improve your Shopify store's SEO by taking a few extra steps. 

Here are different Shopify SEO tips you can use to improve your Shopify store's SEO:

  1. Add relevant keywords to your Shopify website. You can put keywords into different parts of your Shopify site. For example, page titles, meta descriptions, product pages, product descriptions, URL structures, etc.
  2. Create unique, high-quality content. Write blog posts, descriptions on product pages, and guides. Topics should be related to your business.
  3. Optimise images with alt tags. This will improve their visibility on Google image searches and other search engines.
  4. Insert link-building strategies. Add links to attract organic traffic from search engines. Also, add backlinks to build credibility
  5. Create a sitemap. Include all the pages of your store. This will help Google crawl your Shopify site faster.
  6. Optimise your e-commerce store for mobile phones. Choose a responsive design or an app that you can access on different devices.
  7. Track and analyse your SEO strategy. Drive SEO success by keeping track of your SEO efforts. Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics.

🧠 Advanced Customisation Options for Experienced Users

Shopify comes with many customisation options for experienced users. It's ideal for those who want to take their Shopify store to the next level.

Some of these advanced tools include optimising page titles and meta descriptions. Using structured data markup for better visibility is another useful feature. 

There are tools for those well-versed in coding. Shopify offers plenty of functions you can customise through HTML or JavaScript.

This includes customising template files and adding unique snippets into existing code blocks. 

The platform provides robust APIs. This offers access to deeper levels of customisation. For instance, creating new navigation structures or customising product displays. 

With this flexibility, developers have all they need to create beautiful e-commerce sites. What's more, they can tailor their sites to their business's needs.

These tools can also help you manage SEO efforts. Shopify offers valuable tools for both beginners and professionals. 

With so many customisation options, you can do a lot to improve your SEO. These options also let you be creative through various design elements.

🙋 Alternatives to Shopify for Improving SEO

Shopify offers a range of tools that are good for SEO. But it provides less control over certain SEO elements. 

Its content management system is designed primarily for product pages. This makes it harder to optimise non-product content. These include blog posts, category pages, and landing pages. 

If you have these concerns, you should do research on alternatives.

Using Google AdWords campaigns is one way to boost your visibility on search engines. 

You can use target keywords or phrases related to your products or services. They can thus appear at the top of relevant searches. 

This gives you access to potential customers. They may not have been aware of your business before seeing it on the results page. 

You can also use analytics tools like Google Analytics. This app will give you important information. It will tell you how visitors find and interact with your website. This app can help you optimise content for higher rankings.

Shopify's SEO features are as good as other popular e-commerce platforms. WooCommerce and Magento, for example.

But Shopify is a better solution for businesses with complex SEO needs. What's more, all types of e-commerce businesses can use Shopify. 

❔ Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does Shopify Cost?

The total monthly cost of using Shopify's services depends on your plan.

Prices range from $5 to $2,300 a month.

If you own a small business and want to advertise your products, you can sign up for the basic plan, which is $24 a month. But if you're interested in more complex SEO, Shopify's other plans might be a better solution.

Don't only look at subscription-based costs. Make sure to factor in other expenses associated with ongoing maintenance. This includes content and backlink updates and monitoring changes in search engine algorithms.

If you want to install one or more Shopify apps, you must consider how much each charges monthly.

How Can I Measure the Success of My Shopify SEO Campaign?

To better understand your Shopify SEO performance, you should set measurable goals. Your goals should align with the objectives of your business. 

These metrics should include tangible elements. For instance, page views, the time-on-site rate, and the click-through rate. To do this, you can use tracking tools like Google Analytics. It can help you track progress and determine whether to make changes to improve your results.

Analysing data from these reports will help identify areas in need of improvement. It will also provide info on new strategies for increasing visibility online. 

This includes:

  • Researching keywords relevant to the target audience
  • Creating meta descriptions that accurately reflect the content on different pages
  • Keeping track of internal and external links
  • Making sure website speed runs efficiently

Why Is SEO Important for E-commerce Stores?

SEO is important for e-commerce stores for several reasons

The primary goal of SEO is to increase a website's visibility on search engines. This is also in the best interests of e-commerce stores. 

By ranking higher in search results, e-commerce stores can attract more organic traffic. This leads to more potential customers and more opportunities for sales.

We must also look at the overwhelming levels of competition in this industry. That's another reason SEO is important for e-commerce stores.

A proper SEO strategy can help an e-commerce store stand out from competitors.

🎉 The Importance of SEO for Shopify and Vice Versa

Shopify can help online businesses with its many SEO tools. It can make a big difference for online businesses. Especially those trying to make a name for themselves in the world of e-commerce. 

Shopify offers a vast array of search engine optimisation tools and apps. These features can help your e-commerce store attract new visitors and increase revenue. 

Of course, Shopify isn't perfect. It has a few flaws, but knowing how to get around them will take your SEO game to a whole new level.

If your e-commerce store is in need of SEO services, you can hire trusted SEO experts like RankRise. We're a digital marketing company specialising in SEO.

We can help you create the perfect SEO campaign for your small business. We can also make sure your business keeps growing with the help of our valuable content, which is tailored to each business.

If you'd like to know more, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

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Tijana Abadic
Tijana Abadic

Tijana is a content writer with three years of experience working for digital marketing firms and creating informative and engaging content for diverse industries. As a content strategist at RankRise, she specialises in writing and editing long-form content that reflects the brand and drives results.

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