If you run a Shopify store, some of the easiest sales come from people who are already searching for what you sell. But, how do you get your product in front of those people on search engines like Google?

That’s where Shopify SEO comes in.

What is Shopify SEO?

Shopify SEO is the process of optimizing your Shopify store so your products appear in Google search results.

It helps search engines understand what you sell, how your store is structured, and which pages should rank when customers search for those products. When your Shopify SEO is set up correctly, Google can match your product pages with shoppers who are actively looking to buy.

Strong Shopify SEO brings in what we call “high-intent traffic.” These are customers searching for the exact items you sell, which makes search one of the most reliable ways to drive ecommerce revenue.

Your 7-step plan to improve Shopify SEO

Shopify SEO isn’t one big project. It’s a series of small improvements that make your store easier to find and easier to trust. These seven steps cover the basics that drive the biggest results.

Step 1: Find the words your customers actually search for

Every Shopify SEO strategy starts with keywords. These are the words shoppers type into Google when they’re trying to find a product.

Think about how someone would search if they didn’t know your brand name. Focus on product types, materials, and problems your items solve. A candle store might target phrases like “natural soy candles” or “long lasting scented candles.”

Use a free tool like Google Keyword Planner to check search volume and discover related phrases. You don’t need perfect data. You just need to understand how customers describe what you sell.

Step 2: Organize your store for easy shopping (and SEO)

A confusing store layout frustrates both customers and search engines. A logical site structure helps Google understand your page hierarchy and identify your most important content. The ideal structure is simple:

Homepage -> Category/Collection Pages -> Product Pages

For a skincare store, the structure would be:

• Homepage: Your main storefront.

• Collection Pages: “Cleansers,” “Moisturizers,” “Serums.”

• Product Pages: “Hydrating Gel Cleanser,” “Vitamin C Brightening Serum.”

If customers can reach any product in a few clicks, your structure is working.

Step 3: Optimize your homepage and collections

Your homepage and collection pages are the pillars of your site. Tell Google what each page is about using the SEO title and meta description.

In Shopify, you can find these fields by scrolling to the bottom of any page or collection editor and clicking “Edit website SEO.”

• SEO title (or title tag): The blue, clickable headline in Google search results. It must be under 60 characters and include the page's primary keyword. 

  • For a homepage, use: 

    • Primary Offering | Your Brand Name. 

  • For a collection, use: 

    • Collection Name - Keyword | Your Brand Name (e.g., Organic Dog Treats | Pawsitively Pure).

• Meta description: The text snippet (around 155 characters) below the title. While it doesn't directly affect rankings, a clear description encourages clicks. State what the page offers and include your keyword.

Tip: Wondering how your title tags and meta descriptions show up in google? Use the SERP Simulator tool to quality-check before you hit post.

Step 4: Improve your product pages

Product pages are where visitors become customers, making their optimization critical. This is the foundation of Shopify product SEO.

1. Write unique product descriptions: Do not use supplier-provided descriptions. Write original, compelling copy that addresses your customer's needs. Weave in your primary keyword and related terms naturally. Focus on benefits, not just features.

2. Optimize product images with alt text: Search engines cannot see images; they read alt text. Alt text is a brief description that explains an image's content for search engines and accessibility. In Shopify, click an uploaded image and select “Add alt text.” Be descriptive and include a keyword if it fits naturally. For example, use “Hand-poured lavender soy wax candle in glass jar” instead of “IMG_1234.jpg.”

Step 5: Speed up your site (a quick win for rankings)

Site speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor because it is essential to user experience. A slow store has a high bounce rate, which signals to Google that your site is not useful.

Large images are the most common cause of a slow Shopify store. Before uploading photos, use a free tool like TinyPNG or a Shopify app to compress them. This reduces file size without a noticeable loss in quality and significantly improves load times.

Step 6: Publish fresh content regularly

Google favors stores that stay active. Fresh content signals that your site is maintained and relevant, which supports stronger Shopify SEO rankings over time.

Publishing content regularly creates more ways for customers to discover your store. You don’t need massive volume. You need a steady rhythm.

A simple content mix can look like:

• Blog posts: Capture search traffic and answer customer questions.

• Newsletters: Bring past visitors back to your store.

• Social posts: Drive engagement and visibility.

• Product updates: Keep your site fresh in Google’s index.

Together, this content shows search engines your Shopify store is alive and growing. The more useful pages you publish, the more chances Google has to match your store with real searches.

Tools like Melora help automate blogs, newsletters, and social posts so your content schedule stays consistent without adding extra work.

Tip: Don’t forget, all your content types can work together as one powerful engine. Social posts can be repurposed into blog posts, and vice versa. If you’re really struggling to keep a consistent publishing schedule, AI-powered content marketing tools (like Melora) can help.

Step 7: Track what’s working

You can’t improve Shopify SEO if you never look at the results.

The goal isn’t to obsess over data. It’s to check whether your changes are moving in the right direction. Even small increases in search traffic tell you your work is compounding.

At minimum, review these once a month:

• Organic traffic: Are more visitors coming from search?

• Top pages: Which products or posts attract traffic?

• Search queries: What keywords are bringing people in?

Shopify Analytics gives a simple overview, and connecting Google Analytics or Search Console adds more detail if you want it. The key is consistency. SEO grows slowly, and steady tracking helps you spot progress early.

Your go-to Shopify on-page SEO checklist

Use this simple Shopify on-page SEO checklist to review your store, one page at a time.

• [ ] Keyword research: Have you identified a primary keyword for the page?

• [ ] SEO title: Is your keyword included in the SEO title (under 60 characters)?

• [ ] Meta description: Have you written a unique, compelling meta description (under 155 characters)?

• [ ] Page content: Is your keyword used naturally in the page's main description or body text?

• [ ] Image alt text: Do all images have descriptive alt text?

• [ ] Image compression: Are your images optimized for web to ensure fast loading?

• [ ] URL handle: Is the page URL clean and easy to read (e.g., /products/hydrating-gel-cleanser)?

Turning Shopify SEO into a long-term revenue channel

SEO is a long-term strategy. The consistent improvements you make today will generate meaningful results over time, bringing more qualified customers to your digital storefront.

The steps are simple, but the work is consistent. Melora uses AI to automatically write SEO-optimized blog posts for your Shopify store, so you can attract customers while you focus on running your business. See how Melora can handle your content marketing for you. Try Melora free today!