Twenty practical, do-it-today steps to optimise your Shopify store for Google and Bing — no jargon, no guesswork. Work through them in order, or run a free scan first to see which ones your store needs most.
Scan my store free →Shopify gives you a fast, secure storefront out of the box — but ranking it takes deliberate optimisation. The good news: most Shopify SEO wins are simple, one-time fixes you control from your admin and theme. Here's the full checklist, grouped so you can tackle it in logical order.
Your homepage title should say what you sell and for whom. Keep titles near 55–60 characters and meta descriptions near 150–160.
Shopify handles HTTPS automatically — confirm every page loads on a single, secure canonical domain.
Submit your sitemap (yourstore.com/sitemap.xml) so both engines discover and index your pages.
Home → collections → products, no more than a few clicks deep. Flat structures get crawled and ranked better.
Avoid duplicates. Include the product name plus a key attribute or benefit shoppers search for.
Empty descriptions let Google pick a random snippet. Write compelling ones for your top sellers and collections.
Original, detailed copy (use cases, sizing, materials, FAQs) ranks far better than text every competitor also uses.
Alt text wins Google Images traffic and improves accessibility. Describe the product, not "IMG_4821".
Your product or collection name should be the single H1; use H2/H3 for sub-sections.
A short, keyword-rich paragraph at the top of each collection gives search engines context to rank it.
Product, price and review schema can earn rich results — star ratings and prices — right in search.
Products that appear in multiple collections can create duplicate paths; ensure canonical tags point to the primary URL.
Oversized images are the #1 Shopify speed killer. Use modern formats and Shopify's responsive image sizes.
Unused apps often leave scripts behind. Remove what you don't use to improve Core Web Vitals.
Most shoppers — and Google's index — are mobile-first. Test tap targets, font sizes and layout.
When you rename or remove products, redirect old URLs so you keep their ranking value and avoid 404s.
Helpful guides ("how to choose…", "best … for …") capture long-tail searches and earn links.
Internal links spread authority and help shoppers (and crawlers) find more of your store.
Get featured in roundups, supplier directories and relevant blogs. A few strong links beat dozens of weak ones.
SEO isn't one-and-done. Stores change constantly — schedule a recurring audit to catch regressions early.
Run a free Shopify SEO audit and get your health score plus a prioritised, paste-ready fix list.
Start your free scan →For a newer store, expect meaningful movement on lower-competition keywords in roughly three to six months of consistent work, and longer for highly competitive terms. SEO compounds, so starting the checklist early pays off.
No. Most of this checklist is done inside Shopify's built-in settings and your theme. A free audit tells you which items need attention first.
Unique, keyword-focused title tags and meta descriptions on your most important pages usually deliver the fastest wins, followed by fixing thin product descriptions and adding product schema.