How to Do Shopify SEO in 2026: Beginner-Friendly Checklist to Fix Errors, Improve Speed & Rank Higher
Deepak Kharware
No matter how good your Shopify store looks, even if you install an expensive theme and add multiple apps, if your store is not getting traffic, it is completely a waste of money.Right?
That’s why in this guide, I’m going to explain how you can do SEO for your Shopify store so that your store can rank on Google’s first page and start getting free, organic traffic.Let’s get started.
What Is SEO for a Shopify Store?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means optimizing your Shopify website in such a way that Google can easily understand your store, index your pages, and rank them higher in search results.
When your Shopify website is properly optimized, you can get consistent free traffic without spending money on ads.SEO for a Shopify store is divided into three main types:
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Technical SEO
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On-Page SEO
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Off-Page SEO
Let’s understand each one step by step.
1. Technical SEO for Shopify Store
Technical SEO focuses on optimizing your website structure so that Google crawlers can easily crawl and index your pages and products.In Shopify technical SEO, the following things are included:
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Creating and submitting a sitemap
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Setting up Google Search Console
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Verifying your domain
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Making sure your website is crawlable and indexable
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Ensuring your store loads properly for users and search engines
All these activities help Google store your Shopify pages correctly in its database.This entire process comes under technical SEO for Shopify store.
2. On-Page SEO for Shopify Store
After technical SEO, the next step is on-page SEO. means optimizing your content and pages using keywords so that Google understands what your product or page is about.In Shopify on-page SEO, you optimize:
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Product titles by inserting relevant keywords
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Product descriptions with natural keyword usage
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Product images by adding alt text
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Website title and meta description
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Focus keywords
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Product page URLs
For example, you optimize:
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Page titles
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Meta descriptions
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Headings
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Product content
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Images
All these things together form Shopify SEO optimization at the page level.
3. Off-Page SEO for Shopify Store
The last and most powerful part of SEO is off-page SEO.mainly focuses on link building.
What Is Link Building?
Link building means creating links from other websites to your Shopify store.For example:
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You have a Shopify store
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You created two products
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Each product has its own unique URL
Now, you visit another website that is not your Shopify store, for example, Medium.com.You write an article on Medium and place your Shopify product links inside that article.What happens?
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Medium.com is a different domain
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Your Shopify store is a different domain
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A link from Medium.com points to your Shopify website
When a user clicks that link on Medium.com, they are redirected to your Shopify store.This is called backlinking.
Why Backlinks Are Important for Shopify SEO
Backlinks help Google understand that your website is trusted and recommended by other websites.Let’s understand this with a simple USA-based example.
Imagine you are visiting New York City for the first time and you want to buy premium chocolates as a gift, but you don’t know which store is best.You ask a few people:
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Some recommend Godiva
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Some say See’s Candies
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Some mention a local chocolate shop
You ask more people, and most of them recommend Godiva.What will you do?You will most likely go to Godiva, right?And why did you choose Godiva?Because more people recommended it.This is exactly how backlinks work in Shopify website SEO.
When multiple trusted websites link to your Shopify store, Google sees those links as recommendations, and your store gains authority.
The link that we placed on Medium.com acts as a reference signal for your website.When Google crawls Medium.com and reads that article, it notices that a Shopify store link is mentioned there. This means Medium.com is vouching for your Shopify store.
Because Medium.com is a well-known and trusted website, Google forms a positive image of your store.Google thinks:
“If a big website like Medium.com is referencing this Shopify store, then this store must be providing good value or quality content.”
As a result, Google gives a little more importance to your Shopify store.Now, this is just one reference link.But imagine if 10 other major websites like BBC, Forbes, Amazon, or Microsoft also link to your Shopify store.
If your website starts getting references from such authority websites, Google will build a very strong trust image of your store, and your Shopify website will automatically start getting higher priority in rankings.
This is the exact logic behind link building, and that’s why backlinks play a very important role in Shopify website SEO.Until Google notices your website, you cannot rank.That’s why creating backlinks is extremely important for SEO for Shopify store.
Practical On-Page SEO for Shopify Store
Now let’s understand this practically.Let’s see how on-page SEO issues are fixed and how you can optimize your Shopify product pages.
Keyword Research: The First Step of Shopify On-Page SEO
In on-page SEO, the first and most important step is keyword research.First, let’s understand what a keyword is.Now imagine I open Google.
If you want traffic on your Shopify store, that traffic will mainly come from Google.You want your website to rank on Google.Whenever a user goes to Google, what do they type?They type some words or terms in the search box.Those words are called keywords.
Example of Keyword in Real Life
Let’s assume your product is Mozzarella Cheese.You have created this product and you want to sell it.Obviously, the product page for mozzarella cheese should rank on Google.But when will it rank?When a user goes to Google and types:
Mozzarella cheese
And presses Enter.
When someone searches for “mozzarella cheese”, your product page should appear at the top of Google search results.
That word — mozzarella cheese — is a keyword.
This is exactly what people type in the Google search box, and your Shopify store SEO should be done in such a way that your website ranks for those keywords.
How to Find Keywords for Shopify Store SEO
Now the question is:
How do you know what people are actually searching for on Google?
How do you find out:
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Which keywords people type
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How many times they are searched per month
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In which country people are searching
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What the search volume is
For this, we use keyword research tools.
A keyword research tool tells you:
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Monthly search volume
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Country-wise keyword data
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Keyword competition
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Related keyword ideas
Best Keyword Research Tool for Shopify SEO
There are many tools available in the market, such as:
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VT Rank and others
But I personally recommend SEMrush.
Most big players in the SEO industry use SEMrush for keyword research.
Using SEMrush for Shopify SEO Optimization
The SEMrush homepage looks something like this.
No doubt, SEMrush is a paid tool, but it can significantly improve your Shopify SEO optimization.
You can also use it free for 7 days.
With the help of this tool, you can:
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Optimize your content
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Find profitable keywords
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Analyze competitors
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Improve your Shopify website SEO
You can type or click this link in your browser:
Simply click on Start Free Trial, create your account, and once logged in, your dashboard will look something like this.
On the left-hand side, you will see the SEO menu.When you hover your mouse over SEO, multiple SEO-related options will appear.
You simply need to click on Keyword Overview.Once you do that, you will see an interface like this.Now, in this box, you type your main keyword.Right now, I’m using a dummy product example.As much as I understood, I filled in the product details in a very basic way.
Let’s assume I own a store or manufacturing unit in the USA where we produce mozzarella cheese.
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When I created the mozzarella cheese product page, this is all I understood at first:
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Product name: Mozzarella Cheese
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Description: This is the best mozzarella cheese for your pizza
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Added one product image
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Set the price and basic details
That’s it.To me, the product title looks fine.The description also looks fine.But the real question is:
👉 Does Google actually like this product title and description?
👉 Will Google rank this page or not?
That’s exactly what we want to find out.
Checking Product Keywords in SEMrush
Now we go to SEMrush.Here, we type our keyword.
Since my product title is Mozzarella Cheese, I copy it.
Then I paste it into the keyword box.
My goal is simple:
👉 I want my Shopify product page to rank on Google for “mozzarella cheese.”
Now you select the country where you want to rank.
Here, instead of India, you would select United States.
Then click on Search.
Understanding Keyword Data in Shopify SEO
After clicking search, all the data related to mozzarella cheese appears on the screen.
Search Volume
The first thing you see is search volume.
For example:
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Volume: 178,300
This means:
👉 Every month, around 178,300 people search for “mozzarella cheese” on Google in the selected country.
That means more than 178,300 potential users are searching for this product every month.
Keyword Difficulty
Next, you see Keyword Difficulty.
Keyword difficulty is measured out of 100.
For “mozzarella cheese,” the keyword difficulty is 43%.
What does that mean?
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If keyword difficulty is 0% to 50%, ranking is possible
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If it is 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or higher, ranking becomes very difficult
Since 43% is below 50%, this keyword is rankable.
That’s why SEMrush clearly shows that ranking is possible.
If the difficulty were very high, it would mean that:
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Big websites are already ranking
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It would be very hard to outrank them
But in this case, you can rank your Shopify product page.
SEO Keyword Research Tool >
Keyword Variations and Total Search Volume
Next, you see Keyword Variations.
For example:
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Keyword variations: 2,500
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Total combined search volume: 178,300
What does this mean?
It means there are:
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Around 2,500 related keywords
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That include the term “mozzarella cheese”
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And together, they get over 178,300 searches per month
This is very powerful data for Shopify store SEO.
Finding Easy-to-Rank Keywords
Now let’s look at some related keywords.
For example:
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Mozzarella cheese price
This keyword is searched around 33,000 times per month.
And the keyword difficulty?
👉 Only 26%
That means this keyword is very easy to rank for.
If you:
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Write good content
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Optimize your Shopify product page properly
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Build quality backlinks
Then you can easily rank on Google for this keyword.
More Keyword Ideas for Shopify SEO Optimization
There are 2,500+ related keywords available that include the term mozzarella cheese.
These keywords give you content and product page ideas.
For example:
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Brand-based keywords (which you should avoid if they are trademarks)
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Size-based searches
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Price-based searches
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Use-case searches
If a keyword includes a brand name, you should not target it unless you own that brand.
But many other keywords are:
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High in search volume
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Low in competition
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Always trending
Some keywords stay in trend all year round, meaning people search for them consistently.
Competition Insight
SEMrush also shows:
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How many total pages are ranking for a keyword
For example:
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Around 1.1 million pages are ranking on Google for this keyword
This tells you:
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The keyword is competitive
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But still rankable with proper Shopify SEO optimization
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Selecting the Right Keywords for Shopify Product Pages
When we say pages are already ranking, it does not mean they are ranking on the first page of Google.
It simply means they are appearing somewhere in Google’s search results.
They could be:
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On the 9th page
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On the 100th page
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Or even on the 1000th page
But they are still ranking.
That’s why you see around 1.1 million pages ranking for this particular keyword.
Now, your job is to select keywords that:
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Are relevant to your product
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Have low keyword difficulty
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Have decent search volume
Filtering Keywords in SEMrush for Shopify SEO
To make this easier, you can apply filters.
First, let’s apply a search volume filter.
For example:
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Minimum search volume: 101
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Maximum search volume: 1,000
This means:
👉 The keyword should get at least 100+ searches per month, but not be too competitive.
Now SEMrush shows only those keywords that fall within this range.
You can see:
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Some keywords have 1,000 searches
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Some have 800 searches
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Some have 700 searches
These are good opportunities.
Filtering by Keyword Difficulty
Next, we apply a keyword difficulty filter.
We want keywords that are:
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Very easy to rank
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Between 0% and 40% keyword difficulty
This helps us rank faster and more easily.
Now SEMrush shows keywords that are:
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Low competition
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High potential
Example of Easy-to-Rank Keywords
For example:
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Mozzarella cheese slices
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Search volume: 720 per month
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Keyword difficulty: 12%
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Trend: Always trending
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SEMrush clearly shows:
Very easy – your chance to start ranking new pages
This means you can easily rank for this keyword.
Another example:
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Mozzarella cheese cubes
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Search volume: 590
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Keyword difficulty: 11%
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These are excellent keywords for Shopify SEO optimization.
Avoid Brand Keywords in Shopify SEO
Some keywords include brand names.For example, xyzcraft is a brand.You should not target brand keywords unless:
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You own that brand
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You are an authorized seller
Because you cannot outrank strong brands easily.So, we skip such keywords.
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Placing Keywords Naturally in Product Title
Now that we have selected a keyword, for example:
👉 Mozzarella cheese slices
We insert this keyword naturally into the product title.It should make sense and should not look forced.Example product title:
Mozzarella Cheese Slices – Perfect, Creamy, Stretchy & Delicious
Here, the keyword is added naturally.
Writing SEO-Friendly Product Descriptions
Next, we add the same keyword to the product description.Again, it should feel natural.Example description:
Indulge in the rich, creamy flavor of mozzarella cheese slices crafted to bring the perfect stretch and taste to your meals.
Here, the keyword appears 3–4 times naturally.Now the description becomes SEO-friendly.
Google can clearly understand:
👉 What this product is about
👉 Which keyword it should rank for
Understanding Keyword-Based Content Writing
The most important thing is:
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First, decide which keyword you want to target
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Then write your product content according to that keyword
You do not write content first and think about keywords later.You choose the keyword first, then write content around it.
Setting SEO Title and Meta Description in Shopify
Now let’s move ahead.
Shopify Search Engine Listing Section
In Shopify, scroll down to the Search engine listing section.This is how your product page will appear in Google search results.
Now click on Edit.
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SEO Title in Shopify
Here, you write your page title.It should be:
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SEO-friendly
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Contain your target keyword
By default, Shopify takes your product title as the SEO title.That’s fine, as long as the keyword is included.
Meta Description in Shopify
Now write a short meta description in the meta description box.Example:
Buy mozzarella cheese slices online. Soft, creamy, and perfect for pizzas, sandwiches, and more.
Again, the keyword is placed naturally.
Optimizing the Product URL
One more important thing:
👉 Make sure your product URL also contains the keyword
This completes the on-page SEO optimization for your Shopify product page.
Final On-Page SEO Checklist for Shopify Product Pages
Now here, I will simply type “mozzarella cheese slices”.You can see that the keyword is automatically inserted here as well.
After doing this, we click on Save.Once saved, our Shopify product page is fully optimized from an SEO point of view.Now, this is how your product page result will appear in Google search results.So now you clearly understand:
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How to do keyword research
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How to optimize a Shopify page using keywords
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Why writing a proper product description is important
Because from the description, Google understands what your product is actually about.
Image Alt Text Optimization in Shopify SEO
One more important thing is still left.We copy our target keyword again.Now, the product image also needs to be optimized.Every product image should have an Alt Text.What do we do?
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Simply click on the product image
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An interface opens like this
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On the right-hand side, you will see an Alt Text field
Here, you just paste your keyword.Why is this important? If, in any case, your image does not load:
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This text will be shown to the user
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And from an SEO perspective, Google uses alt text to understand images
That’s why setting image alt text is very important in Shopify website SEO.Click Save, and then exit.Now your entire product page is fully SEO optimized.
Technical SEO for Shopify Store
Now let’s talk about Technical SEO.As I told you earlier, technical SEO includes:
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Setting up Google Search Console
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Setting up Google Analytics
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Verifying your domain in Google Search Console
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Optimizing your website for indexing and crawling
All these things help Google properly crawl and index your Shopify store.I have already published a separate detailed video on this topic on my YouTube channel.You will find the link in the description, where you can learn how to fix technical SEO issues step by step.
Off-Page SEO for Shopify Store (Link Building)
Now coming to Off-page SEO.This includes:
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Link building
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Creating backlinks
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Fixing off-page SEO issues
For this, I will bring a separate dedicated video, because if I cover it here, this guide will become very long.Also, creating such videos requires:
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A lot of research
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A lot of effort
So it’s very important for me to know whether you are actually interested or not.
Conclusion
So now you clearly understand how SEO for a Shopify store works.No matter how good your store design is, how expensive your theme is, or how many apps you install — if SEO is not done properly, traffic will not come.In this guide, you learned:
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What Shopify SEO actually is
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The difference between technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO
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How to do keyword research using tools like SEMrush
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How to choose low-competition keywords
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How to optimize product titles, descriptions, URLs, and images
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How Google understands your product through content and keywords
The main thing to remember is:
👉 First choose the right keyword, then write and optimize your content around it.
When your Shopify product pages are optimized correctly, Google understands your store better, your rankings improve, and you start getting free organic traffic.SEO takes time, but once it starts working, it brings long-term results.
So start applying these steps on your Shopify store today, stay consistent, and your store will slowly start moving up on Google.Free traffic is possible — you just need to do Shopify SEO the right way. 🚀
