The top three organic search results capture 68.7% of all clicks on Google. For new Shopify store owners, this statistic reveals both the opportunity and the challenge ahead. Getting found in search results requires proper optimisation from day one, and this ecommerce SEO checklist covers exactly what you need to configure.
This guide breaks down every SEO task you need to complete when launching a Shopify store. Each section follows a logical sequence, starting with foundational settings and progressing through technical configuration, on-page optimisation, and content strategy.
If you’d rather have professionals configure your store’s SEO foundation correctly, our Shopify SEO service handles the technical setup and ongoing optimisation.
Quick-Reference Shopify SEO Checklist
Use this checklist when launching a new store or auditing an existing one:
Foundation Settings
- [ ] Google Search Console connected and sitemap submitted
- [ ] Google Analytics 4 installed with ecommerce tracking
- [ ] Primary domain selected with redirects configured
- [ ] SSL certificate active and HTTPS enforced
Technical SEO
- [ ] Site speed tested and Core Web Vitals passing
- [ ] Logical site architecture with shallow navigation
- [ ] Clean URLs using keywords appropriately
- [ ] Robots.txt not blocking important pages
Product Pages
- [ ] Each product has a keyword-rich title under 60 characters
- [ ] Product descriptions over 200 words with natural keywords
- [ ] All images have descriptive alt text
- [ ] Product schema implemented and validated
Collection Pages
- [ ] Collections target commercial category keywords
- [ ] Collection descriptions included above or below products
- [ ] Primary keyword appears within first 100 words
Content
- [ ] Blog publishing schedule established
- [ ] Foundational content created for main topics
- [ ] Internal linking strategy connecting related pages
The sections below explain each item in detail.
Set Up Your Shopify Store’s SEO Foundation
Before optimising individual products, your store needs the right technical infrastructure. These foundational settings affect every page on your site and become difficult to change once you’ve built content around them.
Connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics
Google Search Console shows you exactly how your store appears in search results. You’ll see which queries bring visitors, your average ranking positions, and any technical errors Google finds when crawling your site.
Head to Google Search Console and verify your domain using the DNS method, which proves you own the entire domain rather than just a specific page. Once verified, submit your sitemap by adding your store URL followed by /sitemap.xml in the sitemaps section. Shopify generates this file automatically, so you won’t need to create anything manually.
For Google Analytics 4, Shopify replaced its native integration with the Google & YouTube app. Install this from the Shopify App Store, then connect your Google account. The app walks you through linking your GA4 property without needing to touch any code. Once connected, ecommerce events like product views, add-to-cart actions, and purchases track automatically. You don’t need to connect Google Merchant Center if you only want analytics tracking.
Choose Your Primary Domain and Configure Redirects
Shopify stores can be accessed through multiple URLs by default, including the myshopify.com subdomain and your custom domain with or without the www prefix. Search engines see these as separate websites, which splits any authority your store builds across multiple addresses. Go to Settings, then Domains, and select your primary domain. Shopify will automatically redirect all other versions to this address.
If you’re migrating from another platform, set up URL redirects for any pages that existed on your old site. Go to Online Store, then Navigation, then URL Redirects. Add each old URL and point it to the corresponding new page.
Enable SSL and Force HTTPS
Shopify provides free SSL certificates for all stores. Check your Shopify admin under Settings and Domains to confirm SSL is active. The lock icon in your browser’s address bar indicates a secure connection.
Optimise Your Store’s Technical SEO
Technical SEO ensures search engines can efficiently crawl and understand your store’s content.
Improve Site Speed and Core Web Vitals
Site speed directly affects both rankings and revenue. Research shows that a 0.1 second improvement in mobile load time increases ecommerce conversions by 8.4%. Shopify handles server-side performance reasonably well, but your theme choices and installed apps can introduce significant slowdowns. Run your store through Google PageSpeed Insights to establish a baseline.
Mint SEO Core Web Vitals Targets:
| Metric | What It Measures | Target |
|---|---|---|
| LCP | Loading performance | Under 2.5 seconds |
| FID | Interactivity | Under 100 milliseconds |
| CLS | Visual stability | Under 0.1 |
Apps cause the most speed issues on Shopify stores. Each app adds JavaScript that must load before your page becomes fully interactive. Audit your installed apps quarterly and remove any you’re not actively using.
Create a Logical Site Architecture
Your store’s structure tells search engines which pages matter most. A shallow architecture, where important pages sit only a few clicks from the homepage, passes more authority to those pages and helps crawlers discover content efficiently. Organise products into collections based on how customers actually search. Someone looking for running shoes might search by brand, by gender, by price range, or by specific features like cushioning level.
Keep your navigation menu focused on primary collections. Dropdown menus can reveal subcategories, but avoid nesting more than two levels deep. Every additional click between the homepage and a product page dilutes the authority flowing to that product.
Optimise Your URL Structure
Clean URLs help both search engines and humans understand page content before visiting. Shopify generates URLs automatically, but you can edit them to remove unnecessary words and include relevant terms. For product pages, include the product name and one or two descriptive terms. A URL like /products/mens-leather-chelsea-boots-black performs better than /products/product-12847.
Collection pages should mirror your keyword strategy. If customers search for “women’s summer dresses,” your collection URL should be /collections/womens-summer-dresses rather than /collections/dresses-for-women-summer.
Submit and Monitor Your XML Sitemap
Your sitemap tells Google every page that exists on your store. Shopify generates this automatically at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, and it updates whenever you add or remove pages.
Monitor the sitemap report in Search Console for indexing errors. Common issues include pages blocked by robots.txt, redirect chains that confuse crawlers, and pages returning 404 errors. The Coverage report shows how many of your pages Google has indexed versus how many it discovered. A large gap between these numbers suggests technical problems worth investigating. Pages stuck in “Discovered, currently not indexed” status often need more internal links or higher-quality content before Google will include them.
Optimise Your Product Pages
Product pages drive direct sales from search traffic. Each element on these pages sends signals that affect both rankings and conversion rates.
Write Keyword-Rich Product Titles
Your product title appears in search results, browser tabs, and social shares. It needs to include your primary keyword while remaining compelling to potential buyers. Front-load the most important terms because Google may truncate titles longer than approximately 60 characters. A strong product title follows a pattern: brand name, product type, key feature or variant. “Nike Air Max 90 Running Shoes White” tells searchers exactly what they’ll find.
Each product should target a distinct primary keyword. If you sell multiple similar items, differentiate through colour, size, material, or other attributes.
Write Product Descriptions That Sell and Rank
Product descriptions serve dual purposes: convincing visitors to purchase and providing content for search engines to understand. Thin descriptions with only a few sentences fail on both counts. Aim for at least 200 words of genuinely useful information about each product.
Structure descriptions to answer the questions shoppers have before buying. Cover materials, dimensions, care instructions, and use cases. If you sell clothing, discuss fit and fabric weight. If you sell electronics, explain compatibility and included accessories.
Add Alt Text to Every Product Image
Image alt text describes what appears in a photo, serving both accessibility and SEO purposes. Screen readers rely on alt text for visually impaired users, while search engines use it to understand image content for image search rankings. A 2024 report found that one-third of homepage images have missing or poorly written alt text.
Write alt text that describes the image specifically and includes relevant keywords naturally. “Black leather Chelsea boots with elastic side panels, shown from 45-degree angle” beats generic descriptions like “boots” or keyword-stuffed phrases like “best boots cheap boots leather boots uk.”
For lifestyle images showing products in use, describe the scene including the product. “Woman wearing navy wool peacoat walking through autumn park” helps search engines connect your product to relevant queries like “winter coats for women.”
Implement Product Schema Markup
Schema markup gives search engines structured data about your products, enabling rich snippets that display prices, availability, and ratings directly in search results.
Shopify themes include basic product schema automatically, but you should verify it’s functioning correctly. Use Google’s Rich Results Test by entering a product URL. The report shows whether Google can read your schema and highlights any errors preventing rich snippets from appearing. Consider adding review schema if you collect customer feedback. Products with star ratings visible in search results see higher click-through rates because the ratings signal social proof before visitors commit to clicking.
Optimise Your Collection Pages
Collection pages often rank better than individual products because they target broader search terms and accumulate more internal links. Treating these pages as primary SEO assets rather than simple product filters can significantly expand your organic traffic.
Target Commercial Keywords With Collection Pages
Each collection page should target a specific keyword phrase that represents how customers search for product categories. “Women’s running shoes” represents higher volume than any individual shoe model.
Conduct ecommerce keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Semrush to identify terms with sufficient search volume and manageable competition. Look for keywords that match your product categories closely. A collection page targeting “organic cotton baby clothes” will struggle if you only sell one organic item among dozens of conventional options. Analyse what competitors rank for on their collection pages too. If established stores already dominate generic terms, consider more specific variations like “sustainable wool jumpers uk” that align with your actual inventory.
Write Collection Page Descriptions
Many Shopify stores leave collection descriptions empty, relying solely on product listings to communicate page content. This approach wastes valuable SEO real estate.
Place your primary keyword within the first 100 words of the description. Explain what products the collection includes, who they’re designed for, and what makes your selection distinctive. Keep collection descriptions between 150 and 300 words. Longer content can push products below the fold, forcing visitors to scroll before seeing what’s available.
Use Filters That Create Indexable URLs
Smart filtering helps visitors narrow product selection, but most filter implementations create URLs that search engines ignore. Shopify’s native filtering uses JavaScript that doesn’t generate separate URLs for filtered views.
Third-party apps like Smart SEO can create static URLs for commonly filtered combinations. If customers frequently search for “blue velvet sofas,” having an indexable filtered view targeting that exact phrase captures traffic that broad collection pages miss. Be selective about which filters become indexable URLs though. Creating hundreds of filter combinations leads to thin content issues where many near-identical pages compete against each other.
Build Your Content Strategy
Content beyond product and collection pages attracts visitors earlier in their buying journey.
Create a Blog Targeting Buyer Questions
Most Shopify stores have a blog feature that goes completely unused. This represents a missed opportunity because blog content can rank for informational queries that product pages cannot realistically target. Someone searching “how to choose running shoes for flat feet” isn’t ready to buy yet, but answering their question positions your store as the trusted source when they are ready. Identify questions your ideal customers ask before purchasing. Customer service emails, product reviews, and industry forums reveal recurring themes worth addressing.
Develop Foundational Content
Foundational content represents your most authoritative pages on broad topics central to your business. These in-depth resources should rank for competitive head terms while linking out to related products and blog posts.
An outdoor gear store might create a 3,000-word guide on “How to Plan Your First Backpacking Trip” covering gear selection, route planning, safety considerations, and leave-no-trace principles. This single piece can rank for dozens of related searches while naturally linking to tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, and water filtration products. Update foundational content periodically to keep information current. Search engines favour fresh content, and outdated advice damages trust with visitors.
Build Internal Links Between Related Content
Internal links distribute page authority throughout your site and help search engines understand topic relationships.
A product page for hiking boots should link to your collection of hiking socks, your blog post about breaking in boots, and your guide to choosing outdoor footwear. Anchor text for internal links should describe the destination page naturally. “Our guide to ecommerce SEO strategies covers this in detail” tells both readers and search engines what they’ll find by clicking. Create a linking strategy for new content before publishing. Each new blog post should link to at least three existing pages and receive links from at least two existing pages.
Moving From Checklist to Ongoing Strategy
Completing this ecommerce SEO checklist establishes your foundation. Ongoing optimisation builds on that foundation through continuous content creation and competitive analysis. Rankings don’t happen overnight, but stores that invest consistently in SEO compound their visibility month after month.
If you’re looking for hands-on support implementing these recommendations, our ecommerce SEO audit service identifies your highest-impact opportunities and creates a prioritised action plan specific to your store and market. Run a full ecommerce SEO audit quarterly using tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to catch technical issues before they affect rankings.
