Ecommerce SEO
Shopify SEO checklist: the checks to run, in the order that works
A Shopify SEO checklist is a set of technical, on-page, product page, collection page, content and speed checks for a Shopify store. Run the technical checks first, because a store that search engines cannot crawl or measure will not benefit from better copy. Then work through collection pages, product pages and content, in that order.
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform, and it does much of the setup for you. The [Wikipedia entry on Shopify](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopify) describes it as a Canadian e-commerce company based in Ottawa, founded in 2006. What it does not do is optimise your store for search. Most of the work in this checklist is the work the platform leaves to you.
What does Shopify SEO cover, and where is it limited?
Shopify SEO means setting up a store's structure, content and technical settings so that search engines can find, understand and rank its pages. The main areas are technical setup, on-page copy for each page type, product and collection pages, content, structured data, speed and links.
The platform limits some choices. HawkSEM's guide notes that Shopify fixes the "/products/" and "/collections/" prefixes, so you can change the end of each URL but not its structure. HawkSEM's guide also says Shopify does not let you customise the URL structure. The Storetasker guide recommends canonical links for duplicate content, so duplicates need active management.
Which URL rules should you accept?
Accept the fixed prefixes, and make the part after them short and readable. Use hyphens, keep the target phrase where it fits, and do not change a live URL without a redirect. Relevant Audience advises setting redirects before any URL change, because old addresses lose their search value if they are not redirected.
Which technical checks come first?
The technical checks are the foundation. Relevant Audience's checklist puts them first: measurement, reachability, control of filtered URLs, canonical tags and redirects.
Are measurement and webmaster tools set up?
Connect Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and set up Google Analytics 4 through the store's preferences. HawkSEM's guide describes verifying the site with a meta tag or a file upload. Shopify generates a sitemap automatically, so submit it to both tools and watch for errors. 1 Digital Agency's checklist adds that you should confirm live traffic in analytics after launch.
Are filtered and duplicate URLs controlled?
Decide which filtered URLs should be indexed, and keep the rest out. Check that canonical tags point to the correct live address, not a staging or myshopify.com domain. For products that are unavoidable duplicates, use canonical tags, as Storetasker recommends. HawkSEM suggests the Canonical Tag URL Wizard app for this.
Are redirects in place before URLs change?
Set up redirects before you change any URL. If you are migrating from another platform, 1 Digital Agency calls a complete redirect map the most important task, because unredirected old pages lose their search equity.
What on-page basics apply to every Shopify page?
Write a title tag and meta description for each page type, and make sure no two pages share a title. HawkSEM's guide suggests keeping titles under 60 characters and meta descriptions under 160, and says this applies to collection pages as well.
Relevant Audience advises writing title patterns by page type, fixing duplicate titles, writing meta descriptions by template, and checking the heading structure. 1 Digital Agency adds the rule of one primary keyword per page, so two pages do not compete for the same search.
How should product pages be handled?
Product pages are where most stores have the most duplicate content. Relevant Audience's checklist covers four steps: rewrite supplier copy for best sellers first, list the specifications buyers search for, name image files and write alt text before upload, and handle variant URLs.
1 Digital Agency also asks for unique product and collection descriptions. Storetasker recommends keeping sold-out product pages active, so they stay indexed and can recover, rather than deleting them.
How should collection pages be handled?
Collection pages often have the best chance of ranking for broader searches. HawkSEM's co-founder, Sam Yadegar, is quoted as saying that collection pages usually have a good chance to rank for higher-volume searches, so give them the same care as products.
Relevant Audience recommends naming collections the way customers search, adding intro copy that answers buying questions, linking collections to each other, and fixing or removing empty collections. An empty collection is a page that promises a product the store does not have.
What content and internal links should the store have?
Match each query to the right page type before you write. A question about how to choose a product suits a blog post. A product name suits a product page. Relevant Audience's checklist links articles to the products and collections they support, and advises merging overlapping articles so one page holds the topic.
HawkSEM recommends a blog that answers customer questions, using question-based keywords and a content calendar. Internal links should use descriptive anchor text, not "click here".
Which structured data, speed and app checks matter?
Speed and structured data are where Shopify stores often lose ground, usually because of apps.
Does the theme already output structured data?
Check what markup the theme already outputs before you install an app that adds more. 1 Digital Agency lists Product, Organization and BreadcrumbList as the core schema. Add breadcrumbs only where the visible trail matches the markup. Test the result with Google's Rich Results Test.
Which apps should stay, and how do you measure them?
Choose apps with high ratings and recent updates, as HawkSEM recommends, and install as few as you need. Relevant Audience says to remove leftover app scripts, and to measure mobile performance with real-user data after each app install. 1 Digital Agency warns that excess app JavaScript is one of the main speed problems.
How should images be handled?
Size images to the dimensions they display at, compress them, and write descriptive alt text. Storetasker and HawkSEM both recommend compression and alt text that describes the image without stuffing keywords.
Should you do the checklist yourself or hire help?
Most stores can handle the first half of the checklist in-house. Relevant Audience's comparison covers time, cost, realistic results, risk and best fit for doing it yourself versus hiring an agency. Its main rule of thumb is that hiring makes more sense for catalogues above about a hundred products, for competitive categories, for fixed deadlines, for theme-level changes and for bilingual builds.
Our own view is the same. If the work is product copy and collection tidying, a small team can do it. If the problems are in the theme, the URL plan or a large catalogue, a specialist review saves time. Our Shopify development service covers the build side, and our ecommerce SEO service covers the search side.
How should you run the checklist, in order?
Relevant Audience suggests completing the first five technical steps in the first week, then working through the rest in order, with a review between each group.
- Set up Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, verify the store, and submit the sitemap.
- Check that the store is reachable, with no password page left in place.
- Decide which filtered URLs to index, and check canonical tags point to the live domain.
- Set redirects for any URL you change, before you change it.
- Write title patterns and meta descriptions for each page type, and fix duplicate titles.
- Rewrite product copy for your best sellers first, then the rest of the catalogue.
- Name collections as customers search, and add intro copy and internal links.
- Remove leftover app scripts, compress images and measure mobile speed after each change.
What about local and review signals?
Stores with a physical location or a local delivery area need local signals too. HawkSEM's guide recommends a Google Business Profile with accurate details, location terms in titles and descriptions, and a landing page per location. Reviews matter as well: request them after purchase and display and respond to them. Our local SEO checklist covers the local work in more detail.
01How long does Shopify SEO take to show results?+
Relevant Audience says there is no standard timeline. Technical fixes usually show first, and content takes longer. 1 Digital Agency gives a longer estimate for a new store: meaningful organic traffic typically takes four to six months.
02Is Shopify good for SEO?+
Yes, with a proper setup. Shopify gives you editable title tags, meta descriptions, alt text, a blog and robots.txt access, but it does not optimise them for you. The checks in this guide are the setup work the platform leaves to you.
03Is installing an SEO app enough?+
No. Apps help with repetitive tasks, but they cannot make strategic decisions, and some add speed costs. Relevant Audience makes the same point: measure the effect of each app on speed after you install it.
04Do you need to leave Shopify to do SEO properly?+
Usually not. Thin collections, copied descriptions and app bloat cause more losses than the platform does, according to Relevant Audience. Fix those first.
05What is the most important SEO task for a new Shopify store?+
If you are migrating from another platform, a full redirect map is the most important task, because unredirected old URLs lose their search equity. For a new store with no migration, 1 Digital Agency points to keyword research and mapping as the priority.
06Can I change the URL structure of a Shopify store?+
Not the fixed prefixes. Shopify's /products/ and /collections/ structure is set by the platform. You can change the end of each URL, but any change needs a redirect from the old address.
07Do Shopify collection pages rank?+
They can. HawkSEM's co-founder says collection pages usually have a good chance to rank for higher-volume searches. Give them unique copy, clear names and internal links, rather than leaving them as product lists.
08Should I delete sold-out products?+
Not necessarily. Storetasker recommends keeping sold-out product pages active, so they stay indexed. You can add a note that the item is unavailable and link to alternatives.
09What does Shopify SEO cost?+
Relevant Audience says cost depends on five scope factors, including catalogue size, theme work, bilingual scope, content volume and whether the work is one-off or ongoing. Compare quotes using the same line items, and ask for each to be itemised.
10Should a bilingual store write product pages in each language?+
Yes, where customers search in each language. Keep model and brand names as they are typed, and link the two language versions with hreflang tags, as Relevant Audience recommends. Check the page source for the tags, because a working language switcher does not prove they exist.
11Do I need Google Search Console for a Shopify store?+
Yes. It shows which pages Google has indexed, which queries bring visitors and where errors occur. Connect it on day one, and submit the sitemap Shopify generates. Bing Webmaster Tools is a useful second tool.
Free SEO audit
Get a straight answer on what to fix first.
Request a free SEO audit and we will come back with the largest constraint on your organic growth and the first practical fix. No sales sequence.
Prefer to hire through Upwork? Hire me on Upwork