You’ve launched your Shopify store—now what?
Running ads is great, but organic traffic is the long game that keeps on giving. 📈
With the right SEO strategy, you can attract free, high-intent visitors who are already looking for products like yours.
Let’s dive into how to optimize your Shopify store for search engines—and conversions.
🧭 1. Understand How Shopify SEO Works
Shopify comes with solid SEO foundations: clean URLs, mobile responsiveness, fast loading.
But to rank well, you need to customize and optimize beyond the basics.
There are two sides to SEO:
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On-page SEO: What’s on your site—titles, descriptions, content, structure
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Off-page SEO: What’s outside your site—backlinks, mentions, authority
🛠 This post focuses on on-page SEO, which you can control directly inside your Shopify dashboard.
🔍 2. Do Keyword Research (the Smart Way)
Start by identifying what your customers are searching.
Use free or freemium tools like:
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Google Keyword Planner
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Ubersuggest
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AnswerThePublic
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Keywords Everywhere (Chrome Extension)
Look for:
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Product-specific keywords (e.g. “vegan leather tote bag”)
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Long-tail keywords (e.g. “eco-friendly gym bag under $50”)
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Intent keywords (e.g. “buy running shoes online”)
📌 Tip: Avoid super generic terms like “shoes”—they’re too competitive. Go niche.
🏷️ 3. Optimize Your Page Titles & Meta Descriptions
These are what users see on Google results—and they do impact clicks.
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Page Title: Max 60 characters. Include main keyword + brand or benefit.
Example: “Eco Leather Crossbody Bag | Free Shipping – GreenTone”
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Meta Description: Max 155 characters. Highlight key benefit or offer.
Example: “Handmade vegan leather bags with sustainable style. Free shipping on orders over $50.”
🧠 You can edit both in Shopify:
Online Store > Pages > Edit website SEO
🖼️ 4. Add Alt Text to Product Images
Search engines can’t “see” images—but alt text tells them what’s there.
Example:
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❌ “IMG_0382”
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✅ “Black cotton t-shirt with minimalist front logo”
Alt text also boosts image search traffic, which is often overlooked.
In Shopify, go to each product image → click “Edit Alt Text.”
🔗 5. Improve URL Structure (No Random Numbers!)
Keep your URLs short, clean, and keyword-rich.
Instead of:
/products/product-1234
Use:/products/waterproof-hiking-backpack
Shopify auto-generates URLs, but you can customize them under the Search engine listing preview section.
📄 6. Create Optimized Product & Collection Pages
Each product page is a ranking opportunity.
✔️ Best practices:
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Use your main keyword in the product title and description
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Include variations naturally (e.g. “men’s hoodie,” “cotton zip hoodie”)
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Write unique descriptions—not just copy from suppliers
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Add internal links to relevant collections or blog posts
💡 Pro tip: Don’t “stuff” keywords—Google’s smarter than that.
🧱 7. Build a Simple, Crawlable Site Structure
A clean structure helps both users and search engines find their way around.
Hierarchy example:
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Homepage
→ Collections (e.g. “Women’s Shoes”)
→ Product Pages
→ Blog Articles (linked back to products)
Use breadcrumb navigation (built into most Shopify 2.0 themes) to make paths clear.
Also: Submit your XML sitemap (Shopify auto-generates it) to Google Search Console.
✍️ 8. Launch an SEO-Friendly Blog
A blog is your secret weapon for long-term organic traffic. ✍️
Write content that:
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Solves problems (e.g. “How to clean leather sneakers”)
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Compares products (e.g. “Tote vs. backpack: Which is better for travel?”)
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Ranks for long-tail keywords (e.g. “Best gym bags for busy moms 2025”)
📚 Bonus: Use blog posts to link back to your collections or products—this strengthens SEO and keeps users on site longer.
📱 9. Make Your Site Mobile-First
Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it ranks your mobile version first.
✅ Check that:
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Fonts are readable
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Buttons are tappable
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Page speed is solid on mobile (use PageSpeed Insights)
📦 Most Shopify themes are responsive, but test it yourself—don’t rely on assumptions.
⚡ 10. Monitor Your SEO Performance
Use:
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Google Search Console: See what keywords you’re ranking for and fix crawling issues
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Google Analytics: Track traffic sources and bounce rates
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Shopify Reports: Monitor product page visits and time on site
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AdsPolar 🔍: Find out what SEO + ad combos competitors are using, what landing pages perform, and what content hooks are winning.
🔁 SEO takes time—monitor, test, and keep optimizing every month.
Final Thoughts
SEO isn’t magic—it’s momentum.
Start by laying the technical and content foundations early, and you’ll build organic traffic that compounds over time.
No ad budget? No problem.
With a Shopify store that’s SEO-optimized, Google can become your best unpaid promoter.
And when you’re ready to pair organic with paid for a full-funnel strategy?
AdsPolar is here to help you analyze and amplify what works across every channel. 🚀