Over 50 actionable steps to optimize your Shopify store for search engines. From technical foundations to content strategy, this checklist covers everything you need to rank higher on Google.
Total Steps
50+ Actionable Items
Across 5 SEO categories
Timeline
3-6 Months
Average time to see results
Priority
Content First
Focus on valuable content early
Not all SEO tasks are created equal. Here is the recommended order of priority when optimizing your Shopify store from scratch.
Ensure Google can crawl and index your site properly. Fix SSL, submit sitemap, resolve crawl errors, and optimize page speed. Without this, nothing else matters.
Update title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags across all product and collection pages. Add alt text to images and clean up URL structures.
Launch your blog, create a content calendar, and begin building backlinks. This is the long-term growth engine that compounds over time.
The foundation of your SEO strategy. These technical elements ensure Google can properly crawl, index, and rank your Shopify store.
Ensure your store loads over HTTPS. Shopify provides free SSL, but verify it is enabled and there are no mixed-content warnings on any page.
Your sitemap lives at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml. Submit it in Google Search Console under Sitemaps to help Google discover and index all your pages.
Shopify auto-generates robots.txt. Check that it is not blocking important pages. You can customize it via the robots.txt.liquid template in your theme.
Run Google PageSpeed Insights on key pages. Aim for a score above 70 on mobile. Compress images, minimize apps, and defer non-critical JavaScript.
Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Over 70% of ecommerce traffic is mobile. Fix viewport issues, tap target sizes, and text readability.
Shopify adds canonical tags automatically, but verify they point to the correct version of each page. Check product variant URLs and paginated collections.
Implement Product, Organization, BreadcrumbList, and Article schema. Test with Google Rich Results Test to ensure proper formatting.
Check the Coverage report for 404 errors, redirect loops, and server errors. Fix or redirect broken URLs to maintain crawl efficiency.
Optimize the content and HTML source code of individual pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic from search engines.
Keep titles under 60 characters, include your primary keyword near the front, and make each title unique. Add your brand name at the end separated by a pipe or dash.
Craft unique descriptions of 150-160 characters for every page. Include a call to action and your primary keyword. These directly affect click-through rates from search results.
Each page should have exactly one H1 that includes your primary keyword. Product pages should use the product name as the H1. Never duplicate H1s across pages.
Include your primary keyword in the title tag, H1, first 100 words of content, at least one H2, image alt text, and the URL slug. Avoid stuffing.
Write descriptive alt text for every image on your store. Include keywords naturally while accurately describing the image content for accessibility.
Link between related products, collections, and blog posts. Use descriptive anchor text. Aim for 3-5 internal links per page to distribute link equity.
Use short, descriptive URLs with hyphens between words. Remove unnecessary words like "the" or "and." Shopify adds /products/ and /collections/ prefixes automatically.
Use H2 for main section headings, H3 for subsections, and so on. A logical heading structure helps search engines understand your content organization.
Create and optimize content that attracts, engages, and converts your target audience while building topical authority.
Plan blog topics around keywords your customers search for. Map content to different stages of the buyer journey: awareness, consideration, and decision.
Publish consistently, ideally 2-4 blog posts per month minimum. Plan topics 1-3 months in advance and batch content creation for efficiency.
Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner to find keywords with decent search volume and manageable difficulty. Target long-tail keywords first.
Aim for 1,500-2,500 words for blog posts. Cover topics thoroughly by answering all related questions. Longer content tends to rank higher and earn more backlinks.
Review and update older blog posts every 6-12 months. Add new information, update statistics, refresh screenshots, and re-optimize for current keywords.
Create comprehensive pillar pages for broad topics and link them to detailed cluster articles covering subtopics. This establishes topical authority.
Structure content with clear headings, numbered lists, tables, and concise paragraph answers to common questions. Target position-zero results.
Include FAQ sections on product pages, collection pages, and blog posts. Mark them up with FAQ schema to qualify for rich results in search.
Your product pages are your money pages. Optimize them to rank for high-intent commercial keywords and drive sales.
Include the product type, key feature, and brand in each title. Use a consistent formula like [Brand] + [Product Type] + [Key Attribute]. Keep under 70 characters.
Write at least 300 words per product description. Include primary and secondary keywords naturally. Focus on benefits, not just features. Avoid manufacturer-provided copy.
Install a review app and actively request reviews from customers. Reviews add unique, keyword-rich content to product pages and improve trust signals.
Add JSON-LD Product schema including name, description, price, availability, review rating, SKU, brand, and images. This enables rich snippets in search results.
Use canonical tags to point variant URLs to the main product page. Avoid creating separate pages for each color or size unless they target different keywords.
Create collections based on how customers search: by category, use case, style, or season. Optimize collection page titles and descriptions with relevant keywords.
Include 5-8 images per product showing different angles, scale, and use cases. Add descriptive alt text to every image with natural keyword inclusion.
Add "You May Also Like" or "Frequently Bought Together" sections. These improve internal linking, increase time on site, and boost average order value.
Build authority and trust through external signals. Off-page SEO tells Google that other websites vouch for your content.
Contact bloggers, journalists, and industry publications for features, guest posts, and product reviews. Focus on sites with high domain authority in your niche.
Maintain active profiles on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok. While social links are nofollow, social signals correlate with higher rankings.
Set up Google Alerts for your brand name. When you find unlinked mentions, reach out and request a link. This is one of the easiest ways to earn backlinks.
Submit to niche directories, Shopify app directories, and industry-specific listings. Ensure your NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent everywhere.
Produce guides, infographics, calculators, or tools that others want to link to. Original research and data-driven content earn the most natural backlinks.
Use platforms like HARO (Help a Reporter Out), Qwoted, or Connectively to get quoted in articles. Respond promptly with expert insights to earn media coverage.
Participate authentically in Reddit, Quora, and niche forums. Provide genuine value before mentioning your products. Build authority through helpful answers.
Partner with micro-influencers and bloggers for product reviews and features. This generates backlinks, social proof, and referral traffic simultaneously.
Short on time? These quick wins can be completed in under an hour each and often yield noticeable results.
Track these key metrics monthly to understand if your SEO efforts are paying off.
Track the total number of visitors arriving from organic search. Look for month-over-month growth as your content strategy matures.
Monitor your average position for target keywords. Focus on moving keywords from page 2 to page 1 for the biggest traffic gains.
Measure the percentage of impressions that result in clicks. Improve CTR by optimizing title tags and meta descriptions.
Ensure Google has indexed all important pages. A growing number of indexed pages means your content is being discovered.
The ultimate metric. Track how much revenue comes from organic search traffic. This proves the ROI of your SEO investment.
Monitor LCP, FID, and CLS scores. Google uses these as ranking signals. Green scores on all three vitals give you a competitive edge.
Obsess AI generates SEO-optimized blog posts with intelligent product recommendations to drive organic traffic and sales.
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