Want to get your Shopify store to the top of Google? This guide presents a straightforward SEO strategy. You'll learn how to optimize your site's technical setup, craft engaging content, and establish valuable backlinks. It's simpler than you think. Let's dive in!

Technical SEO: The Foundation

First, let's address the technical aspects. It's not the most exciting, but it's crucial to get right. Understanding and implementing technical SEO will equip you with the necessary knowledge to set a strong foundation for your Shopify store's online presence.

1. Crawl Your Site: Use a tool like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Screaming Frog to check your site for errors. These tools identify issues that can negatively impact your search ranking.

2. Check Google Search Console to see if Google has identified any issues with your site. Look for indexing problems or broken links.

3. Fix the Big Problems: Focus on these three issues right away:

   • Broken Links: Fix any links that lead to non-existent or inactive pages.

   • Indexing Issues: Ensure that important pages are indexed and unimportant pages are not.

   • Cannibalization: Identify and optimize pages that compete for the exact keywords. This can confuse search engines and dilute the authority of your pages. The SEO app can help you find these instances and guide you on how to resolve them.

Act fast! Fix these issues in the first 72 hours. Don't wait; otherwise, you'll build your content on a shaky foundation.

What to Ignore (For Now)

Don't sweat the small stuff. Here's what you can ignore for at least three months:

• Core Web Vitals

• Page Speed

• Schema (unless you don't have it at all)

Schema is easily added with plugins, allowing you to do so quickly and efficiently. But don't get stuck on these things. Address the significant issues, and then focus on content.

Content: The Heart of Your SEO

Now, let's talk about content. We'll look at both existing and new content.

Existing Content: What You Already Have

Utilize Google Search Console or SEO tools to identify opportunities within your existing content.

1. Filter Your Pages: In Search Console or SEO gets, filter for:

   • Product pages (URLs with /products/)

   • Collection pages (URLs with /collections/)

   • Blog pages (URLs with /blogs/)

2. Find Your Target Keywords: For each page, figure out the best keyword to target.

3. Optimize: Improve your pages to target those keywords.

   • Products: Sort by impressions to see which products get the most attention. Then, match keywords to each product and optimize.

   • Collections: Optimize your collection pages with relevant keywords to enhance your online presence.

   • Blogs: Decide which blogs are worth keeping.

     • If a blog receives regular traffic (10+ clicks per month), keep it and improve it.

     • If a blog doesn't get traffic, decide what to do:

       • If it's top-of-funnel (general information), archive it and redirect it to a relevant page.

       • If it cannibalizes (competes) with a product or collection, archive it and redirect it to the more important page.

New Content: Fresh Ideas

For new content, use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or ChatGPT to find relevant keywords.

• Collections: Find the collection page keywords you haven't targeted yet.

  • Get creative with your collections. Consider gift ideas or products for specific individuals.

  • Use a good collection page structure.

  • Link your collections together.

  • Index your pages after publishing.

• Blogs: Write these types of blog posts:

  • You vs. the competitor

  • Competitor alternatives

  • Best product category

  • Buying guides

Remember: Decide whether to create a collection or a blog based on what's already ranking in Google. If the top results for "best [product]" are collections, create a collection. If they're blogs, write a blog post.

Backlinks: Building Authority

Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. They help Google trust your site more.

1. Set a Budget: Determine how much you can afford to spend on backlinks each month.

2. Choose Your Target Pages: Pick two to four pages to focus on.

   • If you're a new site, focus on your homepage.

   • If you're established, target your homepage, along with a few key collection pages or popular blog posts.

3. Find the Link Gap: See how many links your competitors have. Then, figure out how many links you need to catch up.

Example: If the #1 site has 15 links and you have 2, your link gap is 13.

Build links consistently. Use these methods:

• Link insertions

• Guest posts

• Tier two links

Balance your links. Don't build all your links to one page. Spread them out to make it look natural.

The Key to Success

SEO doesn't have to be complicated. The most important thing is to do the right things consistently. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Optimize your pages.

• Fix technical issues quickly.

• Build high-quality links.

• Create fresh, relevant content.

Take Action: Start today and watch your Shopify store climb the rankings!