So you’ve made some sales, but you can’t seem to get past a certain traffic ceiling without spending more on ecommerce consultants, ads, tools, or goodness-know-what else. Yet “tiny” Shopify stores like BagBrokers pull almost 16,000 visitors organically each month, serving a population less than the size of New York.
The secret is SEO (search engine optimization). Analytics evidence shows that Bagbrokers is reaping the benefits of ecommerce SEO which include enjoying organic traffic and sales. SEO is a “set-once, get traffic forever” investment. Optimize once for search engines, and keep your store in front of potential customers repeatedly.
Optimizing your store can be as “hands off” as hiring a Shopify expert, or you can do it yourself with an SEO app. Because “expert” accreditation, results, and experience levels vary, we will focus on SEO apps in the rest of this article. We’ll break down key features to look out for in a top-performing SEO app.
But first, the basics.
What is Shopify SEO?
Shopify SEO means anything you do to ensure that your Shopify store organically features in prominent positions in search engine results.
To be effective at this, you need a deep understanding of search engine algorithms and how they rank websites. This involves optimizing various aspects of a store, including product pages, collections, and blog posts. By improving your store’s SEO, you can increase your website traffic, drive sales, and improve your brand awareness.
Basic tools to have in place before app shopping
If you lose your way, tracing back your way will include relying on markers that tell you whether or not you’re on the right path. The same principle applies when fixing your Shopify SEO.
You’ll need independent tools like Google Analytics, Google Merchant Center, and Google Search Console to tell you how well you’re doing on the Shopify SEO front. These tools provide insights into your website’s traffic, behavior, and search engine rankings.
As a bonus, keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner will help you identify relevant keywords and phrases that your business could rank for.
With these basic, free tools in place, you’re ready to pick the best SEO app for your store. Here are the most important things to look out for when making a selection.
1. SEO Audits: Know What Needs Fixing
The best SEO app should offer a comprehensive SEO audit that analyzes your store’s performance (otherwise how can you identify what problems to fix?)
The audit should identify the key problems that stop your store from ranking and tell you what you need to do to fix them. (You don’t want “automatic” fixes for this, and I’ll explain why later.)
It should detect and categorize common SEO problems like page speed issues, image SEO issues such as poor file naming nomenclature, poorly filled meta descriptions and more.
As a bonus, a great app will provide crystal clear guidance on what solutions you need to implement to address the detected problems, eg:-
- optimizing images for better load speed and search engine visibility
- adding keywords to meta titles and H1/H2 titles
- improve site speed by reducing image file sizes, etc.
Why SEO audits matter:
- SEO audits provide a roadmap to fixing the most critical issues on your site.
- They save time by diagnosing what’s working and what needs improvement.
- You can quickly see SEO health scores and actionable recommendations.
Plug In SEO excels in this area, offering automatic scans that identify problems like missing meta tags, poor keyword usage, and slow-loading pages. With the audit report in hand, you’ll know exactly where to focus your efforts to improve your store’s visibility on search engines.
2. JSON-LD Structured Data: Enhance Rich Results
One standout feature you want in an SEO app is JSON-LD structured data integration. This technical SEO feature helps search engines better understand your site’s content, allowing you to appear in rich results like snippets, product reviews, and FAQs. Implementing JSON-LD structured data can significantly increase SEO traffic by improving visibility and click-through rates.
Why it matters:
- Structured data improves your chances of landing in rich snippets, which increases your store’s click-through rates.
- It makes your products more visible in Google Shopping, so that ready-to-buy audiences can find you easily.
- JSON-LD is crucial for e-commerce stores, as it highlights important information like price, availability, and ratings.
Plug In SEO automatically adds JSON-LD to your Shopify store, without requiring technical expertise. This ensures search engines can easily identify and display key product details, giving you an edge in search results.
3. Broken Link Detection: Keep Your Site Error-Free
Broken links not only frustrate users but can also hurt your SEO performance. A good SEO app should help you find broken links across your store so that you can fix them.
Why it matters:
- Broken links disrupt the user experience, potentially leading to higher bounce rates.
- They signal to search engines that your site is poorly maintained, impacting your rankings.
- Fixing broken links regularly ensures smooth site navigation and keeps customers on your site longer.
Plug In SEO constantly monitors your store for broken links, so that you can find and fix them before your site starts getting penalized.
4. Keyword Targeting: Optimize for Search
Effective keyword targeting is at the heart of SEO, but keyword research is hard.
First, you have to identify keywords that are relevant to your store, then you have to find keywords relevant to your industry, and finally you have to pick the best keywords to use across your site.
Choose an SEO app that simplifies the process by helping you find and implement the right keywords across your product pages, blog posts, and collections.
Why it matters:
- Proper keyword targeting helps your store appear in search queries for relevant search terms, bringing higher-quality visitors to your store.
- It helps you attract customers who are ready to purchase, especially with long-tail keywords.
- It ensures your content aligns with user search intent, improving your rankings and conversions.
Plug In SEO cuts out the need for expensive keyword research tools (at least, in the interim), and “autosuggests” relevant keywords based on its analysis of your store. It gives easy-to-use keyword suggestions, showing you where to add relevant keywords to page titles, meta descriptions, and content. You’ll also receive alerts when your keywords are underutilized, giving you the chance to optimize quickly.
5. Safe Uninstall Process: Keep Your Changes Intact
One of the most overlooked features when choosing an SEO app is the uninstall process. Many SEO apps are notorious for undoing all the changes made when you uninstall them, which can severely impact your store’s SEO performance. This is common with SEO apps that come with an automatic SEO image optimizer, or offer automatic SEO fixes and image optimization tools. If you can’t get a lifetime guarantee with these tools, stay away from them.
Why it matters:
- If an app erases your SEO settings upon removal, it can create a huge mess for your store, impacting traffic and rankings.
- A safe uninstall process ensures that any SEO improvements remain intact, saving you the hassle of re-optimizing your store.
Unlike other SEO apps, Plug In SEO doesn’t undo your SEO progress when uninstalled. All optimizations, from meta tags to structured data, remain intact, ensuring your store’s SEO efforts are preserved.
How to Choose the Best SEO App for Shopify
When deciding on the right Shopify SEO tool for your store, prioritize the following:
- SEO Audits: Look for an app that offers regular audits to diagnose and fix critical SEO issues.
- Structured Data Integration: Ensure the app provides JSON-LD structured data to help you appear in rich snippets and product searches.
- Broken Link Fixing: Choose an app that automatically detects and fixes broken links to improve user experience and SEO performance.
- Keyword Targeting: Opt for an app that helps you discover and optimize for the best keywords to drive organic traffic.
- Safe Uninstall: Make sure the app doesn’t undo your SEO changes if you decide to uninstall it.
By choosing an app like Plug In SEO, you can access all these crucial features, ensuring your Shopify store is fully optimized and set up for long-term SEO success.
Plug In SEO is the last Shopify SEO app you need
By understanding how Shopify SEO works, setting up the right foundation, and identifying your SEO needs, you can improve your website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results.
The best Shopify SEO tools provide everything you need to launch your SEO strategy under one roof. With the right tool, you will have keyword research tools, SEO audit tools, broken link finders, and other tools to optimize your website’s structure and content.
Ready to Supercharge Your SEO?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to take action! Start optimizing your Shopify store with the Plug In SEO, and get all the help you need to get your store in front of your ideal customers today.
Try Plug In SEO for Free Today!
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