The Shopify SEO checklist we use on client stores
Fifty-four checks, grouped by area, in roughly the order we work through them. Each one is specific to how Shopify actually behaves, not generic SEO advice.
Work through this list top to bottom. Technical problems come first because they limit everything else. Collections come second because on most Shopify stores they're where the money is. If you'd rather hand it over, our Shopify SEO services cover every item below.
Technical SEO
Crawling, indexation and duplicate URLs.
Remove the storefront password
Check that the store isn’t still password-protected on any market domain or subfolder, and that no leftover noindex tags remain from development.
Fix collection-aware product links
Many themes link to /collections/x/products/y. Shopify canonicalizes these to /products/y, but internal links should point to the canonical URL directly.
Control tag and filter URLs
Collection tag pages (/collections/x/tag) and filter parameters can create thousands of thin URLs. Noindex or block the ones with no search demand.
Review robots.txt.liquid
Keep Shopify’s defaults unless you have a reason. Add rules only for URL patterns you have confirmed are wasting crawl budget.
Submit the sitemap
Submit /sitemap.xml in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and check that the child sitemaps list the pages you expect.
Clean up 404s and redirect chains
Redirect deleted products and collections to the closest live page, and update redirects that point to other redirects.
Collection pages
On most Shopify stores, this is where the revenue is.
One collection per buyer keyword
Map every high-intent keyword (leather sofa, small sectional, sleeper sofa) to its own collection page instead of forcing one page to rank for all of them.
Write a unique intro for every collection
A short, useful paragraph above the grid that names the product type and helps the buyer choose. Never leave the description empty.
Add depth below the grid
Buying advice, sizing notes and FAQs below the products give Google and AI assistants more to understand without pushing products down the page.
Use smart collection rules
Automated conditions (tag, type, vendor, price) keep collections full as products are added, so pages don’t go thin when stock changes.
Write title tags and meta descriptions
Keyword first in the title, a real reason to click in the description. Don’t rely on Shopify’s default of collection name plus store name.
Merge or remove thin collections
Collections with one or two products and no search demand dilute the site. Merge them into stronger pages and redirect.
Product pages
Replace manufacturer descriptions
Copy that appears on dozens of other sites gives Google no reason to rank yours. Write unique descriptions for at least your best sellers.
Put key attributes in product titles
Material, size, capacity or model belong in the title where buyers search for them, within a readable length.
Decide variants versus separate products
If a colour or size has its own search demand, a separate product (or a dedicated collection) can rank where a variant cannot.
Write descriptive image alt text
Describe what the image shows, including the product name. It helps image search and accessibility.
Show real reviews
Use a reviews app that renders review text in the page HTML, not only inside a script widget.
Keep sold-out pages live
Don’t delete or unpublish products that are temporarily out of stock. Keep the URL, mark it out of stock and link to alternatives.
Content and buying guides
Match what page one rewards
Before writing, study the top results for the keyword: format, length, headings and whether Google shows guides, lists or products.
Publish buying guides for considered purchases
Long research cycles are where guides close sales. How to choose, what size, what it costs to run.
Build comparison pages
X vs Y and best X for Y pages catch buyers late in the decision. Be honest about trade-offs.
Update old posts
Refresh prices, specs and links on existing articles. Updating a page that already ranks is often faster than publishing a new one.
Show who wrote and checked it
Author names, bios and a reviewed-by line help readers and search engines trust the advice.
Internal linking
Put money collections in the main menu
Your highest-value collections should be one click from the homepage.
Link from articles to collections
Every guide should link to the collections and products it discusses, with descriptive anchor text.
Add related-collection links
Link sibling collections to each other (sofas to sectionals to sofa beds) so link equity and buyers flow across the catalog.
Enable breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs add internal links on every product page and can appear in search results with BreadcrumbList schema.
Find orphan pages
Crawl the site and compare with the sitemap. Pages with no internal links rarely rank.
International SEO and Shopify Markets
Choose subfolders or domains deliberately
Shopify Markets supports subfolders (/en-gb/) and separate domains. Subfolders share authority; separate domains need their own links.
Check hreflang output
Confirm every market version lists all alternates, including x-default, and that each URL returns a 200 status.
Translate handles and meta, not just body copy
Localized URLs, titles and descriptions help each market rank for local search terms.
Localize, don’t just translate
UK buyers search for different words than US buyers. Research keywords per market.
Don’t force redirects by IP
Automatic geo-redirects can stop Googlebot, which mostly crawls from the US, from ever seeing other market versions. Suggest a market instead.
Structured data and Merchant Center
Complete Product and Offer schema
Price, currency, availability, SKU, brand and GTIN where you have it. Validate with Google’s Rich Results Test.
Add review markup from real reviews
AggregateRating should reflect reviews shown on the page. Never mark up reviews that don’t exist.
Publish Organization schema
Name, logo, contact details and sameAs links to your official profiles help search engines and AI assistants identify your brand.
Remove duplicate schema
Themes and apps often both output Product schema. Keep one complete version.
Keep Merchant Center in sync
Prices and availability in your feed must match the page. Fix disapprovals before they spread.
Speed and Core Web Vitals
Remove leftover app code
Uninstalled apps often leave scripts and snippets in the theme. Find and remove them.
Serve properly sized images
Use Shopify’s image URL parameters and responsive srcset so phones don’t download desktop-sized images.
Lazy-load below the fold, not above
Lazy-load images further down the page, but load the main hero or first product image immediately.
Audit third-party scripts
Chat widgets, pop-ups and trackers add up. Keep the ones that earn their cost.
Check field data, not just lab scores
Use the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console, which reflects real visitors, alongside Lighthouse.
AI search (GEO)
Decide which AI crawlers to allow
Review robots.txt for crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot. Blocking them can keep you out of AI answers.
State your brand facts clearly
An about page with plain facts (who you are, what you sell, where you ship) gives AI assistants something accurate to repeat.
Answer buyer questions directly
Short, direct answers near the top of guides and FAQ sections are easier for AI assistants to quote.
Earn mentions on trusted sites
AI assistants lean on reviews, comparisons and publications. Being mentioned there matters as much as your own pages.
Publish an llms.txt
A low-cost summary of your store for AI tools. Use our free generator.
Test prompts monthly
Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode the questions your buyers ask and record whether your brand is cited.
Measurement
Verify a domain property in Search Console
A domain property covers every subdomain and protocol, so you see all of your search data in one place.
Add Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing also feeds some AI assistants, and it can drive real revenue. In one of our case studies Bing brought in more than $25,000.
Track organic revenue in Shopify
Use Shopify’s sales by traffic source to see what organic search earns, not just how many visits it brings.
Track your target keywords
Monitor the keywords you are building pages for, grouped by collection or topic, rather than one average position.
Log every change
Keep a sheet of every page published or changed, with the date. When traffic moves, you’ll know why.
Rather have us do the list?
Our free mini audit shows which of these checks your store fails and which fixes matter most.