SEO Best Practices
Many merchants feel confused about SEO—unsure what to do, what to avoid, or where to start. This guide answers common SEO questions and clears up widespread misconceptions. SEO is a constantly evolving field, and unfortunately, it’s full of outdated advice, inaccuracies, and myths.
🔍 What Is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to a set of practices designed to help search engines like Google easily find your website and rank it as high as possible in organic search results.
✅ Is This Theme Optimized for SEO?
Yes. All of our themes are SEO-optimized out of the box. They include:
- Properly structured meta titles and meta descriptions
- Semantic HTML and correct heading hierarchy (
h1,h2, etc.) - Valid structured data (Schema.org markup) for products, collections, and more
- Mobile-responsive design and fast-loading assets
From a code perspective, you typically don’t need to do anything—our theme handles the technical heavy lifting for you.
📈 What Can You Do to Improve SEO?
While the theme covers the technical side, on-page and off-page SEO depend entirely on you as the merchant. Here’s what matters most:
✅ Create Original, High-Quality Content
- Publish blog posts, guides, and dedicated pages regularly.
- Never copy content from other sites—duplicate content hurts rankings.
✅ Write for Humans, Not Search Engines
- Avoid stuffing pages with irrelevant keyword lists.
- Focus on helpful, engaging content that answers real customer questions.
✅ Promote Your Store Off-Site
- Share content on social media.
- Earn backlinks from reputable websites (e.g., press features, collaborations).
- The more trusted and visible your brand is online, the higher your organic rankings will climb.
✅ Consider Paid Advertising
- Organic traffic takes time—especially in competitive niches like fashion, jewelry, or cosmetics.
- Use Google Ads or Meta Ads to drive immediate traffic while your SEO efforts mature.
✅ Hire an SEO Expert (When Needed)
- A tailored SEO strategy requires research, keyword analysis, and ongoing optimization.
- If you’re serious about growth, consider working with a Shopify Expert specializing in SEO.
🏷️ Should I Change the Heading Structure (e.g., h1, h2)?
We often receive requests to “fix” heading structures based on reports from third-party SEO tools. In 99.9% of cases, you should not change it.
Why?
- Headings are no longer a major ranking factor. Modern search engines (like Google) use AI and full-page context—not just headings—to understand content importance.
- Google engineers have repeatedly confirmed that heading tags alone don’t significantly impact rankings.
- However, headings are critical for accessibility. They help screen readers and keyboard users navigate your store.
🚫 Changing an
h2to anh1won’t boost SEO—but it may break accessibility for some customers.
Our theme uses a logical, accessible heading structure by default. If a tool flags your headings, it’s likely using outdated rules. Ignore those warnings.
⚠️ If you still wish to modify headings, you’ll need to edit the theme code. Without development experience, we recommend hiring a Shopify Expert.
❓ What Does the Theme Use as the <h1>?
Our theme automatically sets the primary heading (<h1>) based on page type:
| Page Type | <h1> Content |
|---|---|
| Homepage | Store name |
| Product page | Product title |
| Collection page | Collection title |
| Blog post | Blog post title |
This structure is optimized for both accessibility and SEO best practices.
❗ “My SEO Tool Says I Have Multiple H1s—Is That Bad?”
No, it’s not bad—and it’s completely valid in modern HTML.
- Since HTML5 (2008), multiple
<h1>tags per page are allowed and semantically correct. - Shopify’s rich text editor (used in product descriptions, blog posts, etc.) lets you add headings—including
<h1>—but this does not harm SEO. - If your SEO tool complains about multiple H1s, it’s likely over 15 years out of date. Don’t trust it.
✅ Fact: Google has stated that heading structure is a minor signal—and multiple H1s are fine as long as they make sense contextually.
🔎 Why Isn’t My Store Showing Up in Search Results?
Getting indexed—and ranking—is not automatic. Especially in competitive industries (e.g., apparel, beauty, electronics), you’re competing with thousands of other stores for the same keywords.
- It can take months or even years to rank organically for competitive terms.
- New stores often need content, backlinks, and domain authority before appearing on page 1.
Be patient, consistent, and strategic.
🚫 Should I Use an SEO App?
We strongly advise against most SEO apps.
- Our theme already includes all essential SEO features.
- Many SEO apps inject redundant or conflicting code, breaking Shopify’s native functionality.
- We’ve seen stores lose performance, break structured data, or even get deindexed due to poorly coded apps.
✅ Exception: Apps that help with alt text automation or sitemap submission may be useful—but vet them carefully.
✏️ How Do I Edit My Page Titles & Meta Descriptions?
Every page in Shopify (products, collections, pages, blog posts) lets you customize:
- Page title (used in browser tabs and search results)
- Meta description (the snippet shown under your link in search)
You can edit these directly in your Shopify admin under each page’s “Search engine listing preview” section.
📘 Learn more in Shopify’s official guide.
❓ Why Doesn’t Google Show My Exact Title or Description?
Even if you write perfect meta tags, Google often rewrites them.
- Studies show over 70% of search result snippets are rewritten by Google (2020 data; likely higher today).
- Google personalizes snippets based on user intent, search history, and page content.
- Your meta tags are treated as suggestions, not commands.
🔄 You cannot force Google to use your exact title or description—but writing clear, relevant ones still helps.
🖼️ What Is Alt Text—and Why Does It Matter?
Alt text (alternative text) describes images for:
- Search engines (to understand image content and improve indexing)
- Visually impaired users (via screen readers)
Best Practices:
- Be concise and descriptive:
“Red wool winter coat with gold buttons” - Never stuff keywords:
“coat winter red wool fashion buy online cheap…”→ this can hurt you. - Add alt text to all product, banner, and content images.
💡 If you have thousands of images, consider using an alt-text automation app (available on the Shopify App Store). Contact Shopify Support for recommendations.
💡 Final Tip: Simplicity Wins
SEO isn’t about tricks—it’s about clarity, relevance, and user experience.
Work with your theme, create valuable content, and measure real user behavior—not just tool scores.
🌟 Remember: Great SEO starts with a store that real humans love to use.