How to Optimize Your Shopify Store for Organic Traffic?

Introduction

In this tutorial, you will learn the essential steps to optimize your Shopify store for organic traffic without relying on expensive paid strategies. Organic traffic can significantly reduce your marketing costs and attract valuable visitors to your store. Let’s dive into the precise SEO steps for beginners.

The Power of Organic Traffic for Shopify Stores

• Most Shopify store owners rely on paid traffic strategies to drive sales, which can be expensive.

• The average cost per click in Google ads across all businesses in the US is $4, while on Facebook it is 50 cents.

• Last year, the speaker’s Shopify store attracted 2 million organic visitors from Google, saving up to $8 million compared to paid ads.

• Organic traffic, achieved through SEO (search engine optimization), can help websites rank higher on search engine results pages and attract valuable visitors without the high costs of paid ads.

• The speaker promises to guide through precise SEO steps to help Shopify store owners attract organic traffic and reduce their dependency on expensive paid strategies.

Optimizing Your Shopify Store

• Optimizing a Shopify store is essential for achieving higher rankings and attracting organic traffic without significant financial investment.

• The optimization guide consists of seven sections, including keyword research, general preferences, collections optimization, product optimization, pages optimization, blog post optimization, and website speed optimization.

• The speaker, Anna, has extensive experience in content marketing and successfully runs her own Shopify store with over 2 million organic visitors annually.

• Anna aims to assist beginners in setting up their own businesses and gaining organic traffic using the expertise and experience she gained from working with global brands.

• The first step in optimizing a Shopify store is selecting relevant keywords for search engine optimization to improve visibility and attract organic traffic.

Understanding SEO Optimization for Shopify Store

• The main goal of SEO for a Shopify store is to ensure that the website can be found when a search term is entered into a search engine.

• To achieve this, it’s important to optimize certain elements in the Shopify store so that search engines can understand the content of the website.

• The first step in SEO optimization is to identify the primary keyword that the store wants to rank for, and then add two supporting keywords.

• The ideal keyword should have a good search volume but also less competition, striking a balance to attract a significant audience.

• Knowing the products or services being sold and the targeted keywords is essential before starting any SEO work for a Shopify store.

Maximizing Keyword Rankings and Search Engines

• Choosing the right keywords is crucial for maximizing rankings on search engines.

• For example, if you’re selling women’s leather bags, ‘bag’ might seem like the obvious primary keyword due to its high traffic.

• However, other words like ‘purse’ could also be used as primary keywords for the website.

• Determining the primary keyword requires understanding the search volume for each term.

• Google Keyword Planner is a valuable tool for analyzing keyword search volume and it’s free to use.

• Creating a Google Ads account is the first step to access Google Keyword Planner, even if you don’t plan to run ads.

Understanding Google Keyword Planner

• Google Keyword Planner is a tool available in the Google Ads account, under the ‘Tools’ section.

• It allows users to check the real-time traffic for specific keywords, research other related keywords, and analyze the market size and trends.

• For example, if someone is selling leather bags for women in the US, they can use Keyword Planner to select the US as the main territory and find keywords related to their niche.

• Users can input initial keywords and the planner will suggest more keywords connected with their niche.

• Additionally, users can also paste a link to their website, and the tool will generate keywords automatically based on the website’s content.

• The tool provides data such as average monthly searches, which indicates the number of times a specific keyword was searched on Google within a month for the specified territory.

Understanding Keyword Analysis Results

• The keyword analysis results provide important insights for targeting relevant keywords for a store’s SEO strategy.

• The average monthly searches and competition are the most crucial columns to focus on when analyzing keyword data.

• Surprisingly, the keyword ‘bags’ does not have the highest number of searches, while ‘purses’ has no searches but may be too broad.

• It is important to note that competition is high for most keywords, except for ‘back shop,’ which may still be worth targeting despite lower traffic.

• It’s also beneficial to explore suggested keywords that have similar meanings but lower competition.

Maximizing SEO with Google Keyword Planner

• Google Keyword Planner is a valuable tool for identifying search volume and competition for specific keywords.

• Users can filter keywords based on competition, allowing them to focus on those with less competition and higher search volume.

• Identifying keywords with high traffic and low competition is promising for SEO and can lead to new business ideas and revenue streams.

• After analyzing the results, users can identify in-demand products and potential additions to their store, taking advantage of lower competition.

• It is essential to integrate the identified keywords into a Shopify store to improve search rankings and visibility.

Using Keywords to Optimize Your Shopify Store

• Search engines can locate and prioritize specific keywords on your Shopify store, even in the coding behind your website.

• You can optimize your store by including keywords in the homepage title and meta description, which affects how your store appears on search engines.

• The homepage title appears on the browser’s tab and is visible to prospects when they search for your brand, while the meta description is what visitors see when your main page is ranked on search engines.

• Integrating keywords into various parts of your Shopify store is essential for ranking above your competitors and improving visibility.

• Proper naming and description of your homepage play a crucial role in optimizing your store for search engines.

Optimizing Homepage Meta Description and Technical SEO

• It’s important to have primary and secondary keywords in the homepage meta description for SEO purposes.

• Including a call to action in the homepage title can encourage users to click through the website when it appears in search results.

• Creating a sitemap XML is crucial for informing search engines about the structure of the website and all its pages.

Technical Steps to Enhance Shopify SEO

• Shopify automatically generates XML sitemaps, which are essential for informing search engines about every link and page on the website.

• Submitting the XML sitemap to Google Search Console is crucial to facilitate inclusion in search results when users enter relevant keywords.

• Selecting and informing Shopify of the preferred domain (with or without www) is important to avoid traffic division and enhance SEO.

• Ranking for two domain variations simultaneously might hinder rankings, so it’s essential to specify the preferred domain in Shopify to avoid this.

• Shopify simplifies the process of specifying the preferred domain, making it easy for users to manage and enhance their SEO efforts.

Setting up Domains and Optimizing Collections Pages

• To set up domains in Shopify, go to the settings in the bottom left corner, navigate to the domains tab, and choose from multiple domain options.

• When choosing a domain, options include the domain name without any symbols preceding it, one with ‘www’, and the last one being your domain name followed by ‘.myshopify.com’.

• For domain redirection, Shopify provides automation but manual redirection can be done by locating the redirect section or using the redirect all domains button at the bottom to choose the preferred domain.

• It’s advisable to choose the domain name without ‘www’ for better optimization.

• When optimizing collections pages, it’s important to fill in as many fields as possible to improve organic traffic.

• Ensure the primary keyword is in the heading one of the collection, but avoid overdoing it to maintain sense.

• Filling in more fields results in better optimization for organic traffic and search engine ranking.

Optimizing Collection Descriptions for SEO

• Collection descriptions on a website should include primary and secondary keywords to rank for.

• The description should ideally be at least 500 words to ensure search engines understand the page’s content.

• Including the store’s primary and secondary keywords in the collection description is beneficial for SEO.

• Search engine listing preview section should be edited to attract prospects searching on Google.

SEO Optimization for Shopify Store Collection

• Review the page title to ensure it is descriptive, clear, and concise, using both primary and secondary keywords

• Create an SEO description under 320 characters that includes the primary and secondary keywords, while also motivating prospects to click and explore the collection

• Pay attention to the URL handle, keeping it as short as possible and including the keyword, ‘women’s messenger bags’

• Utilize the provided prompt to create a collections description for a Shopify store that effectively motivates the reader to explore the collection

SEO Setup for Collection and Product Pages

• The process of setting up SEO for collection and product pages involves placing the meta description at the bottom of the page.

• For collection pages, the title and meta description need to be inserted with relevant keywords, and it’s important to appreciate the dedication of the audience in creating the content.

• When setting up SEO for product pages, the same steps are followed, but with the key difference of using product-specific keywords instead of general store keywords.

• Product descriptions on Shopify should ideally be over 500 words to benefit the store’s rankings, but it’s important to first check the product description’s appearance and then experiment with its length.

• Checking the meta data for correctness is crucial in completing the SEO setup for product pages.

Optimizing Images for Online Store

• Images for your online store should be under 1 Megabyte to ensure fast loading speeds.

• Renaming each image with a keyword-containing title is important for SEO.

• Avoid using duplicate titles for images and ensure each title is unique and descriptive.

• Google scans image names as text, so unique and descriptive titles can impact website rankings.

• Automating the task of renaming images can be considered for efficiency.

Image SEO and Alt Tags in Shopify

• Shopify offers plugins with AI for image SEO, but they are not free.

• Plugins like ‘image SEO rename’ in the Shopify App Store offer similar functionality, but mostly for product pictures only, not for blogs or pages.

• Adding alt tags to product images is important for SEO, as it helps search engines understand and rank the images based on their descriptions.

• Ranking on search engines is not just limited to website pages; product images can also rank on image search results pages for organic traffic.

• It’s crucial for Shopify store owners to ensure that their images are related to the keywords they want to rank for, especially for products.

• Having relevant images for the products being sold can significantly impact SEO and organic traffic for the store.

Optimizing Images and Creating Content Pages in Shopify

• Optimizing images on a website is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO).

• Adding descriptive alt text to images is important to tell search engines about the content of the image and improve website ranking.

• In Shopify, editing the alt text for images can be done by clicking on the image and locating the ‘edit alt text’ option on the right hand side.

• The alt text should include relevant keywords for SEO, as well as a descriptive summary of the image content, such as ‘pink women’s leather purse front’.

• Image alt tags are highly influential in enhancing website ranking, therefore it’s essential to ensure all product images have optimized alt tags.

• Creating content pages in Shopify is necessary for non-product or non-collection content.

• Content creators in Shopify have the options to create either a standard page or a blog post to showcase their content.

Creating and Optimizing Pages and Blog Posts

• When creating a new page, it’s important to follow the optimization procedure by selecting a relevant keyword and integrating it into the URL slug, title, H1, meta description, and throughout the text while avoiding overuse.

• Regularly creating fresh content is essential for search engine rewards, and blog posts are a great way to achieve this. Publishing new blog posts regularly can lead to increased orders and improved rankings on search engines.

• Although results may vary, creating new content regularly is crucial for improving the chances of ranking on search engines. It’s recommended to create blog posts at least two times a month to maintain an active and constantly updating site.

Creating Engaging and SEO-Optimized Blog Posts

• Optimal frequency for writing blog posts is three times a week, but five or seven times per week can be a challenge for those up for it.

• Blog posts should be over 700 words for better understanding by Google’s algorithm.

• Generating ideas for blog posts can be facilitated using tools like ‘answer the public,’ which can provide numerous content ideas based on a single term.

• Creating a schedule to post blog content two times a week on your website is recommended, including relevant keywords for SEO.

• Consistency and patience are key in SEO, as regular optimization of content will eventually result in rewarding search engine rankings.

Optimizing Your Store for Better Ranking

• Optimizing your store for better ranking is crucial for driving traffic and sales.

• Keyword research is essential for improving your store’s visibility and attracting potential customers.

• Website speed plays a significant role in your store’s ranking on search engines, with a minimum benchmark of 80 for optimal performance.

• Factors that can affect website speed include large images and unused plugins, which need to be addressed to improve loading times.

• If you find your website speed to be low, consider updating your theme and removing unused plugins, or seek assistance from a Shopify expert if needed.

• It’s important to invest time and effort into website optimization to ensure a seamless user experience and better search engine ranking.

Conclusion

Optimizing your Shopify store for organic traffic is crucial for reducing marketing costs and attracting valuable visitors. By following the precise SEO steps in this tutorial, beginners can significantly improve their store’s visibility and attract organic traffic without the high costs of paid strategies.

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