Ecommerce SEO: how to rank higher & sell more online

People are making more purchases online, whether from home on a laptop or on their mobile phone while on the go. In 2025, retail e-commerce sales are estimated to exceed 4.3 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide, and this number is expected to go up in the following years. Naturally, this rise in online shopping has come with a surge in online stores worldwide. How can you make sure your online store stands out and reaches the right people? Ecommerce SEO can help drive up those sales numbers. In this guide, we’ll explain every aspect and help you get started!

What is ecommerce SEO?

Ecommerce SEO concerns all the tactics you can use to gain more visibility and organic traffic for your online store in search engines, like Google. These tactics focus on the technical and content sides of SEO. By optimizing your store you can get a dependable stream of targeted traffic to your site. This, in turn, should lead to more sales.

Branding is key

You are one of the millions of companies trying to sell something online. Of course, you might think you’re unique, but, in most cases, that’s not true. In most niches, you compete with dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands of others. What you need to do is stand out. But how?

First of all, you need to write down your mission. Your mission will clarify what you – and your customers – want your business to be. This will help you identify your USPs (unique selling points) and create a strong brand that resonates with your audience.

Building a recognizable brand is not just about visuals like a logo or the colors you use, but also your tone of voice or your handling of customer requests. Being present on the right platforms and showing your audience that you are trustworthy and there to help them. How you present yourself to the outside world makes all the difference. Branding helps you get inside people’s minds and stay there. But stay genuine and fit your branding to your audience.

---

SEO helps online stores get found by the right customers at the right time. Unlike ads, which stop when you stop paying, strong SEO keeps bringing in shoppers over time. A well-optimized store makes products easier to discover, builds trust, and reduces reliance on paid traffic.

Carolyn Shelby – Principal SEO at Yoast

---

Technical ecommerce SEO

To get properly started we need to look at the technical aspects first. Here, we’ll go over some important considerations for your online store.

The importance of good hosting

One of the simplest but most impactful things you can do is choose the right hosting for your site and upgrade your hosting plan when needed. Starting out, it might not make sense to drop hundreds of dollars for an extensive hosting plan. But once you reach a certain level, it makes all the sense in the world. Good hosting makes your site faster, pages load properly, and you’ll be able to handle more traffic than ever before. It can also better handle the crawling efforts of Google and other search engines, making it easier for them to index your URLs.

Most hosting providers offer several packages with uptime guarantees, scalability options, dedicated support, et cetera. Find a hosting provider specialized in ecommerce, and don’t try to take the cheap route.

SSL is essential for ecommerce SEO

Long gone are the days when having an SSL certificate for your site was optional. When you are selling something and/or collecting customer data in any way, you need to do so in a secure environment. No one will leave their credit card details on a website that is not adequately secured.

There are other benefits to having a properly secured website. Google, for instance, has said many times that having an SSL connection can give your site a ranking boost. In addition, many of the newer internet technologies like HTTP/2 only work on websites that use HTTPS connections.

Make your site visible through crawling and indexing

You probably want to have all your pages shown in Google, but not being mindful of this can backfire. For example, indexable results from your internal search engine, URLs with parameters from your faceted navigation or product filters, outdated content, temporary pages, and test content can be considered useless URLs. If you have a ton of them, Google will spend a valuable part of your crawl budget indexing those instead of crawling and indexing the pages that you do want to show up in the search results.

Use your robots.txt file to control what search engines can and can’t do on your website and adequately use meta robots tags to block stuff that doesn’t make sense to show in the search results. Also, to get Google to crawl your store correctly, you need optimized XML sitemaps that list your most essential pages. 

Improve the URLs of your online store

Getting your URLs right is a crucial aspect of ecommerce SEO. Unreadable URLs make it harder for search engines and site visitors to understand your products. And online stores tend to have a ton of URLs. Usually, every single product has its own URL and every product variation also comes with its own URL. On top of that, things like faceted navigation can generate an endless stream of URL variants. If Google finds the same products on multiple URLs, how will it know which one to show in the search results?

Help search engines by minimizing the number of URLs on your online store to prevent confusion and unnecessary crawling. Check your paginated search results and see if all of these have a unique URL. Give your URLs descriptive names to help search engines identify the contents, so change URLs like /sweaters/323551 to /sweaters/ugly-christmas-sweater. Follow Google’s advice on how to design a URL structure for ecommerce websites.

Be aware of duplicate content

This endless number of URLs showing the same content can cause another SEO issue you want to prevent. If they find duplicate content on multiple pages, search engines won’t know which URL to show which can lead to lower rankings for all pages involved. So make sure to check how your ecommerce CMS handles product variations and faceted navigation. You can use a canonical URL to signal to Google what the original version of a page or product is.

Duplicate content is also a risk when you use product descriptions provided by manufacturers, which are used on other websites. Although you’ll be competing with content on other websites, it will make your product page stand out less. Leading to search engines favoring other websites that do write their own product descriptions. 

Add structured data to your products

Structured data lets you describe your products and business information to Google. This makes it easier for the search engine to understand your business and products. In return, you can get rich results like highlighted product information. You can use structured data to provide details like titles and descriptions, stock and shipping details, SKUs, prices, reviews, ratings, and product images for products. Using these details, Google can highlight your products in diverse ways and various locations, like Google Images and Shopping.

You can also use structured data to provide business information. Google uses this data to verify whether you say who you say you are. It cross-references the information it finds on your site with what it finds on Google Business Profile. So make sure to keep this information (f.e. location, phone number, opening hours) up to date and consistent. If you want to add structured data to your products (or other pages), the structured data feature in our WordPress plugin and Shopify app might be worth checking out.

Improve your mobile shopping experience

Many people do their online shopping on a mobile phone, and that number is only growing. That’s why your mobile site has to offer a great shopping experience, similar to your website shown on a computer. We call this mobile parity. Your mobile pages should load quickly, work properly, and have no unnecessary distractions. People should not have to wait for your page to load, only to be confronted with things jumping around and buttons that aren’t clickable.

Keep the design of your mobile site simple while still offering the branding experience that people are familiar with. Especially on your product pages, you should offer a minimal amount of distraction to get people to convert as quickly as possible. Make sure that your theme is responsive and scales appropriately to all screen sizes without having multiple designs. Give extra attention to the readability of your pages, especially those with more than a bit of text, like product pages or blog posts.

Optimize the page speed of your online store

Site speed is an ongoing challenge for most websites, especially since Google has declared it a ranking factor. For ecommerce sites, that’s even more important because a slow store can cost you customers. It is proven repeatedly that people will more likely buy from an online store with proper page speed. It’s also a vital part of another ranking factor, page experience.

How you improve the loading times of your store depends on the type of store you’re running. Hosted platforms like Shopify and Wix have built-in performance enhancements, like a CDN and image optimization options. For these SaaS platforms, you’re somewhat limited to the choices they make. If you run a WooCommerce store on WordPress, you have more control over your performance. You can choose your hosting plans, your CDN, your cache management, et cetera. Of course, there is no wrong solution. Pick whatever fits your goals and budget.

Improve your code

Many of the performance improvements you can make are found in your code. Make sure that the code of your theme is lean and mean. Fix scripts that block the rendering of your content in the DOM. Minify your code and try to add lazy loading to images where it makes sense. Don’t rely on JavaScript for loading critical functionality and content.

All the evergreen site speed tactics should also be applied to your online store. Think optimizing your images, uninstalling unnecessary apps and plugins, updating your CMS and plugins, optimizing your caching, minimizing the number of HTTP requests, asynchronously loading scripts, et cetera. To get an idea of where you should start, make sure to look at the Core Web Vitals.

User experience improves conversion rates

Related to technical SEO and branding, it’s important to be aware of the overall experience your online store offers its users. You need to help customers feel safe and welcome before they are ready to buy from your store. A well-optimized online store is a joy to use, offers a safe and secure buying experience, and loads in no time — both on mobile and desktop. Photography, typography, and content also contribute to user experience.

User experience is also about taking away frustrations and barriers for users to reach their goals quickly. It’s about optimizing product pages, CTAs, and payment flows to get people moving through the process without issue. Focusing on user experience can help you improve your store’s conversion rates. In addition, it builds a relationship with the customer and helps them come back for more. Build brand loyalty through a pleasant user experience. So add an option for guest checkout, make your site search work, improve the text on your CTAs, and offer proper faceted navigation. To give a few examples.

Don’t underestimate the importance of content

Content is, and will remain, still a very important part of SEO. Ecommerce SEO is no exception to this rule. Having great content on your website, and a proper content SEO strategy can help Google and your customers choose your shop above your competitors.

Keyword research for your online store

An important aspect is figuring out which keywords you can target — and which keywords your potential customers are searching for. It gives you a better sense of the competition and the landscape you are operating in. While doing keyword research for your online store, you’ll also uncover different search intents. Often enough, the customer doesn’t follow a straight line in their buying journey.

However, you can guide potential customers during their buyer journey with helpful content in the right place at the right time. For this, you can use proven marketing strategies like the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) to guide a customer from discovering their need to guiding them to a purchase. At any touchpoint during their journey, you need to be there to stay part of their buyer journey. Keyword research will help you uncover the terms searchers use during the different sections — helping you write content that is valuable and on point.

Improve category pages for ecommerce SEO

Often, category pages can be easier to rank than individual product pages. You can set them up to target a broader set of terms instead of one specific product. Your keyword research can help you use keywords that your audience searches for. Give your category pages a good title and meta description featuring the keywords you want the page to rank for. In addition, pick a proper URL structure for your category pages. Keep them short and focused.

Add a piece of text to the category page to give Google and customers more insight into what this page holds. Don’t overdo it, though; it doesn’t have to be a wall of text. Just ensure that it is written for humans and isn’t stuffed with your keywords. Add great product images to your category pages and link to them from other relevant pages on your website.

Again, consider search intent here; category pages should target and offer solutions for ‘browsing’ behavior. This differs from what you do with individual product pages. For category pages, you want to rank for “Black Dresses” while your product page might want to rank for “Black Dress”.

Add a blog to your online store

One of the most important ways of promoting your online store is via content marketing. Adding a blog to your site gives you a range of options to rank in the search engines and attract a new wave of customers.

While your product descriptions and landing pages allow you to talk about specific products, a blog can be much more flexible. Here, you can dive deeper into your product, your business, and topics related to what you sell. Just make sure it’s relevant to the people you’re trying to target.

With high-quality content, you show that you are passionate about your product and that you are an expert on the topic. Trust and expertise are crucial factors for Google and visitors to find the business they want to buy their products from.

Relevant content has a great chance of ranking if you target the right keywords. You can write all-encompassing, authoritative cornerstone content that you can use as a base for your content strategy. Supporting those articles, you can go into more detail about specific aspects. For instance, the guide you are reading now is supported by numerous articles on ecommerce SEO topics which are all interlinked.

Improve your product pages for SEO and conversion

Your product page is where the magic happens. Here, you want your customers to hit that buy button without hesitation. But what are the aspects of an excellent product page? What can you do to improve your product page SEO? 

Write great titles and meta descriptions

The words you use to describe your articles are essential. Of course, this also goes for the words you provide for your product to be used in the SERPs — the titles and the meta descriptions. In 2021, Google was actively rewriting more page titles than ever. According to them, too many sites were using non-descript or spammy titles. Therefore, it is even more important to improve your titles and keep an eye on what Google is showing for your products.

Using WordPress/WooCommerce SEO plugins and Shopify SEO apps like Yoast SEO for Shopify, you can set up templates for both titles and meta descriptions, so they follow a similar pattern. This saves you time, and you won’t have to do everything by hand. Of course, you should write everything by hand for your most important articles and pages. Make them stand out!

Write your own product descriptions

We already touched on this topic briefly while discussing the risk of duplicate content. To prevent your product descriptions from being the same as 100+ online stores out there, you need to write them yourself.  If you have a ton of products, start with the ones most important or most valuable.

Be sure to write in the language your audience uses to find and describe these products. Don’t use jargon or made-up words that only a few people will understand. Good product descriptions are easy to grasp and easy to read. Also, stay away from walls of text — use a good header hierarchy and break up the text with paragraphs and lists for readability.

Add unique, high-quality product photos

Excellent product images are another great way to set yourself apart from your competitors. Your customer wants to see your products in detail. Even if you have an offline store as well, photos show what your products look like and give you that edge over competitors who just use the images provided by the manufacturer. Try to take authentic photos and do it yourself. Make sure they are high-quality and show your product in use to show what it looks like in real-life situations.

If you’ve shot good photos of your products, optimize them for the right size, compress them and give them a proper SEO-proof name. Use the product name in the image file name and the alt text when you upload it to your store.

Add reviews of your product or service

Reviews are incredibly important for your business. Collect them, display them and add review and ratings structured data. It can nudge customers to buy your product or service. It also helps Google turn those reviews into highlighted listings in the search results — with stars and all.

Most shoppers look up reviews before buying a product or deciding on a service. While the availability of reviews on your product pages helps build trust, they need to be genuine. Don’t publish fake reviews or only publish the ones that paint your product or service in a positive light. Even negative reviews have a place! What’s more, how you respond to negative reviews says a lot about you and your business.

Add related products for cross-selling and internal linking

To increase the conversion rate and the total amount spent per cart, you can use a variety of tactics. One of those tactics is adding related products on your product pages and even on your checkout screen, although you need to test that second option so that it doesn’t harm the checkout process.

The same goes for a list of alternative products for the one a customer is looking for. An ‘Other customers also look at’ feature helps uncover more products for your customers, plus it helps them reach their goal more quickly. In addition, this helps your internal linking as well. By doing this, you make it easier for customers and search engines to reach different parts of your site.

Improve the shopping experience with filters

For online stores, faceted navigation is a must-have on category pages. Faceted navigation — also known as product filters —, lets users filter their search to a more manageable level. We all know filters like size, price, color, brand, et cetera. Offering ample filter options genuinely improves a shopper’s experience on your site. Filters give them the possibility of finding a product with much less friction.

When set up correctly, they should work without issue. The problems with faceted navigation start whenever this system spits out a massive amount of indexable URLs, thanks to the filtered parameters. This could lead to duplicate content, index bloat, and crawling issues. These URLs mustn’t get indexed by Google.

Handle out-of-stock products

Every online store will eventually reach a point where products run out of stock. How you deal with that is more important. Manage expectations by showing when this product will be back in stock. Or offer ways to keep them in the loop by offering to send an email when it’s available again. There’s more you can do to handle products that are out of stock, but it is important to act upon it to show potential customers and Google that you’re active and trustworthy.

Site structure, navigation, and internal linking

Site structure is essential for every site — and the larger your site is, the more important it gets to keep it under control. Setting everything up transparently helps customers and search engines find their way on your ecommerce site easily. As Google uses the structure to understand your site, you need to think about how you link everything together. With proper internal linking, you can signal to Google which pages are the most important ones. It will prioritize these over other, less-linked pages.

Think about your navigation

The same goes for your navigation. Well-thought-out navigation doesn’t just please Google, but users as well. Search engines like Google use the navigation of your online store to uncover your content. They also use your navigation and your site structure to connect the various parts of your site.

Google, for instance, advises shop owners to add links from menus to category pages, from category pages to sub-category pages, and finally from sub-category pages to all product pages. It’s vital to link to all the products you want to have indexed. Don’t forget to add your most important pages and categories to the footer, as that is important real estate!

Don’t forget about internal linking

Other than having a proper navigation and site structure in place, you also need to link related content to each other. This shows search engines what pages and topics are related to each other and which pages are most important. It also helps site visitors find other related content or pages to the page their currently on, keeping them on your site and helping them find what they are looking for. When you have a blog, internal links also give you a great opportunity to link directly to specific products or categories that are related to that topic. Use internal linking to show the importance of pages and help users navigate through your site.

Link building for online stores

You shouldn’t underestimate the power of link building. These are links from other websites leading to your products and/or content. This is, to this day, an important ranking factor for search engines. Not just having as many links to your website as possible, they need to come from relevant websites and make sense. 

You need to publish content that people will link to for this to happen. That doesn’t strictly have to be a blog post, but that could also be a buying guide, an infographic, a tool that helps people make decisions, original research, et cetera. Excellent, unique content has a bigger chance of getting links from relevant sites and people.

Another link building strategy is to reach out to your local community to get them to talk about you. Or you could invest in influencer marketing and digital PR to boost your online store.

Marketing and ecommerce SEO

You can sit and wait for people to show up in your online store, or you can act. While not technically SEO, marketing is still at your disposal — and there’s a lot you can do. We’ve already talked about content marketing, but we’ll also discuss social media, ads, and video marketing.

Social media

Everybody knows social media can do a lot of good when used right. So, use it to your advantage. It won’t help your store rank better, but it can help you get and build an audience. It can function as an extension of ecommerce SEO, and it is a wonderful way of contacting your customers. Social media marketing is essential for your branding — it’s where people can see you and what you do. Make the most of it!

Video marketing

Video is huge, and its growth is nowhere near stopping. Invest in video SEO if you have the budget. Just make sure it looks good and represents your business. With video, it’s important to know what you want to achieve. Do you want to get recognized on YouTube and have your videos rank well there? Then that’s where you should focus your attention as simply adding a few videos to your store won’t help in this situation.

Do you want to produce the best videos on your ecommerce site? Then you need to think about where you want to host these and how to make them click with your audience. Want videos to do well in the organic search results? That’s something else entirely. Figure out if you want to focus on videos for YouTube or your own site.

Running paid ads

Running ads in the search results is another way to stand out from the crowd. It gives you the option to bid for specific keywords and — depending on your niche — can get you a relatively cheap way to the top of the search results.

Fledgling stores often rely on paid ads to get noticed in the search results. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course. But, with paid ads, you must keep paying, or else your stream of customers will dry up. It’s not a sensible strategy to just focus on running paid ads. Combine it with SEO, social media, and content marketing.

Google Shopping feed/Merchant Center

While it is good to focus on getting your products found in Google’s organic search results, most online stores also put effort into Google Shopping. Google helps customers find the best products for the best prices in the Shopping section. In 2020, Google made it free for merchants to add their products to the Shopping section. Simply sign up for Google Merchant Center, correctly fill in all the required data about your business and follow the guidelines.

Local SEO for ecommerce

If you combine your online store with a brick-and-mortar one, you must also focus on local SEO. Discover how your online and offline stores can support each other to strengthen each other. Write content optimized for your locale and build good landing pages that help you get noticed for searches in your area. We also offer a local SEO plugin that can help you optimize your website for a local audience. For instance, it adds proper business location schema structured data for your shop and helps you get your details in Google Maps.

Is your online store on Shopify or WordPress? 

Shopify is one of the biggest ecommerce platforms out there. And WordPress powers around 43% of all websites worldwide. Both WooCommerce and Shopify are excellent choices for your online store. 

For WordPress sites, many of the ecommerce stores are powered by WooCommerce. It’s a solid platform that does a lot out of the box. Put the ecommerce tips from this guide into practice, and you are well on your way to an optimized store.

If your online store is on Shopify, you’ve chosen a platform focused on ecommerce. It comes with pretty much everything you need straight out of the box. If there is something you’re missing, there are tons of apps that can help you out. Although most SEO advice is platform agnostic and this guide will already give you lots of input, we also have a guide on Shopify SEO to help you get your Shopify store ranking high.

WooCommerce SEO plugin by Yoast SEO

To help you quickly set up WooCommerce for optimal SEO, we built the WooCommerce SEO add-on for Yoast SEO. Our WooCommerce SEO plugin adds several extra features while also improving the code WooCommerce puts out to make it more understandable for search engines. It’s an essential tool if you want to get the most out of our WooCommerce store. You can use this add-on with both the free and Premium version of Yoast SEO.

Yoast SEO for Shopify app

One of the most remarkable aspects of Shopify is that you can improve your store by running apps. There are apps for everything, from review management to email marketing and image optimization to cross-selling products. One of the most popular categories is ecommerce SEO, and we’re proud to offer a Yoast SEO for Shopify app as well.

Our app improves the technical SEO of your Shopify store while also offering features that help you produce the best possible product-related content. It comes with SEO and readability analyses, various controls for handling how Google crawls your site, and an impressive Schema structured data implementation that instantly helps search engines understand your products.

All about ecommerce SEO

That’s it! You’ve just learned a lot. But although this is billed as a thorough guide, a complex topic like ecommerce SEO cannot be contained in one single guide. Where possible, we’ve linked to related articles that go deeper into a specific detail — read these to expand your knowledge!

Edwin Toonen

Edwin is an experienced strategic content specialist. Before joining Yoast, he worked for a top-tier web design magazine, where he developed a keen understanding of how to create great content.

---

Dropshipping SEO makes your Shopify store successful

Over the years, Shopify has become a leading platform for entrepreneurs looking to tap into the dropshipping model. This approach allows sellers to offer a wide range of products without the hassle of managing inventory or logistics. Understanding how to use SEO effectively is crucial if you want to fully take advantage of the opportunities dropshipping with Shopify provides.

Understanding dropshipping on Shopify

Dropshipping is a distinct way for sellers to approach ecommerce. Dropshipping helps you start and scale an online retail business with minimal financial risk by eliminating the need for inventory management and upfront product investments.

What is dropshipping?

Dropshipping is a fulfillment method where a seller operates an online storefront without holding any physical inventory. Instead, the seller partners with third-party suppliers who manage inventory and logistics, shipping products directly to the end customer. This business model minimizes upfront costs and overhead, enabling you to offer a wide array of products and swiftly adapt to market trends. However, success in dropshipping hinges on strategic supplier relationships, effective digital marketing, and exceptional customer service to meet consumer expectations.

Key benefits of dropshipping

It’s very easy to build an online business based on dropshipping. It doesn’t cost that much to get started. Since there’s no need to purchase inventory upfront, you can start your businesses with less capital.

This business offers great flexibility and scalability. With no physical inventory, you can easily add or remove products and scale your business according to demand. The same goes for the choice of products. Access to huge numbers of products from suppliers worldwide allows you to diversify your offerings and cater to customer needs.

Last but not least, it doesn’t matter where you are located. You can manage your online business from anywhere worldwide with an internet connection.

The ethics of dropshipping

Dropshipping can sometimes raise questions about ethics, especially as more people care about sustainability and fair treatment. As a dropshipper, you can positively impact by choosing suppliers who treat their workers well and use environmentally friendly materials. This means offering products made under fair conditions and that don’t harm the environment. Being clear about your commitment to these values can help you earn the trust of customers who care about making responsible choices.

Sustainable packaging and efficient shipping methods can further show your dedication to protecting our planet. Focusing on ethical practices and following rules and regulations helps you build a business that thrives and supports the well-being of people and the environment.

You can build a successful dropshipping business, but it often requires more dedication and effort than many initially expected. Although dropshipping takes out the logistics part, the other challenges of launching and running an ecommerce business remain. As the owner, you’re tasked with handling returns, managing repair or warranty issues, responding to customer inquiries, and ensuring your products are both high quality and legally compliant. These are the kind of responsibilities many frequently underestimate.

Why choose Shopify for dropshipping?

Shopify is a flexible and user-friendly ecommerce platform that makes the dropshipping process easier. It offers seamless integration with various dropshipping apps, allowing sellers to easily add products to their stores. Shopify’s expansive ecosystem supports everything from payment processing to marketing, making it an ideal choice for dropshippers of all experience levels. With Shopify, you can start a dropshipping business with minimal investment.

How to start dropshipping on Shopify

Select a niche that aligns with your interests and market demand to start dropshipping with Shopify. Research potential products and reliable suppliers using Shopify’s app store to find tools for product selection and order fulfillment.

Once your store is set up, create an engaging user experience and optimize your product listings. Effective marketing strategies should also be implemented to attract and retain customers.

Choosing Shopify as your dropshipping platform gives you access to a powerful toolset. These tools help you simplify your operations and enhance your business’s growth potential. Whether starting from scratch or looking to scale an existing venture, Shopify gives you the flexibility and support you need to thrive in ecommerce.

A quick start guide on how to drop ship on Shopify

Starting a dropshipping business on Shopify is straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Create a Shopify account. Go to Shopify’s website and sign up for a free trial. Once you’re ready to launch, choose a pricing plan that suits your business needs.
2. Select a niche and products. Research potential niche markets that interest you and have demand. Use tools like Google Trends and market research to select products that appeal to your target audience.
3. Find reliable suppliers: Use Shopify’s app store to find dropshipping apps like Zendrop or Spocket to source products. Choose suppliers known for quality products and reliable shipping.
4. Set up your Shopify store. Customize your store with a memorable name and logo. Use Shopify’s themes to design your storefront and create a seamless shopping experience.
5. Add products to your store. Import products from your dropshipping app to your Shopify store. Write detailed product descriptions and set competitive pricing.
6. Configure payment and shipping settings. Set up payment gateways like PayPal or Shopify Payments and determine shipping rates and options that suit your business model.
7. Launch your store. Review all settings and ensure everything functions smoothly. Publish your store and start marketing to attract customers.

SEO is key for Shopify dropshipping success

If you are in the dropshipping business, you are probably not alone. Even if you have picked a good niche, there’s still competition. To get traffic and potential customers, you need SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Shopify SEO is crucial for the success of any dropshipping store.

With SEO, you optimize your online store to improve its visibility in search engine results. The goal is to attract organic traffic without relying heavily on paid advertising. If you implement these SEO strategies well, you can significantly enhance visibility, drive traffic, and increase sales for your store.

SEO strategies for Shopify dropshipping

SEO for drop shippers is not that different from other types of ecommerce SEO. The main goals are getting your site structured properly, well-optimized in terms of performance, and filled with excellent, well-researched, and targeted content. This will help Google find, index, and rank your products.

But remember that getting Google to index and rank brand-new websites is harder than ever. Getting Google to see your site positively takes a lot of work. It will take quite a while before every one of your products is indexed—if that even happens. Be sure to set up a Search Console account to see your store’s indexing status and use the feedback provided to improve your store.

Last but not least, you should always monitor what you are doing. Analyze your SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics and Shopify Analytics. Monitor key metrics such as organic traffic, engagement, and conversion rates — find issues, fix and improve.

Keyword research and strategy

Keyword research is key in all types of SEO. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and Semrush to identify relevant keywords that potential customers are searching for. Focus on long-tail keywords that reflect specific search intents, such as “eco-friendly yoga mats” or “durable waterproof hiking boots for women.” After that, develop a keyword map that aligns with your product categories and pages, and make sure that each page targets specific keywords without overlap.

On-page SEO optimization

Optimizing individual pages and writing unique content is a major part of drop shipper SEO. Write unique and engaging product descriptions highlighting each product’s benefits and features. Avoid using generic manufacturer descriptions to ensure originality and relevance.

Next, structure your content with headers and subheaders. Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to structure your content. Each page should have a clear hierarchy, with primary keywords in the H1 tag and supporting keywords in subheaders.

Write compelling product titles and meta descriptions that include target keywords. Use tools like Yoast SEO for Shopify to optimize these elements, and make sure they are engaging and informative.

Technical SEO

For the technical part of the story, focus on site speed and mobile optimization. Make that your Shopify store loads quickly and is mobile-friendly. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix performance issues. Also, make sure there are no security and trust issues on your website. Do make sure your site is accessible and complies with web accessibility standards.

Image optimization

Image SEO is a big part of SEO for dropshippers. Use unique images if possible. Make sure images are compressed and optimized for fast loading times without compromising quality. Shopify does a lot of this by default, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on it. Also, use descriptive file names and alt attributes for all product images. This improves image search visibility and enhances accessibility for users with visual impairments.

Content marketing and blogging

You should invest in content marketing to help rank for more terms and show authority. Develop a content marketing strategy with a blog featuring informative and engaging content related to your niche. Topics could include “The Benefits of Sustainable Fashion” or “How to Choose the Right Yoga Mat.” Use internal links within blog posts to direct readers to related product pages, enhancing the user experience and SEO value.

Schema markup and rich snippets

Proper schema structured data implementation for your products is essential if you want them to stand out in the search results. Add product and related properties to your schema markup to provide search engines with easy-to-understand data about your products. This can enhance search result listings with rich snippets, such as product ratings, shipping policies, and prices.

Building quality backlinks

Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites. Engage in guest blogging, participate in industry forums, and collaborate with influencers to gain valuable links. Avoid blackhat tactics like buying links or using link farms, as these can lead to penalties from search engines.

Making the most of Yoast SEO for Shopify

Use the Yoast SEO app for Shopify to streamline your SEO efforts. This tool offers insights and recommendations for optimizing content, managing meta tags, and improving readability, making it easier to implement effective SEO strategies. It even has AI-powered tools to help you write titles and meta descriptions.

More SEO tips

There’s always more to do with Shopify SEO, so keep working on your dropshipping store. For instance, if your dropshipping store has a local component, optimize for local SEO by setting up a Google My Business profile and ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information across directories.

You can also create specialized landing pages for specific campaigns or product categories. These pages can target niche keywords and provide a focused experience for visitors, improving conversion rates.

AI and automation tools for dropshipping SEO

It’s 2024, so you can use AI tools to enhance your SEO strategy and speed up the work. Use AI to generate content ideas, optimize product descriptions, and analyze competitive keywords. Remember to give it the human touch, though!

You need SEO to succeed with Shopify dropshipping

SEO is an important component of a successful Shopify dropshipping business. While it requires patience and consistent effort, the rewards for increased visibility and sales potential are significant. Implementing these SEO strategies, including tools like Yoast SEO for Shopify, helps you position your Shopify store for long-term success in the dropshipping business.

Improve your Shopify store’s visibility with AI in Yoast SEO

Standing out in the crowded marketplace is crucial for any online store. For Shopify merchants, optimizing SEO titles and meta descriptions is an important step in gaining visibility and attracting potential customers. AI-driven tools like Yoast SEO for Shopify have made this process more efficient and impactful.

SEO titles and meta descriptions are HTML elements that communicate your web page’s content to search engines and users. While these do not directly impact rankings, these components significantly influence click-through rates (CTR) by acting as your virtual calling card in the search results. A well-crafted meta description can entice users to click on your link over others in search engine results pages (SERPs). While Google loves generating them automatically, you can still influence what they show.

How AI is transforming Shopify SEO

Integrating AI in SEO has changed how we all approach optimization tasks. A ton of innovation is happening right now, from AI tools automating keyword research to content creation and from on-page SEO to providing merchants with deeper insights into user intent and consumer behavior. AI can improve the user experience by predicting user needs and customizing content delivery. Ultimately, we are all looking to boost engagement and SEO performance.

AI-generated features for Yoast SEO

As a merchant, you can streamline your Shopify SEO work using AI in your SEO strategies. Our Yoast SEO for Shopify SEO app uses AI to automatically generate SEO titles and meta descriptions that are both keyword-rich and engaging.

One of the most time-consuming aspects of SEO is crafting unique and engaging titles and meta descriptions for each product and page. We’ve built generative AI technology to speed up this process. Thanks to Yoast AI Generate, we can generate optimized titles and descriptions that align with what search engines and users seek. This saves time and ensures consistency and relevance across your site.

Using Yoast SEO on your Shopify store makes improving your SEO much easier. The app handles technical SEO tasks automatically and gives clear feedback with simple color-coded signals. This makes it perfect for beginners just getting started with SEO while also being powerful enough for experts. Plus, Yoast SEO includes access to helpful courses to boost your knowledge.

It also creates structured data to help your store achieve rich results, making it stand out in search engines. With 24/7 support and straightforward tips for optimizing your content, Yoast SEO tackles common challenges. It helps you save time doing SEO tasks and getting noticed in search results. This way, you can focus more on running your business while ensuring your store is easy to find online.

Of course, you can’t simply do what you want here because there are best practices for crafting SEO titles and meta descriptions for Shopify merchants.

Best practices for SEO titles in Shopify

• Incorporate primary keywords early: Place your primary keyword at the beginning of the title to ensure search engines and users immediately understand the page’s relevance.
• Branding: Include your store name at the end of the title to increase brand recognition, such as “Buy Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats | YourStoreName.”
• Character number: While Google has no hard limit, keep your title length in check to ensure they display fully in search results.
• Unique titles for each page: Ensure each product and page has a unique title to avoid duplication and improve search engine understanding.
• Use action-oriented language: Encourage clicks with verbs that suggest action, like “Shop,” “Discover,” or “Explore.”

Best practices for meta descriptions in Shopify

And what about meta descriptions? What should you remember while writing or optimizing meta descriptions in Shopify?

• Focus on benefits and features: Highlight your products’ unique benefits and features to entice users to click.
• Include a call to action: Use language encouraging users to act, such as “Browse our collection today” or “Order now for free shipping.”
• Keep it concise and relevant: Ensure the entire description is visible in search results and accurately reflects the page content.
• Avoid keyword stuffing: Use keywords naturally and sparingly to avoid making the description look spammy.
• Highlight offers and promotions: If applicable, mention any promotions, discounts, or free shipping offers to attract clicks.
• Reflect current content and updates: Regularly update meta descriptions to reflect product details, offers, or seasonal campaign changes.
• Match user intent: Ensure the description aligns with what users are searching for and provides a clear answer or solution to their query.

Use these best practices to enhance the effectiveness of your SEO titles and meta descriptions. Ultimately, these should improve merchants’ visibility and increase click-through rates in search engine results.

Enhancing your Shopify store’s visibility with our AI-generated SEO features is straightforward. Doing so might boost your search engine performance. If you haven’t installed Yoast SEO for Shopify yet, please do so. It’s an amazing SEO app that helps merchants get results. In the latest release, we’ve added AI-generated features. Install the app from the Shopify App Store and integrate it with your store.

We have a guide on how to use the AI Generate features in Yoast SEO for Shopify.

Once you have optimized your products or pages, scroll down to the Yoast SEO interface’s Title and Meta Description section. Here, you’ll notice a purple button with a sparkle icon: Generate Shopify SEO title or Generate Shopify Meta Description, depending on which you are looking for. Clicking the button will open a modal that shows the Search Appearance preview. It will also show five suggestions for titles or meta descriptions it generated. The AI analyzes your product details, keywords, and user intent to create optimized content.

Carefully review the AI-generated titles and meta descriptions. Ensure they accurately reflect your product details and align with your brand voice. If you are not happy with the first five, hit the button again to have it generate more. Pick the one you are happy with. Make any necessary edits to tailor the content to your specific audience or to highlight unique selling points.

Once you are satisfied with the content, save the changes. Then, track the performance of the updated titles and descriptions using tools like Google Analytics or Shopify analytics tools to assess improvements in CTR and traffic.

It’s now easy for Shopify merchants to improve their SEO in just a few steps — all thanks to AI. These tools can help you aim for greater visibility and more effective engagement with your potential customers.

Conclusion

Titles and meta descriptions are often the first things consumers see from your Shopify store. Optimizing them properly increases visibility and engagement! Yoast SEO for Shopify now makes that process a lot easier. Adopt our AI tools to enhance your SEO strategies and improve your online store’s performance.