If you’ve ever sold on Etsy, you know how much your success depends on their algorithm. Etsy brings the audience, but it also controls who sees your products. With Shopify, things flip. You have complete control over your store — but that also means you’re responsible for bringing in traffic.

Want to compare Etsy and Shopify? Watch now: Etsy versus Shopify

SEO is one of the best (and most misunderstood) ways to bring steady traffic to your Shopify store. A lot of people think it’s overly technical or reserved for “big” businesses, but in reality, it’s simply about making your site easy for both customers and search engines to understand. When you do that, you create a traffic source that you own — one that works for you 24/7, long after you’ve logged off Instagram.

Here’s the reassuring part: Shopify SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to be “techy,” you don’t need to master everything at once, and you definitely don’t need to be perfect.

You don’t need to be an SEO expert. You just need a simple process you can actually stick with. With a few straightforward steps, you can start showing up for the exact people searching for what you sell.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the essentials of Shopify SEO for product-based businesses in a way that’s simple, actionable, and actually doable. No jargon. Just a clear checklist you can follow to start attracting your dream customers on autopilot.

The Foundation: Keyword Research

Think of keyword research as a secret window into your customer’s mind — and Google's algorithm. 

Every day, your dream customers are typing questions and phrases into Google. They're looking for solutions and products like yours, but they may not know you exist yet. When you identify the exact words they're using, your site can show up as an answer.

Here's how to start.

Actionable Step 1: Start with What You Know

You are the expert on your products and your customers. Start with these questions:

• What do you sell? Write down every product type and feature you sell.

• What problems do your products solve? (example:“my skin is too dry” or “I can’t find a unique wedding gift”)

• What phrases or questions do your customers ask you? (do they say they're looking for "apparel" or a "garment" or a shirt?)

• What makes your products different?

This simple exercise will give you a list of "seed keywords" that we'll expand on. And side note: reflecting on this is enormously helpful beyond just SEO. Answering these questions help shape your entire brand.

If your products or business is new, this will be a harder exercise. Just do your best with what you think right now, knowing that your answers will evolve. 

Actionable Step 2: Check on your Competition

Your competitors have already done some of the work for you. Go to the websites of 2-3 of your top competitors and:

• Look at their product and collection page titles. What words are they using?

• Check their homepage headlines. What phrases are they leading with?

• Look at the names of their blog posts. This can show you what topics they are trying to rank for.

Actionable Step 3: Use a Free Tool

Once you have your list of seed keywords, you can use a free tool to find related phrases and get an idea of how many people are searching for them.

• Google Keyword Planner: This free tool is part of Google Ads. Just type in a few of your keywords and it will give you hundreds of new ideas and an estimate of their search volume.

• SEMRush: I have a free plan and use their Keyword Checker to get insights on my keyword ideas. You'll learn the keyword "difficulty" and "intent".

Example: A Quick Look at "Handmade Earrings"

Let’s say you sell handmade earrings. When you type "handmade earrings" into a keyword tool, you'll see a list of related phrases that people are searching for. These aren't just one-word phrases; they're the exact questions and ideas your customers have.

Here's what that might look like:

• handmade earrings (high volume, but more competitive)

• clay earrings handmade (more specific, lower competition)

• dangle earrings handmade (more specific, lower competition)

• unique handmade earrings (a great way to find customers who want something different)

• handmade earrings for wedding (highly specific, high buying intent)

By using a tool, you can move from a broad idea like "handmade earrings" to a specific, high-intent keyword like "handmade earrings for wedding." This small shift can help you attract a customer who is ready to buy right now.

I want you to let go of the idea of finding "the perfect" keywords. Many people stop right here because they get overwhelmed. The goal isn't perfection; it's simply progress. Start with your best guess, and we'll refine it as you go. The best keywords are the ones you actually use to get started.

Main Navigation and Footer

Your menu isn’t just for people; it’s one of the first places Google’s bots go to understand the structure of your site. Using the keywords you found in the last step, you can build a navigation that's both easy for customers to use and great for SEO.

• Your Main Navigation is Prime Real Estate: Your top-level menu items should be your most important collection pages (e.g., "Handmade Jewelry," "Clay Earrings," "Wedding Collection"). Naming them with clear keywords instead of broad terms like "Shop" helps Google (and your customers) know what those pages are about.

• The Power of the Footer: Most people think the footer is just for contact info and policies, but it's a great place to add more SEO content.  It’s a place to link to your "About," "Blog," and "FAQ" pages, all of which build trust and provide more context for search engines. I also always add a short blurb about the brand on sites I design. In a natural way, I include keywords as well as the founder and location.

Like all the best SEO practices, creating a smart navigation isn't just about getting Google's attention. A well-organized, keyword-rich navigation makes it incredibly easy for your customers to find exactly what they're looking for, reducing frustration and building trust in your brand. It's a win-win for everyone.

On-Page SEO - Titles and Meta Descriptions

Think of a search result as a quick pitch. Your Title and Meta Description are your chance to convince someone to click on your link. They act as a headline and a brief description, working together to tell a potential customer exactly what they will find on the page and why they should care.

• Homepage Title Tag: This is your most important SEO element. It should be short, descriptive, and include your main keywords. It's the first thing people see in a search result. (example: "Handmade Earrings by Launch Party | Unique Clay Earrings")

• Collections, Pages, and Products: Every single page on your site has a Title and Meta Description. 

  • Your Collection titles should use keywords that describe the products within that collection (example: "Clay Earrings Collection" or "Wedding Earrings").

  • Your Product Titles should be even more specific, including brand and product details (example: "Willow Boho Clay Earring".

• Meta Descriptions: These are the short, 155-character snippets that appear under your title in a search result. They won't directly impact your ranking, but they are an opportunity to convince someone to click. Use this space to write a short, compelling sentence or two that uses your keywords and encourages a click.
  
  

Mythbusting: SEO

❌ Myth: SEO is only for tech experts.

👍 Truth: SEO is about clear, customer-friendly content.

❌ Myth: SEO results happen overnight.

👍 Truth: SEO is a long-term traffic engine that compounds over time.

❌ Myth: Small shops can’t compete.

👍 Truth: Long-tail keywords let you target your niche customer.

Product Page SEO

Your product page is a critical landing page, and we want people to "add to cart". While many people think a customer always first lands on a homepage, the reality is a lot of traffic can come directly to your product pages from a Google search — at least we want it to! A few simple SEO tweaks here can help attract more traffic.

• Your Product Description is Not Just for Customers: Your description needs to be more than just a list of features. This is your chance to use those keywords you found earlier in a natural way. Write detailed, compelling copy that tells a story and answers any questions a customer might have about your product. This rich content also gives search engines a lot of information to work with.

• Make Your Customers Your Best SEO Tool: Customer reviews are gold for SEO. Every time a customer leaves a review, they're adding fresh, unique content to your page, often with new keywords you hadn't even thought of. This signals to Google that your page is active and relevant. Plus, reviews build social proof and trust, making a purchase much more likely.

• Clean URLs: A clean, easy-to-read URL helps both customers and search engines. A great product URL should be short and descriptive, like yourbrand.com/products/boho-clay-earrings, rather than a long string of numbers and letters.

Using a Blog to Drive Traffic and Sales

Don't sleep on blogging! I know a lot of Shopify store owners don't want to blog—it's time-consuming, and it can be hard to know what to write about. But a blog is such a powerful marketing tool. It's the magnet that attracts new customers and helps them get to know your brand, even before they've seen a single product. It’s where you can answer the exact questions your potential customers are typing into Google, build credibility, and warm up your audience.

• Answer Your Customers' Questions: Think about the common questions you get. Blog posts are the perfect way to answer them in detail. Topics like "How to Clean Your Clay Earrings," "The Ultimate Gift Guide for Coffee Lovers," or "Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Brand" can attract highly engaged readers who are interested in what you sell.

• Link Back to Your Products: Don't let your blog be a dead end. In every blog post, look for natural opportunities to link to relevant products and collections. For example, a blog post about earring care can link directly to your best-selling pair or collection.

• Build Your Email List: Your blog is a prime location to promote your lead magnet. A simple, relevant call-to-action at the end of a post can convert a reader into a subscriber, helping you grow your list and stay in touch.

Behind the Scenes - Technical SEO

This might sound intimidating, but technical SEO is simply about making sure your site is fast and easy for search engines to crawl. Think of these as the fundamental checks that ensure all your other hard work can pay off.

• Make Your Site Fast: Site speed is a big ranking factor. A slow site frustrates customers and hurts your ranking. Shopify themes from the theme store are all designed for speed, however, if you add a lot of large images or lots of apps, it can start to slow down your store. You can use free tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to test your site and see what needs to be improved. 

• Check for Mobile-Friendliness: Most shopping now happens on phones. If your site doesn't look and work great on a small screen, Google will penalize you. Shopify themes are already mobile-friendly, but it's always smart to double-check by testing your site on your own phone.

• Image Alt Text: This is a small but mighty detail. Every image on your product page should have "alt text"—a short description of the image. This is primarily for people who use screen readers, but search engines also use it to understand your images.

• Make Sure Google Can Find You: You need to tell Google your site exists and where to find all your pages. A Sitemap is like a map of your website for search engines. Shopify automatically generates one for you, and all you need to do is submit it to Google Search Console.

Looking Ahead: Getting Found by AI

Beyond Google, there's a new wave of traffic coming from AI models like ChatGPT and shopping assistants in platforms like Pinterest and TikTok. When someone asks a question, these tools pull information from around the web to provide an answer. While it's a new space, the good news is the best way to get found by AI is by doing the same things we've been talking about.

• Be a Source of Truth: AI models are trained on high-quality, comprehensive content. By creating detailed blog posts that fully answer a customer's question, you're not just helping a human—you're training the AI to recognize your site as an authoritative source.

• Make Content Easy to Digest: Just like Google, AI loves content that's easy to read and understand. Use clear headings, bullet points, and bold text. The easier your content is to scan, the more likely it is to be used as a source.

• Write for Humans: At the end of the day, both search engines and AI are trying to serve the user. Focus on being genuinely helpful, answering real questions directly, and providing clarity. If your content solves the problem for the reader, it has a strong chance of becoming a trusted source for AI as well.

Recap: The Start of Your New Strategy

You now have a simple roadmap for getting found online:

• Do your keyword research so you know what your customers are searching for

• Build a navigation that’s clear and keyword-friendly

• Add detailed product descriptions + reviews

• Use your blog to answer real questions and link back to your products

• Check site speed, mobile-friendliness and alt-text

• And finally, start thinking beyond Google — because AI tools are becoming the next big discovery channel

Remember, SEO isn’t a one-and-done task. It’s more like planting a garden: you put in the effort now, and over time it grows into a powerful, consistent source of traffic. Most store owners start seeing results in 3–6 months — which means the best time to start is today.

If you want to keep going, my 45-minute video course, 10 Ways to Get Traffic to Your Shopify Store — Without Instagram shares even more strategies you can use right away.

And if you’re ready to build a business that you own with a Shopify website, Shop School is the ultimate resource. It's designed to give you the fastest way to get your Shopify site up and running and then take it to the next level, all with my support.