How to Rank Shopify Store on Google? The Ultimate Guide

How to Rank Shopify Store on Google? Ranking your Shopify store high on Google is essential for driving qualified traffic and sales. But with over 1.9 billion websites online today, getting on that first page isn’t easy.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the key factors you need to focus on to rank your Shopify ecommerce store on the first page of Google in 2023.

Why You Must Rank Your Shopify Store on Google

Here are some of the main reasons why ranking highly in Google is critical for your ecommerce store’s success:

• Increased traffic – About 40% of all clicks for product searches go to the top 3 organic results. So ranking on the first page can send highly targeted buyers to your site.
• Social proof – Being on the first page gives your store authority and trust in the eyes of customers.
• Higher conversions – Searchers on page 1 of Google convert at about 6 times the rate of searchers on page 2.
• Brand visibility – Getting on the first page spreads awareness about your store and products.
• Competitive advantage – Outranking other stores selling similar products gives you a competitive edge.

Clearly, if you want to grow your Shopify store, then ranking it higher on Google needs to be a top priority.

The Google Ranking Factors You Need to Optimize

Google uses a complex algorithm with over 200 ranking factors to decide which pages rank the highest in search results.

While you don’t need to optimize for all of them, there are several core factors that carry the most weight for ecommerce stores:

1. Domain Authority and Trust

Google wants to rank sites users can trust. So stores on authoritative domains tend to outrank newer, less reputable sites.

To build domain authority:

• Publish high-quality content on a consistent basis.
• Get backlinks from reputable sources like major news and review sites.
• Publish and share positive brand mentions and reviews.
• Ensure your site has a professional design and user experience.

2. Page Speed

With mobile ranking as a top factor, having a fast loading Shopify store is extremely important.

Some tips to improve page speed:

• Enable caching to store pages in temporary memory.
• Compress images and media files.
• Minify CSS, JavaScript and HTML files.
• Use a hosting provider or CDN with servers near your target audience.
• Eliminate render-blocking JavaScript.
• Defer offscreen images and files.

3. Mobile Optimization

With over 60% of searches happening on mobile, having a responsive, mobile-friendly store is a requirement.

Make sure to:

• Use a mobile-first Shopify theme.
• Check site performance on mobile and fix any issues.
• Target keywords that mobile users search for.
• Make buttons and links tap-friendly.
• Follow best practices for mobile UX and conversions.

4. On-Page SEO

Optimizing your product and page content for keywords and search intent is hugely important for rankings.

Key on-page factors to focus on include:

• In-depth, useful product descriptions optimized with target keywords.
• Keyword-rich titles and meta descriptions for pages and blog posts.
• Proper header tag structure (H1, H2, H3).
• Image file names and ALT text containing keywords.
• Featured snippets markup for key pages.
• Internal links to pass relevancy between related content.

5. Backlinks

While their impact has decreased over the years, quality backlinks remain a key signal of popularity and authority to Google.

Safe ways to build backlinks include:

• Getting mentioned in roundup articles and reviews on high-authority sites.
• Guest posting on niche blogs.
• Sponsoring or speaking at industry events.
• Securing merchant listings on relevant directories.
• Publishing and promoting great content that earns links.

6. Location Signals

For location-based searches like “shopify experts miami”, having correct location details on your site and Google My Business listing is highly beneficial.

Ways to optimize local SEO include:

• Complete your Google My Business profile with accurate business info.
• Have a local address, phone number and area served listed on your site.
• Set up Google Analytics location tracking.
• Target keywords with the city or region name.
• Get featured in local business directories.

7. User Experience

At the end of the day, Google wants to satisfy searchers. So sites that offer a seamless, satisfying experience tend to perform better long-term.

Some UX best practices to follow:

• Make navigation intuitive and flows logical.
• Optimize page load speeds.
• Make product descriptions and content skimmable.
• Include trust badges and social proof elements.
• Set up an easy checkout process.
• Make the mobile experience flawless.

Focusing on these key ranking factors will give your Shopify store the best chance of outperforming competitors on Google in 2023. But optimizing your store for SEO is an ongoing process.

An Ongoing Process: How to Continuously Improve Your Shopify SEO

Ranking a Shopify store on Google takes time and effort. But it also requires consistency.

Here is an overview of the SEO workflow you need to follow on an ongoing basis:

1. Research Target Keywords

Use keyword research tools to find high-intent, high-volume terms aligned with your products. Focus on ranking for these core keywords first.

2. Perform an SEO Audit

Audit your site to identify problems hurting rankings like slow page speeds, technical errors, thin content, etc.

3. Optimize On-Page Elements

Update product descriptions, meta titles & descriptions, content, etc. to target focus keywords.

4. Build Backlinks

Outreach to high-authority sites related to your niche to build relevant backlinks.

5. Monitor Rankings

Check Google search results regularly to see where your store ranks for target keywords.

6. Analyze SEO Metrics

Review data from Google Analytics and Search Console to guide optimization efforts.

7. Make Changes Based on Results

Tweak pages and SEO elements based on how rankings and traffic metrics respond.

8. Stay Up to Date

Read SEO resources to stay updated on Google algorithm changes and new factors.

Rinse and repeat this process. Over time, your top pages will start climbing in search results for your most important shopify keywords.

Advanced Shopify SEO Tips and Tricks

Beyond the essentials, there are some more advanced SEO strategies that can give your Shopify store an added boost:

• Craft pillar content – Create comprehensive, in-depth guides on topics highly relevant to your products to rank for tons of related long-tail keywords.
• Optimize for voice search – Update content to optimize for spoken keywords and questions. Also get on Alexa, Siri and other voice assistants.
• HARO outreach – Build quality backlinks by responding to reporter queries on Help A Reporter Out.
• Install an SEO app – Apps like SEO Manager by Hextom can automate and simplify many SEO tasks.
• Populate your knowledge graph – Ensure your business’s key details are in Google’s knowledge panel for branded searches.
• Analyze competitors’ backlinks – Use tools like Ahrefs to find successful link building tactics used by competitors that you can replicate.
• Get featured snippets – Optimize pages, especially for how-to style keywords, to trigger Google’s featured snippets display.

Master both the essential and advanced strategies shared above to take your Shopify store’s SEO to the next level. Just stay patient and focused on continually improving and you will climb the rankings over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the fastest ways to improve Shopify SEO?

Some quick wins for SEO include improving site speed, optimizing page titles and meta descriptions for target keywords, fixing mobile UX issues, building a few initial backlinks, and producing in-depth content optimized for ranking.

How much time does it take to rank a Shopify store?

It can take anywhere from 3-18 months of consistent work to get a new Shopify store ranking on the first page of Google for competitive keywords. Exact timeline depends on your niche competitiveness and how authority your domain is.

Should I use Shopify’s SEO features or apps?

Shopify has built-in SEO features like alt text and meta field customization. But apps like SEO Manager can take optimization further with XML sitemaps, auto-tagging, custom redirects and more.

Can I do Shopify SEO without writing blog content?

Focusing only on product pages can work initially, but an SEO content strategy is mandatory for sustaining long-term rankings. With blogs, you can target way more keywords and develop domain authority.

How do I track my Shopify store’s SEO performance?

Link Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor metrics like rankings, clicks and impressions for keywords, search traffic, top performing pages, links gained, etc. This data is key for optimizing.

The Final Word

Ranking a Shopify store on Google is challenging but hugely rewarding. By mastering the SEO factors covered in this guide and staying consistent with optimization efforts, your ecommerce store can absolutely gain a top spot for your most valuable keywords.