In the competitive world of e-commerce, higher visibility in search engine results is a must for Shopify stores. It can drive more organic traffic, increase sales, and boost brand recognition. Here, we’ll explore the top five techniques to improve your Shopify store’s visibility in SERPs.

1. Optimize On-Page SEO

Keyword Research

It all starts with keyword research, which helps in the identification of terms used by potential customers when looking for products. You can try Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs-like tools. These will help you discover relevant keywords while considering search volume and low competition.

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

For each page of your Shopify store, ensure there exists a unique and descriptive title tag along with meta description. When you stick to this, you help search engines understand your store’s content as well as increase click-through rates.

Header Tags and Content Structure

You can use header tags (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content logically. Here, H1 tag can be used to write the main title/ heading of your page. Rest, H2, and H3 can be used for secondary headings. This helps search engine understand the significance of each section of your content.

Image Optimization

Visual optimization cannot be overlooked at any cost as these play a crucial role in the ecommerce industry. For each image, you have to use a descriptive file name and alt text. This way, you make search engines aware of the visual. Image optimization also contributes in improving store’s visibility in search results (while looking specifically at image search results). Additionally, compressed images improve page load speed, which is a ranking factor for Google.

2. Improve Page Load Speed

Fast-Loading Themes

Choose a fast-loading Shopify theme. Fortunately, the platform offers a variety of themes, some of which are better optimized for speed than others. While selecting, look for lightweight and well-coded themes. Even top-performing Shopify SEO firms suggest choosing fast-loaded themes as the first step.

Optimize Images and Videos

Beyond any doubt, large media files slow down the website. Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptimize to compress images without losing quality. For videos, consider using a third-party hosting service like YouTube or Vimeo to reduce the load on your server.

Leverage Browser Caching

Browser caching can improve load times for repeat visitors. This technique stores static files (like images, CSS, and JavaScript) on the user’s browser, so they don’t have to be reloaded every time the user visits your site.

Minimize HTTP Requests

The more elements present on your store, the higher HTTP requests will be generated. But when you keep only required elements, HTTP requests are also minimized. This includes combining CSS and JavaScript files, using CSS sprites for images, and removing unnecessary plugins and apps.

3. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Guest Blogging

Guest posting is a top technique for securing valuable backlinks. Reach out to blogs and websites that your target audience visits. There, you can offer to write a blog post and in return, you will get a link to your Shopify store.

Influencer Partnerships

Collaborate with influencers in your industry. Influencers can provide valuable backlinks through their websites and social media profiles. This not only improves your SEO but also drives targeted traffic to your store.

Create Shareable Content

Content that provides value, such as comprehensive guides, infographics, and research reports, is more likely to be shared and linked to by others. Invest time in creating high-quality, shareable content that can earn organic backlinks.

Monitor and Disavow Toxic Backlinks

With the help of Google Search Console and Ahrefs, you can monitor the backlink profile of your store. While using these tools, if you identify any toxic or spammy link, you better disavow that.

4. Utilize Social Media

Active Social Media Presence

One more way to get your target audience’s attention is staying active on social media. Regularly posting engaging content there can drive traffic to your store and improve your brand’s visibility.

Social Sharing Buttons

Make your content shareable. To ensure this, you can add social sharing buttons. Using these buttons on product pages and blog posts will help you reach more followers, increasing the store’s visibility and generating more backlinks.

Social Proof and Reviews

The customer purchased the product, great! After that, encourage them to leave reviews and share their experience on social media. Positive reviews and user-generated content can enhance your store’s credibility and attract more visitors

Social Media Ads

Paid ads on social media platforms drive traffic to the store. True, but this traffic is not organic. But, it can improve your store’s overall visibility and lead to higher rankings for some time.

5. Focus on Mobile Optimization

Mobile-Friendly Design

Ensure that your Shopify store is mobile-friendly. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily indexes you based on your site’s mobile version. Choose a responsive theme and test your site’s mobile usability with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)

Implement AMP to create fast-loading mobile pages. AMP is a web component framework that allows you to create user-first websites and ads. While it is not a direct ranking factor, faster page load times can improve user experience and potentially boost your rankings.

Mobile-Optimized Checkout

Streamline the mobile checkout process. A complicated or slow checkout process can lead to cart abandonment, negatively impacting your sales and SEO. Simplify forms, enable guest checkout, and optimize payment gateways for mobile users.

Voice Search Optimization

Voice search is in trend these days. So, optimizing your site for voice queries also becomes important. Generally, these queries are longer and more conversational. But by identifying long-tail keywords, you can optimize your site even for voice search queries.

Conclusion

Improving your Shopify store’s visibility in SERPs is a multifaceted process that involves on-page and off-page SEO techniques, enhancing page load speed, leveraging social media, and focusing on mobile optimization.

By implementing these strategies, you can increase your store’s organic traffic, improve your search engine rankings, and ultimately boost your sales.

But yes, stay updated with the latest trends and periodically optimize your store. This will ensure long-term success for your brand in the ever-evolving world of e-commerce.

Featured image by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash