If you’re looking to rank your Shopify store #1 on Google, you’ve come to the right place. Our comprehensive and actionable guide will walk you through optimizing your Shopify store for search engines and enhancing your user experience.
Blueprint for Shopify SEO Success
This post covers essential steps to help you achieve high rankings on Google and attract more traffic to your Shopify store. I’ve personally worked with over 500 Shopify stores since Shopify’s inception in 2006 across my SEO career and throughout owning Agency Backlinks.
Ultimate Shopify SEO Guide updated for November 2024
So you can be sure I’ve distilled years of hard work and real, data-driven campaigns into this post so you can get started immediately without trial and error.
Ready to dive in? 
A critical aspect of optimizing your Shopify store for search engines is focusing on E-E-A-T – Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses these on-site and off-site signals to improve the quality and safety of search results. You can view the updated Google Evaluator Guidelines (December 15, 2022) to see precisely what website evaluators look for.
These factors directly influence how we rank our Shopify stores, which we’ll explore in this post.
Below, we’ll outline 28 actionable strategies you can implement immediately to optimize your Shopify store’s E-E-A-T. As many of my Twitter followers know, we’ve reindexed optimization across 24,000 SKUs and seen significant increases in organic SEO within days.
A lot of SEO issues seem to stem from indexing problems these days.
Been speaking to @jamesgregoryseo about his solutions to the indexing problems, absolutely mind blowing stuff he’s been able to achieve!
~50gb, 25k+ page build sites indexed within a week on fresh domains 👀
— Charles Floate 📈 (@Charles_SEO) March 13, 2023
These strategies are specifically designed for Shopify store owners who want to enhance their online visibility, attract more customers, and achieve long-term success in the competitive world of e-commerce!
Let’s go ahead and take a closer look at some key areas of focus to ensure you have a solid foundation for your E-E-A-T SEO efforts.
Enhancing User Experience with E-E-A-T in Mind
Optimize your site structure and navigation to create a seamless user experience. For example, organise your categories, products, and pages logically, and use clear, descriptive labels for menu items. This will help users find what they need quickly and easily.
2. Optimize Site Speed
Site speed is crucial for both user experience and search engine rankings. Optimize your site speed by compressing images, using a CDN (Content Delivery Network), and leveraging browser caching. Regularly test your site’s speed and adjust to ensure fast loading times.
3. Design for Mobile
Users Make sure your Shopify store is mobile-friendly by using a responsive design, optimizing buttons and forms for touchscreens, and ensuring text and images are legible on smaller screens. With most online shopping on mobile devices, this is crucial for user experience and search engine rankings.
4. Use Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)
Guide users through your site and encourage them to take desired actions with clear and compelling CTAs. Use action-oriented language, and ensure CTAs are prominently displayed and easy to find.
Content Marketing and E-E-A-T: A Winning Combination
5. Create High-Quality Content
Develop a content strategy that includes blog posts, videos, infographics, and other types of content that showcase your expertise and address your audience’s needs. Focus on providing value and answering questions, and avoid thin or low-quality content offering little value.
6. Use Targeted Keywords
Conduct keyword research to identify the terms and phrases your target audience uses to search for products and information related to your niche. Then, naturally and meaningfully incorporate these keywords into your content, headings, and metadata to improve your visibility in search results.
7. Leverage Internal and External Linking
Internal linking helps users navigate your site, while external linking can demonstrate your authority and trustworthiness. Use internal links to guide users to relevant content and external links to reference authoritative sources and back up your claims.
8. Optimize Metadata
Ensure your metadata, including title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text, is optimized with relevant keywords and accurately describes your content. This helps search engines understand your content and improves click-through rates from search results.
Building Trust with Quality Backlinks
9. Develop Relationships with Industry Influencers
Partner with industry influencers and bloggers to create guest posts, co-host webinars, or collaborate on content projects. This can help you build your reputation and gain valuable backlinks from authoritative sources.
Create valuable and shareable content, such as in-depth guides, case studies, or original research. This type of content is more likely to attract backlinks from other websites, increasing your site’s authority and search rankings.
11. Leverage Social Media
Share your content on social media platforms to reach a wider audience and encourage others to link to your content. Engage with your followers, participate in conversations, and build relationships with influencers to expand your reach further and improve your backlink profile.
12. Monitor Your Backlink Profile
Use tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Moz to monitor your backlink profile and identify any spammy or low-quality links that may harm your rankings. Then, disavow these links if necessary to maintain a healthy backlink profile.
Operational E-E-A-T Factors
13. Implement Structured Data
Use structured data markup (such as Schema.org) to provide search engines with additional information about your content, products, and business. This can help improve your search visibility and increase your chances of appearing in rich results or featured snippets.
14. Secure Your Site with HTTPS
Ensure your site uses HTTPS for a secure browsing experience, as this is a ranking factor for Google. An SSL certificate will encrypt user data, increasing trust in your website and protecting sensitive information.
15. Maintain Consistent NAP Information
Ensure your business’s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) information is consistent across your website and online directories. This consistency helps search engines trust your business and can improve your local SEO rankings.
16. Provide Clear Contact Information and Support
Display your contact information prominently on your site and offer multiple support channels like email, phone, and live chat. This demonstrates your commitment to customer service and helps build trust with your audience.
Performance E-E-A-T Factors
17. Monitor and Optimize Conversion Rates
Regularly analyze your conversion rates and optimize your site to improve performance. Identify potential bottlenecks, such as lengthy checkout processes or unclear CTAs, and make adjustments to improve user experience and conversion rates.
18. Gather and Display Reviews and Testimonials
Collect and showcase customer reviews and testimonials on your site to demonstrate social proof and build trust with potential customers. Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on third-party sites like Google My Business, as these can also impact your search rankings.
19. Analyze and Address User Behavior Metrics
Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor user behaviour on your site, such as bounce rates, time on site, and pages per session. Identify areas for improvement and make changes to enhance user experience and increase engagement.
20. Set Up and Monitor Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides valuable insights into your site’s performance in search results and any issues that may be impacting your rankings. Regularly monitor and address errors or warnings to ensure your site remains optimized for search engines.
21. Optimize Product Pages
Optimize your pages by including high-quality images, detailed product descriptions, and relevant keywords. In addition, ensure each product page has a unique title tag and meta description, and include schema markup to enhance search result listings.
22. Implement a Robust FAQ Section
Create a comprehensive FAQ section that addresses common customer questions and concerns. This demonstrates your expertise and authority and helps users find the information they need quickly and easily.
23. Leverage Email Marketing
Leverage email marketing to engage with your audience, promote your content, and drive traffic to your Shopify store. Segment your email list and send targeted campaigns to improve engagement and conversion rates.
24. Track and Analyze Competitor Strategies
Regularly analyze your competitors’ SEO strategies, content, and backlink profiles to identify opportunities for improvement and stay ahead of the competition. Then, use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to gather valuable insights and refine your strategies.
25. Optimize for Voice Search
As voice search becomes increasingly popular, ensure your content is optimized for voice queries by using conversational language and targeting long-tail keywords. In addition, answer questions directly and concisely to improve your chances of being featured in voice search results.
26. Encourage User-Generated Content
User-generated content, such as reviews, testimonials, and social media posts, can help demonstrate your trustworthiness and expertise. Encourage users to create and share content related to your products or brand to build social proof and improve search rankings.
27. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
Target long-tail keywords in your content and metadata to capture more specific search queries and attract users with higher intent. In addition, long-tail keywords are typically less competitive, making it easier to rank for these terms and drive more targeted traffic to your site.
28. Keep Up with SEO Trends and Algorithm Updates
Stay informed about the latest SEO trends, best practices, and algorithm updates to ensure your Shopify store remains optimized for search engines. In addition, regularly review and update your strategies to maintain your competitive edge and adapt to any changes in the search landscape.
Conclusion
E-E-A-T may seem like a hotly debated topic within the SEO community, but its direct influence on SEO is likely limited (once all the basics in this post are covered). Therefore, rather than focusing on it as a ranking factor, it’s essential to understand what E-E-A-T truly represents: the signals that search engines use to evaluate a website’s quality and reputation.
By prioritizing your customers’ needs, maintaining honesty, professionalism, and authenticity, and building a strong brand reputation, you can provide search engines with the positive signals they seek. Implementing these principles will not only make your customers happier but also lead to the growth and success of your Shopify website.
with our ranking matrix® 
