Getting noticed on Shopify requires a cohesive approach to search engine optimization (Shopify SEO), and one of the most important elements of that strategy is Shopify product page SEO. The goal is to create compelling content that makes your offerings easier to find and more appealing to consumers. Here’s what you need to know.
Shopify SEO Constraints to Keep in Mind
Shopify gives merchants a powerful foundation for ecommerce, but its architecture comes with some quirks that directly affect how merchants practice Shopify SEO:
- Collection Hierarchy: Shopify only supports one level of collections, meaning you’ll need to use tags as subcategories
- Liquid Templates: Most product pages are built on the platform’s Liquid template language
- Canonical Control: Shopify automatically generates canonical tags for product pages, which you’ll need to review to prevent duplicate content issues
Familiarizing yourself with these limitations will help you design a Shopify product page SEO strategy that works within the platform’s framework and isn’t left fighting against it.
Crafting Effective Titles
Your product title tag is one of the most important ranking signals in a Google search. With that in mind, here’s how to create better titles that will help get you noticed:
- Include the primary keyword naturally (ideally toward the beginning)
- Keep titles to 60 characters or less
- Make sure the title tag in your theme’s Liquid template file dynamically pulls in product names
Compelling titles will help you increase visibility among shoppers and search engines alike, which is essential for strong Shopify SEO.
Writing SEO-Friendly Descriptions
As is true of your titles, proper Shopify product descriptions SEO is what ensures they connect with your buyers’ needs. To that end, you can consistently write impactful descriptions by following these steps:
- Front-load keywords into the first 160 characters where possible
- Highlight benefits, not just features
- Use bullet points for scan ability, but also include a few natural paragraphs of copy for search engines
- Refresh descriptions as needed, especially if prices or features change
As an example, the phrase “breathable cotton T-shirt for all-day comfort” is far more powerful than “100% cotton shirt.”
Implementing Required Structured Data
Google’s Rich Results rely heavily on structured data. Your ecommerce data layer spec should, therefore, ensure that product details are consistently passed into schema markup. Below is a closer look at everything you need to include.
Required Properties for Product Schema
These are must-have properties for complete product schema markup:
- Name:Product title
- Image: Main product image
- Description: Short product description
- SKU:Stock keeping unit
- Brand:Brand or vendor name
- Offers:Price, currency, availability, condition, URL
If any of these properties are missing or flawed, it could impact the visibility of your products.
Review Schema
Adding review data helps surface star ratings in Google search results. To do so successfully, you’ll need to include the following:
- ReviewRating: Value and best rating
- Author: Name of the reviewer
- ReviewBody: Feedback left by the reviewer
Reviews are a powerful form of social proof. They can highlight the value your products deliver and encourage hesitant consumers to explore your offers.
AggregateRating Schema
Aggregate ratings give Google an average score and review count. The tags you’ll need are as follows:
- ratingValue: The average rating (i.e., 4.7 out of 5 stars)
- reviewCount:The total number of reviews you’ve accumulated for a product
Aggregate rating data also displays the overall sentiment toward a product. If the majority of consumers are giving an item four or five stars, others are more likely to try it out.
Breadcrumb Schema
Use Breadcrumblist to reflect your collection hierarchy. On Shopify, breadcrumbs often align with your main menu or tag-based navigation; you can think of them as tags used to guide consumers where you want them to go.
Video Schema
If your product pages feature demo videos, tutorials, or unboxing clips, implement video object schema with the following properties:
- Name
- Description
- ThumbnailURL
- uploadDate
- ContentURL or embedURL
With the right markup, videos can quickly become the most powerful marketing asset in your toolbox, given their engaging and consumer-friendly nature.
Template Strategy: Snippets vs. Apps
There are two key ways to integrate structured data into Shopify product pages: theme snippets and apps.
Theme snippets are added directly into the Liquid coding language. While they give you full control, you need to be proficient in editing Liquid. Shopify apps are far faster and easier to use, but these apps add a monthly cost and offer less flexibility for custom events and data needs.
Are You Ready to Implement?
After adding schema markup and event tracking, you are almost ready to implement it. Before you do, though, you’ll need to validate that you’ve added everything correctly. Use these tools to know for sure:
- Google Rich Results Test:Check for errors for each URL
- Search Console Report: Run a report to confirm your schema is eligible for Rich Results
- QA Testing: Use browser developer tools to confirm all events fire once per action
If your markup validates, you can implement it.
How to Know When Your Shopify Product Page SEO Implementation Is Ready
Your Shopify product page SEO implementation is ready when each of the following statements is true:
- Every product page has a unique, keyword-optimized title and meta description
- All required product schema properties are present
- No duplicate tags appear
- Rich Results Testing shows zero warnings or errors
- Performance benchmarks are met
- No indexable parameter pages appear in Google’s index
If your markup passes these tests, you can go live and start reaping the benefits of your strategy and Shopify SEO checklist.
Team Up With Net Profit Marketing
When it comes to Shopify product descriptions, SEO strategy ideation can be a daunting process, but you don’t have to go it alone. Net Profit Marketing has the expertise and resources to create optimized titles, descriptions, and schema markup. Contact us today to schedule a data-driven SEO and analytics audit.
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