Getting your Shopify store found on Google doesn't require a technical degree — but it does require knowing where to look. Your Shopify SEO settings are scattered across several menus, and it's surprisingly easy to miss something important. This checklist walks you through every key area, step by step, so you can feel confident your store is set up to rank.
Start with the Basics: Your Online Store Preferences
Before you touch a single product page, there are a few foundational settings to check.
Set Your Title Tag and Meta Description
In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Preferences. This is where you set the homepage title tag and meta description — the text that appears in Google search results.
- Title tag: Keep it under 60 characters. Include your brand name and a primary keyword.
- Meta description: Aim for 150–160 characters. Write it like an ad — make someone want to click.
Example:
Title: Handmade Soy Candles | Free Shipping | WickHaven Co.
Meta: Shop small-batch soy candles made in Austin, TX. 50+ scents, eco-friendly packaging, free shipping on orders over $50.
Enable Password Protection Only When Needed
If your store is password-protected, Google can't index it. Double-check that Password protection is disabled unless you're actively in development mode.
Optimize Every Product Page
This is where most of your SEO wins will come from. Each product page is an opportunity to rank for specific search terms.
Edit the SEO Title and Meta Description
Scroll to the bottom of any product page and find the Search engine listing preview section. Click "Edit website SEO."
Use this formula for product titles:
[Primary Keyword] – [Brand Name] | [Key Benefit or Differentiator]
Example:
Lavender Soy Candle – WickHaven Co. | 40-Hour Burn Time
Use Descriptive URLs (Handles)
Shopify auto-generates URL handles from your product titles, but they're often messy. Clean them up to be short and keyword-rich.
Avoid:
/products/lavender-soy-candle-8oz-hand-poured-limited-edition-2024
Use:
/products/lavender-soy-candle
Write Product Descriptions That Actually Rank
Don't copy-paste manufacturer descriptions. Google penalizes duplicate content. Write unique descriptions that:
- Lead with the most important feature
- Include your target keyword naturally in the first 100 words
- Answer common customer questions (size, materials, use cases)
Collections and Category Pages
Collection pages are often the most powerful pages on a Shopify store — and the most ignored.
Add a Description to Every Collection
Go to Products → Collections and open any collection. Add a paragraph or two of descriptive text at the top. This is prime real estate for your category keywords.
Example for a "Soy Candles" collection:
Our soy candles are hand-poured in small batches using 100%
American-grown soy wax. Each candle burns clean and slow —
up to 50 hours — with no synthetic dyes or parabens.
Optimize Collection SEO Fields
Just like product pages, scroll to the Search engine listing preview on each collection page and fill in the title and meta description manually. Don't rely on Shopify's defaults.
Image Optimization
Images can slow your site down and hurt your rankings if you skip this step.
Compress Images Before Uploading
Use a tool like Squoosh or TinyPNG to compress images before adding them to Shopify. Aim for files under 200KB where possible.
Add Alt Text to Every Image
Alt text helps Google understand what your images show — and it's essential for accessibility. In Shopify, click on any uploaded image and fill in the alt text field.
Format:
[Keyword] – [brief visual description]
Example:
Lavender soy candle – 8oz glass jar with wooden lid on marble surface
Technical Shopify SEO Settings to Check
These are often overlooked but matter more than most people realize.
Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Shopify automatically generates a sitemap at:
https://yourstore.com/sitemap.xml
Go to Google Search Console, add your property, and submit this URL under Sitemaps. This tells Google exactly what pages to index.
Check Your Robots.txt File
Shopify gives you access to edit your robots.txt.liquid file. Unless you have a specific reason to block pages, your default file is usually fine. But do check that important pages — like collections and products — aren't accidentally blocked.
You can view your current robots.txt at:
https://yourstore.com/robots.txt
Enable SSL (It Should Already Be On)
All Shopify stores come with a free SSL certificate, which means your site runs on HTTPS. Confirm by checking that your URL shows a padlock icon in the browser. Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal.
Don't Forget the Blog
If you're not using Shopify's built-in blog, you're leaving organic traffic on the table. Blog posts let you target informational keywords that your product pages can't rank for.
Go to Online Store → Blog Posts and start writing. Even one post per month targeting a question your customers ask ("how to choose a soy candle" or "what's the difference between soy and paraffin wax") can drive consistent traffic over time.
Optimize every blog post the same way you would a product page: custom title tag, meta description, clean URL, and at least one relevant image with alt text.
Quick Reference: Shopify SEO Settings Checklist
✅ Homepage title tag and meta description set
✅ Password protection disabled
✅ SEO title and meta on every product page
✅ Clean, keyword-based URL handles
✅ Unique product descriptions
✅ Collection descriptions written
✅ Collection SEO fields filled in
✅ Images compressed and alt text added
✅ Sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
✅ Robots.txt reviewed
✅ SSL confirmed (HTTPS active)
✅ Blog active with at least a few posts
Getting your Shopify SEO settings dialed in is a one-time lift that pays off for months and years. Start with the checklist above, fix what's missing, and then keep an eye on your rankings.
Want to know exactly what's holding your store back? Run a free SEO scan at abbyseo.com — and for just $8.99, you'll get a personalized remediation guide that tells you exactly what to fix and in what order. No guesswork, no agency retainer required. Just a clear, actionable plan from Abby. 🐾