SEO for Shopify, working within the platform
Shopify takes care of more SEO than most platforms and locks down more than most too. Good Shopify SEO is knowing which is which.
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Quick answer
SEO for Shopify means optimising the parts the platform lets you control: collection pages, product titles and descriptions, handles, internal links, images and redirects. Shopify already generates canonical tags, the sitemap, robots.txt and title tags automatically, and its /products/ and /collections/ paths are fixed, so the work is about using those defaults well rather than fighting them.
Key takeaways
- Collections are your category pages and usually your best ranking opportunity.
- Link to products at their /products/ URL; collection-scoped product URLs are duplicates.
- Shopify only redirects broken URLs, so add a redirect whenever a handle changes or a product is deleted.
- Leave robots.txt alone unless you know exactly why; Shopify calls editing it an unsupported customisation.
What Shopify handles, and what you control
Shopify's SEO overview lists what it does automatically: canonical tags to prevent duplicate content, generated sitemap.xml and robots.txt files, and title tags that include your store name.
| What it covers | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Canonical tags, sitemap.xml, robots.txt, default title tags | Check they're working; rarely change them |
| You control | Collection and product copy, titles and meta descriptions, handles, menus, images, redirects | This is where Shopify SEO happens |
| Fixed | The /products/, /collections/ and /collections/all paths | Work with them; they can't be redirected or renamed |
Shopify's URL structure and duplicate product URLs
Every product lives at /products/product-handle. But themes can also link to it inside a collection, at /collections/collection-handle/products/product-handle, which shows the same product on a second URL.
Shopify's documentation for the Liquid within filter, which creates those collection-scoped links, says outright that you should consider the SEO implications, because the same content appears on separate URLs. Canonical tags point both to the /products/ URL, but internal links are a stronger signal than a canonical hint.
Check your theme: product links in collection grids should go straight to /products/product-handle. If they include /collections/, ask your developer to remove the within filter.
Collections SEO
Collections are Shopify's category pages, and for most stores they match the searches with buying intent: the product type, not the exact model. Treat each important collection as a landing page.
- A title tag and H1 that use the product type people search for.
- A short introduction that helps someone choose, above or below the product grid.
- A place in the main menu, so it gets internal links from every page.
- A decision on whether it should be indexable: thin tag-based or seasonal collections often shouldn't compete with your main ones.
Product pages and product title SEO
Three things are easy to confuse on Shopify. The product name is the H1 shoppers see. The SEO title is the title tag in search results, which you can edit separately under search engine listing. The handle is the URL.
Shopify's guidance is a title of 60 characters or fewer, with up to 70 allowed in the field, and about 160 characters for the description. A useful pattern for the SEO title is product name, then the key attribute buyers search for, such as material or size.
- Write descriptions that answer buyers' questions, not the manufacturer's copy every other stockist uses.
- Put specifications in text, not only in images.
- Give every product image descriptive alt text.
Home page SEO
Many themes use the store name or logo as the home page H1, which wastes the most-linked page on the site. Check the page source: the home page should have one clear H1 describing what the store sells, a title tag that does the same, and links to the top collections.
Handles, deleted products and redirects
Changing a handle or deleting a product breaks its old URL. Shopify's redirect documentation is clear on the limits: you can redirect only from broken URLs, a redirect won't work if the old URL still loads a page, and URLs using the fixed /products, /collections and /collections/all paths can't be redirected.
- Before changing a handleNote the old URL and whether it has traffic or links.
- After changing itAdd a URL redirect from the old URL to the new one under Online Store, Navigation, URL redirects.
- When deleting a productRedirect its URL to a replacement product or its collection, not the home page.
Sitemap, robots.txt and indexing
Shopify generates the sitemap automatically at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml, with separate files for products, collections, blogs and pages. Submit it in Google Search Console and use the page indexing report to see what Google has indexed.
Robots.txt can be edited by adding a robots.txt.liquid template, but Shopify's own help page says the default works for most stores, calls editing it an unsupported customisation, and warns that incorrect use can result in loss of all traffic.
Structured data and apps
Most themes output product structured data. Check it with Google's Rich Results Test, because Google distinguishes merchant listings for pages where customers can buy from those for pages where they can't, and a Shopify product page is the first kind.
Apps are the main source of slow Shopify stores and duplicate structured data. Each one can add scripts to every page. Remove apps you no longer use, and check that a review app and the theme aren't both outputting product markup.
Shopify Plus: what changes for SEO
Shopify Plus gives more control and higher limits, not better rankings. One documented difference: standard stores can create up to 100,000 URL redirects, while Plus allows far more, which matters for large catalogues and migrations. The SEO fundamentals on this page are the same on every plan.
Shopify SEO checklist
| When | Check |
|---|---|
| Set up once | Search Console verified and sitemap submitted |
| Set up once | Home page H1 and title describe what you sell |
| Set up once | Theme links products at /products/, not inside collections |
| Set up once | Unused apps removed; product structured data validates |
| Every new collection | Title, H1 and introduction use the searched product type; added to the menu |
| Every new product | SEO title, description, handle and image alt text written |
| Every changed or deleted product | Redirect from the old URL added |
Common questions
Is Shopify good for SEO?
Yes, for most stores. It handles canonical tags, sitemaps and robots.txt automatically. Its limits are the fixed /products/ and /collections/ paths and less control over technical settings than an open platform.
Can you change Shopify's /products/ and /collections/ URLs?
No. They are fixed Shopify paths. You can change the handle after the prefix, and should add a redirect from the old URL when you do.
Does Shopify redirect old URLs when I change a product handle?
Don't rely on it. Shopify's documentation describes creating URL redirects yourself, and they only work from URLs that no longer load a page.
Should I edit robots.txt on Shopify?
Usually not. Shopify says the default works for most stores, calls editing it an unsupported customisation, and warns that mistakes can cost all your traffic.
Is Shopify Plus better for SEO?
Not by itself. Plus gives more control and higher limits, such as far more URL redirects, but rankings depend on the same work on any plan.
How long should Shopify product titles be?
Shopify recommends 60 characters or fewer for the SEO title, with up to 70 allowed, and about 160 characters for the meta description.
Do I need an SEO app for Shopify?
Not to start. The built-in settings cover titles, descriptions, redirects and the sitemap. Add an app only for a specific gap, and check it doesn't slow the store or duplicate structured data.
Where to next
If you would rather have someone do this than read about it, the commercial page for this work is Shopify SEO services.
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