Shopify SEO Strategies Beyond Basic Apps

How to Go Beyond Plugins and Build an SEO Foundation That Scales

Are you running a Shopify store and having trouble bringing in organic traffic? You’ve probably installed a few SEO apps—maybe Yoast, Plug in SEO, or Smart SEO. And while those tools help cover the basics, they won’t get you to page one if you’re in a competitive space.

To compete for top search positions, especially for product and category terms, you need to go beyond checklists and apps. This post covers advanced SEO strategies built specifically for growing Shopify stores—things like structured data, performance optimization, and content strategies designed to scale.

Let’s dig in.

Why Apps Aren’t Enough

SEO apps are great for catching low-hanging fruit—like missing meta tags, broken links, or alt text—but they don’t solve for:

• Technical site structure
• Page performance and Core Web Vitals
• Schema markup for rich results
• Strategic content organization Those are the factors that help top-ranking stores stay at the top.

Advanced Technical SEO for Shopify

1. Add Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Rich snippets are one of the easiest ways to improve click-through rates and visibility on Google. Think star ratings, price, and availability directly in the search result.

Most Shopify themes only include basic schema, and some use it incorrectly. You’ll want to implement structured data manually or use a tool that supports custom schema configuration.

Start with:

• Product schema (name, image, price, availability, SKU, etc.)
• Breadcrumb schema for easier crawl paths
• Review schema if using UGC or app-based reviews

Helpful tools:

• Google Rich Results Test
• Schema.dev
• Merkle’s Schema Generator

2. Boost Performance with Edge Caching

Shopify already uses a content delivery network (CDN), but you can take it further. Services like Edgemesh or Cloudflare’s Automatic Platform Optimization (APO) can help with:

• Faster Time to First Byte (TTFB)
• Reduced layout shifts and blocking time
• Better Core Web Vitals scores If you're on Shopify Plus, you may have more flexibility in implementing these services.

3. Minimize JavaScript and CSS Bloat

Every third-party app you add to Shopify can introduce new scripts—and many of them are render-blocking. This slows down your First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), both critical for SEO. Here’s what you can do:

• Audit scripts with PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse
• Defer or lazy-load non-critical scripts
• Minify CSS/JS assets using theme customization or your build pipeline
• Remove unused apps regularly

4. Fix Crawl Depth & Internal Linking

Pages that are more than three clicks deep are less likely to be crawled or indexed. Internal linking helps spread authority and directs users (and Google) to high-value pages.

• Link from blog posts to collections and product pages
• Add “related products” and “shop this look” sections on PDPs
• Check your click-depth with a crawl tool like Screaming Frog
   

Content Strategy That Works for Shopify

1. Build Intent-Driven Content Hubs

Don’t just blog to blog. Build around themes your customers care about—and structure your content so it links back to high-converting product pages. Use a pillar-and-cluster model:

• Pillar page: “The Complete Guide to Natural Skincare”
• Clusters: “Best Toners for Sensitive Skin,” “How to Layer Serums,” etc.

Link each post to relevant PDPs and collections.

2. Add Unique Content to Collection Pages

Most Shopify stores rely on images and filters to do the heavy lifting on category pages. That’s a missed opportunity.

Try this:

• Add 200–300 words of keyword-optimized content to top and/or bottom of collection pages
• Use this space to target long-tail keywords, address user questions, or explain category nuances
• Keep it unique—avoid copy-pasting between collections

3. Use Reviews and UGC Strategically

Don’t just collect reviews—index them.

Many Shopify review apps allow you to:

• Display schema-structured reviews for SEO
• Curate and moderate content for keyword relevance
• Feature user-generated photos and stories that also improve engagement metrics (which helps SEO)

4. Capture Top-of-Funnel Searches

Think beyond branded product terms.

Write content that addresses early-stage search intent:

• “What’s the difference between squalane and hyaluronic acid?”
• “How to choose the right coffee roast for your taste”
• “Top 5 gift ideas for minimalist travelers” These articles bring in qualified traffic and serve as natural entry points to your products.

Common Shopify SEO Pitfalls

Even well-optimized stores run into issues unique to Shopify. Watch for:

• Duplicate content caused by tag pages or filtered URLs
• Thin product descriptions that don’t give search engines enough context
• Missing alt text from bulk uploads or automation tools
• Pagination errors with no canonical or next/prev tags
• Orphaned product pages with no internal links or navigation

Final Thoughts

Shopify is a powerful platform—but SEO success takes more than apps. Advanced technical work and a content strategy aligned with buyer intent will take you further, faster.

At Binary Anvil, we help brands go beyond templates and checklists. Whether it’s custom schema implementation, performance tuning, or building content hubs that rank, we’ve helped eCommerce teams build a search engine foundation that scales.

Want a second set of eyes on your SEO?

Request a Shopify SEO Audit — we’ll identify your top opportunities and walk you through what to fix.