If you’re running your store on Shopify or thinking about switching, you’ve probably asked this at some point: “Is Shopify going to hurt my SEO?” The short answer: not necessarily. Shopify has some solid SEO features baked in, but there are also some trade-offs you’ll need to work around.
Let’s walk through what Shopify gets right, where it falls short, and what you can do to make sure your site is as search-friendly as possible.
Why SEO Matters for Shopify Stores
You wouldn’t open a beautiful storefront on a busy street and leave the lights off, would you? That’s what it’s like launching a Shopify store without SEO. You might have amazing products, but if people can’t find you on Google, your store might as well be invisible.
For eCommerce, SEO is more than just rankings—it’s traffic, revenue, and long-term brand visibility. Organic search consistently brings in high-intent visitors, and unlike paid traffic, it doesn’t disappear the moment you stop spending.
But SEO for online stores isn’t the same as local or service-based SEO. It’s more complex. You’re dealing with product pages, filters, variant URLs, site speed, structured data, etc. That’s why the platform you build on matters.
Pros: Why Shopify Is Good for SEO
Built-In SEO Features
Shopify comes with several SEO-friendly basics out of the box:
- Custom title tags and meta descriptions
- Clean code structure
- Automatic generation of sitemap.xml and robots.txt
- Built-in redirects for deleted or moved pages
These foundational tools give Shopify users a head start—no plugins required to launch with SEO best practices in place.
Fast, Mobile-Optimized Themes
Speed matters. Both for your users and your rankings.
Shopify’s themes are mobile-first and generally lightweight, which helps with Core Web Vitals—a ranking factor in Google’s algorithm. Your site’s performance can directly affect bounce rates and conversions, especially on mobile.
SEO App Ecosystem
Shopify’s app marketplace includes a variety of SEO tools that make it easier to optimize your store without touching code. From structured data generators (like JSON-LD for SEO) to apps like Plug In SEO, there’s a low barrier to adding rich metadata, fixing errors, and scaling SEO without needing a dev team.
So, what is the difference between multichannel and omnichannel marketing? While both serve multiple marketing channels, only one blends them into a unified, satisfying customer experience strategy. (Spoiler alert: it’s omnichannel).
Cons: Where Shopify SEO Falls Short
Shopify does a lot right, but it’s not perfect. There are a few key limitations to be aware of.
Rigid URL Structures
Shopify forces a specific URL structure for key content types:
- /collections/
- /products/
These folders can’t be removed or customized. For some SEO purists, that’s frustrating. You’re stuck with slugs that might not be ideal for your strategy or CTR.
Duplicate Content Risk
Product variants and filtered navigation can create duplicate content issues, especially if misconfigured. For example, the same product's different color or size versions may generate multiple URLs with similar content. Without proper canonical tags or third-party apps, Google might get confused or ignore the pages entirely.
Limited Blog Functionality
Shopify’s blog engine is… functional, but not flexible.
Compared to WordPress, it’s harder to scale a content marketing program or implement advanced features like custom post types, category pages, or dynamic internal linking. You can make it work, but it takes more effort.
How to Improve Your Shopify SEO
Here are some quick wins to get your SEO performance moving in the right direction:
Submit Your Sitemap to Google
Shopify automatically generates a sitemap, but you still need to submit it in Google Search Console. This ensures your pages are being discovered and crawled.
Use Schema Markup Apps
Add structured data using apps like JSON-LD for SEO. This helps search engines understand your site and can improve how your products appear in search results.
Turn Off Extra Branding
Disable any theme or app settings that inject your store name into every title tag. You want clean, concise title tags that focus on keywords, not repetition.
Strengthen Internal Linking
Link between your product pages, collections, and blog posts. Shopify makes it easy to interlink pages, and doing so improves crawlability and user experience.
Partner with a Shopify SEO Expert
Shopify SEO can be deceptively tricky. If you’re not sure where to start, CakeCommerce offers Shopfiy SEO services tailored to eCommerce brands.
How to Choose a Shopify SEO Partner
Not all SEO agencies understand the nuances of eCommerce platforms, and Shopify is its own animal.
Look for a partner that:
- Specializes in eCommerce SEO (not just general SEO)
Has proven experience optimizing Shopify sites - Can show case studies or real results
- Understands both technical SEO and content strategy
CakeCommerce checks all those boxes. We don’t just optimize for rankings—we build strategies that drive real revenue.
Final Verdict: Is Shopify Good or Bad for SEO?
Shopify is a solid choice for most online brands, especially if you’re looking for ease of use, security, and scalability.
But if SEO is a big part of your growth strategy, you’ll need to be proactive. Shopify won’t hold you back, but it also won’t do the work for you. With the right apps, structure, and strategy, you can absolutely build an SEO powerhouse on Shopify.
Want help turning your Shopify store into a traffic machine? Let’s talk.
