8 Common Shopify SEO Problems and How To Resolve Them

Tonmoy Parves

May 22, 2025

Shopify is one of the most popular platforms for creating stunning online stores. It helps businesses sell their products quickly. It has features like customizable templates, secure payment options, and tools for managing inventory, making it user-friendly. Shopify is simple to use and can help you to start selling online quickly.

However, despite its many benefits, Shopify still has some problems. These problems can result in low visibility on search engines, making it difficult for customers to find your store.

These problems with Shopify stores also reduce traffic, affect your sales, and slow down the growth of your business. These and many more are what Shopify store owners face, especially regarding Shopify Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

If you’re struggling with Shopify SEO issues, this article has been written explicitly for you to help improve your ecommerce SEO strategy. It will show you 8 common Shopify SEO problems and how to solve them quickly.

These tips will help your store appear better on search engines and attract more customers.

Why Is SEO Essential for Shopify

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) makes your website visible on search engines like Google. The goal is to help your store appear higher in search results when people look for products you sell.

It is essential for Shopify because it helps people find your store quickly. If your store isn’t optimized, it becomes difficult for people to locate your site. You’ll miss out on potential customers if your store doesn’t appear on search engine results.

With good SEO, more people will find your Shopify store when they search for what you sell. This can lead to more visitors and sales, helping your business grow.

Most Common Shopify SEO Problems and How To Resolve Them

Poor Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization is using the right words or phrases people search for when they want to buy something. These are words like “best sneakers” or “best skincare products.”

When there is poor keyword optimization, it means your store isn’t using the right words or isn’t using them enough.

Poor keyword optimization can hurt your Shopify store in several ways:

Low Visibility: If your store isn’t using the right keywords, search engines won’t show it to people looking for your products. This means fewer visitors will find your store.
Reduced Traffic: You’re missing out on potential customers searching for what you sell without proper keyword usage. This can lead to less traffic to your site.
Lower Sales: If fewer people visit your store because of poor keyword optimization, there will be fewer opportunities for sales.
Bad Search Engine Rankings: Search engines like Google rank stores higher when they use the right keywords. Poor optimization keeps your store from ranking well, so it gets buried in search results.

How to fix the problem of poor keyword optimization for a Shopify store:

Fixing poor keyword optimization on Shopify involves ensuring the right words are used so people can easily find your store online. Here’s how to solve this problem:

Research Keywords: Find the words your customers search for when looking for your products. Use Google Keyword Planner or free keyword research tools to get ideas. Niche Empire can help you with this process.
Use Keywords in Titles and Descriptions: Add your researched keywords to your product titles and descriptions. For example, if you sell “leather wallets,” use that phrase in your product name and description.
Improve Your Content: Write content about topics your customers care about and include the keywords in the content. For instance, if you’re selling fitness equipment, you could write articles like “How to Stay Fit at Home with Simple Exercise Equipment” or “Top Home Gym Equipment for Small Spaces.”
Analyze and Adjust: Check your store’s performance using tools like Google Analytics or Shopify’s SEO apps.

Missing Alt Text for Images on Shopify Stores

Alt text is a short description of an image. It helps search engines and vision-impaired users using screen readers understand what the image is about. Also, when an image fails to load (broken), the ALT text is displayed to the site visitor, which describes the image without having to see the image. Missing alt text for images is a Shopify SEO problem to address because search engines like Google use alt text along with computer vision algorithms and the contents of the page to understand the image’s subject matter.

When alt text is missing, search engines may not rank your store images higher in image searches because they will struggle to tell what your images represent. This may impact how your Shopify store appears in search results when people are looking for products similar to yours, leading to a loss in potential organic traffic.

Additionally, missing alt text can hurt accessibility. Visually impaired people rely on screen readers, which use alt text to describe images. If the alt text is missing, these users can’t fully experience your store.

How to fix the problem of missing alt text for Images:

Add Alt Text to Images: Go to your Shopify admin, click on your products, and select an image. Look for the “Alt text” or “Alternative text” box and type a short, clear image description. For example, “White running sneakers breathable mesh design.”
Use Keywords in Alt Text: Include keywords related to your product in the alt text. This helps search engines understand your products better and makes your store more visible.

Poor URL Structure

Shopify automatically adds certain words to your URLs, which cannot be removed. For example, “/collections/” for collection pages and “/products/” for product pages. So, a URL might look like this: “www.yourstore.com/collections/shoes” or “www.yourstore.com/products/sneakers.”

This can be a problem because these extra words make the URL longer and less direct, which might not be ideal for SEO. Search engines prefer shorter, cleaner URLs that focus on the main keywords.

Unfortunately, Shopify prevents you from removing these default words from the URL structure.

How to fix the problem of poor URL structure:

Since Shopify doesn’t let you remove words like “/products/” or “/collections/” from the URL, you can fix this common Shopify SEO issue by optimizing the rest of the URL. Here’s how:

Focus on Keywords: Use relevant keywords in the part of the URL you can control. For example, instead of “/products/item123,” use “/products/white-running-sneakers” to create a more SEO-friendly page version.
Keep URLs Simple: Avoid adding unnecessary words or numbers to the URL. Stick to clear, descriptive terms about the product or page.
Add Unique Descriptions: Make sure each URL is unique and matches what the page is about. For example, if you have multiple types of sneakers, use specific URLs like “/products/men-black-sneakers” and “/products/women-pink-sneakers.”

Another way to eliminate “/collections” and “/products” from your Shopify URL structure is by editing your theme code.

Generic Content

Generic content makes your store content look ordinary. When a store uses the same SEO product descriptions, images, or text as many others, it fails to stand out.

Customers like unique and engaging content that tells them why they should choose your store over others. The store can seem unprofessional if the content is too plain or copied.

How to fix the problem of generic content:

Write unique product descriptions: Explain what makes your product special. Use your own words to describe its features, benefits, and why customers should buy it.
Add details: Be specific about size, materials, colors, or other features. This shows you know your product well and builds trust.
Create custom images: Instead of stock photos or supplier images, take your pictures. High-quality, original photos make your store look professional and unique.
Focus on your customers: Think about what they care about and write content that answers their questions or solves their problems.

Non-Mobile Friendly Design

Non-mobile-friendly design is a problem for Shopify stores because most people shop on their phones. It frustrates customers if your store doesn’t look good or work well on mobile devices.

A report from Launchnorth revealed that “74% of users are more likely to return to your website if it’s mobile-friendly.” This shows how much customers value a good mobile experience.

Follow these simple steps to fix the problem of a non-mobile-friendly design on your Shopify store:

Use a mobile-responsive theme: Choose the best SEO Shopify theme that works well on phones and tablets. These themes automatically adjust your store to fit smaller screens.
Test your store on mobile: Check how your store looks and works on different devices. Ensure the text is readable and buttons are easy to click.
Simplify navigation: Keep menus and categories clear and easy to find on mobile. Avoid clutter to make browsing smoother.
Optimize loading speed: A study by WebFX showed that 83% of online users expect websites they visit to load in three seconds or less. Fast-loading pages keep customers happy. Compress images and remove unnecessary features that slow down your site.

Poor Internal Linking

Internal links connect pages within your store, like linking a product page to a category or a blog to a product. If these links are missing or not well-organized, it creates confusion.

If a visitor lands on a product page, they should be able to find similar items or bundles easily. Without clear links, they might leave your store out of frustration.

This affects user experience and reduces your store’s visibility in search engines, hurting your sales and growth, especially in a competitive ecommerce market.

Follow these simple steps to fix poor internal linking on your Shopify store:

Add related product links: On each product page, link to similar items. For example, if someone is viewing a shirt, include links to matching pants or accessories.
Create a clear menu: Ensure your navigation menu is well-organized with links to main categories and subcategories. This makes it easy for customers to browse your store.
Use breadcrumbs: Add breadcrumbs to your site. These small links at the top of a page show the path a visitor took, like “Home > Category > Product.” It helps users go back easily.
Fix broken links: Regularly check your website for broken links (links that lead to an error page) and fix them. Broken links frustrate customers and hurt your SEO.

No Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Having no structured data limits how your store appears in search results. Structured data is code that helps search engines better understand your store’s content. It allows them to display helpful details directly in search results, like product ratings, prices, or availability.

Without structured data, your store’s listings may look plain compared to competitors who use schema markup. For example, a competitor’s product might show up with a 5-star rating, while yours shows the product name and link. This can lead to fewer clicks and lower traffic to your store.

Follow these steps to fix no structured data (schema markup) on your Shopify store:

Use Shopify Apps: Install apps like SEO Manager from the Shopify App Store. This Shopify SEO tool automatically adds structured data to your store, including products, reviews, and offers.
Manually Add Code: You can manually add structured data to your Shopify theme for more control. Use JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) to insert code for product details, such as name, price, and ratings, in the theme’s template files.
Test Your Markup: Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool to check if your structured data is correctly implemented. Fix any errors that appear in the test.
Regular Updates: Keep your structured data current as you add new products or change details. This ensures search engines always have the latest information.

Crawl Errors

Crawl errors stop search engines from properly reading and indexing your website. When search engines like Google try to “crawl” your site (scan it to understand what’s there), errors can occur that prevent them from seeing your content.

If there are broken links, missing pages, or pages that load too slowly, search engines may not index those pages correctly. This means potential customers may not find your store through search results.

Follow these steps to fix crawl errors on your Shopify store:

Check for Crawl Errors: Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you monitor how Google crawls and indexes your website. It shows crawl errors like broken links, missing pages (404 errors), or pages that are blocked from being crawled. You can fix these errors by reviewing the “Coverage” report.
Fix Broken Links: If your site has broken links, update or remove them. Shopify apps like Link Manager can help you easily find and fix broken links. Broken links prevent search engines from fully crawling your pages.
Ensure Pages Aren’t Blocked by Robots.txt: Sometimes, certain pages may be blocked from crawling due to the “robots.txt” file. This file tells search engines which pages they can or can’t access. Check your robots.txt file and make sure it’s not blocking important pages.
Fix Redirects: If you’ve changed the URL of any page, make sure you’ve set up a proper redirect. A 301 redirect tells search engines that the page has moved permanently, so they don’t treat it as a broken link.

Conclusion

Shopify stores often face common SEO problems like generic content, non-mobile-friendly design, poor internal linking, lack of structured data, and crawl errors. These issues can hurt your visibility in search results, reduce traffic, and frustrate your customers.

Fortunately, these problems are not difficult to fix. By improving content quality, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly, adding proper internal links, using structured data, and fixing technical errors, you can enhance your SEO performance and customer experience.

Fixing these issues on Shopify can lead to better search rankings, higher traffic, and more sales. If you found this information helpful, feel free to share it with others

FAQs

Why is Google not indexing my Shopify store?

Google may not index your Shopify store due to issues like crawl errors, robots.txt blocks, or duplicate content. These issues prevent search engines from fully crawling and indexing your Shopify store site. Using Google Search Console to fix errors and ensure unique, well-structured content can help solve this.

What is the main drawback of Shopify?

The main drawback of Shopify is its cost. Monthly subscription and transaction fees (unless using Shopify Payments) can add up, especially for smaller businesses.

Which Shopify theme is best for SEO?

Themes like Debut, Dawn, and Minimal are great for SEO. They are fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and optimized for search engines, helping your store rank higher in search results. These themes are simple yet effective in improving user experience and SEO performance.

8 Common Shopify SEO Problems and How To Resolve Them

Table of Contents

Why Is SEO Essential for Shopify