In this special episode of Winning With Shopify, Nick swaps the interviewer’s chair for the hot seat to share 17+ years of SEO and PPC know-how. If you’ve never done SEO or you’re stuck on what actually moves the needle on Shopify, this is your starting line.
TL;DR
Fix technical first, then content, then off-site. In that order. One primary keyword per page, then cover close variations on that page. Match search intent or you’ll win traffic and lose sales. Off-site isn’t just “build links” – clean, fix, optimise, then create.
The Three Pillars of SEO
1. Technical – Make your site crawlable, indexable and fast. 2) Content – Say the right things, in the right structure, for the right intent. 3) Off-site – Earn and manage authority so Google trusts you more than rivals. Work through them in order; technical issues drag everything else down.
The Three Levels of Ranking
2. Mention the keyword on the page – no mention, no rank. 2) Offer great, unique, helpful content about that keyword – copy, images, video. 3) Be the most authoritative option – quality links and positive brand mentions.
Technical SEO on Shopify: 6 High-Impact Fixes
3. Page speed wins revenue: Remove unused apps that inject front-end code but add no value. Replace simple apps with theme/code (e.g. free-delivery progress bar). Right-size images to ~50–120 KB and prefer WebP where possible (note: theme/static assets aren’t always auto-WebP). Lazy-load below-the-fold media and reserve width/height to avoid layout shift. Consolidate theme assets to cut requests. Stream video via a CDN or embed YouTube. 2) Block low-value “infinite” pages: Use robots.txt rules to stop crawlers indexing vendor and on-site search URLs so they focus on home, collections, products and key content. 3) Build a visible HTML sitemap: Create a page that links to every collection, product and content page to strengthen internal linking and ensure everything is discoverable. 4) Eliminate orphan pages: Every page must be reachable from menus, collections and relevant content; no links means low importance. 5) Use canonical tags correctly: Paginated collections – page 1 canonical to itself; pages 2+ canonical back to page 1. Apply similar logic anywhere duplication occurs. 6) Set headings with intent: One H1 containing the primary keyword; one H2 introducing the main body; H3s to structure sections clearly.
Content: What’s Changed and What Still Works
One main keyword per page, plus variations. Google increasingly prefers thematic pages that cover a topic well over many thin variations. Fold sensible variations into the main page if the UX remains smooth. Always match search intent. Reality-check by Googling the term: are results categories, product pages, how-tos or local? If your offer doesn’t match what Google shows, pick a different term or create a page that does. Enrich with video where helpful, include transcripts on demand, and consider appropriate schema.
Off-Site: Do This In Order
4. Disavow spam: Compile irrelevant/manipulative backlinks and disavow them in sensible batches after manual review. 2) Fix broken backlinks: Identify external links that hit 404s and add a single 301 to the most relevant live page (ideally a collection). 3) Optimise what you already have: Repoint easy links from homepages to the most relevant collections or evergreen pages; improve the surrounding anchor/context where you control bios or partners can edit. Align landing pages to real user journeys so links drive revenue. 4) Create new, high-quality links: Ask suppliers, partners and stockists to list and link to you; earn PR and reviews; run a competitor link-gap analysis and pitch a better asset or angle; publish ownable assets (guides, studies, tools, data) worth citing.
A 30-Day Starter Plan
Week 1 – Audit & Speed: remove redundant apps/scripts, compress/convert hero imagery, lazy-load media, baseline Core Web Vitals.
Week 2 – Crawl Control & Structure: tighten robots.txt, add HTML sitemap, fix orphans, set canonicals, standardise headings.
Week 3 – Content & Intent: map one primary keyword per page with 3–6 close variations, align copy to intent, add helpful video/transcripts.
Week 4 – Authority: first disavow pass, fix broken backlinks, retarget easy links to collections, shortlist 10–20 realistic link prospects.
Shopify-Specific Tips
Prefer theme features and Liquid over stacking apps for simple UI. Collections are your power pages – prioritise internal links and external backlinks to them. Mind pagination and filters with canonicals and robots rules. Track top-3 rankings and conversion by landing page, not just traffic.
Handy Tooling Shortlist
Google Search Console and Analytics; Ahrefs/Semrush/SE Ranking for keywords and links; PageSpeed Insights/Lighthouse for performance; Shopify theme editor and Liquid for code-over-apps swaps.
Check out the full podcast here.
This episode was brought to you by Nick Trueman, Director of PPC & SEO Agency, Spec Digital