Best Shopify SEO Apps: Reach More Targeted Shoppers
Shopify SEO is vital because it helps to enhance the visibility and ranking of your online store in search engine results pages (SERPs). When your website appears higher in the SERPs, it is more likely to attract organic traffic from users who are searching for products or services related to your store. This, in turn, leads to more sales and revenue for your business.
And, unless you’re an SEO expert with eight arms and two heads, entirely manual SEO is impossible. So, naturally, we should turn to Shopify apps in the app store. But, first, let’s make sure we understand exactly what we’re looking for (wouldn’t want to steer you in the wrong direction!).
Here’s what’s ahead:
Now, let’s get the ball rolling…
Which Factors Are Crucial for Shopify SEO?
SEO is a complex topic with many facets, of which every website needs at least some optimization — even if search engines are not the brand’s main traffic source. In addition to the benefits it can have for your search traffic volume, SEO helps to guarantee that your store is accessible and easy to use and navigate. User experience (UX) factors can include the speed of your website, the presence of a mobile-friendly design, and the use of clear and descriptive headings and titles.
So, anyway, several critical factors lie at the heart of Shopify SEO:
- On-page optimization: This refers to the content and structure of your website itself. It includes things like the use of relevant and targeted keywords, the organization and hierarchy of your website’s pages and content, and the use of clear and descriptive headings and titles.
- User experience (UX): Factors that impact the user experience of your website can also impact your SEO. This includes things like the speed of your website, the presence of a mobile-friendly design, and the ease of navigation.
- Link building: The number and quality of external websites that link to your store can also impact your SEO. These links, also known as backlinks, can help to demonstrate the authority and credibility of your website to search engines.
- Content quality and relevance: The quality and relevance of your online store’s content can also impact your SEO. This includes aspects like the length and depth of your content, the use of relevant keywords, and the presence of high-quality images and videos.
- Technical SEO: There are also a number of technical factors that can impact your store’s SEO, including the presence of a sitemap, the use of structured data, and the presence of a secure and properly configured website.
By focusing on these SEO components, you can improve the SEO of your Shopify store and increase its visibility in the SERPs. Thereafter, you are more likely to convert visitors into customers (and maybe eventually brand fanatics).
What Types of SEO Apps Are Available?
SEO apps aren’t (necessarily) one-size-fits-all tools. The features you need might depend on whether you already have certain features available with existing apps. For example, some all-in-one app users complain that they have to download additional apps because of weak features within a so-called “premium” solution.
Now, I don’t know what you’re currently implementing on your store, but here are the types of SEO apps that you can find in the app store.
Sitemaps & Technical SEO
A sitemap is a website file that lists all the pages on a website, along with additional information about each page such as when it was last updated. On Shopify, a sitemap can be used to help search engines understand the structure and content of your website, and to discover new pages on your site.
There are several benefits to having a sitemap on your Shopify store:
- Increased search engine visibility: A sitemap can help search engines discover and index your website’s pages more efficiently, which can improve your store’s visibility in search results.
- Easy store navigation: A sitemap can also make it easier for users to find and navigate to different pages on your website.
- Enhanced organization: A sitemap can help you keep track of the pages on your website, which can be especially helpful if you have a large or complex website.
The easiest way to create an auto-updating sitemap on Shopify is to use a third-party app.
On-Page Optimization & Speed
A speed-enhancing Shopify app is a type of app that is designed to improve the performance and speed of your Shopify store. This can be accomplished through various means, such as optimizing images, minifying code, or caching data.
There are several benefits to using a speed-enhancing Shopify app:
- Improved UX: A faster website leads to better UX. Visitors who land on your website are more likely to stay and browse more pages if the elements load quickly.
- More potential sales: A faster website can also lead to increased sales, as higher bounce rates correlate with lower conversion rates.
- Better search engine rankings: Search engines favor fast-loading websites, and may rank them higher in SERPs as a result.
There are many different speed-enhancing apps available on the Shopify App Store. Choose one that meets your specific needs and budget.
Content & Review Management
High-quality content, specifically reviews & FAQs, can help improve your store’s search engine optimization (SEO) in several ways:
- Fresh content: Adding reviews and FAQs to your store can help to provide fresh, relevant content for search engines to index. In turn, this can improve your store’s visibility in search results.
- New, long-tail keywords: Reviews and FAQs often contain long-tail keywords, which are specific and highly targeted phrases that people might use when searching for products or information that’s relevant to your products. Including these types of keywords in your reviews and FAQs can help to improve your store’s ranking for these phrases.
- Internal linking: If you include links within your reviews and FAQs to other pages on your store, this can help to improve the overall linking structure of your website. As a result, it can be easier for search engines to crawl and index your site, hence improving your store’s ranking.
- User engagement: Reviews and FAQs can also help to engage users and encourage them to stay on your site longer, which is typically a positive signal to search engines.
It’s important to keep in mind that in order for reviews and FAQs to be effective for SEO, they should be well-written and relevant to your store and products. Spammy or irrelevant content can have a negative impact on your store’s SEO.
Recommended: Top 9 Best Shopify Review Apps to Boost Customer Trust
Top 10 Best Shopify SEO Apps
Now, let’s learn about the tools that can help you automate and manage your search marketing efforts. Here are the top SEO apps for Shopify stores.
1. SEO HTML & XML Sitemaps
Price: $3 per month, 7-day free trial
SEO HTML & XML Sitemaps enables users to create one-click sitemaps, and no coding knowledge is required. Users can manage what content is visible in sitemaps that automatically update when new pages are added.
Some users with large stores complained that this app did not work for them, one even citing that it created new issues in Google Search Console (note: this was prior to 2020), but most users have given the SEO HTML & XML Sitemaps app a 5-star rating. So, be sure that you understand the function of the sitemap and can identify potential compatibility issues with other tools you use.
2. Avada SEO & Image Optimizer
Price: Free to $34.95 per month
Avada SEO & Image Optimizer – your ultimate weapon for boosting your website’s visibility and reeling in the online crowd!
No need for fancy tricks – Avada’s got your back when it comes to optimizing your website for top-notch search rankings and a flood of organic traffic.
From managing meta tags to spicing up the user experience with spiffy image optimization, they’ve got it covered.
And hey, who wouldn’t want structured data markup that’s smoother than a perfectly executed high-five?
With Avada, you can dive into in-depth analytics and personalized pointers that’ll have you saying, “Why didn’t I try this sooner?”
Watch your online store thrive as Avada SEO & Image Optimizer takes the reins, turning your website into a buzzing hub of growth and engagement. Say goodbye to invisibility and hello to online stardom!
3. SearchPie
Price: Free to $39 per month
SearchPie is designed to help you stay in the loop about what’s going on with your store and provide fixes to common issues. Use the app to view regularly-updated SEO reports, bulk update your meta titles and ALT tags, compress images for page speed, auto-detect long URLs and 404 pages, and automate rich snippets.
As with SEO Products Optimizer, some SearchPie Shopify app users complained that they needed a paid account to actually see real benefits. And, other users have said that the app may overwrite existing tags. So, if you’re already doing the work manually, use the app…just be mindful of the features you enable.
4. SEO Products Optimizer
Price: Free to $14 per month
SEO Products Optimizer is designed to help users get product images ranked in Google, with beginner-friendly recommendations, product SEO scores, image optimization, ALT text management, and tag & search phrase generation. It has a 4.9-star rating in the app store.
The top complaint for this app is that some suggestions were blurred out for free tier users. Since then, more features have been added to the free plan.
5. Help Center FAQ Chat Helpdesk
Price: Free to $8 per month
With Help Center FAQ Chat Helpdesk, you can create FAQ pages, and fully customize your pages and live chat auto-responses based on questions your shoppers have or are likely to ask. This app enables a multilingual, SEO-friendly FAQ builder, chatbot, ticketing system, product tabs, and a contact form.
Users have said that the FAQ is great, but some found bugs with the helpdesk and email reply features. And, one user complained that the FAQ shows in Google, which I think is a good thing (again, you can use this as an opportunity to do some internal linking and generate more traffic).
6. Plug in SEO
Price: Free to $14.99 per month
Plug in SEO by Sureswift is a fan favorite with thousands of 5-star reviews. This app can help you run SEO audits, use SEO templating, add structured data to on-page elements, and learn more about SEO through helpful videos.
If you opt for a free trial of the paid version, then you decide not to continue using the paid plan, you may need to uninstall the app and re-install it to get back on the free tier. Some users don’t like this, but it’s a pretty standard issue with apps on Shopify.
7. Revie Product Reviews
Price: Free to $15 per month
Revie is the ultimate user-generated content machine that allows you to collect text and photo reviews from Whatsapp, which makes it super convenient for your customers. The idea is straightforward, yet super innovative. The thing is, most people don’t really want to take the time to write thoughtful reviews. But, if you can make it as easy as possible, you’re more likely to get engagement with the review process.
So far, Revie is a 5-star app with no major complaints. This is a good and a bad thing. The outlook is good, but no app is without its downsides; I’ll update this when I learn more about what they might be (feel free to share in the comments if you know of any annoying Revie quirks).
8. Booster SEO & Image Optimizer
Price: Free to $39 per month
Booster SEO & Image Optimizer is an “all-in-one” SEO tool that enables several core search functionalities. You can use the app to compress images in bulk to increase page load speed, optimize meta tags and ALT text to improve rank, fix SEO issues with the autopilot feature, and monitor and redirect broken links to stop losing traffic.
Some novices said that their SEO was harmed by using this app, which can happen if you add irrelevant tags to your product images, pages, or categories. Even with apps, it’s smart to brush up on your SEO knowledge before implementing any tactics.
9. Hextom Bulk Image Edit
Price: Free to $9.99 per month
Bulk Image Edit by Hextom is designed to optimize images on Shopify. Use this app to optimize image sizes and ALT text, bulk edit, and upload & download images. The edit feature is not necessarily beneficial for SEO, but it makes cropping, framing, trimming, and watermarking super easy.
Most people are satisfied with the app, but those who aren’t tend to complain about image resolution when resizing (i.e. images can appear blurry). Be sure to always use high-quality images, especially when you resize and edit so that you have some wiggle room.
10. Yoast SEO
Price: $19.99 per month with a 14-day free trial
Yoast has been a superstar in the SEO world, especially for beginners, for many years. The thing is, it wasn’t available on Shopify until early 2022. Now that they have a Shopify app, you can use Yoast to get actionable SEO recommendations, automate technical SEO, make your content easy to read, optimize SEO titles and meta descriptions, and enhance rich snippets with structured data.
Notes: SEO experts tend to be unsatisfied with the app. Still, I do believe beginners can learn a lot, which is crucial for any long-term strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I improve my Shopify SEO?
To improve your Shopify SEO, use relevant keywords throughout your site’s content, optimize your product titles and descriptions, use header tags to structure your content, create a sitemap and submit it to Google (& other search engines), and use alt tags to describe your images. These steps will help search engines understand and index your site, improving its visibility in search results.
Is SEO free on Shopify?
Yes! Shopify provides built-in SEO tools that you can use for free to improve your store’s ranking in search results. These tools include customizable titles and meta tags, automatic sitemap generation, alt text for images, customizable URLs, and the ability to redirect pages. While these tools are free to use, improving your store’s SEO may require some time and effort or outside help. Consider hiring outside support or using an SEO app to streamline the process.
How much does Shopify SEO cost?
Shopify’s built-in SEO tools are free to use. Still, there can be costs associated with implementing an effective SEO strategy, such as hiring an SEO expert or agency to help optimize your store or purchasing third-party SEO tools or software. The cost of these services or tools will vary depending on the level of support and the specific tools or services you choose to use.
Is paid SEO worth it?
Whether paid SEO is worth it for your business will depend on your budget, the competitiveness of your industry, and your business goals. Paid SEO can be more expensive than self-implemented or organic SEO, but it can provide a quicker return on investment.
Do Shopify SEO apps work?
There are countless SEO apps available for Shopify stores, but their effectiveness can vary. It’s important to research and compare different SEO apps carefully before choosing the best app for your needs, and to combine the use of an app with other SEO best practices to get the best results.
What is the best Shopify SEO app?
Since there are several facets of SEO, determining the best SEO app depends on your needs. Some apps provide XML sitemaps while others optimize page speed or help you generate structured content. There is no single “best” app for all SEO needs. Learn more about the types of SEO apps available on Shopify.
Can I use Yoast SEO on Shopify?
Yes! In January 2022, Yoast launched an app on the Shopify app marketplace. The classic search optimization tool is still a fan favorite.
Which Platform has the best SEO?
As of today, WordPress still has the most available features and SEO plugins that make it the go-to for SEO professionals. However, WordPress isn’t as friendly for merchants, since eCommerce platforms like Shopify are designed for product sales, and have built-in Google shopping functionality.
Does Shopify have better SEO than Wix?
While some developers still prefer Wix, Shopify is the clear winner where SEO is concerned. Shopify’s fully responsive design and a plethora of SEO apps make the platform stand out from Wix. Both platforms offer the basics. And, a skilled developer can make alterations that could theoretically give Wix websites search-optimized features, though this would be a highly manual process (most of which could be automated on Shopify).
Is Shopify Plus better for SEO?
Compared to Shopify, Shopify Plus offers enhanced customizability and more rigorously vetted apps. Plus, Shopify Plus is designed for enterprise (massive) stores. So, SEO options on Shopify Plus are generally more robust than on Shopify.
Final Thoughts
One thing we didn’t cover here is internal linking, which is another crucial component of SEO on Shopify. For now, I decided not to cover automated internal linking apps because the options I found in the app store are either fairly new or have limited reviews. I only want to share trustworthy apps with proven benefits. Note that I’m not claiming that the available internal linking apps aren’t helpful — I just don’t know of any that I can vouch for while maintaining my sense of integrity.
With that said, if you have experience with internal linking apps, and care to share, please do so in the comments below; I’m sure readers would like to hear thoughtful insights about this type of app as well.
Above, I’ve shared the best SEO apps for Shopify to help you streamline your efforts. I encourage you to try out a few to see which ones work best for your specific needs. While these apps can absolutely help you level up your efforts, I advise you to learn as much as you can about SEO — while it’s not the fastest marketing strategy, it does have the potential to blow your other efforts out of the water. Keep in mind that keyword research and backlink building (both crucial for SEO success) need to be done outside the Shopify platform.
I hope that you can take what you learned here and apply it to your business — the growth potential for well-executed SEO plans can be exponential.
Are you having a problem with PayPal chargebacks in Shopify? We can help! download our free guide +PayPal dispute resolution templates today.
Ashley is a freelance copywriter and the founder of Aurajinn. She's been working in eCommerce and technology for over a decade. Here, she shares her best cyst-like gems of wisdom to help new and intermediate online sellers level up their operations.
