Basic SEO Optimization for a Shopify Store: A Step-by-Step Guide

Launching an online store is about more than just a beautiful design and a catalog full of products. If search engines cannot properly access your website or understand its structure, you can start losing valuable organic traffic from the very first days after launch.

Yes, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is currently a major topic, and AI is changing the way people search for information. But traditional SEO is not going anywhere — it remains the foundation of any successful online store. Without proper technical optimization, neither Google nor AI assistants will be able to correctly understand your website structure, discover your pages, or use your content in their answers.

In this article, we’ll go through a basic SEO optimization checklist for Shopify: where to find the relevant settings, what to configure, and which details to pay attention to so your store is technically ready for indexing and future growth.

Step 1. Optimize Images on the Homepage

High-resolution banners can easily weigh 5–10 MB. If you upload them as-is, the homepage may take several seconds to load on mobile devices. This can negatively affect Core Web Vitals and the overall user experience, which may also impact SEO performance.

How to do it:

• Format: Use modern image formats, primarily WebP and, when appropriate, AVIF.

• Compress before uploading: Compress banners and background images using TinyPNG or Squoosh. For large banners, aim to keep the file size within 150–200 KB, while smaller images should ideally be no more than 50 KB, as long as image quality can be maintained.

• Resolution: Don’t upload images that are 4000 px wide if the maximum container width on your website is 1920 px. Prepare graphics according to their actual display dimensions in the theme.

Step 2. Add Alt Text to Homepage Images

Alt text is a short text description of an image. It helps users who rely on screen readers understand the content of an image and provides search engines with additional context about what the image shows.

How to add alt text in Shopify:

Option 1: Through the Files section

1. Go to Content → Files.

2. Click on the image and find the Alt text field in the settings panel on the right.

Option 2: Through the Theme Editor (Customize)

1. Go to Online Store → Themes.

2. Click Customize next to your active theme.

3. Select the image section, such as Image Banner or Image with Text.

4. Click on the image and find the Alt text field in the settings panel on the right.

Step 3. Alt Text for Product Images

For an online store, alt text helps search engines understand what is shown in product images and can increase their chances of appearing in Google Images. This is especially important for stores with large catalogs, where product images can generate additional organic traffic.

Option 1: Descriptive Alt Text (Manual)

Where to find it in Shopify:

1. Go to Products.
2. Select the desired product.
3. In the Media section, click on the image you want to edit.
4. Edit the Alt text.

Product Alt Text Formula:

[Product Type] + [Product Name / Brand] + [Color / Material / Feature]

Example: Classic burgundy leather women's handbag — side view..

Option 2: Automatically Use the Product Name as Alt Text (via Code)

For large catalogs, you can use the product name as the alt text. This is a simple and safe option for filling alt text in bulk. In Horizon-based themes (such as Heritage), this can be configured automatically with a small code adjustment to the product gallery.

How to set it up:

1. Go to Online Store → Themes.

2. Click Customize next to your active theme and open the Products template.

3. Find the product gallery block. In the block settings, click ⋯ → Edit code.

4. In the file that opens, find the following line:

   {% render 'product-media-gallery-content' %}

   Hold Ctrl and right-click product-media-gallery-content to open the corresponding Snippet.

5. In the opened file, use Ctrl + F to search for 'alt:'.

6. Find the following parameter:

   alt: media.alt
   

   
   and replace it with:

   alt: product.title

7. Save the changes and check several products on the storefront.

Step 4. Add Your Store to Google Search Console (GSC)

Google Search Console (GSC) is Google's primary tool for monitoring website indexing, search queries, and technical issues. Once your store is connected, you can track which pages are being indexed and which errors Google identifies.

How to connect:

1. Open Google Search Console and sign in to your Google account.
2. Click Add property and select URL prefix. Enter your store's URL, for example, https://yourdomain.com.
3. Select HTML tag as the verification method and copy the provided meta tag.
4. In Shopify, go to Online Store → Themes → ⋯ → Edit code.
5. Open the theme.liquid file and paste the copied meta tag inside the <head> section, before the closing </head> tag.
6. Save the changes in Shopify and return to Google Search Console.
7. Click Verify.

Step 5. Add Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

A sitemap is an XML file that helps search engines discover important pages on your store and understand its overall structure.

Where to find your Shopify sitemap?
Shopify automatically generates a sitemap at the following standard URL:
https://your-domain.com/sitemap.xml

How to add your sitemap to Search Console:

1. Open the relevant property in Google Search Console.
2. In the left-hand menu, go to Sitemaps.
3. In the Add a new sitemap field, enter sitemap.xml.
4. Click Submit.

Step 6. Optimize the Homepage Title and Meta Description

Title and Meta Description are key page metadata elements that help search engines understand the content of your homepage and determine how your store appears in search results.

Where to find them in Shopify:

1. Go to Online Store → Preferences.

2. Find the Homepage title and Homepage meta description fields.

3. Fill them in based on the content of your homepage and its primary target search queries.

4. Save your changes.

Step 7. Submit Pages for Indexing and Check for Errors

After connecting Google Search Console and submitting your sitemap, you can check whether Google can access your store’s pages and, if necessary, request that important URLs be crawled again.

How to request indexing:

1. At the top of Google Search Console, find the “Inspect any URL in…” search bar.

2. Enter the full URL of the page, such as your store’s homepage.

3. Press Enter and wait for Google to check the URL.

4. If the page is not yet indexed, click “Request Indexing.”

Step 8. Final SEO Check in PageSpeed Insights

As the final step of your basic SEO setup, you can check your store using Google's official PageSpeed Insights tool.

How to run the check:

1. Go to PageSpeed Insights.

2. Enter your store's URL and click Analyze.

3. Wait for the analysis to finish and open the SEO section.

Why You Don’t Need to Do This Manually When Working with IceStore Group

Launching an online store is a complex process where every detail matters. At IceStore Group, we believe our clients shouldn’t have to spend their time editing code, manually optimizing images, or checking performance scores in PageSpeed Insights.

When you order a Shopify store development from IceStore Group, basic SEO optimization and a technical PageSpeed check are already included in the store development cost.

You get a fully prepared store that is technically optimized for search engines and AI-powered search from day one — giving your business a strong foundation for visibility in both traditional search results and AI-generated answers.

Have questions? Contact us

Email: info@icestoregroup.com
Telegram: @icestoregroupshopify