The Ultimate Shopify SEO Guide to Grow Your Store in Australia [2025]

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Table of Contents

• Why Shopify SEO Optimisation Matters for Australian Stores
• Overview of Shopify SEO Features for Australian Stores
• Complete Shopify SEO Checklist for Australian Stores
• Shopify SEO Optimisation Challenges and Limitations in Australia
• Case Studies: Shopify SEO Success Stories in Australia
• Best SEO Apps for Shopify in Australia
• How to Monitor Shopify SEO Optimisation Performance in Australia?
• Ready to Boost Your Shopify SEO in Australia and Drive Growth?

If you’re using Shopify and not quite sure how to go about doing SEO for your business, you’re not alone, and this article is for you.

We’ve been providing SEO services for the past 12 years, and over the last 4 to 5 years, we’ve also been developing websites on Shopify.

So when it comes to optimising Shopify stores for search engines, we know exactly what works and what doesn’t.

A lot of business owners, especially in Australia, struggle with getting the right kind of traffic because their Shopify SEO isn’t done properly. Whether it’s fixing the URL structure, understanding which built-in SEO features Shopify offers, or knowing which third-party SEO apps are worth using – it can get confusing.

And yes, Shopify has its limitations, but with the right strategy, it’s absolutely possible to rank well and drive quality traffic.

Why we decided to write about Shopify SEO guide?

We’ve been getting a lot of questions from both our clients and prospects about how to improve SEO on Shopify. So we decided to put together this article to help guide you through the most important steps.

If you’re serious about growing your store’s visibility and driving organic traffic, this guide will give you a clear starting point.

Why Shopify SEO Optimisation Matters for Australian Stores

If you’re running a Shopify store and not focusing on SEO, you’re leaving money on the table, it is as simple as that.

1. Organic Traffic Means Free, Consistent Visitors

Unlike paid ads (which stop the moment you pause your budget), SEO brings in steady traffic every single day. With the right keywords, product pages, and content structure, your store can appear on Google when buyers are actively searching for what you sell without paying for every click.

2. Buyers Use Google to Start Their Shopping Journey

Most Australians (and global shoppers) search on Google first. Whether it’s for product comparisons, reviews, or prices. If your products don’t show up in those searches, you’re invisible to the buyer. SEO ensures your store gets discovered during this research phase.

3. Improves Trust and Credibility

People trust Google’s first page. If your Shopify store ranks well, it immediately boosts credibility, especially when combined with solid product reviews, fast-loading pages, and mobile responsiveness. It’s not just about visibility; it’s about trust.

4. Reduces Long-Term Marketing Costs

Running paid ads is important, but relying only on ads is expensive. SEO helps reduce your cost-per-acquisition (CPA) over time by building a foundation of organic traffic that continues to grow without constant spending.

5. Works Hand-in-Hand with Content Marketing

Shopify lets you blog, build landing pages, and create collection descriptions, all of which can be optimised. SEO gives structure to that content so that it’s not just written for users, but also ranks on Google. When done right, it becomes a long-term lead generation engine.

Need expert help with your store? Work with the best Shopify developer in Sydney.

Overview of Shopify SEO Features for Australian Stores

If you’re using Shopify, one of the first questions you’ll probably have is: Does it come with SEO features out of the box? The short answer is yes.

Shopify provides several essential SEO capabilities built-in, without the need for plugins.

Here’s a brief overview of the features that Shopify offers by default and how you can find them within Shopify.

1. Page titles and meta descriptions: Each product, collection, page, and blog post allows you to manually edit the SEO title and description. This section is available separately from the WYSIWYG editor since it is part of the SEO strategy. If you are coming from another CMS platform, the appearance of this section will already be familiar to you.

• Custom URLs: You can change the URL handle for pages, which helps you keep your site structure clean and keyword-friendly. The URL structure can be changed for every page, collection, product, or post that you plan to edit. If you are rewriting the URLs in Shopify, it will automatically create a redirect from the previous URL to the new one so that the page doesn’t appear broken.

• Alt text for images: You can easily add image alt text for accessibility and image-based SEO. This is crucial for Shopify SEO as it helps search engines understand the content of your product images, improving your store’s visibility in image search results and enhancing overall SEO performance. Properly optimised alt text also contributes to a better user experience, especially for users relying on screen readers.

• Headings and content hierarchy: Shopify supports clear heading structures (H1, H2, etc.) which help with on-page SEO.
• Sitemap.xml and robots.txt: These are generated automatically by Shopify for all stores, and you cannot change them directly if needed. However, you do have the option to add “allow” or “disallow” rules to the robots.txt file to control how search engines crawl your site.

• Canonical tags: Shopify includes these by default to avoid duplicate content issues.
• Open Graph and social sharing tags: Shopify also includes social meta tags for better sharing previews on platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. These tags automatically fetch information from the SEO section of each page, ensuring that shared content is accurate and optimised. Additionally, Shopify allows you to customise your social media links directly from the settings, and these links are automatically replicated across all pages of your store, ensuring consistent and easy access for visitors to your social profiles.

Some Limitations (Especially for WordPress Users)

While Shopify covers most of the SEO basics, it’s worth noting a few limitations if you’re used to the flexibility of WordPress or other CMS platforms:

• You don’t have full control over certain parts of the URL hierarchy (e.g., /products/ or /collections/ is always included). You cannot remove them even if you want because they are part of the databases that Shopify provides.
• There’s no full access to server files or advanced code-level SEO unless you’re on Shopify Plus.
• Schema markup (like FAQPage, Product, Breadcrumbs) is supported, but you’ll need to manually add JSON-LD or use a third-party app. Luckily for you, you can get apps for adding Schema to Shopify.

Looking to make the switch? Check out our guide on converting Shopify theme to WordPress.

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Complete Shopify SEO Checklist for Australian Stores

Optimising your Shopify store for SEO involves multiple components, from on-page optimisations to technical fixes. Follow this checklist to cover all the key areas for better search engine results and higher-quality traffic.

1. On-Page SEO: Content That Works for You

• Keywords: Research and target both short-tail and long-tail keywords. Ensure each product page, category, and blog post targets a unique set of relevant keywords.
• Entities: Incorporate related entities (brands, products, services) into your content. This helps search engines understand the context of your pages.
• Content Optimisation: Optimise product descriptions, category pages, and blog posts with relevant keywords naturally. Make sure each page provides real value to your audience.
• Quality Content: Focus on unique, high-quality content that provides genuine insights and fresh ideas. Avoid generic descriptions or duplicate content to stand out from competitors.
• Alt Text for Images: Add alt text to all images, ensuring it’s descriptive and relevant to the content on the page.
• Headings: Use clear heading tags (H1, H2, etc.) to organise your content and help search engines understand your page’s structure.

2. Off-Page SEO: Building Authority and Trust

• Authority Links: Gain backlinks from authoritative, high-domain authority websites. These are a critical factor in search engine results and rankings.
• Editorial Links: Earn editorial links by having your content featured on reputable, industry-related websites. This type of link has higher credibility and value.
• Foundational Links: Build foundational backlinks through guest posts, partnerships, or listings on niche directories. These create a strong backlink profile.
• Coupon and Partners Links: If you’re offering discounts or collaborating with partners, ensure those links are included in your marketing materials, adding credibility and traffic. As these should be part of the link-building strategy.
• PR Campaigns or News Announcements: Promote your Shopify store through PR campaigns, news releases, or product announcements that generate backlinks from news sites and blogs.

3. Technical SEO: The Backend Setup

• Site Audit: Conduct a full technical audit of your Shopify store to identify any issues that could affect site performance or SEO (e.g., crawl errors, broken links, missing meta descriptions).
• Broken Links: Regularly check for broken links (internal and external) and fix them to prevent user frustration and improve crawlability.
• Redirection Fixes: Ensure proper 301 redirects are in place for any outdated pages or product URLs to maintain link equity.
• Site Performance: Optimise your website’s loading speed. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and minimise unnecessary scripts to ensure fast load times.
• Mobile Optimisation: With mobile traffic making up a large portion of online shopping, ensure your Shopify store is mobile-friendly and responsive.
• XML Sitemap & Robots.txt: Shopify generates these files automatically, but double-check that they’re configured properly to help search engines crawl and index your site effectively.
• Schema Markup: If you’re on Shopify Plus, implement JSON-LD schema markup for products, reviews, and FAQs. This improves how your pages appear in search engine results pages and can earn rich snippets.
• Secure Website (HTTPS): Ensure your site is secure with HTTPS encryption. Google values secure sites, and it’s also vital for building trust with users.

Want to learn more? Don’t miss our Technical SEO Guide!

4. Local SEO (If Applicable)

• Local Keywords: If you’re targeting a local audience, include city or region-specific keywords in product pages and blog posts.
• Google My Business: Set up and optimise your Google My Business profile for local visibility.
• NAP Consistency: Ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across your site and external directories.

Shopify SEO Optimisation Challenges and Limitations in Australia

While Shopify provides a solid foundation for e-commerce stores, there are several SEO challenges and limitations to be aware of. These challenges can affect your ability to fully optimise your store and rank well on search engines. Here’s a breakdown of the most common SEO limitations you may face when using Shopify:

1. Duplicate Content Issues

• Problem: Product variants and collections can unintentionally lead to similar or duplicate pages. For instance, a single product available in multiple colours or sizes might generate separate URLs, each with nearly identical content. This can confuse search engines, leading to indexing issues and diluted SEO value.
• Solution: Use canonical tags to point search engines to the primary version of the page and avoid duplicate content penalties.

2. Limited URL Customisation

• Problem: Shopify automatically includes prefixes like /products/ and /collections/ in its URL structure, and these cannot be removed or customised. This means your URLs will always be slightly less clean and optimised than you might want, especially if you’re targeting specific keywords.
• Solution: While you can’t remove these prefixes, you can optimise your product and collection titles to include relevant keywords. Focus on making the rest of the URL descriptive and keyword-rich.

3. App Dependency

• Problem: Shopify provides basic SEO features by default, but to implement more advanced features (such as dynamic meta tags, schema markup, or redirect management), you often need to rely on third-party apps. These apps can increase the complexity of your store and add additional costs.
• Solution: Carefully choose apps that offer essential SEO features. Some apps may slow down your website, so be mindful of app performance and try to limit unnecessary installs. Consider the long-term costs and benefits before implementing these solutions.

Want to know how much Shopify development cost in Australia? Read our detailed pricing guide.

4. Restricted Access to Robots.txt and Sitemap

• Problem: Shopify automatically generates your robots.txt and sitemap.xml files, but you’re limited in how much you can modify them. For example, you may not be able to block specific pages or customise the sitemap.xml to the extent that you’d like. This could affect how web crawlers crawl your site and which pages are indexed.
• Solution: Shopify has begun allowing some modifications to robots.txt (for Shopify Plus users). However, for most users, it’s important to manage URL structures, redirects, and sitemaps effectively through the Shopify interface and third-party tools.

Confused about Shopify vs Shopify Plus? Read our comparison to make the right choice!

5. Theme Customisation Limitations

• Problem: While Shopify provides a range of customisable themes, there are some limitations to how deeply you can edit the code without affecting the theme’s stability. Certain SEO elements, like advanced schema markup or custom redirects, may require you to modify theme files directly, which can be a challenge if you’re not familiar with Liquid (Shopify’s templating language).
• Solution: Consider using a Shopify Plus plan if you need more advanced customisation options, or hire a developer to make the necessary changes without compromising your site’s integrity. Alternatively, choose a theme that offers built-in SEO features and customisation options to reduce the need for heavy code modifications.

Case Studies: Shopify SEO Success Stories in Australia

Case Study 1: Health Products Store (Australia)

Industry: Health & Wellness
Focus: Supplements, natural remedies, organic skincare
Result: 63% increase in organic traffic within 4 months.

An Australia-based e-commerce store in the health and wellness space was struggling with increasing organic traffic despite having hundreds of pages. The site had outdated blogs, duplicate product content, and a confusing category structure. We audited the content, deleted low-value pages, merged overlapping topics, and cleaned up internal links.

After optimising product titles, improving on-page SEO, and fixing URL structures, the store saw a 63% increase in organic traffic within four months. High-intent keywords like “buy collagen supplements Australia” began ranking on the first page, leading to stronger sales from search.

Case Study 2: Digital Products Store (Australia)

Industry: B2B SaaS / Digital Downloads
Focus: Online software tools, sold via Shopify store
Result: 5x growth in organic traffic in 6 months.

A digital Shopify store selling software tools had no blog, reused vendor descriptions, and wasn’t ranking for any meaningful search terms. We created original product content, built a blog focused on buyer questions, and added structured data for products and FAQs.

With targeted blog posts and foundational backlinks, the store saw a 5x increase in organic traffic in six months. Around 37% of monthly sales now come from SEO, with strong visibility on keywords like “invoice software for freelancers in Australia.

Best SEO Apps for Shopify in Australia

Enhance your Shopify store’s search engine rankings with the right tools. These apps will help streamline your SEO efforts and drive organic traffic to your store.

1. Plug in SEO

Plug in SEO is one of the most popular tools for identifying on-site SEO issues. It regularly scans your store for broken links, speed issues, and missing tags, then provides actionable recommendations. A great choice for beginners looking to stay on top of SEO hygiene.

Want better rankings and conversions? Learn how to speed up your Shopify store in our blog post!

2. Smart SEO

Smart SEO helps automate tedious tasks like generating meta tags and alt text for images. It also supports multilingual SEO and schema markup. Ideal for stores with a large number of products needing bulk optimisation.

3. SEO Manager

SEO Manager offers advanced control over your SEO settings. It allows you to edit metadata, monitor 404 errors, set up redirects, and preview how your pages will look in Google search results. Suitable for users who want full transparency and flexibility.

4. Crush Pics

Crush Pics optimises your store’s loading speed by compressing images without compromising on quality. This helps improve Core Web Vitals and user experience, especially on mobile. It’s a must-have for stores with a heavy visual focus.

5. JSON-LD for SEO

JSON-LD for SEO helps add structured data to your store automatically. This enhances your chances of getting rich snippets like star ratings and prices in Google search results. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it app trusted by thousands of Shopify stores.

How to Monitor Shopify SEO Optimisation Performance in Australia?

To effectively monitor the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) performance of your Australian Shopify store, you’ll need to go beyond Shopify’s default analytics. Here’s how we usually recommend setting things up:

1. Install a Proper Analytics Platform (Adobe or Google Analytics)

Shopify by default only gives you basic data like sessions, orders, and visitor location. While useful, it won’t show metrics like bounce rate, time on page, or which pages are actually performing well in search. That’s why it’s important to install a proper analytics platform, typically Google Analytics, or even Adobe Analytics if you’re working at enterprise scale.

Google Analytics will give you detailed user behaviour insights, traffic sources, and conversion tracking.

Want to improve post-purchase experience? Check out our guide on how to set up Shopify order tracking for Australian customers.

2. Set Up Google Search Console (GSC) or Bing Webmaster Tools

If you want to track how your pages are performing in Google search console account or Bing and Webmaster tools are a must. Once verified, these platforms will show you:

• The number of keywords your pages are ranking for
• Search positions and impressions
• Total clicks per page
• Any indexing issues or mobile usability warnings

Just FYI, You can use Bing Webmaster Tools if you’re targeting Microsoft Search, Yahoo, Yandex and others but Google Search Console covers most of Google searches.

3. Use an SEO Reporting Plugin

If you prefer tracking SEO from within your Shopify dashboard, you can use a plugin like Agency Analytics. It can be integrated with Google Analytics and Shopify giving you real-time updates about store SEO performance within the Shopify dashboard.

Want to take your Shopify SEO to the next level? Headless Shopify could be the answer. Learn more in our guide.

Ready to Boost Your Shopify SEO in Australia and Drive Growth?

At WP Creative, we’ve helped Australian businesses transform their Shopify stores into high-performing, search-optimised platforms that drive real sales. Whether you’re just getting started or need a full Shopify SEO overhaul, we’re here to help.

Book a Free Strategy Call Today and let’s discuss how we can get your store ranking and converting in no time!

Contact Us Today

Get Your Free Website Audit

($3,000 Value)

• Uncover performance issues
• Identify SEO opportunities
• Security gaps, and quick wins

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