Best for SEO: Shopify Theme Comparison

How to choose the best Shopify theme for SEO. SEO Audit for Shopify themes.

Do Shopify Themes Suck for SEO? #

Not all Shopify themes are created equal. Some are better for SEO than others. This was a pretty boring job, honestly; sometimes we wish we could just write about something more interesting. But we always try to fill in the gaps where we can.

Everyone just talks about Shopify themes for SEO, but who is actually checking the themes? We decided to take a look at the top 7 Shopify themes and see how they stack up for SEO.

Before we start #

Depending on whether you have short-term or long-term plans, you should choose the right theme for your store. Maybe you are just testing the waters and you don't mind having a website that's not fully optimized, but with nice animations and heavy graphics. In that case, you have to choose the theme which matches more with your business needs.

Ideally, it's better to choose a theme which is optimized for SEO and has a good performance score, because it is a crucial factor for the website ranking in search engines. If you have a Shopify website with the same content and the same ranking score as your competitor, but your website is faster, then you will rank higher in search engines. This is a universal rule for all websites.

Free Shopify Themes #

We started with the free themes because we strongly believe that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good theme. We found that the free themes are actually pretty good for SEO. They are lightweight and fast, which is great for SEO.

In this article, we will go through the following themes:

  1. Dawn Theme - Download Dawn Theme SEO Report
  2. Origin Theme - Download Origin Theme SEO Report
  3. Refresh Theme - Download Refresh Theme SEO Report
  4. Publisher Theme - Download Publisher Theme SEO Report
  5. Spotlight Theme - Download Spotlight Theme SEO Report
  6. Trade Theme - Download Trade Theme SEO Report
  7. Rise Theme - Download Rise Theme SEO Report

Best Shopify Theme for SEO: A Detailed Comparison #

This article compares seven Shopify themes based on SEO and performance metrics. Each theme was evaluated on core web vitals and SEO performance to help you choose the best option for your Shopify store.

This is not a review of UX or design features, but rather a technical analysis of how each theme performs in terms of SEO and page speed.

Dawn Theme #

Dawn is Shopify's flagship theme, designed with performance and flexibility in mind. It's a great starting point for many online stores.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Dawn Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 99
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.2s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 2.1s
  • Total Blocking Time: 0ms

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 92
  • Accessibility Score: 96
  • Best Practices: 100

Dawn performs exceptionally well in both SEO and performance. It has quick load times, follows web best practices, and is highly accessible. The only areas for improvement are optimizing image sizes and eliminating render-blocking resources.

Origin Theme #

Origin is a versatile theme that caters to various product types and industries. It offers a clean, modern design that's easy to customize.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Origin Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 74
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.9s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 6.6s

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 92
  • Accessibility Score: 97
  • Best Practices: 100

Origin scores well in SEO but performs slower than Dawn. Its Largest Contentful Paint time is notably high, which affects user experience. Reducing unused JavaScript and improving image optimization can enhance performance.

Refresh Theme #

Refresh offers a minimalist design that puts your products front and center. It's ideal for stores with a focused product line.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Refresh Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 90
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.7s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 3.4s

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 61
  • Accessibility Score: 100
  • Best Practices: 100

Refresh is fast but has a low SEO score. Improving image sizes, optimizing content for SEO, and addressing render-blocking resources can help enhance its rankings.

Publisher Theme #

Publisher is designed for content-rich stores, perfect for businesses that rely heavily on storytelling and brand narrative.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Publisher Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 81
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.9s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 4.5s

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 92
  • Accessibility Score: 100
  • Best Practices: 100

Publisher provides a high SEO score but its load times could be improved. Better lazy loading for images and optimizing server response times will enhance both performance and SEO.

Spotlight Theme #

Spotlight is tailored for showcasing high-quality imagery, making it an excellent choice for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Spotlight Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 85
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.5s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 3.9s

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 92
  • Accessibility Score: 98
  • Best Practices: 100

Spotlight is well-balanced between SEO and performance. It's fast but can benefit from further optimization in image loading. It's a solid choice for a balanced theme.

Trade Theme #

Trade is designed for stores with large catalogs, offering robust filtering and search capabilities to help customers find products easily.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Trade Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 98
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.7s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 2.0s

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 85
  • Accessibility Score: 96
  • Best Practices: 100

Trade offers the best performance overall, with near-perfect scores in speed metrics. However, it scores slightly lower on SEO compared to Dawn and Origin.

Rise Theme #

Rise is a versatile theme that adapts well to various industries, offering a clean and modern design that's easy to customize.

View Demo | Download SEO Report

Rise Theme

Performance:

  • Performance Score: 82
  • First Contentful Paint: 1.6s
  • Largest Contentful Paint: 4.7s

SEO Strength:

  • SEO Score: 92
  • Accessibility Score: 96
  • Best Practices: 100

Rise scores well in SEO but falls short in speed. Optimizing its Largest Contentful Paint time is crucial for improving performance.

That's it folks! #

All themes offer unique benefits. Dawn and Origin excel in SEO, while Trade stands out for performance. Refresher and Publisher are also strong contenders, but they need optimization for SEO or speed.

Winner: Dawn emerges as the best Shopify theme for SEO. It offers an ideal balance of speed, SEO, and accessibility, making it the top choice for store owners looking to optimize for organic search.

P.S. Before you go #

To avoid any confusion, we want to clarify that all these themes are free Shopify themes. We don't promote any of them, and we don't have any affiliate links. We just wanted to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the best Shopify themes for SEO.

Want to audit your Shopify store's SEO performance? Our Shopify SEO specialists can help you optimize your store for better rankings and more organic traffic.

For a full Shopify Conversion Rate Optimization audit, please check our Shopify CRO Audit.

To see all our Shopify services, please check our Shopify Services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answers for Shopify Theme for SEO

Which Shopify theme is best for SEO?
Dawn is the best overall theme for SEO, with a score of 92 and excellent performance metrics. You can learn more about the Dawn theme here. You can also download the PDF report here.
Which theme has the best performance?
Trade offers the best performance with a near-perfect score of 98. You can check out the Trade theme here and download the PDF report here.
How can I improve my Shopify theme's SEO?
Optimize images, reduce render-blocking resources, and implement a strategic content plan with effective meta tags. For more details, see the Shopify theme store.
How can I audit my Shopify theme for SEO?
You can use Shopify SEO Audit by cro.media to evaluate your theme's performance, speed, and SEO-friendliness. For a detailed analysis, visit the Shopify SEO Audit page.
Why is Largest Contentful Paint important?
LCP measures how long it takes for the largest visual element to load, impacting both user experience and SEO. For details on optimizing LCP, visit the Lighthouse documentation.
What is an ideal First Contentful Paint time?
An FCP under 2 seconds is ideal for enhancing user experience and improving SEO. You can check FCP benchmarks in the web.dev performance scoring guide.
What's the difference between Shopify Theme and Shopify headless website?

Sometimes it can be confusing to understand the difference between a Shopify theme and a Shopify headless website. A Shopify theme is a pre-built template which you can use to build your website.

A Shopify headless website is a custom website that is built using the Shopify API.

It is more flexible, and you can build a custom website with custom features. It is more expensive to build a Shopify headless website, but it offers greater flexibility and customization options.

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