Most Common Shopify's SEO Limitations

Shopify SEO Challenges and How CRO Media Can Help #

"Many ecommerce platforms offer convenience at the cost of SEO flexibility. Shopify is no exception."

Shopify offers simplicity for online stores, yet some of its built-in SEO features can hinder site ranking and performance.

This article discusses common Shopify SEO challenges and how to overcome them for better site visibility.

Rigid URL Structure #

Shopify has a fixed URL structure, which may limit flexibility for SEO. For example, product URLs default to domain.com/products/product-name, and collections default to domain.com/collections/collection-name.

"URL structure is the foundation of SEO - when it's rigid, your whole SEO strategy becomes limited."

This rigidity can reduce your control over URL structure, which can be essential for search engine optimization.

A custom solution is often necessary to improve URL flexibility. The Shopify SEO audit service from CRO Media addresses this by identifying areas where URLs can be optimized to align with SEO best practices.

Blog and Content Limitations #

One of Shopify's key SEO limitations is its rigid content hierarchy system. While Google increasingly prioritizes site structure for rankings, Shopify restricts the creation of true sub-collections and nested blog categories. Currently, tags are the only built-in way to organize blog content.

For example, an ideal structure for a skincare site might look like this:

• /skincare/face/
• /skincare/face/moisturizers/
• /skincare/face/cleansers/
• /skincare/face/serums/

With related blog posts following the hierarchy:

• /skincare/face/moisturizers/best-moisturizers-for-dry-skin/
• /skincare/face/moisturizers/best-moisturizers-for-oily-skin/
• /skincare/face/moisturizers/best-moisturizers-for-sensitive-skin/
• /skincare/face/moisturizers/best-moisturizers-for-acne-prone-skin/
• /skincare/face/moisturizers/best-moisturizers-for-aging-skin/

While this ideal URL structure isn't possible out-of-the-box with Shopify, there are workarounds. Through custom development, you can:

1. Create collections for each main category
2. Link blog posts to these collections
3. Build custom templates that display the proper hierarchy
4. Implement breadcrumbs that reflect the desired structure

Though the URLs themselves won't match the ideal format, this solution maintains proper content organization and user navigation paths. While it requires development work, the SEO benefits make it worthwhile for serious stores.

If you want to check your Shopify SEO health, you can do it with our Shopify SEO audit.

Duplicate Content Issues #

Shopify's platform structure can generate duplicate content across product pages, collections, and blog posts, potentially harming SEO performance. While canonical tags help indicate primary pages to search engines, additional measures are often needed.

Addressing this issue typically requires custom development work to ensure tag pages aren't independently indexed, instead using canonical tags that point to their respective main collection or blog pages.

Identifying and resolving duplicate content issues is a key part of CRO Media's Shopify CRO audit service, helping you maintain a clean, optimized site structure. Hire Shopify CRO Agency to get the best results.

Automatic Injection of Analytics Scripts #

Shopify automatically adds analytics scripts to the head section of each page, which can slow down site performance. Even with a clean, optimized theme, these scripts add load time, impacting your speed score and SEO ranking.

CRO Media's Shopify CRO audit can identify how analytics scripts impact site speed and suggest ways to reduce load times, helping you keep a faster, more competitive website.

No Control Over Server Headers #

Shopify doesn't allow direct access to server headers, limiting your ability to optimize caching and compression settings. This can impact site speed and SEO performance, as faster sites rank better in search results.

This is not something very critical, but if you want to have perfect SEO health, you need to have control over server headers. Unfortunately, Shopify doesn't allow this, so we need to accept this. Keep in mind, the next time you hire an SEO agency, they should be aware of these limitations and not give advice that is impossible to implement.

Correct configuration of server headers can improve site speed and SEO performance.

International SEO Limitations #

Shopify's built-in international SEO features are limited, making it challenging to optimize for multiple languages and regions. While you can create separate stores for different countries, this can lead to duplicate content issues and SEO challenges.

Custom development is often necessary to implement hreflang tags, optimize content for different regions, and manage international SEO effectively. CRO Media's Shopify SEO audit can identify areas where international SEO can be improved, helping you reach a global audience more effectively.

Limited Control Over JSON-LD Markup #

"Structured data is no longer optional for serious ecommerce SEO - it's a necessity for standing out in search results."

JSON-LD markup is essential for structured data, helping Google understand your site's content. However, Shopify offers limited support for JSON-LD, and recent changes removed default review markup. Adding structured data often requires third-party apps, which can further slow down your site.

With Shopify SEO audit and custom coding solutions from CRO Media, you can implement JSON-LD without relying on apps that reduce site performance.

Finding Solutions to Shopify SEO Limitations #

For Shopify users facing SEO limitations, CRO Media offers practical solutions through:

• SEO Audits to improve URL structure and site speed.
• Custom Development to add structured data, reduce app dependency, and optimize analytics scripts.

If you need tailored solutions for better Shopify SEO, contact CRO Media. We'll help improve your site's performance with custom strategies to meet SEO and CRO needs.

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