- Shopify generates the sitemap and canonical tags itself. Duplicate product URLs via collections, slow apps and collections without copy are still up to the merchant.
- Product cards should link to the /products/ URL. The Liquid filter within: collection is what creates the duplicate collection URLs.
- You can customize robots.txt via robots.txt.liquid. According to Shopify, a mistake there can cost you all your search traffic.
- Since March 2026, Shopify merchants have been able to sell through Agentic Storefronts in ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google's AI Mode and Gemini.
Launching a Shopify store is quick. Whether it then sells through Google Search depends on the theme, apps, collections and product pages.
In this article, we cover the five areas we check first in a Shopify store and what we change there. You can run many of these checks yourself. Our Shopify SEO page describes what we handle as an agency for Shopify stores.
Shopify handles some things; the rest is up to you
| What Shopify provides | What we check |
|---|---|
Sitemap at /sitemap.xml, generated automatically |
whether it's been submitted in Google Search Console and how many URLs are indexed |
Canonical of every product page pointing to /products/… |
whether the theme and apps still link internally to other URLs |
Default rules in robots.txt |
whether filter and search pages are tying up Google's crawler |
| Description field per collection | whether the collection has enough copy for its target keywords |
| Basic structured data in the theme | whether products include complete price, availability and review data |
Our article on the XML sitemap in online stores explains how we audit a sitemap.
1. We link every product to its canonical URL
In Shopify, every product has the URL ihredomain.de/products/produktname. If it's in a collection, an additional URL is created: ihredomain.de/collections/kollektion/products/produktname. The canonical tag points to the main URL. But if the theme links internally to the collection URL, Google crawls both.
The link is set by the theme's product card, for example in card-product.liquid or product-grid-item.liquid:
- Find the card's link. If it reads
{{ product.url | within: collection }}, remove| within: collection. The link then reads{{ product.url }}. - Check the breadcrumbs and next/previous links on the product page. They may also use the collection URL.
- Then recrawl the store. No internal link should contain
/collections/…/products/anymore.
2. We remove apps that slow down your pages
Every app can load its own code into the store, even on pages that don't need it. We check which apps slow down load times and what benefit they provide. We remove unnecessary apps and look for a better solution for important ones. We adjust the theme and Liquid code for shorter load times.
Our process, in this order:
- Uninstall unused apps and remove their leftover code from the theme.
- Load app code only on the pages that need it.
- Replace simple app features with a few lines of theme code and metafields.
- Serve images in modern formats such as WebP. Images above the fold load immediately; everything else loads later.
The “Core Web Vitals” report in Search Console shows whether it's working. It measures load time and responsiveness for real visitors. Learn more in our article on Google Search Console.
3. We turn your collections into full category pages
Collections are the pages that can rank for product category searches. Shopify only provides a single description field for them. Put a long text there and the products get pushed down the page.
So we split the copy:
- A short intro from the description field goes at the top.
- Below the product grid comes a longer text from a rich text metafield, created under Settings > Metafields and metaobjects > Collections.
- Below that, we answer common questions about this product category from customer service and sales.
Shirtinator shows the effect. Its 20 most important category pages received intro copy, FAQs and structured data, and organic visibility rose 28%.
Filters create many more URLs. We determine which combinations have their own search demand, such as brand plus size, and build those out into dedicated pages. For the rest, we update the robots.txt accordingly. According to Shopify, a mistake in the robots.txt.liquid can cost you all your search traffic. That's why we check every change before and after it goes live.
4. We write product pages around your buyers' search terms
We write product descriptions, titles and meta tags and add structured data for every product. In doing so, we distinguish between two kinds of searchers: people who want to buy and people who are researching.
For Veneera, we aligned the content with both kinds of searches. According to DataForSEO, the website then ranked in Google's top ten for 79% more search terms.
Every product page should include the details your customer service explains most often: dimensions, materials, use, care and delivery terms. Only you have this information. We gather it from you and build it into the pages.
5. We earn links to your store
Through product PR, influencer partnerships and media relations, we earn links from relevant websites.
For Shokz, we aligned the content with German search queries and built new backlinks. For “Open Ear Kopfhörer” (open-ear headphones), Shokz climbed from position 6 into the top 3.
Product data gets your store into Shopping results and AI answers
According to Google, product data in Merchant Center helps products appear in AI answers and other search results. Google also says its AI search requires neither special structured data nor an llms.txt.
For Atelier Nomi, we cleaned up the product feed from the Shopify store. Titles now include material, key feature and category, and sold-out items are automatically excluded from ads. Google Shopping revenue rose 141% in August 2025 compared with July. Learn more on our product data management page.
According to Shopify, since March 2026 merchants have been able to sell through Agentic Storefronts in ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, AI Mode in Google Search and Gemini. It's managed in the Shopify admin. The merchant remains the seller and keeps the customer relationship and data. The admin shows which channels are enabled for your store. Learn more in our article on ACP and Shopify.
We start with the categories that promise the biggest profit contribution
We begin by auditing the theme, apps, and product and category pages. Then we start with the categories and products that promise the biggest profit contribution. We measure organic search revenue by category and review progress with you regularly.
Our Shopify SEO page explains how we work with your developers and what the audit covers.
