Shopify has gained considerable popularity as an online store platform, especially with smaller brands wishing to migrate from ordinary e-commerce platforms to a more sophisticated one. There are several reasons for this:
- Ease of Use: It's easy to get started.
- App Repository: The plethora of apps available allows quick creation of customized stores.
However, while it is a great tool to get started, you might face challenges in creating product awareness. It is mainly designed as an efficient e-commerce platform with functionalities available through paid and free apps. Shopify has limited SEO support, which is attributed to its goal of simplifying management processes.
Shopify And SEO
Shopify lacks strong support for technical SEO. For instance, creating structured paths essential for SEO can be difficult. Your top funnel is organic traffic, and you need to work on SEO to drive traffic to your store. If you want to create evergreen content to build brand loyalty, investing time in SEO can yield long-term benefits.
The downside is achieving visibility on the first page of search results. It requires time and technique, and many effective stores neglect this aspect. Understanding how to optimize SEO for your Shopify store is crucial.
How Does Google Search Work
To begin, it's essential to know what Google seeks when delivering the best search results. A search engine algorithm is a carefully designed formula that scores every page it scans. Google ranks pages on search engine results pages (SERPs) based on these scores for specific keywords.
Over the years, Google has continuously refined its algorithm. With the introduction of the RankBrain algorithm, Google has started using AI to enhance search queries and rank web pages.
Google assesses a complex set of marketing signals, of which there are 14 types, but the following three are particularly important:
The 3 Marketing Signals Are:
- Popularity based backlink (Off-Page SEO): This refers to the popularity of your webpage, primarily determined by the number of authoritative backlinks it has.
- Keyword in the content (On-Page SEO): On-Page SEO involves techniques used to select keywords and incorporate them into your content, significantly influencing your Google search ranking.
- RankBrain: While the first two are vital, RankBrain is a newer marketing signal incorporated by Google over the past two years.
What Is RankBrain?
RankBrain is an AI system designed to detect and combat keyword stuffing and backlink manipulation. It analyzes millions of user searches and matches them to user intent, striving to mimic human behavior rather than robotic responses.
With RankBrain, Google examines user interactions with pages to determine if they correctly match search queries. Attempts to manipulate the algorithm through tactics like keyword stuffing or fake backlinks are becoming increasingly ineffective due to machine learning technology.
Why Is RankBrain Becoming Exceedingly Important?
RankBrain addresses the manipulation techniques used previously, proving to be more effective than earlier algorithms. Fact: Google search engineers guessed a PageRank of search results 70% of the time, while RankBrain achieved 80% accuracy.
Ignoring RankBrain and its technology could jeopardize your organic rankings and traffic.
Here are five tips to increase your rank for your Shopify store by optimizing for the RankBrain algorithm:
1. Optimize For Mobile Speed
Utilize AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). Google increasingly favors mobile traffic. AMP pages offer faster load times, allow easy caching by Google, reduce bounce rates, and enhance conversions.
Major Contributions Of AMP To SEO Are:
- Faster load times.
- Easier caching for Google.
- Reduced bounce rates leading to better conversions.
- AMP content is prioritized in organic search results.
AMP On Shopify
To enhance user experience and improve loading times, optimize your Shopify pages using the AMP plugin.
2. Optimize Content For Voice Search
Content should be conversational since voice search is growing. Identify your typical customer personas and tailor content to their needs and questions to improve voice search rankings.
3. Reduce Dribble Time By Creating An Engaging Story
Minimize the time users spend switching between pages. Engage them by presenting critical information at the beginning and crafting compelling stories.
4. Go Deep Into Detail
Create valuable, in-depth content. Instead of 500 words, aim for 1000-3000 words to rank higher in RankBrain; longer content performs better.
5. Don’t Think Like A Robot, Think Like A Human
Craft content for human readers, not algorithms. Understand user intent and prioritize engagement and longer dwell times on pages.
Focus on the keywords' intent and optimize content accordingly.
Learn More
RankBrain is integral to modern SEO. Neglecting its influence risks both organic traffic and customer visibility. By implementing small but effective changes, you can enhance your Shopify store's search engine presence, keeping pace with evolving AI-powered search trends.