SEO Tips to Boost Your Ad Performance: A Guide for Shopify Store Owners
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) isn’t just for driving organic traffic; it’s the secret sauce that can supercharge your ad performance, turning a good campaign into a great one. Done right, it makes your ads more effective, and perfectly aligned with what your customers are searching for. Let’s dive in!
1. Optimise Your Product Pages for Keywords
Optimising your product pages for the right keywords directly improves your ad Quality Score or relevance metrics.
Actionable Tips:
- Use Long-Tail Keywords: Instead of targeting "leather bags," try “handmade vegan leather tote bags.” Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest can help identify relevant long-tail keywords.
- Craft SEO-Optimised Titles: Include primary keywords in product titles while keeping them user-friendly. Example: "Handmade Vegan Leather Tote Bag – Eco-Friendly & Stylish."
- Write Descriptive Meta Descriptions: Meta descriptions appear in search results and influence click-through rates (CTR). Example: "Discover handmade vegan leather tote bags. Stylish, durable, and eco-friendly—shop now with free delivery!"
Maria Harutyunyan from Loopex Digital recommends to "Choose high-converting, long-tail keywords that align with user intent. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help identify low-competition, high-ROI keywords. Match your ad copy and landing page content to these keywords for better quality scores."
Why It Works:
Search-optimised pages align better with ad platform algorithms, improving Quality Score and lowering CPC (Cost Per Click). They also increase organic traffic!
2. Speed Up Your Shopify Store
Page speed is a critical factor for both SEO rankings and ad performance. A slow-loading landing page can harm your conversion rates and ad scores.
Actionable Tips:
- Use a Speed Test Tool: Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix will identify speed issues.
- Compress Images: Shopify apps like TinyIMG or Crush.pics reduce file sizes without affecting quality.
- Minimise Apps: Keep only essential apps to avoid unnecessary bloat.
- Use a CDN: Shopify uses a CDN (Content Delivery Network), but further optimisation can be achieved using apps like Cloudflare.
Why It Works:
Google Ads favours fast-loading pages, and Facebook penalises slow ones with lower relevance scores. A faster site also results in happier customers and higher conversion rates.
3. Implement Structured Data
Structured data helps search engines and ad platforms better understand your content, improving visibility in search results and enabling richer ad formats.
Actionable Tips:
- Use Shopify apps like JSON-LD for SEO or Smart SEO to easily add structured data.
- Focus on Product Schema to highlight key details like price, reviews, and availability.
- Example:
json
Copy code
{
"@context": "<https://schema.org/>",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Handmade Vegan Leather Tote Bag",
"image": "<https://example.com/path-to-image.jpg>",
"description": "Eco-friendly vegan leather tote bag perfect for daily use.",
"brand": "Your Brand Name",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "49.99",
"priceCurrency": "GBP",
"availability": "<https://schema.org/InStock>"
}
}
Why It Works:
Structured data improves your chances of appearing in rich snippets (such as star ratings) in search results, which can boost CTR by up to 30%.
4. Leverage Internal Linking
Internal links distribute page authority across your site and guide visitors (and search engines) to key pages.
Actionable Tips:
- Link from blog posts to product pages. Example: In a blog post about "Best Back-to-School Accessories," link to your school backpacks.
- Use descriptive anchor text like “vegan leather backpacks” instead of “click here.”
- Create a Shop All page to centralise product links, boosting authority for that page.
Why It Works:
Internal linking not only enhances your SEO ranking but also keeps users on your site longer, increasing the likelihood of conversions from ad traffic.
5. Optimise for Mobile
Over 70% of Shopify traffic comes from mobile devices. Mobile-friendly stores perform better in SEO and ads.
Actionable Tips:
- Choose a mobile-optimised Shopify theme.
- Ensure CTAs (Call to Actions) like “Add to Basket” are easily tappable.
- Preview your landing pages on mobile before launching ad campaigns.
Why It Works:
Google prioritises mobile-first indexing, and mobile-friendly sites convert better, particularly for ad-driven traffic.
6. Write SEO-Focused Blog Content
A blog with strategic content can help drive organic traffic, build trust, and provide a better context for retargeting campaigns.
Actionable Tips:
- Create buyer-centric blog posts. Example: "How to Care for Vegan Leather Bags."
- Add internal links to your products within the blog.
- Use keywords naturally throughout the post.
Example:
A Shopify store selling yoga mats published a blog titled "5 Benefits of Using Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats." By linking back to their best-selling yoga mats, they saw a 25% increase in retargeting conversions from blog visitors.
7. Monitor and Improve Bounce Rates
Bounce rate indicates how quickly visitors leave your site. High bounce rates signal poor user experience to search engines and ad platforms.
Actionable Tips:
- Use tools like Google Analytics to identify high-bounce pages.
- Add exit-intent popups offering discounts to hesitant buyers.
- Ensure product pages answer common questions upfront, such as delivery times or return policies.
Why It Works:
Lower bounce rates boost ad relevance scores, reduce CPCs, and improve conversions.
8. Retarget Organic Visitors with Ads
SEO and ads work together brilliantly when you retarget visitors who found you organically.
Actionable Tips:
- Use Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics to segment organic traffic.
- Retarget with ads showcasing the exact products they viewed, adding urgency with limited-time offers - Blend AI can do that for you.
