SEO Strategy for E Commerce Website On Shopify
A data-driven execution plan to capture local search intent. This playbook targets high-value “near me” queries and transactional service keywords.
Execution Roadmap
Start with a full backlink audit using Ahrefs or Moz. Identify toxic links (spam score > 30) and disavow via Google Search Console. Document domain rating (DR), referring domains, and anchor text distribution.
Check if your theme’s footer links (e.g., ‘Powered by Shopify’) are indexable. Remove or nofollow them to avoid diluting link equity.
Develop high-value assets like product roundups, industry reports, or interactive tools (e.g., ROI calculators). Focus on assets that solve specific e-commerce pain points (shipping, returns, UX).
- ‘Best [Niche] Products of 2024’ (updated annually)
- ‘Shopify SEO Checklist’ (PDF + embeddable infographic)
- ‘E-commerce Conversion Rate Benchmarks’ (data-driven report)
- ‘Free Shopify App Comparison Tool’ (interactive)
Generic blog post: ‘How to Start a Shopify Store’
Data study: ‘How 500 Shopify Stores Reduced Cart Abandonment by 37%’
Target directories that rank for ‘best [niche] stores’ or ‘Shopify stores in [industry]’. Prioritize sites with DR > 50 and manual review processes to ensure quality.
- Shopify App Store (if you have a public app)
- Ecommerce Platforms (ecommerce-platforms.com)
- BuiltWith (builtwith.com)
- Niche-specific directories (e.g., ‘Best Vegan Shopify Stores’)
JSON-LD Schema for Directories
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "ProfessionalService",
"name": "[Your Store Name] - Link Building for Shopify",
"image": "https://yourstore.com/logo.png",
"description": "Expert link building strategies tailored for Shopify e-commerce websites to boost domain authority and organic traffic.",
"url": "https://yourstore.com",
"telephone": "+1-800-123-4567",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 E-commerce Ave",
"addressLocality": "San Francisco",
"addressRegion": "CA",
"postalCode": "94105",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"geo": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": "37.7749",
"longitude": "-122.4194"
},
"areaServed": [
{
"@type": "GeoCircle",
"geoMidpoint": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": "37.7749",
"longitude": "-122.4194"
},
"geoRadius": "5000"
}
],
"hasOfferCatalog": {
"@type": "OfferCatalog",
"name": "Link Building Services",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "Offer",
"name": "Shopify Backlink Audit",
"description": "Full backlink profile analysis with toxic link disavowal.",
"url": "https://yourstore.com/services/audit"
},
{
"@type": "Offer",
"name": "Editorial Link Building",
"description": "Securing links from DR 50+ sites via guest posts and resource pages.",
"url": "https://yourstore.com/services/editorial"
}
]
}
}Target blogs with DR > 40 and monthly traffic > 10K. Pitch data-driven angles (e.g., ‘How We Grew Our Shopify Store to $1M/Year with Link Building’). Include a bio link to your Shopify store or a relevant asset.
"Hi [Name], I noticed your post on [Topic] and thought your readers would find our data on [Unique Angle] valuable. We’ve helped [X] Shopify stores increase organic traffic by [Y]% using similar strategies. Would you be open to a guest post on [Proposed Title]? Best, [Your Name]"
Use Ahrefs’ ‘Broken Links’ report to find dead pages on e-commerce blogs. Create replacement content (e.g., updated product lists, guides) and pitch it to site owners with a link to your Shopify store.
- Filter Ahrefs for ‘404 not found’ pages with backlinks
- Sort by referring domains (prioritize 5+ links)
- Check Wayback Machine for original content
- Create a better version (more data, better UX)
Generic ‘Top 10 Products’ list with no data
‘2024 Update: 15 Best [Niche] Products (With Sales Data)’
Monitor HARO (Help a Reporter Out) for e-commerce and Shopify queries. Respond with concise, data-backed insights. Include a link to your store or a relevant asset in your bio.
"Hi [Reporter], For your query on [Topic], here’s a data point from our experience: [1-2 sentences with stat]. We’ve seen this drive [X]% improvement for Shopify stores like [Example]. Happy to provide more details if helpful! Best, [Your Name]"
Use Google Analytics and Ahrefs to track backlink growth, referral traffic, and keyword rankings. Double down on tactics with the highest ROI (e.g., guest posts driving traffic vs. directories with no clicks).
- Set up Ahrefs alerts for new backlinks
- Track referral traffic in GA4 (Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition)
- Monitor keyword rankings for linked pages
- Calculate CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) per link source
Google Analytics 4 Query (BigQuery)
SELECT
source,
COUNT(DISTINCT user_pseudo_id) AS users,
SUM(engaged_sessions) AS sessions,
SUM(conversions) AS conversions
FROM `your_project.analytics_XXXXXX.events_*`
WHERE
event_name = 'session_start'
AND traffic_source.source = 'referral'
GROUP BY source
ORDER BY conversions DESC;Use Shopify apps to streamline link building. Tools like ‘Linkcious’ or ‘Backlink Manager’ can help track backlinks, while ‘ReferralCandy’ incentivizes customers to share your store (earning natural links).
Combine ‘Ahrefs’ (backlink analysis) + ‘Pitchbox’ (outreach) + ‘ReferralCandy’ (customer links) for a full-funnel link building system.
Growth Model
This model assumes consistent content generation and basic backlink acquisition. ROI typically stabilizes within 90 days of full indexation.