Scale Up Your Shopify Store With These Tips

Shopify is an excellent platform for eCommerce business owners. If you are on the fence about it, you may find our post, Is Shopify Good for ECommerce? useful. However, if you are already on Shopify but want to explore its untapped potential, read on. 

In this blog post, we share actionable tips, checklists, and Shopify tools and apps to help you take your store to the next level. From boosting site speed to building customer trust with user-generated content, we’ve got you covered. We’ll also walk you through mobile optimization, social media strategies, link building, customer reviews, video content, and site security. If you have just started using Shopify for eCommerce, check out our blog post, 5 Tips for Shopify SEO.

Let’s dive in and explore how you can take your Shopify store from “okay” to “great”!

1. Increase Site Speed for Better SEO & User Experience
2. Optimize Your Shopify Store for Mobile Users
3. Leverage User-Generated Content To Boost SEO
4. Implement Link-Building Strategies To Improve Your Off-page SEO Strategy
5. Harness the Power of Social Media To Boost Your SEO Efforts
6. Encourage Customer Reviews To Improve Trust & Credibility
7. Use Video Content To Enhance Engagement & SEO Rankings
8. Secure Your Shopify Store for Better SEO & User Trust

Site speed is a critical factor in SEO and can significantly impact user experience and search engine rankings. Not only do Shopify shoppers want fast site speed, they expect it! Faster page loading times means customers get to your product and service pages quicker. Moreover, a responsive site incentivizes users to stay and browse your site longer. 

To minimize network transit time worldwide, Shopify deployed its Storefront Renderer application layer across multiple locations. Unlike Content Distribution Networks that cache files, Shopify moved the entire storefront rendering system to improve performance. Because eCommerce is dynamic and personalized, it’s crucial to position the commerce engine closer to the end-users for optimal user experience.

Here’s a checklist to help speed up your site and improve user experience:

BONUS TIP: To speed up your customer’s checkout experience, explore Shopify’s one-page checkout. The feature is faster, involves fewer steps for shoppers, and can help convert site visitors to customers.

According to Insider Intelligence, retail mobile commerce (or “mcommerce”) is predicted to account for about 43% of total retail eCommerce sales in 2023, an increase from 2022’s 41.8%. If you haven’t optimized your Shopify store for mobile shoppers, it’s the perfect time to change that, especially given the increasing number of people using mobile devices to browse the web. Without a responsive store, mobile shoppers may leave your site in droves before seeing your products. (For useful tips on reducing your bounce rate, check out this helpful Boxwood blog post)

In late 2022, Shopify enabled mobile optimization on all live stores, but only for those with a Shopify Partner account. However, even if you have a Shopify partner account or think your store is already snappy, you can do more to optimize your site. Here are some extra steps to take:

• Make sure that tap targets, such as buttons and links, are large enough to be easily tapped by users on smaller screens.
• Limit the number of menus, submenus, and nested content as much as possible to reduce the complexity of the user interface.
• Make sure the most important content and calls to action are visible on the first screen, minimizing the need for excessive scrolling.
• Reduce the text on each page, using headlines, bullet points, and concise descriptions to communicate information quickly and effectively.
• Use high-quality images optimized for mobile devices to enhance your site’s visual appeal and captivate users.
• Keep forms simple, optimizing them for smaller screen sizes to make it easy for users to complete actions.
• Offer mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay to streamline checkout and minimize cart abandonment.
• Test your site on multiple devices and screen sizes to ensure it’s optimized for various mobile devices.

Every eCommerce business needs an SEO boost and a way to build social proof and credibility. Consider turning to your users to provide fresh and relevant content that search engines love.

User-generated content refers to text, images, videos, and other content created by individuals who are not professionally affiliated with a particular brand or company, but contribute content through social media or online communities. In our post on 2023 content marketing trends to watch, we discuss how collaborative marketing like UGC is an inexpensive marketing solution that provides high returns.

As part of Shopify’s latest updates, store owners can leverage creative partnerships with Shopify Collabs. You can find and hire content creators who align with your brand through a branded application page or by searching for them in Shopify’s database. The update simplifies managing your relationship with content creators, sending them products, and keeping track of affiliate offers they promote in one convenient location.

Extra steps you can take to maximize UGC include:

• Encourage customers to leave reviews on your website or third-party review platforms such as Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook.
• Create a social media presence and encourage customers to share photos of your products, tag your brand, or use a branded hashtag.
• Take advantage of influencer marketing by partnering with influencers who align with your values and have a large following. Encourage them to create content that promotes your products.
• Host UGC contests on social media or your website to encourage customers to create and share content related to your products. Offer incentives or prizes for the best submissions.
• Add customer reviews and testimonials to product descriptions and website content.
• Implement schema markup on your website to help search engines understand and display UGC in search results, such as reviews and ratings.
• Monitor and respond to UGC like comments and reviews to engage with your customers and show you value their feedback.

While more and more of today’s eCommerce business owners know backlinks are essential to SEO, it still bears repeating. Backlinks help boost your website’s visibility on search engines like Google and serve as a trust signal to potential customers. 

When other reputable websites link back to your store, it shows your brand is credible and authoritative. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Focus on acquiring high-quality links from relevant, trustworthy sources in your industry. By prioritizing backlink building, you can give your Shopify for eCommerce store a competitive edge and increase your chances of attracting more organic traffic and sales.

Here are some ways to improve your off-page SEO strategy with link building:

• Submit your Shopify store to relevant directories in your niche. This can help build backlinks and increase visibility for potential customers.
• Contact relevant sites in your industry and offer to write a guest post for them. In exchange for the content, include a link back to your Shopify store in the author bio or body of the post.
• Find broken links on relevant industry websites and contact the owner to offer a replacement link. This could be a link to your content or a product page relevant to the broken link.
• Identify influencers or bloggers in your niche and offer them a free product or service in exchange for a review or feature on their website. Be sure to request a link to your Shopify store in the post.
• Engage with social media users and share your Shopify store link in relevant conversations. This can drive traffic to your store and potentially lead to backlinks from other users.

We have a complete, in-depth SEO guide for eCommerce businesses that includes off-site and on-site SEO strategies you can use. Read it here or simply download the SEO checklist.

Social media has become an integral part of digital marketing. A strong presence on Twitter, Instagram, and similar platforms can help drive traffic to your Shopify store. But did you know social media can also influence your business’s search engine rankings? 

While it doesn’t do so directly, by actively engaging followers and sharing high-quality content on your social media channels, you can boost your brand’s online reputation and increase the likelihood of earning backlinks from other websites. See our blog post on how SEO and social media work together to build your brand. If you want to learn more about the relationship between social media and SEO, don’t miss it!

As a show of support, Shopify offers sales channel discounts to store owners using their social media profiles to sell products. Syncing discounts to your sales channels ensures customers receive enticing deals across all platforms. Additionally, you can promote your discounted products on sales channels like Facebook and Instagram, maximizing their visibility to potential buyers. To manage your discounts, visit the Discounts page on your Shopify store and select which ones you want to sync to your sales channels.

Here are some extra tips on using social media to maximize your SEO strategy and scale up your Shopify store:

• Create engaging, shareable content your followers will love. Then, share your material across all your social media channels to maximize visibility.
• Make sure your social media profiles are complete and optimized for search engines. Use relevant keywords in your profile descriptions, and include a link to your Shopify store in your bio.
• Build a strong social media following to help increase brand visibility and online credibility. Use social media advertising and influencer outreach to attract new followers and potential customers.
• Respond promptly to comments and messages on your social media channels to build relationships with your followers. Engaging with your audience can help increase brand loyalty and generate positive reviews and referrals.
• Share your Shopify store links on your social media channels and encourage other relevant websites to link back to your social media profiles.

Encouraging customer reviews is a powerful way to improve trust and credibility for your Shopify store. BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey states, “46% of consumers feel that online business reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations from friends or family.”

Here are some tips to encourage customer reviews:

• Email customers after they purchase from you and request they leave a review on your Shopify store. Include a link to the review page to make it easy for them.
• Respond promptly and courteously to all reviews, positive and negative. This shows you value shopper feedback and are committed to providing great customer service.
• Ensure the review process is simple. Consider using an app or plugin that allows shoppers to leave a review without leaving your website.
• Offer a discount or another incentive for customers who leave feedback. This can help motivate them to leave a review.
• Share positive reviews on social media channels. This shows potential customers other buyers had a great experience shopping with you.

Given the age of information overload, video content has emerged as an effective solution to enhance website engagement and dwell time. With virtual worlds, augmented reality, and 3D visuals becoming more prevalent, it’s no surprise consumers respond well to video content. 

In Shopify’s Winter ‘23 update, the eCommerce platform shared that shop owners can sell their products on YouTube. You can pin current product info in the chat, share it below the video, or tag it during a live stream. If your eCommerce company has a YouTube channel or if your influencers have a YouTube channel where they share your products, this update could provide another way to encourage shoppers to buy and help them make informed buys.

Here are some additional steps to take to harness video content to boost your SEO rankings and enhance customer engagement:

• Before creating video content, you must know the video’s purpose. Will it be a product demo, a how-to guide, or a brand introduction? Defining the intent helps ensure the video is relevant and engaging for the target audience.
• High-quality videos that are visually appealing and have good audio quality are more likely to engage viewers. Consider investing in quality equipment or hiring a professional videographer.
• Place videos in strategic locations on your Shopify site, such as on product pages or the homepage, where they will be most visible to visitors.
• Attention spans are short. Keep videos concise and focused on the most important information. Generally, videos should be at most two to three minutes long.
• Captions and subtitles can make videos more accessible to a broader audience. That includes those who are hearing impaired or watching in a noisy environment.
• Encourage customers to submit videos showcasing how they use products or why they love the brand. 
• Share videos on social media platforms to increase reach and engagement. Consider running paid social media campaigns to reach a wider audience.
• Use analytics tools to track video performance, including views, engagement, and conversions. This can help determine the most effective videos and inform future content creation.

BONUS TIP: A Neilsen Norman Group study found that inadequate product descriptions contribute to 20% of failed purchases. In other words, customers are more likely to abandon their cart if they don’t have enough relevant information about the product.

If you need help writing descriptions for products you sell on YouTube, consider using Shopify Magic. While the time-saving AI tool can generate helpful descriptions, having an eCommerce marketing agency double-check the output is still best. That way, you ensure the content aligns with your brand and target audience.

Site security is critical in SEO, as search engines prioritize secure websites. The same is also true of shoppers. When customers buy your products or services, they trust you with sensitive data like their financial information and address. That’s why securing your Shopify store and all customer data is essential. 

Here’s a helpful checklist to further strengthen your security and SEO and user trust:

• Ensure your Shopify store account password is strong and unique. Enable two-factor authentication for added security.
• Regularly update your Shopify store’s software, including themes, plugins, and apps, to address known security vulnerabilities.
• Ensure your store has an SSL certificate installed to encrypt all data transmitted between your customers’ web browsers and your store.
• Enable Shopify’s fraud detection tools, such as its Order Risk Analysis, to automatically flag potentially fraudulent orders.
• Choose a secure payment gateway, such as Shopify Payments or PayPal. Ensure it’s properly configured to protect payment information.
• Consider a third-party security app like McAfee SECURE or SiteLock to provide additional security features, such as malware scanning and vulnerability patching.
• Educate your staff on identifying and preventing security breaches like phishing scams and malware attacks.
• Regularly back up your store’s data, such as customer data, orders, and product information. That way, you can quickly recover from a security breach or data loss.

These tips above will enable you to grow your Shopify store. At Boxwood, we speciailize in working with clients to scale their Shopify stores and helping them achieve their business goals. Schedule a consultation with us to see how we can help.