If you’ve searched for “Shopify SEO settings,” you’ve probably found a lot of posts that talk in generalities about “optimising your store” without ever telling you where in the Shopify admin to actually click. This post is the opposite of that. It’s a specific, checkable list of the SEO-relevant settings inside Shopify that store owners genuinely control, with the exact menu path for each one, so you can go and configure them today rather than adding another vague to-do.
These aren’t ranked by theoretical importance, they’re ordered the way you’d realistically work through them in a single sitting, starting with store-wide settings and moving down to page-level detail.
1. Store Name and Meta Description (Preferences)
Where: Online Store > Preferences
Your homepage title and meta description are set here, and they’re often left as Shopify’s auto-filled defaults. This is one of the first things Google shows searchers for branded queries, so it’s worth writing deliberately, a clear, benefit-led description under 155 characters rather than a generic auto-fill.
2. Title and Meta Description Fields on Every Product and Collection
Where: Each individual product/collection page, under “Search engine listing preview”
Shopify gives every product and collection its own editable SEO title and description field, and it’s genuinely per-page, not something you set once globally. Left blank, Shopify falls back to the product title and store name, which isn’t wrong but is rarely your best-converting version. Prioritise your highest-traffic pages first if you’re working through a large catalogue.
3. URL Handles (Slugs)
Where: “Edit website SEO” link under the search engine listing preview on any product, collection, page, or blog post
Shopify auto-generates a URL handle from the title when you create something, and it stays that way unless you manually change it. Short, descriptive, keyword-relevant handles are worth the extra thirty seconds, just be aware that changing a handle on an already-published, already-indexed page creates a new URL, so set up a redirect if you edit a live page’s handle.
4. Image Alt Text
Where: Product/collection image settings, or in bulk via Files (Settings > Files) for some image types
Alt text should describe what’s actually in the image in natural language. This matters for both image search visibility and accessibility, screen readers rely on it too, so treat it as a genuine description, not a place to cram keywords.
5. Robots.txt Customisation
Where: Edit code > robots.txt.liquid (available on most Shopify plans)
Shopify’s default robots.txt is sensible for most stores, but if you have a specific reason to block certain paths (internal search results pages, for example, which can otherwise generate thin indexable URLs), this is where it’s done. Edit with care, a mistake here can accidentally block content you want indexed.
6. XML Sitemap Submission
Where: Automatically generated at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml; submitted via Google Search Console > Sitemaps
You don’t build this manually, Shopify generates and maintains it automatically. Your job is to confirm it’s submitted in Search Console and check periodically that it’s being read without errors.
7. Canonical Tag Behaviour
Where: Theme-dependent, generally automatic
Most current Shopify themes handle canonical tags correctly out of the box, particularly for products that appear in multiple collections. Still worth a manual spot-check on your specific theme (view page source and look for the rel="canonical" tag) rather than assuming it’s correctly configured, especially on heavily customised themes.
8. 301 Redirects
Where: Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects
Any time a product, collection, or page is deleted or its URL changed, this is where you set up the redirect so the old URL doesn’t just 404. For bulk redirect needs (like a full platform migration), Shopify supports CSV import here too.
9. Structured Data (Schema Markup)
Where: Theme-dependent, check via Google’s Rich Results Test
Most modern Shopify themes include Product schema (price, availability, review ratings) automatically. It’s worth verifying this is actually firing correctly on your theme rather than assuming, particularly after a theme change or heavy customisation, which can sometimes break schema markup without any visible symptoms on the front end.
10. Language and Market Settings
Where: Settings > Markets
If you’re trading primarily in Australia but Shopify’s Markets feature is configured with unclear or overlapping regional settings, this can create confusing signals about which version of a page to show searchers. For a single-market AU store, keep this simple and intentional rather than leaving default multi-market settings half-configured.
11. Currency and GST Display
Where: Settings > Markets > Preferences, and Settings > Taxes and Duties
Not directly a ranking factor, but incorrect GST or currency display damages trust signals and can increase bounce rate, which indirectly affects how search engines and users perceive page quality. See our dedicated guide on Shopify GST setup if you’re not confident this is configured correctly for Australian compliance.
12. Blog Post SEO Fields
Where: Online Store > Blog Posts > individual post > “Search engine listing preview”
Same principle as products, each blog post has its own editable title, meta description, and URL handle. Worth treating blog content with the same SEO care as product pages, not as an afterthought.
13. 404 Page Configuration
Where: Online Store > Themes > Customize (varies by theme)
A generic, dead-end 404 page is a missed opportunity. A well-configured one includes a search bar and links to popular collections, which keeps visitors (and crawlers) engaged with live content rather than bouncing.
14. App Script Bloat Audit
Where: Settings > Apps and sales channels, cross-referenced with page speed tools
Not a single setting, but worth treating as a recurring check: every installed app has the potential to inject scripts that slow your store down, which affects Core Web Vitals and, indirectly, rankings. Periodically review installed apps against actual usage and remove ones you’re not using.
15. Analytics and Search Console Verification
Where: Online Store > Preferences (for verification meta tags), plus Google Search Console and GA4 setup
You can’t improve what you’re not measuring. Confirm Search Console is verified at the domain level and GA4 is correctly tracking, see our dedicated resource on Shopify GA4 tracking if this isn’t already properly configured.
Putting It Together
Working through this list once thoroughly, then revisiting it after any major theme change, app install, or catalogue expansion, covers the majority of the technical SEO ground that’s genuinely within a Shopify store owner’s direct control. The parts that take real ongoing skill, content strategy, structured internal linking, and prioritising fixes by actual traffic impact, are where a dedicated Shopify SEO approach tends to pay for itself, particularly for stores with larger catalogues where manual page-by-page checks aren’t realistic.
FAQ
Do I need a paid app to manage these settings?
No, every setting listed here is native to Shopify and doesn’t require a paid app. Apps can help with bulk editing at scale (useful for large catalogues) but aren’t required for the underlying functionality.
How often should I review these settings?
A full pass makes sense when you first set up your store, then a lighter review after any theme change, major app installation, or significant catalogue expansion, these are the events most likely to introduce new issues.
Which of these settings matters most for a small store just starting out?
Meta titles/descriptions on your core pages, clean URL handles, and confirming your sitemap is submitted in Search Console will cover the highest-impact basics for a store just getting started.
Can changing my theme break any of these settings?
Yes, canonical tags, structured data, and 404 page configuration are all theme-dependent and can behave differently (or break) after a theme change. Always re-check these specific items after switching themes.
Is there a way to check all my product pages’ SEO settings at once rather than one by one?
Shopify’s native admin doesn’t offer bulk SEO field editing out of the box, though some apps support CSV-based bulk editing. For large catalogues, a structured audit is usually more reliable than trying to spot-check individually.
Next Step
If you’d rather have someone confirm these settings are correctly configured across your entire store rather than checking each one manually, book a call with our team to talk through where your store currently stands.
