The Best SEO Tools for Shopify

Go Beyond Shopify Apps to Boost Performance

When it comes to optimising your Shopify store for search engines, there are countless apps available on the Shopify App Store that promise to make SEO easy and automated. It’s tempting, especially for stores with large product catalogs, to turn to these apps for efficiency. But this approach can often do more harm than good. In this article, we’ll explore why relying solely on Shopify SEO apps might hurt your performance, and we’ll share the powerful SEO tools we use at Oglesby Media to get real, sustainable results for Shopify stores.

Why Shopify SEO Apps Can Hurt Your Store's Performance

Shopify SEO apps are designed to simplify your SEO efforts, automating tasks like meta tag creation, image alt text generation, and on-page recommendations. However, there are significant downsides that store owners often overlook:

• Code Quality and Page Speed Issues: Many Shopify SEO apps inject poor-quality code into your store, leading to inefficiencies. These apps often add unnecessary JavaScript that slows down your website, directly impacting page speed—a key factor for SEO. Ironically, while these apps aim to improve your SEO, the added bulk can slow your site—affecting user experience and search rankings. Page speed is crucial for both SEO and conversions, and Shopify SEO apps can inadvertently compromise this.
• Poor Content Quality: Some apps use cheap AI models to generate content, resulting in poor-quality meta tags, descriptions, and alt text. This can create keyword-stuffed or awkward language that fails to engage customers or improve search performance.
• Conflicts with Themes and Apps: Shopify is a customizable platform, but that also means compatibility is key. SEO apps can conflict with other important apps or themes, causing errors and negatively affecting your site’s functionality.
• Ongoing Costs: Many SEO apps charge monthly fees, and their costs can add up quickly. Considering their potential drawbacks, investing in separate, high-quality SEO tools often delivers far better ROI.

SEO Done Right: The Tools We Trust

Instead of relying on Shopify SEO apps, over the years we have tried many tools, but these we found work the best at the moment to deliver optimal results for our clients. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Ahrefs: Ahrefs is our go-to tool for keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor insights. We use Ahrefs to identify high-purchasing intent keywords that drive conversions, keep track of keyword ranking performance over time, and uncover competitor strategies. Ahrefs also helps us analyze backlinks and identify new backlink opportunities, which are essential for improving domain authority and search visibility. For better quality data, we also connect Ahrefs to our clients' Google Search Console accounts, which allows us to access more accurate keyword data and insights directly from Google. It’s perfect for understanding your niche and crafting data-driven SEO strategies.
2. Google Search Console: Google Search Console is essential for monitoring how Google views your store. We use it to gain insights into traffic from local, national, and international shoppers, monitor the performance of individual pages, and verify indexing and Core Web Vitals issues. This enables us to identify and resolve technical issues, keep track of page performance, and ensure that all pages are properly indexed, ultimately improving your store's visibility and user experience.
3. Google Analytics GA4: For understanding user behavior and measuring SEO impact on traffic and conversions, Google Analytics provides invaluable insights that help shape our strategy. One of the main reasons we use GA4 is to measure SEO performance against other digital strategies, providing a comprehensive view of how organic search compares to paid channels, email marketing, and social media efforts. We can also track sales and conversion performance, including metrics like customer journey paths, average order value, and revenue generated from organic traffic. This helps us make data-driven decisions to refine our approach and maximize ROI.
4. ChatGPT: We use the premium ChatGPT Plus to brainstorm content ideas, draft engaging copy, and refine messaging. Unlike cheap app-generated AI, it allows us to maintain a unique, high-quality voice for each brand.
5. TinyPNG: Page speed is crucial, so we use TinyPNG to compress images without sacrificing quality. Lightweight images load faster, creating a better user experience.
6. VS Code: For hands-on technical SEO, we use VS Code to make direct edits to theme files, avoiding unnecessary bloat from apps and ensuring clean, efficient code.
7. Detailed SEO Extension: This browser extension makes it easy to perform quick on-page SEO audits, helping us understand areas for improvement without adding any code to your store.
8. Google Trends: To spot trending topics and seasonal opportunities, we use Google Trends. This helps us create relevant content that matches what your audience is searching for.
9. Google Merchant Centre & Google Business Profile: These tools help your products appear in Google Shopping and enhance local SEO for better visibility across search and maps.
10. GTmetrix: We use GTmetrix to monitor site speed and performance, allowing us to identify bottlenecks that might be affecting both SEO and customer satisfaction.
11. AnswerThePublic: For content ideation, AnswerThePublic helps us understand what potential customers are asking about your products, allowing us to craft highly relevant content that meets user intent. Perfect tool for helping create topical Frequently Asked Questions.

Conclusion

Shopify SEO apps might seem like a quick fix, but they often end up creating more issues than they solve—from slowing down your site to generating low-quality content. By using dedicated SEO tools, we’re able to optimise Shopify stores in a way that’s both effective and sustainable.

In our opinion, effective SEO is about more than just convenience—it’s about doing what’s best for your store’s long-term success. With the right tools and a systemised approach, your Shopify store can achieve higher visibility, better performance, and more sales.

Take Action

At Oglesby Media, we prioritise doing SEO the right way. If you’re ready to see the difference that expert-driven SEO can make for your Shopify store, let’s chat.