OPTASY: Drupal Web Development Agency Toronto
(416) 243-2431Drupal SupportRequest A QuoteQuote

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
    • Design
    • Web Development
      • Drupal
      • WordPress
      • Magento
      • Laravel
      • Shopify
      • Sharepoint
      • Contentful
      • Gatsby
      • Next.js
      • Node.js
      • React
      • AngularJS
    • Mobile & App
      • IOS
      • Android
      • Augmented Reality
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Virtual Reality
    • Maintenance & Support
      • Drupal Maintenance
      • Wordpress Maintenance
    • Staff Augmentation
  • Portfolio
    • Web
    • Mobile
    • Ar
  • About
    • Who we are
    • Values
    • Events
    • Awards
    • News
    • Careers
    • Partners
      • Acquia
      • Google
      • Pantheon
      • Shopify
      • Wordpress
  • Blog
    • Drupal
    • Drupal 8
    • HTML
    • CSS
    • Javascript
    • PHP
    • Microsoft
    • Web Design
    • Design
    • Tips
    • News
  • Contact
(416) 243-2431 Drupal Support Request A QuoteQuote

In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic - OPTASY would like to offer DRUPAL website support for any Healthcare, Government, Education and Non-Profit Organization(s) with critical crisis communication websites or organizations directly providing relief. Stay Safe and Stay Well.

The SEO Shopify Checklist: How to Get Your Store to Rank Higher Fast in 10 Simple Steps (Part 2)
Tips

The SEO Shopify Checklist: How to Get Your Store to Rank Higher Fast in 10 Simple Steps (Part 2)

by Adriana Cacoveanu on Jul 17 2020

See? We are a team of our word.

As promised in Part 1, we're back with 5 more steps to add to your SEO Shopify checklist.

And to boost the ranking of your new Shopify store (and its traffic, and the sales, and... all the "good stuff" that comes from an effective SEO strategy).

So, let's dive right in. Here are the other 5 simple, yet effective improvements that you can make to your eCommerce website:

Step 6: Optimize Your Product Pages

"How does a Shopify store rank on Google?"

It "bets" on a mix of unique product descriptions and on-product-page SEO best practices.

"Often times product pages don't have the content that they need to perform well in the SERPs" (MOZ.com)

With so many eCommerce brands still striving to get the most out of these 2 totally ineffective tactics:

  • using the same description on multiple product pages across their websites
  • displaying the manufacturers' descriptions on their product pages

... you stand high chances to get your own product pages to rank higher in the SERPS.

Now, let's get specific. 

6.1. 4 Best Practices to Increase Engagement on Your Product Pages

  • add unique content to each page (don't be that Shopify store owner who uses the same content across all his/her product pages!)
  • write your own product descriptions (and make sure to create one for each product in your inventory; focus on their best features and benefits)
  • add product reviews and highlight ratings
  • add high-quality images and videos of your products
  • link to related products

The SEO Shopify Checklist: Most of the Online Shoppers Read Product Reviews Before Making a Purchase

Source: spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu  

Tip! One of the best SEO Shopify apps that you could use at this point is Product Reviews. It'll add SEO-friendly scores to all your product pages.

6.2. 3 Best Practices to Keyword Optimize Your Product Pages

  • include your target keywords in the title tags, product descriptions, and meta descriptions
  • remember to add it to your ALT text for images, as well
  • make sure your keywords fit naturally into the text

And, again, I can't stress enough the importance of original and unique product descriptions!

The SEO Shopify Checklist: Use Only 1 H1 per Product Page

Step 7: Add a Blog, Another Critical Step On Your SEO Shopify Checklist

"If you’re seeing that Google is ranking more blog/article types of content for the keywords mapped to your Shopify store, your best bet is to go out and create that content yourself." (MOZ.com)

Now, let's say that, as you're building the SEO for your Shopify store, you're trying to rank for quite a lot of informational keywords ("How to...", "What's the best...", etc.).

You've already mapped them all to your store (i.e. to your product and your category pages) and... nothing. Your Shopify store's still on... page 10 in the searches for those keywords.

But what about those stores that do rank high for the same keywords with informational intent?

Is it their product/category pages that Google ranks? Or rather post from their blogs, that include those keywords?

Mystery solved.

If you want to have your store rank high for keywords with informational intent you need to add a blog to your Shopify site.

It's there that you can write informational (and epic) content around those specific keywords.

"Google is starting to prefer to rank more informational content above transactional. " (MOZ.com) 

7.1. 4 Reasons Why You'd Want to Start Blogging on Your Shopify Store 

 

  • face it: only a ridiculously small percent of your website's visitors access it with a clear intention to buy. To increase chances to turn them from visitors to customers, you need to... educate them; to provide them with informational content for each stage in the buyer's journey
  • once you write high-quality content on your blog you can send some of that authority to your product and category pages (which, otherwise, are so hard to link to); internal linking still is on of the best SEO tips for Shopify that you should make the most of
  • blog posts make great tools for "pitching" your products (just make sure you target the right keywords)
  • a blog is a perfect place on your website to add informational content that Google ranks high

     

The SEO Shopify Checklist: Informational Content Brings More Organic Traffic to Your Store

"But what should I blog about?"

Glad you asked.

Here are 3 simple ways that you can come up with some killer blog post topics:

a. Ask yourself how your customers could get more value out of your product.

For instance, you might be selling... hand blenders. Then, you could come up with recipes on "how to make creamy tomato soup in just 3 minutes" using a particular feature of your blenders.

b. When you do your keyword research, make a list of all the user questions around those keywords.

Then, go ahead and "exploit" them: write blog posts around the questions that your future customers have.

c. Or, you can... brainstorm those questions.

Ask yourself what inquiries and dilemmas related to your products your customers might be dealing with.

For instance, you could be selling clothes made of a... revolutionary type of linen.

Your potential customers could be wondering: "What makes it so revolutionary?". Or "Why is linen so expensive?" or "What's the difference between cotton and linen?"

Step 8: Find and Fix all the Duplicate Content Issues

Removing all duplicates is one of the crucial steps to take for improving the SEO of your Shopify store.

It's also one of those issues common to Shopify stores in particular:

2 versions of your domain (with the same content) get indexed: the myshopify one and the custom domain one.

Tip! When you add your custom domain to Shopify, make sure to check that all the traffic gets automatically redirected to your primary domain.

How? Just go to Online Store > Domains and, if the message that you get there is “Traffic from your domains is not being redirected to this primary domain.”, click "Enable redirection".

If it says “Traffic from all your domains redirects to this primary domain", then you're safe.

But it's always best to check first.

This way, you avoid the scenario where you're making it harder than necessary for Google to rank your Shopify store. For it won't know which of the 2 indexed versions is the "official" one.

And speaking of the "duplicate content" danger that's greater in the case of Shopify websites, here are 2 ways that this eCommerce platform duplicates content.

8.1. It duplicates collection pages via pagination

Meaning that it duplicates the first product category page in a series.

You'll see “?page=1” included in the URL to the first page in that series. 

And this URL is highly likely to have the same content as the first, non-parameterized URL.

So, when working on the SEO for your Shopify store, make sure to identify and to remove all the duplicate paginated URLs.

8.2. It duplicates product pages 

You'll have your product pages rendering at 2 different URL paths:

  • the canonical one: /products/
  • the default, non-canonical one: /collections/.*/products/

Basically, Shopify creates several links for each category that a product is in.

How to fix that?

You can address this issue right in your theme's .liquid files. Just follow the step-by-step guide there to get it fixed.

Step 9: Use an Alternative to Robots.txt File to Control Google's Crawl 

Why would you want to add this point to your SEO Shopify checklist?

Because in Shopify you cannot adjust the robots.txt file. 

And, since you don't want Google to crawl the content on your website altogether, you'll need to look for alternatives.

You could, for instance, consider canonical or "no follow" tags.

Step 10: Build Links to Your Shopify Store

It's sill is one of the most challenging parts when doing SEO for Shopify in 2020.

But it's also one of the most powerful tactics, that can make or break an effective SEO strategy.

The SEO Shopify Checklist: More Backlinks to Your Store Means More Organic Traffic

Still, no need to get discouraged.

There are a few simple and effective ways to get quality, relevant links to your Shopify store and boost its authority:

 

  • guest blog on relevant websites (remember to add a link to your online store in your blog post)
  • reach out to those websites that have already mentioned your brand (your products, your brand's name, etc.), but "overlooked" to include a link to your website, as well
  • form partnerships with publishers or other eCommerce businesses in your industry 
  • find out who's linking to your competitors' stores and reach out to them

     

The SEO Shopify Checklist: See What Websites Are Linking to Your Competitors' Shopify Stores

Our Recommendation for You Is...

... to balance out your SEO efforts and your efforts to provide the best user experience.

Your mail goal, as a Shopify store owner, should go beyond that of achieving a higher ranking:

More sales is your ultimate goal.

And for that, delivering the best user experience (a fast loading site, helpful image descriptions, useful content, etc.) is critical.

So, in addition to these 10 points on your SEO Shopify checklist, be sure to add another one:

Provide users with what they're looking for on your website. And make it easy for them to find it.

The better their experience will be, the higher your chances to have your site pushed up in the rankings.

Now, if you'd want to have your store bumped up in the search results, but without having to:

  • get tangled up in link building tactics
  • be on the lookout for duplicate content issues
  • come up with a unique and keyword-optimized description for every single product in your inventory

... just shift the burden to us.

Drop us a line and let's start building out the SEO strategy that'll set your Shopify store up for success!

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

Share the article

Development

We do Web development

Go to our Web development page!

Visit page!

Do you want a website

or app developed?

 

Get a Free Quote

and let's make it work!

Get a Quote

Recommended Stories

Tips
Staff Augmentation or Managed Services? How to Choose Wisely

Staff Augmentation or Managed Services? How to Choose Wisely

  As digital transformation has forever changed the world of business, more and more companies are interested in IT outsourcing. In fact, the global staffing industry, one of the primary suppliers of staff augmentation talent, is estimated to support $490 billion in annual spending. While this trend is growing fast, there is still some uncertainty regarding the healthiest and most convenient way for a business to use outside personnel. This article discusses two of the most popular contingent working models—staff augmentation and managed services—and how to choose the best option for your business needs.   What Is Staff Augmentation?   Staff augmentation allows companies to expand their in-house team with additional skilled resources to join a particular project. This type of outsourcing model chases once the project is over, and it's suitable for companies that don't need to hire someone permanently.  Staff augmentation is best used for short-term projects and can also be used as a "trial run" for potential full-time employees.  With this type of outsourcing, organizations can leverage specific skills on a per-project basis without going through costly and time-consuming hiring processes.    What Is Managed Services?   Unlike the staff augmentation model, which enables companies to expand their team with additional skilled professionals, managed services outsourcing practices imply hiring a fully-equipped team of professionals to take care of your specific project.  With the managed services model, you save many resources—time, costs, and effort—as you hire an entire team of skilled professionals who have the right tools and tech to complete your project.  While a service provider will handle your project on its entire length, from beginning to end, your job is to ensure that you select a reliable company that you can trust will deliver positive business outcomes.  The managed services model is the best fit for companies looking for stable and reliable long-term business cooperation.    Staff Augmentation or Managed Services?   To help you figure out which one of these outsourcing models is the one you should choose for your organization, let's have a look at the pros and cons of staff augmentation and managed services.    Pros of staff augmentation Specialized expertise. Staff augmentation allows access to a wide range of professionals with specialized skills and knowledge that may not be available in-house. This can be particularly beneficial for projects that require niche expertise or cutting-edge technologies. Flexibility and scalability. With staff augmentation, businesses can quickly adapt to changing demands and scale their workforce up or down as needed. This flexibility helps optimize resource allocation and reduces costs during slower periods. Cost efficiency. Compared to hiring full-time employees, staff augmentation can be a cost-effective solution as it eliminates recruitment and onboarding expenses. Businesses only pay for the services rendered during the contracted period. Retaining control. By leveraging staff augmentation, organizations retain direct control over project management and decision-making. External professionals work alongside the existing team, ensuring seamless collaboration.   Cons of staff augmentation Not suitable for long-term projects. Staff augmentation is practical only as long as you look for short-term business engagements as projects come and go.  Increased dependence on third-party talent organizations. This can put your sustainability plans more at risk.  Lengthy staff integration. New professionals that join specific, complex projects may require some time to get familiar with your products and expectations.    Pros of managed services Access to expertise. Managed service providers (MSPs) have extensive experience and expertise in their respective domains. By engaging their services, businesses can leverage the knowledge and capabilities of industry experts. Operational efficiency. MSPs follow standardized processes and best practices to deliver efficient and high-quality services. This helps organizations improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and achieve better outcomes. Scalability and flexibility. Managed services can easily scale up or down to match the evolving needs of the business. The service provider can quickly allocate additional resources or adjust service levels as required. Reduced risk and responsibility. By outsourcing specific functions to a managed service provider, organizations can mitigate risks associated with those tasks. The responsibility for managing and delivering results lies with the service provider.   Cons of managed services Hard to ensure security. When opting for the services of a provider, you provide access to sensitive data and assets. Therefore, companies that require high levels of data and information security might want to think twice before choose a managed services outsourcing model. Higher costs. Although hiring a managed services company might be cost-effective in the long run, it's not always possible to get the complete services package at a low price. The costs of handing over your project to an IT firm might be higher than when opting for staff augmentation since managed IT services cover both IT functions and project management.  Less control and autonomy. If you are looking to internalize your project management process and supervise outsourced staff, a managed services model might not be a suitable option for you.    Wrapping up Although outsourcing is becoming more popular, finding an external reliable development team can be a struggle. There is a plethora of options available on the market, making it challenging to make a choice. A wise choice.  At Optasy, we understand how important it is to have a dedicated team of professionals that can handle a wide range of projects. So have a look at your services and contact us to learn more about how we can collaborate for success.    Image credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash.    ... Read more
Raluca Olariu / May 31'2023
Tips
Adobe Experience Manager: Benefits and FAQs

Adobe Experience Manager: Benefits and FAQs

  In today's digital era, delivering exceptional customer experiences is vital for businesses to succeed. Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a comprehensive content management system that empowers organizations to create, manage, and optimize their digital experiences across multiple channels. By seamlessly integrating content, data, and personalization, AEM enables businesses to deliver engaging and personalized experiences that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. In this article, we will delve into the definition, benefits, and answer some frequently asked questions about Adobe Experience Manager. Adobe Experience Manager is a leading enterprise-level content management system (CMS) developed by Adobe Systems. It enables businesses to create, manage, and deliver personalized digital experiences across websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels. AEM provides a robust platform for content creation, digital asset management, social collaboration, campaign management, and analytics, all of which are essential for delivering consistent and engaging experiences to customers. Benefits of Adobe Experience Manager Enhanced content creation and management AEM offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies content creation and management processes. It provides intuitive authoring tools, drag-and-drop functionality, and in-context editing, enabling non-technical users to create and update content effortlessly. AEM's content repository allows for centralized storage, version control, and seamless collaboration, ensuring consistency and efficiency across teams. Omnichannel experience delivery With AEM, businesses can deliver consistent and personalized experiences across various channels, including websites, mobile apps, social media platforms, and more. AEM's responsive design capabilities enable the automatic adaptation of content to different screen sizes and devices, ensuring optimal experiences regardless of the user's device or platform. Personalization and targeting AEM enables businesses to deliver personalized experiences to individual users by leveraging data and analytics. It integrates with Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target, allowing businesses to gather insights about user behavior, preferences, and engagement. This data can then be utilized to deliver targeted content, recommendations, and offers, enhancing customer satisfaction and conversion rates. Efficient digital asset management AEM includes a robust digital asset management (DAM) system, allowing businesses to organize, store, and distribute digital assets efficiently. It provides powerful search capabilities, automated tagging, and metadata management, making it easier to find and reuse assets across campaigns and channels. AEM's DAM system ensures consistent branding and accelerated content creation by eliminating the need for redundant asset creation. Scalability and integration AEM is a scalable solution that can adapt to the evolving needs of businesses. It seamlessly integrates with other Adobe Marketing Cloud products, such as Adobe Campaign and Adobe Target, enabling businesses to build comprehensive marketing campaigns and leverage data-driven insights. Furthermore, AEM's open architecture allows for integration with third-party systems and technologies, ensuring compatibility and flexibility. FAQs about Adobe Experience Manager Is Adobe Experience Manager suitable for small businesses? While AEM is primarily designed for enterprise-level organizations, Adobe also offers a scaled-down version called Adobe Experience Manager Sites, which caters to the needs of smaller businesses. Can AEM handle multilingual and global websites? Yes, AEM provides robust multilingual and globalization capabilities. It allows for easy translation and localization of content, ensuring consistent experiences across different languages and regions. What kind of support does Adobe provide for AEM users? Adobe offers comprehensive support for AEM users, including documentation, tutorials, community forums, and access to Adobe Customer Care. Additionally, Adobe provides training and certification programs for individuals and teams to enhance their AEM skills. Is AEM a cloud-based solution? Yes, Adobe Experience Manager can be deployed in the cloud, on-premises, or in a hybrid environment, providing businesses with flexibility and scalability options based on their requirements. How secure is Adobe Experience Manager? Adobe prioritizes security and compliance, and AEM includes robust security features to protect data and content. It provides user authentication, role-based access control, encryption, and compliance with industry standards and regulations.  Adobe Experience Manager empowers businesses to deliver exceptional digital experiences by providing a powerful content management system, personalization capabilities, and seamless integration with other Adobe Marketing Cloud products. By leveraging AEM's features, organizations can optimize their content creation processes, enhance targeting and personalization, and streamline their digital marketing efforts. As customer expectations continue to evolve, Adobe Experience Manager equips businesses with the tools they need to stay ahead in the realm of digital experiences. Contact our team of experts and start delivering outstanding digital experiences today!   Photo credit: Unsplash.... Read more
Raluca Olariu / May 29'2023
DrupalTips
Key Steps to Migrating from WebSphere to Drupal10

Key Steps to Migrating from WebSphere to Drupal10

  As technology continues to evolve, businesses are constantly seeking more efficient and flexible solutions for their web platforms. One popular migration path is transitioning from WebSphere to modern CMS platforms like Drupal 9 or 10. Drupal, renowned for its robust features and flexibility, offers a powerful and scalable framework for building dynamic websites and applications. In this article, we will explore the key steps involved in successfully migrating from WebSphere to Drupal10. Step 1: Evaluate and Plan Before embarking on any migration project, it is essential to conduct a thorough evaluation of your existing WebSphere system. This evaluation should identify the specific features, functionalities, and content that need to be migrated to Drupal. Take note of customizations, themes, modules, and any third-party integrations that are currently in place. Once the evaluation is complete, develop a comprehensive migration plan. Identify the goals and objectives of the migration, set realistic timelines, and allocate appropriate resources. Creating a prioritized list of tasks and determining the necessary budget for the migration process is also important at this stage. Step 2: Content Analysis and Migration One of the critical aspects of migration is content analysis. Evaluate the content structure in your WebSphere system and map it to the Drupal data model. Determine how your existing content types, taxonomies, and hierarchies can be translated into Drupal's entities, vocabularies, and menus. Next, extract the content from your WebSphere system using various migration tools or custom scripts. Transform the content into a format compatible with Drupal's structure and import it into your Drupal site. Ensure that all metadata, images, and other associated assets are correctly migrated and linked to the respective content items. Step 3: Design and Theming During migration, take the opportunity to refresh the look and feel of your website by leveraging Drupal's powerful theming capabilities. Identify the existing themes in your WebSphere system and recreate them in Drupal using the appropriate theming framework, such as Drupal's default theme engine or popular base themes like Bootstrap. Customize and fine-tune the theme to match your brand identity, ensuring consistency and responsiveness across different devices and screen sizes. Implement any required design modifications, such as layouts, typography, color schemes, and navigation menus, while adhering to Drupal's best practices. Step 4: Functionality and Module Integration WebSphere often includes custom functionalities and integrations that need to be migrated to Drupal. Analyze the existing modules and extensions in your WebSphere system and explore Drupal's extensive module ecosystem to find suitable alternatives or custom development options. Identify Drupal modules that offer similar functionalities to the ones used in WebSphere. Install and configure these modules in your Drupal environment, ensuring they meet your requirements. If no direct replacements are available, consider developing custom modules or engaging Drupal development experts to assist in replicating specific functionalities. Step 5: User Training and Testing Migrating to a new CMS requires training your content authors, editors, and administrators to ensure a smooth transition. Familiarize them with Drupal's interface, content management workflows, and administrative tasks. Provide comprehensive documentation and conduct training sessions to ensure your team is proficient in using Drupal. Conduct extensive testing throughout the migration process to identify and rectify any issues. Test the migrated content, functionalities, forms, and integrations to ensure they function as expected. Perform user acceptance testing (UAT) to obtain feedback from key stakeholders and make necessary adjustments before going live. Step 6: Go Live and Post-Migration Support Once all testing and refinement processes are complete, it's time to deploy your Drupal site and make it live. Coordinate with your IT team or hosting provider to ensure a seamless transition. Optasy is a leading Drupal development agency that specializes in assisting companies with seamless and successful Drupal migrations. With our extensive expertise and experience in Drupal, we offer comprehensive migration services tailored to meet the unique needs of each organization. Our team of skilled professionals meticulously evaluates the existing systems, designs a strategic migration plan, and executes the migration process with precision and efficiency. Optasy ensures a smooth transition from legacy systems like WebSphere to the latest versions of Drupal, including Drupal 9 and 10. We provide end-to-end support, from content analysis and data migration to theme customization, module integration, and post-migration support. Contact us for more information.   Photo credit: Pixabay.... Read more
Raluca Olariu / May 24'2023

Browse cities

×

Toronto

WordPress Development Services in Toronto
iOS App Development Services in Toronto
Drupal Development Services in Toronto
Magento Development Services in Toronto
Laravel Development Services in Toronto

Montreal

WordPress Development Services in Montreal
iOS App Development Services in Montreal
Laravel Development Services in Montreal
Drupal Development Services in Montreal
Magento Development Services in Montreal

Vancouver

Magento Development Services in Vancouver
iOS App Development Services in Vancouver
Drupal Development Services in Vancouver
WordPress Development Services in Vancouver
Laravel Development Services in Vancouver

New York

WordPress Development Services in New York
Laravel Development Services in New York
iOS App Development Services in New York
Drupal Development Services in New York
Magento Development Services in New York

Need a new Project?

Dare us to shape and boost your idea(s)!

Start a Project

(416) 243-2431

Contact

(416) 243-2431

contact@optasy.com

Toronto Downtown

First Canadian Place,
100 King St. W. Suite 5700, Toronto

Toronto West

2275 Upper Middle
Rd. E, Suite 101
Toronto

New York

1177 Avenue of the
Americas, 5th Floor,
New York

Newsletter

Get the latest OPTASY news, tips and how-to’s on the go, right in your inbox!
OPTASY
clutch
Pantheon Premier Partner
  • Drupal 8
  • Services
  • Contact Us
  • Partners

  • Drupal
  • Google
  • Magento
  • Shopify
  • Wordpress
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Drupal
  • Cities
  • Support

© 2023 All Rights Reserved. Built with Drupal