Shopify Store Optimization Guide
These are the most common issues we find when auditing Shopify stores, along with exactly how to fix them. Whether you're a first-time store owner or managing multiple brands, this guide covers the fundamentals.
Jump to a section
Product Images
Why images matter
Product images are the single biggest driver of conversions in ecommerce. Customers can't touch or try your products, so they rely entirely on what they can see. Stores with high-quality, multi-angle product photography see significantly higher conversion rates, lower return rates, and more time spent on product pages.
Poor images (or missing images) also hurt your SEO. Google Images is a major traffic source for product discovery, and low-quality images get deprioritized in search results.
What good looks like
How many images per product?
Aim for 4-8 images per product. At minimum, include a clean hero shot on a white background, a lifestyle or in-context shot, a close-up detail shot, and a scale/size reference. For apparel, show front, back, and detail views. For physical products, show every angle a customer would inspect in a store.
Image size and resolution
Minimum: 800 x 800 pixels. Anything smaller looks blurry on modern screens and gets flagged in our audit.
Target: 2048 x 2048 pixels. This is Shopify's recommended size and enables their built-in zoom feature.
Maximum file size: Keep images under 500KB for fast loading. Use JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with transparency, or WebP if your theme supports it.
Collection images
Every collection should have a featured image. This appears on your homepage, navigation, and in search results. Use a lifestyle image that represents the collection rather than just a single product shot.
How to fix image issues in Shopify
- 1. Go to Shopify Admin → Products and click the product you want to update.
- 2. Scroll to the Media section. Drag and drop new images, or click "Add media" to upload.
- 3. Drag images to reorder them. The first image is your product's main/hero image that shows in collections and search.
- 4. Click any image to add alt text, which is important for SEO. Describe what's shown in the image.
- 5. For collection images: go to Products → Collections, click the collection, and add an image in the right sidebar.
Product Descriptions
Why descriptions matter
Product descriptions serve two audiences: your customers and search engines. For customers, a good description answers their questions before they have to ask. What is this product? What's it made of? How big is it? Why should I buy it? Missing or thin descriptions leave customers guessing, and guessing customers don't buy.
For SEO, product descriptions are one of the primary ways Google understands what your page is about. Products with no description or just a few words are nearly invisible in search results.
What good looks like
Length
Aim for 150+ words per product. Under 50 characters is flagged as critical because that's barely a sentence. Between 50-100 characters is a warning. Think of your description as a mini sales pitch.
What to include
Cover the essentials: features (what it does), materials (what it's made of), dimensions (how big it is), and benefits (why they should care). Use bullet points for specs and a short paragraph for the sales pitch.
Collection descriptions
Collections need descriptions too. A short paragraph explaining what the collection contains and who it's for helps both customers and Google understand the page.
How to fix description issues in Shopify
- 1. Go to Shopify Admin → Products and click the product.
- 2. The Description field is the large rich-text editor near the top. Write or paste your description here.
- 3. Use formatting: bold key features, add bullet points for specs, and keep paragraphs short and scannable.
- 4. For collections: go to Products → Collections, click the collection, and write a description in the text field below the title.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Why SEO matters
SEO determines whether your store shows up when people search Google for products you sell. Without proper SEO, you're invisible to the vast majority of potential customers who start their shopping journey with a search. Paid ads are great, but organic search traffic is free and compounds over time.
The basics (title tags, meta descriptions, image alt text, and structured data) are quick wins that most Shopify store owners overlook.
What we check
Title tags
Every page needs a unique title tag. This is the clickable headline that appears in Google results. Keep it under 60 characters and include your primary keyword. Missing title tags are flagged as critical.
Meta descriptions
This is the short summary below your title in search results. Keep it under 160 characters and make it compelling. Think of it as your sales pitch to Google searchers. When meta descriptions are missing, Google writes one for you, and it's usually not great.
Image alt text
Alt text describes your images to search engines and screen readers. Every product image should have descriptive alt text like "blue cotton crew neck t-shirt front view" instead of "IMG_4523" or nothing at all.
Open Graph tags
OG tags control how your pages look when shared on social media. Without them, Facebook and Twitter will guess, and they'll usually guess wrong. Missing og:title, og:description, or og:image tags mean your social shares look unprofessional.
Structured data (JSON-LD)
Structured data helps Google display rich results (star ratings, prices, availability) in search. Most modern Shopify themes include this automatically, but older or custom themes may not.
How to fix SEO issues in Shopify
- 1. Homepage SEO: Go to Online Store → Preferences. Set your homepage title and meta description here.
- 2. Product/page SEO: Edit any product or page, scroll to the bottom, and click "Edit website SEO." Set the page title and meta description.
- 3. Image alt text: Go to Products, click a product, click any image in the Media section, and add descriptive alt text in the field that appears.
- 4. Open Graph tags: Most themes pull OG tags from your SEO title/description automatically. If yours doesn't, check your theme's documentation or use an SEO app from the Shopify App Store.
- 5. Structured data: Test your pages at search.google.com/test/rich-results. If structured data is missing, consider a Shopify app like "JSON-LD for SEO" or updating to a modern theme.
Pricing & Product Data
Why product data matters
Incomplete product data causes problems at every level. Missing prices, SKUs, product types, and tags lead to confusing "$0.00" prices, broken filters, and poor inventory management. Shopify's built-in search and automated collections can't work properly without clean data.
This is especially important if you sell products with multiple variants (sizes, colors, materials). Each variant needs its own price and ideally its own SKU.
What we check
Prices
Every variant needs a price greater than $0. Products showing "$0.00" or no price are flagged as critical because this is almost always a mistake that confuses customers.
SKUs
SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) are unique identifiers for each variant. While not customer-facing, they're essential for inventory tracking, order fulfillment, and analytics. Missing SKUs are flagged as informational.
Product types and tags
Product types and tags power Shopify's filtering, search, and automated collections. Without them, customers can't browse your store effectively.
How to fix pricing and product data in Shopify
- 1. Go to Shopify Admin → Products and click the product.
- 2. Price: Scroll to the Pricing section and set the price. If the product has variants, scroll to the Variants section and set prices for each one.
- 3. SKUs: In the Variants section, click each variant and enter a unique SKU code (e.g., "TSHIRT-BLU-M" for a blue medium t-shirt).
- 4. Product type: In the right sidebar under "Product organization," set the product type (e.g., "T-Shirt," "Mug," "Print").
- 5. Tags: Also in the right sidebar, add relevant tags separated by commas (e.g., "summer, cotton, new arrival, sale").
Broken Links
Why broken links matter
Broken links are one of the fastest ways to lose a customer. A shopper clicks a link to a product or collection, hits a "Page not found" error, and most won't try again. They'll leave your store and buy from a competitor.
Broken links also send a strong negative signal to Google. Search engines interpret dead links as a sign of a neglected, low-quality website and will rank you lower as a result.
Common causes
Deleted products or collections
When you remove a product or collection, any links pointing to it from your navigation, homepage, or other pages will break. Shopify doesn't automatically clean up links when you delete things.
Changed URLs
Editing a product's URL handle breaks every existing link to it. If you rename "blue-t-shirt" to "navy-cotton-tee," the old URL stops working.
Theme or menu links
Navigation menus and theme sections often contain hardcoded links that go stale over time, especially after store redesigns or seasonal changes.
How to fix broken links in Shopify
- 1. Navigation menus: Go to Online Store → Navigation. Click each menu and look for links that point to deleted products, collections, or pages. Remove or update them.
- 2. Theme editor: Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize. Check homepage sections, featured collections, and any promotional banners for broken links.
- 3. URL redirects: If you changed a product URL, go to Online Store → Navigation → URL Redirects and create a redirect from the old URL to the new one.
- 4. Tip: Run a HawkAudit audit after making changes to confirm all broken links are resolved.
Store Structure
Why store structure matters
Store structure is how you organize your products, collections, pages, and navigation. A well-structured store lets customers find what they're looking for quickly and helps Google understand and index your content. A poorly structured store feels chaotic. Customers bounce, and Google struggles to rank your pages.
Think of it like a physical retail store: clear signage, organized sections, and a logical layout make shopping easy. The same principles apply online.
What we check
Collections
Products should be organized into logical collections. If you have 100 products and only 1 collection, customers can't browse effectively. We flag stores where the product-to-collection ratio is too high.
Essential pages
Every store should have key informational pages: About Us (builds trust), Contact (customer service), FAQ (reduces support load), and Shipping/Return Policy (removes purchase anxiety). Missing these pages is one of the most common issues we find.
Homepage structure
Your homepage needs an H1 heading (for SEO), clear navigation, and links to your most important collections. We also check for social media links, which build credibility and give customers additional ways to engage with your brand.
Accessibility
Basic accessibility, like form inputs with proper labels, ensures your store works for all customers, including those using screen readers. It's also increasingly important for legal compliance.
How to fix structure issues in Shopify
- 1. Create collections: Go to Products → Collections → Create collection. Use automated collections (based on tags/product type) to keep things organized without manual work.
- 2. Add essential pages: Go to Online Store → Pages → Add page. Create About, Contact, FAQ, and Shipping Policy pages. Even short versions are better than nothing.
- 3. Fix navigation: Go to Online Store → Navigation. Make sure your main menu links to key collections and pages. Keep it simple: 5-7 top-level items maximum.
- 4. Add social links: Most themes have a social media section in Theme Settings. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize → Theme Settings → Social media, and enter your profile URLs.
- 5. Homepage H1: Make sure your homepage has a main heading. In the theme editor, this is usually in the first "Hero" or "Banner" section.
Want to know exactly what to fix on your store?
HawkAudit checks all of the above automatically and tells you exactly which products and pages need attention.
Scan Your Store Free