Simple SEO for Shopify: What small businesses actually need to do to get seen

If hearing the word SEO brings you out in a cold sweat, and it’s been sitting firmly at the bottom of your to-do list… fear not as SEO doesn’t have to be intimidating.

The lovely Laura White of White Light Studio (our go-to SEO queen inside the Ecomm BFF community) recently ran a fab expert masterclass that broke down the need-to-knows of search engine optimisation in a way that felt refreshingly doable.

So if you’re a small product-based brand, especially on Shopify, and you want to start showing up on google, here’s a clear, no-fluff, no-stress recap of her most important tips to getting your shop found online.

Psst… if you're interested in joining my Ecomm BFF membership, where you get access to masterclasses like this (plus loads of support for Shopify and Klaviyo, and real talk with other small business owners who just get it) click here to join today.

🔍 First things first… What even is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation. Think of it as your digital megaphone, it tells google what you sell and in turn helps people who are already looking for what you sell actually find you.

Unlike ads or social posts that interrupt, SEO taps into people’s intent and curiosity. They’re already searching, so you just need to make sure you show up.

Yes, it takes time. But good SEO will:

• Drive traffic from people already interested in your stuff
  

• Improve your user experience
  

• Lower your ad costs (because organic traffic is free)
  

• Help you rank for more than just your brand name

SEO is not a quick fix but once it’s set up, it quietly works in the background and absolutely no dancing on reels is required. It’s essential for long term brand growth and stability, which is what we all would love for our businesses!

📍 Next step, submit your sitemap

This bit sounds technical, but it’s actually super easy and if you’re not showing up on Google, this could be why.

Head to Google Search Console, make a free account, and tell Google where to find your site map, so it knows what pages exist on your site. Bonus tips:

• Re-submit it after any major site updates

• Use the 'inspect URL” tool to nudge Google if a new product or blog post isn’t showing up yet
  

• Check in every now and then just to make sure it’s all ticking along nicely
  

📍 Don’t forget to add your Google Business Profile

Even if you're a one-woman band shipping from your living room and don’t have a physical store, you still need a Google Business Profile.

It helps you:

• Take up more space in search results (pushing competitors down and helping your visibility)
  

• Show off reviews, photos, and your brand vibe
  

• Show up in local and mobile searches
  
  

Laura recommends:

• Hiding your address if you work from home
  
• Filling in every section (especially hours and description)
• Responding to reviews regularly as it helps build trust

• Setting a calendar reminder to check it every 2–3 months
  

🧠 Keyword research: Not as scary as you think

Forget spammy keyword stuffing of 2011. Good SEO optimised copy for your website is now all about sounding like a human.

In fact, if you’ve ever described your product to a friend, you’ve already done keyword research.

Laura's tips for sprinkling your website with keywords:

• Use language your customers use, not industry jargon
  

• Describe your products with detail, including colour, material, size, use
  

• Pull keyword ideas from: Conversations with customers, product reviews, social media DMs, Google, a free keyword planner

🛒 SEO for product pages

Your product pages are where the magic (aka sales) happens, so getting them found on Google is crucial.

They’re your biggest opportunity to show up in search as when someone searches for something like “handmade lavender candle UK”, it’s your product pages that will show up rather than your homepage.

People searching for specific products are also ready to buy, so that means product page SEO brings in visitors who are further down the buying journey. More targeted traffic = more conversions.

Here’s Laura’s magic formula for pages that rank and convert:

• Title: unique + descriptive (no more just “Mug”)
  

• URL + meta title: should match your product name
  

• Description: start with a juicy, keyword-packed first paragraph
  

• Make every description unique (don’t copy Etsy or your suppliers!)
  

• Use your first paragraph as your meta description
  

• Optimise image names and alt text

If you’re overwhelmed with the amount of product pages you need to work on, start with a bestseller or seasonal pick and build from there.

🖼️ Check your image names, they matter

You might not have been thinking about SEO when filing your latest product photos, however, image names do matter. Product photos with filenames like “IMG_1234.jpg.” won’t cut it for SEO.

Instead, use descriptive filenames like:
“lavender-ceramic-mug handmade-UK”

Why? Because this will:

• Tell Google what your photo is about
  

• Helps your chances of showing up in image search
  

• Makes sure your website is accessible

Bonus tip: add alt text to your images too. It’s great for SEO and even better for users with screen readers.

📱 Mobile matters (a lot)

Over 70% of your traffic is likely coming from phones. Most of your customers are browsing on their phones in bed, in the bath, or while pretending to watch Netflix. So your site needs to work on mobile.

If users regularly land on your site and quickly bounce back to Google, that’s a sign they didn’t find what they needed and Google might take that as a hint your page isn’t helpful.

So while your desktop might look lovely, you need to walk through your whole website journey on mobile, from search to purchase.

✅ Ask yourself:

• Is the menu navigation clear
  

• Do images load quickly?
  

• Are the buttons big enough to tap?
  

• Is the text easy to read without squinting?

✍️ Blog posts help you show up

If you haven’t posted a blog since 2022 (or ever), don’t panic. However, it’s a task worth revisiting as blogging does help your SEO because:

• It gives you more keywords to rank for, other than your product titles and collection
  

•  It shows Google your site is active
  

• It lasts longer than an Insta post
  

Not sure what to write? Start by repurposing an Instagram caption, a product story or even a customer question. (Or just write about your fave products this season. No need to overthink it.

Think about what customers may be asking like ‘What should I buy my mum for Christmas?’ and write a blog around that topic.

If writing really isn’t your thing though, consider getting help from a copywriter.

✅ Quick SEO checklist to do this week

If you’re thinking, “Okay this all makes sense, but where do I actually start?”, this is for you. Here’s a bite-sized checklist of simple but powerful SEO actions you can take this week. 

No need to block out your whole day, just tackle one at a time and give yourself a little high five as you go. These small tweaks really do add up!

1. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console
   

2. Create or review your Google Business Profile
   

3. Google your business name, what pops up?
   

4. Optimise your top product page
   

5. Walk through your customer journey on mobile

6. Repurpose one piece of content into a blog

Little extra tips from Laura

• Don’t use the same product description on Etsy and your site
  

• Mention colour or style differences in “sibling” products
  

• Check if your meta descriptions are overridden by apps or coding issues
  

• Avoid 100% AI-generated content, edit it to sound like you

• Re-submit your sitemap after major changes if you want faster indexing
  

• If changing website platform, don’t forget to add redirects!
  

If you’ve made it this far, amazing! That probably means SEO is something you want to get right, but maybe haven’t quite had the time, confidence, or headspace to get started.

The thing is, SEO isn’t instant and is one of those ‘slow and steady wins the race’ kind of jobs. It doesn’t give you instant gratification like a Reel going viral, but it does lay the foundation for long-term, sustainable traffic aka dream customers finding your site while you're busy doing literally anything else (yes please).

And you don’t have to do it all at once.

Start small. Pick one thing from this blog, a product page refresh, a Google Business update, a quick blog post, and tick it off. That’s a step in the right direction.

If you’re still thinking “This is a lot”… I get it. But honestly? Once you get going, it starts to make sense and I pinky promise you’ll be so glad you did it.

Still confused? Don’t worry, Laura’s got you. She offers expert support through her brilliant services. You can find her at White Light Studio (and she’s just as lovely as she is clever).

Right, go do one small SEO thing today and then treat yourself to a cuppa. You’ve got this!