Positioning shoper – check out the guide to SEO activities.

In today’s e-commerce world, where competition is at an all-time high, search engine visibility is crucial to the success of an online store. Shoper positioning, as one of the leading e-commerce platforms, is becoming not so much an option as a necessity for any business looking to increase the reach and sales of its products. This guide to SEO efforts in Shoper is not only a roadmap to better ranking in Google, but also a compendium of best practices to help you realize the full potential of your online store. From SEO basics, to optimizing your store’s content and structure, to advanced off-site and technical SEO techniques – every aspect is thoroughly explained here so you can effectively increase your online presence and attract more potential customers.

What is Shoper?

Shoper is a popular CMS (Content Management System) software that allows you to create and manage online stores. It is one of the most recognized and used e-commerce platforms in Poland. Shoper offers a wide range of features that make it easy to run an online store, such as easy setup, payment processing, order management and much more.

How much does Shoper CMS software cost?

The cost of using Shoper depends on your version and chosen price plan. Shoper offers different packages that vary in price and functionality. You can choose a plan tailored to your store’s needs, with prices starting at a few tens of zlotys per month. It’s worth reading the offer carefully to choose the best plan for your business.

What features does the Shoper platform have?

The Shoper platform offers many useful features that make it easy to manage an online store. Here are some of them:

• Easy product management: Adding, editing and deleting products is easy and intuitive.
• Payment service: Shoper allows integration with various payment systems, making purchasing easy for customers.
• Order management: You can easily track and manage customer orders in the admin panel.
• Integration with logistics systems: Shoper allows you to easily manage product delivery and shipping.
• Technical support: Technical support is offered to help solve any problems.

Where to start positioning your store on Shoper? SEO Guide

Effective positioning of your online store on Shoper is an optimization process that aims to improve your site’s visibility in Google search results. This ensures that your site will display higher results, increasing users’ chances of visiting it. The key elements of effective SEO are:

1. Open your store and choose a domain

The first key step in the process of positioning your online store on Shoper is to set up your store and choose a domain accordingly. It is from the domain that the customer’s first contact with your brand on the Internet begins. Here are the benefits of approaching this step properly:

a) Own store

Setting up your own store on Shoper means you have full control over your e-commerce site. Any restrictions of other platforms do not limit you, nor do you have to share your profits with other providers. It’s your own piece of the internet where you can create your brand, build customer trust and grow your business according to your needs.

b) Domain selection

Choosing the right domain is a key decision. The domain should be related to your store name or contain keywords related to your industry. The right domain makes your brand more easily remembered by customers. In addition, a domain with included keywords can help with SEO, as Google takes the domain into account when determining a site’s relevancy for search phrases.

2. Choose a clear store design

The appearance of your store is of great importance to the first impression you make on your customers. A clear and aesthetically pleasing design has many benefits:

a) First impression

An online store’s clear and attractive design attracts customers’ attention and encourages them to browse your offerings. If the site is chaotic or unsightly, it can scare away potential customers.

b) Ease of navigation

Transparent navigation and easily accessible product categories make it easy for customers to find what they want. This is important for users and affects their satisfaction with the store.

c) Credibility

An aesthetically pleasing store design indicates professionalism and attention to detail. This, in turn, builds trust with customers, who are more likely to buy from places that appear credible and professional.

Customers are more likely to buy from places that appear credible and professional.

3. Conduct an SEO audit

An SEO audit is a key step in positioning your online store on Shoper. It is a detailed analysis of your site to identify areas for improvement for SEO optimization. The benefits of conducting an SEO audit are:

a) Identify problems – improve performance

An SEO audit helps identify any problems related to the optimization of the site. These may include technical errors, duplicate content, indexing problems or suboptimal keyword usage. Identifying these problems allows you to fix them, which in turn improves the effectiveness of your SEO.

b) Keywords – focused strategy

An SEO audit allows you to identify relevant keywords that are important to your industry. You can find out what phrases are frequently searched by potential customers and tailor your SEO strategy to those phrases.

c) Competitiveness – get ahead of the competition

Competitive analysis is an important part of an SEO audit. It allows you to understand competing stores’ strategies and how you can outperform them. This allows you to get ahead of the competition and gain better positions in search results.

4. Connect your store with Google Analytics and Google Search Console

Integrating your store in Shoper with Google Analytics and Google Search Console tools is a key element of effective SEO. It allows you to track and analyze user behavior and monitor your site’s performance in search results. Here’s why you should do it:

• Performance Tracking – Google Analytics provides detailed information about your site visitors. You can find out where users come from, what pages they visit, how much time they spend on the site, and many other valuable data. With this information, you can better understand your audience and tailor your SEO strategy to their needs.
• Keyword Analytics – Google Search Console allows you to track your site’s search results. You can see which keyword phrases are bringing traffic to your site, and monitor your site’s positions in search results. This helps you assess which keywords are most effective and focus on optimizing them.
• Errors and Issues – Google Search Console informs you of any errors or technical issues on your site that may affect your SEO. This allows you to react quickly and fix any problems before negatively affecting your site’s visibility.

5. Add HTTPS and SSL certificate

Adding an SSL certificate and switching to HTTPS is an important action that affects your site’s security and SEO. Here’s why it’s important:

• Security of Users: SSL Certificate provides an encrypted connection between the user’s browser and the server. This ensures that the data sent by users is protected and more secure. This builds trust with customers and can influence their willingness to buy.
• SEO: Search engines, including Google, are placing increasing importance on website security. Sites with SSL certificates and HTTPS protocols are considered more trustworthy and secure. This positively affects a site’s position in search results.
• Penalty Avoidance: Lack of an SSL certificate can result in warnings to users about an unsafe website. This can scare away potential customers and lead to loss of website traffic.

6. Add a valid robots.txt file

The robots.txt file is a key element of SEO optimization in Shoper, which controls what content on your website is to be indexed by search engine robots. To do this properly, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Shoper Administration Panel:
   • Start logging into your Shoper Admin Panel using your access credentials.
2. Go to SEO Settings:
   • In the side menu of the administration panel, find the option “Settings” or “Configuration” (the name may vary depending on the version of Shoper). Click on it.
3. Select Tab “Robot.txt”:
   • In the SEO settings section, find the tab named “robots.txt” and click on it to go to the robots.txt file configuration.
4. Adjust robots.txt file:
   • Now you are in the robots.txt file editor. This file is structured in text and allows you to specify which sections of your site should be indexed and which should be excluded. An example robots.txt file might look like this: User-agent: *
Disallow: /private/
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /public/
     • User-agent: *: Indicates that these rules apply to all search engine robots.
     • Disallow: /private/: Excludes the content of a page located in the “/private/” directory from being indexed by search engine robots.
     • Disallow: /admin/: Similarly, excludes the contents of the page in the directory “/admin/”.
     • Allow: /public/: However, positioning the page in the “/public/” directory is allowed.
5. Test the robots.txt file:
   • After you have configured your robots.txt file, it is recommended that you test it to make sure it works as expected. You can do this using the tools available in Google Search Console, which will allow you to check that your pages are indexed correctly and that there are no errors in the robots.txt file.
6. Publish Changes:
   • When you are sure that the robots.txt file is working as expected, publish the changes. This will make the file available to search engine robots and regulate their actions on your site.
   • The file will be available to search engine robots and will regulate their actions on your site.

7. Select keywords for each subpage

Matching the right keywords for each subpage of your Shoper store is crucial for effective SEO optimization. Keywords help search engines understand what a page is about and how it should be displayed in search results. Here’s how to do it:

a. Keyword Analysis – Conduct a keyword analysis related to the products or services you offer. Choose the ones that are most relevant to each category or subpage.

b. Key Word Placement – Place the selected keywords in the content of the subpages. Try to make them naturally woven into the text, headings and descriptions.

c. Content Uniqueness – Make sure the content on each subpage is unique and tailored to your chosen keywords. Avoid duplicate content.

d. Headers and Meta Data – Use keywords in headers (H1, H2, etc.) and meta data such as meta title and meta description for each sub-page.

e. Internal Linking –Create internal links between subpages using keywords as anchor text. This helps build site structure and points to relevant subpages.

8. Configure friendly URLs in the shopper panel

Friendly URLs are an essential SEO element that helps both users and search engines understand the structure of your site. Friendly URLs are short, descriptive and contain keywords. Here’s how to do it in Shoper:

a. Go to URL Settings – Log in to the Shoper Admin Panel and go to the options for configuring URLs.

b. Enable Friendly URLs – Ensure the “Friendly URLs” or similar option is enabled. This will allow you to adjust the URLs to the optimal form.

c. Define the URL Structure – Define what you want the URLs of your categories, products and other subpages to look like. Try to make them easy to understand, descriptive and include keywords.

d. Avoid Special Characters – Try to avoid special characters and numeric identifiers in URLs. Try to make them readable and clear.

e. Monitor Performance – After applying friendly URLs, monitor your site’s performance in search results. This will allow you to assess whether the new configuration produces positive results.

9. Set meta title and meta description

Meta Title and Meta Description are important SEO optimization elements that affect how your pages and products are displayed in search results. In Shoper, you can do this in the following ways:

• Meta Title: This is the title that will be displayed in Google search results. Make sure each page and product has a unique Meta Title with keywords related to the content. Limit the length of the Meta Title to about 60-70 characters to fit in the search results.
• Meta Description: This short description also appears in search results. This description should be attractive and entice users to click on the page. Like the Meta Title, ensure each page and product has a unique Meta Description. Limit the length of the Meta Description to about 150-160 characters.

10. Ensure proper navigation of your store

Configuring proper navigation in your Shoper store is crucial for both users and SEO. Here’s how to do it:

• Categories and Subcategories: Organize your products into clear categories and subcategories. Make sure category names are descriptive and include keywords.
• Navigation Menu: Customize the navigation menu so that it is easy to use and allows you to find products quickly. Use descriptive labels for menu items.
• Site Map (Sitemap): Create an XML sitemap and add it to Google Search Console. This will make it easier for search engines to index your pages.
• Internal Linking: Create internal links between related products and categories. This helps structure your site and helps users navigate.
• Friendly URLs: Make sure friendly URLs are readable and reflect the structure of categories and products.
• Searchability: Ensure that all pages are accessible to search engines and that there are no 404 errors.
• Mobile-Friendly: Ensure that your site’s navigation works just as well on mobile devices as it does on computers.
• Test Navigation: Regularly test the navigation from the user’s side to make sure it is intuitive and effective.
• Mobile-Friendly.

11. Create a footer

The footer on your Shopper store page is an important part of improving your store’s position in search results. Here’s how to do it step by step:

• Add links to key sections: Place links to key product categories or pages in the footer to make it easier for users to navigate and improve indexing by search engines.
• Short store description: Enter a brief description of your store or information about your offerings. Focus on content that attracts attention and encourages visitors to your store.
• Information about online availability: If your store is available online, highlight this information in the footer. This can attract customers who are interested in shopping online.

12. Optimize images 

Optimizing images is important for improving performance and SEO in your Shoper store. Here’s how to do it:

• Select the right size images: Before adding images, ensure they are the right size so they are readable and won’t slow down the page loading.
• Image compression: Shoper automatically compresses images, but before adding them, optimize them to reduce file size and improve page load time.
• Alternative descriptions (alt text): Add alternative descriptions to descriptive images and help users with disabilities and search engines understand the content of images.

13. Set valid file names

Image file names are important for SEO. Here’s how to do it:

• Descriptive file names: Before adding images, give them descriptive names that reflect the image content. For example, instead of “image1.jpg”, use the name “sports-shoes-nike.jpg”.
• Avoid special characters: Avoid using special characters and spaces in file names. Instead, separate words using dashes (-) or underscores (_).
• Understandable identification: File names should clearly identify the content, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand what the image is about.

14. Set correct Hx headers

Hx headers are an important part of a site’s structure that affects content readability and SEO. Here’s how to set headers correctly in Shoper:

• Hierarchy of headers: Make sure you use a hierarchy of headings, starting with <h1> for the page title, followed by <h2> for the sub-heading sections and <h3> for subsequent levels. This will help search engines understand the structure of the content.
• Use keywords: Try to include important keywords related to the page’s content in the headings. This can help search engines better understand your page topic.
• Avoid excessive formatting: Don’t overuse formatting in headings, such as bold or italics. Headings should be readable and consistent with the rest of the content.

15 Enter 301 redirects in Shoper

301 redirects are important for link maintenance and SEO, especially after URL structure changes or page moves. Here’s how to do it in Shoper:

• Identify old URLs: Before changing the URL structure, identify the old addresses that will be changed.
• Set up 301 redirects: In the Shoper admin panel, find the option to set 301 redirects. Configure redirects from the corresponding old URLs to the new ones while maintaining the site structure.
• Monitor 404 errors: Regularly monitor the site for 404 errors that indicate links that are not working. If such errors occur, update redirects.

16. Schedule internal linking

Internal linking is an important part of SEO optimization that helps users and search engines navigate your site. Here’s how to schedule it in Shoper:

• Identify relevant pages: Identify key pages and content on your store that are worth linking internally. These could be product pages, categories, blogs or other relevant content.
• Create natural links: Add internal links in a natural and logical way so users can easily navigate between pages. Try to use anchor texts that describe the content of the target page.
• Consistency: Make sure internal linking is consistent and logical. Pages should be thematically related to each other.

17. Add optimized texts to the page

Adding text content to your Shoper store page is crucial for SEO and attracting customers. Here’s how to do it:

• Content of value to users: Create valuable and informative content to users. This could be product descriptions, blog articles or other content related to your industry.
• Keywords: Use relevant keywords in your content, but do so naturally. Avoid excessive keyword stuffing, i.e., exaggerated placement of keywords.
• Formatting text: Format text in a readable way, using headings, lists, bold and italics. This helps users understand content more easily.

18 Create category descriptions for your products

Product category descriptions are important for store organization and SEO. Here’s how to do it:

• Logical Categories: Create logical product categories that make it easy for customers to navigate. Each category should have a description of its contents.
• Unique Descriptions: Each category description should be unique and describe the characteristics of the products in the category. Avoid copying descriptions from other sources.
• Keywords: Enter relevant keywords related to your product category, but don’t overdo it. Above all, the content should be readable by users.

19. Optimize product sub-pages

Product subpages are crucial for conversions. Here’s how to optimize them:

• Unique titles: Each product subpage should have a unique title that includes the product name and important keywords.
• Product Descriptions: Add detailed and attractive product descriptions. Describe the features, benefits and uses of the product.
• Images: Add high quality product images with relevant alternative descriptions (alt text).
• Prices and Availability: Make sure pricing and availability information is up-to-date.

20 Add structured data 

Structured data (schema markup) helps search engines better understand your site’s content and display richer results in search results. Here’s how to do it:

• Use schema.org: Use schema.org designations that most search engines understand, including Google.
• Structured data types: Add appropriate structured data types for products, reviews, stores, prices, etc.
• Testing structured data: Before publishing, test your structured data using online tools to ensure it is implemented correctly.

21. Check the page load speed

Page loading speed is a key factor for user experience and SEO. Here’s how to do it:

• Use measurement tools: Use tools to measure your page load speed, such as Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. These tools will provide information about your site’s performance.
• Optimize images: Make sure your images are optimized for size and format to reduce loading time.
• Minimize scripts and CSS files: Reduce the number of unnecessary scripts and CSS files on your site. You can do this by compressing and merging these files.
• Hosting: If your store is hosted on Shoper servers, you don’t have to worry about infrastructure. However, if you use your own hosting, ensure it is properly configured.

22. Schedule external linking

External linking is the process of acquiring valuable links leading to your store. Here’s how to plan it:

• Identify valuable sources: Look for sites, blogs or social media related to your industry that can provide links to your store.
• Promotional campaigns: Consider organizing promotional campaigns to attract the attention of other sites and encourage them to share links.
• Building relationships: Establish relationships with other website and blog owners. Building relationships can lead to natural links.
• Monitoring Links: Regularly monitor links leading to your store and remove those that are low quality or potentially harmful.

23. Lay out a content plan for your blog

A blog is a great tool for creating valuable content and attracting users. Here’s how to lay out a content plan for a blog:

• Determine topics: Identify topics related to your industry that interest your target audience.
• Plan for regularity: Determine how often you publish new blog content. Try to maintain regularity.
• Keywords: Choose keywords related to the topic of each post and use them in the content.
• Value for readers: Try to provide content that is valuable and helpful to readers. Answer questions, solve problems and provide information.
• Promote content: After publishing posts, promote them on your social media and other marketing channels.

24th SEO Analytics

SEO analytics is a key component of an effective SEO strategy in Shoper. It offers insight into what SEO activities are producing results, allowing you to adjust your strategy as needed. Here’s how to effectively use SEO analytics in Shoper:

• Configure analytics tools – p the first step is to configure analytics tools, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console, for your Shoper store. These tools allow you to track site traffic, analyze user behaviour and monitor visibility in search results.
• Tracking keyword metrics – allows you to monitor which keywords are bringing traffic to your site and generating conversions. You can see which phrases are most effective and adjust your content for those keywords.
• Competitor Analysis – also allows you to analyze your competitors. You can see what keywords your competitors are using and compare your results with them. This allows you to identify areas that need improvement.
• Monitoring quality metrics – allows you to evaluate the quality of your website content, page load time and other metrics that affect user experience. Improving these parameters can significantly affect the positions in search results.
• Reporting and optimization – regular reporting of results from SEO analytics is key. Based on these reports, you can adjust your SEO strategy, identify weaknesses and take specific optimization actions.
• Monitoring changes in search engine algorithms – ¶ Tracking changes in search engine algorithms, such as Google, is important. This allows you to avoid possible drops in visibility in search results and adapt your strategy to new guidelines.
• Link and indexation control allows you to control the links leading to your store and monitor your site’s indexation by search engines. You can remove unwanted links and make sure that all important pages are indexed.
• A/B testing – also allows you to perform A/B testing, which allows you to compare different versions of your content and page structure to find the best solutions in terms of SEO.
• Check for errors and technical problems: SEO analytics allows you to detect your site’s technical problems, such as 404 errors, indexing problems or bad redirects. This allows you to quickly intervene and fix these problems.

Using SEO analytics is crucial for an effective SEO strategy in Shoper. It gives you a complete picture of the effectiveness of your efforts and allows you to make informed decisions about optimizing your website.

How long does it take to see SEO results?

Determining how long it takes to see SEO results on Shoper is important for planning your SEO strategy. However, the time to wait for visible results can vary and depends on many factors. Here’s what you should know about it:

1. Age of online store: Older online stores that have been around for a long time can usually expect faster SEO results. New stores may need more time to gain the trust of search engines.
2. Competition in the industry: The level of competition in an industry is of great importance. If the market is saturated and competitive, reaching high positions in search results may take longer.
3. Content and quality of content: The quality of content on a website is crucial. High-quality content, rich in information and valuable to users, can contribute to faster organic traffic acquisition.
4. Site structure: Optimal website structure, including clear navigation, appropriate titles and meta-tags, can reduce the time to results.
5. Keywords: Choosing the right keywords and long-tail phrases is important. Positioning under popular phrases can be more competitive, so you should invest in long-tail keywords.
6. Build links and valuable sources: Building valuable links leading to your site can speed up the SEO process. However, these links must be natural and come from credible sources.
7. Search Engine Algorithms: Search engines like Google regularly update their algorithms. This can affect changes in a site’s visibility. Therefore, monitoring and adjusting strategies is an ongoing process.
8. Analysis and optimization: Regular analysis of the results and optimization of the content and the website are essential to maintain and improve the position in the search results.

Check out the article: Optimizing an online store – 13 most common mistakes.

Positioning your Shoper online store with SEO agency Up&More

Positioning your store on the Shoper platform is the key to online success. Our SEO agency Up&More specializes in supporting Shoper store positioning. With our experts, you will gain an advantage in online visibility.