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How Does Choosing a Shopify Store Theme Affect SEO?

Find out how your Shopify theme can affect your store’s chances of ranking high on search engines and what implications this will have on your business.

By Brody Hall

Edited by Joel Taylor

Updated February 26, 2023.

With thousands of Shopify themes to choose from, it's only natural that some themes are better suited for search engine optimization, or SEO, than others. 
It's essential to get the foundations of your site right. Even with all the apps on offer and knowledge of code, you'll struggle with your SEO if you've selected a poor theme.
Why Is SEO Important?SEO is all about how you rank in search engines. 
You want your Shopify store to have good SEO because it means customers are more likely to find your store when searching for products online. 
Factors such as site speed, keyword use, title tags, and URL names are all taken into consideration when search engines decide where your store will rank. 
Choosing an effective Shopify theme is a great on-page SEO technique. It will be easier for you to control and manage many aspects of your SEO when you start with a great Shopify theme—which is why choosing the right one is so important.
How a Good Theme Can Boost Your SEOThese are some of the ways a good Shopify theme can improve your SEO:
Faster page loading times
Themes and images optimized for speed generally have better SEO.
Improved mobile responsiveness
Themes that aren't optimized for mobile devices can negatively affect your SEO as search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites.
Better code quality
Themes with clean, well-organized code are easier for search engines to read and understand, which can increase your rankings.
Customized title tags and meta descriptions
Merchants can optimize these essential elements for their target keywords and audience.
Customized URL structure
How a website's URLs are organized and presented are important factors in SEO, as search engines use the URL structure to understand the content and structure of a website.
Improved content layout and hierarchy
Themes optimized for content hierarchy make it easier to create and organize content that can boost SEO.
SEO-Friendly ThemesThere are many free and premium SEO-friendly themes available for Shopify stores. Before you decide on your favorite, be sure to consider whether it's the best for your business. 
Here are a few themes to consider:
﻿Parallax by Out of the Sandbox﻿
﻿Palo Alto by Presidio Creative﻿
﻿Electro by ArenaCommerce﻿
﻿Space by CleverSoft﻿
﻿Star by Outlane﻿
The Benefits Go Beyond SEOA carefully considered Shopify theme can do more than just improve your search visibility. Using an effective Shopify theme can improve customers' user experience, make your store more compatible with apps and plugins (including apps to boost SEO), and improve the look and appeal of your store—all of which can lead to more conversions and sales.