Set Up Google Search Console for Shopify

What Are the Steps to Set Up Google Search Console for Shopify

Google Search Console is a vital tool for monitoring your Shopify store presence in Google search results. It provides insights into how your website performs, helps you identify issues, and shows you what keywords are driving traffic to your site. Setting up Google Search Console for Shopify is a straightforward process, and this guide will take you through each step.


What Are the Steps to Set Up Google Search Console for Shopify


1. Create a Google Search Console Account

a. Go to Google Search Console

Start by visiting the Google Search Console website.

b. Sign In to Your Google Account

To set up Google Search Console, you need to sign in using your Google account. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to create a Google account before proceeding.

c. Click “Start Now”

Once logged in, click the “Start Now” button to begin the setup process.

2. Add Your Shopify Store to Google Search Console

a. Choose Property Type

When you add a new property, Google Search Console gives you two options: “Domain” and “URL prefix.”

  • Domain: Tracks all URLs across your domain, including subdomains.
  • URL prefix: Tracks only the specific URL you enter.

For most Shopify users, the URL prefix option is more convenient and simpler to verify.

b. Enter Your Shopify Store URL

In the URL prefix field, enter the full URL of your Shopify store, including the https:// (e.g., https://www.yourstore.com).

c. Click “Continue”

3. Verify Your Shopify Store

To prove ownership of your Shopify store, you need to verify it. Google provides several verification methods. For Shopify users, the HTML tag method is typically the easiest.

a. Select the HTML Tag Verification Method

Once you click "Continue," you’ll be prompted to choose a verification method. Select the HTML tag option.

b. Copy the HTML Tag

Google will generate a meta tag that looks something like this:

<meta name="google-site-verification" content="your-verification-code" />

Copy this code to your clipboard.

c. Add the HTML Tag to Your Shopify Store

  1. Log in to your Shopify admin dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Online Store > Themes.
  3. Click Actions > Edit Code for your current theme.
  4. In the Layout section, open the theme.liquid file.
  5. Find the <head> tag (near the top of the file) and paste the HTML tag you copied just below it.
  6. Click Save to apply the changes.

d. Verify in Google Search Console

Go back to Google Search Console and click Verify. If everything is done correctly, you’ll see a success message, and your Shopify store will be verified.

4. Submit Your Shopify Sitemap to Google Search Console

After your site is verified, the next important step is to submit your Shopify store’s sitemap to Google. This helps Google crawl and index your site effectively.

a. Access Your Sitemap

Shopify automatically generates a sitemap for your store. You can find it at https://www.yourstore.com/sitemap.xml.

b. Submit Your Sitemap in Google Search Console

  1. In your Google Search Console account, go to the Sitemaps section (located in the left-hand menu).
  2. In the “Add a new sitemap” field, enter the URL of your Shopify sitemap (https://www.yourstore.com/sitemap.xml).
  3. Click Submit.

Google will now start crawling and indexing your Shopify store based on the sitemap you submitted. You can track the status of your sitemap submission and indexing under the Sitemaps section.

5. Monitor and Optimize Your Shopify Store’s Performance

Once your Shopify store is set up in Google Search Console, you can start monitoring your site’s performance. Here’s what you can do:

a. Monitor Search Traffic

The Performance report shows you how your site performs in Google Search, including:

  • The total number of clicks.
  • Impressions (how often your site appears in search results).
  • Average click-through rate (CTR).
  • Average position of your site in search results.

b. Fix Coverage Issues

The Coverage report helps you identify and fix issues that may prevent Google from indexing some of your pages. It alerts you to any errors or warnings related to your site’s pages.

c. Inspect URLs

Use the URL Inspection Tool to see how individual pages on your Shopify store are indexed. This tool provides detailed insights into how Google views your pages and whether they are properly indexed.

d. Check Mobile Usability

Since most eCommerce traffic comes from mobile devices, the Mobile Usability report is crucial. This section shows you any mobile usability issues that could impact the user experience and, ultimately, your rankings.

e. Review Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the user experience of your site, including loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Improving these metrics can enhance your site’s SEO performance.

Conclusion

Setting up Google Search Console for your Shopify store is essential for optimizing your site’s visibility in search engines. By following these steps, you’ll be able to monitor your store’s performance, fix issues that may be affecting your rankings, and ensure that Google properly indexes all of your pages. Regularly reviewing your Google Search Console data will help you stay on top of your Shopify SEO and make informed decisions to grow your business.

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