I don't know anything about SEO and don't have money to pay for SEO. Where do I start??

[Meravedltd]

I am on Google only when people search the brand name specifically, I have Google reviews too, but don't know anything about SEO really and haven't got the money to pay for that, where do I start to at least get my site to show on Google search when the customer searches for my type of product? What is the minimum amount of money I need to be able to get started?

[akshay_bhatt]

Hello @Meravedltd, Yes search engine optimization is a long process. what type of products you deal, then after realted to products who rank at top. Thank You, first we see and then discuss.

[DaisyVo]

Hi @Meravedltd 

The good news is you can start improving your visibility without spending a fortune. Here are some free practices to optimize your website.

1. Get Google to Index Your Site (Free & Essential)

Before anything else, make sure Google even knows your website exists. If your pages aren’t indexed, they won’t appear in search results.

Submit your site to Google Search Console (GSC)

• Go to Google Search Console
• Add your Shopify store's URL and request indexing (Screenshot)
• Submit your sitemap (Shopify automatically generates it at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml )

Check if Google has already indexed you

• Search site:yourdomain.com on Google
• If your pages show up, they’re indexed. If not, submitting a sitemap will help.

2. Optimize Your Pages with Basic SEO (No Cost)

Even if you’re not an SEO expert, there are some basics you can do:

Use keywords in your page titles & descriptions

• Instead of "Welcome to My Store", try "Handmade Vegan Candles – Eco-Friendly & Long-Lasting"
• You can edit these in Shopify Admin > Online Store > Preferences (Screenshot)

Make sure each product has a solid description

• Include words that customers actually search for.
• Example: Instead of "Our best-selling soap", write "Organic Lavender Soap – Moisturizing & Handmade"

Use high-quality images with proper alt text

• Google can’t “see” images, so add descriptive alt text.
• Example: "Hand-poured soy candle in a glass jar, vanilla scent" instead of "Candle"

3. Use a Shopify SEO App (Free Plans Available!)

If you're too busy to handle the SEO task manually, looking for an solution on Shopify App Store is a good idea!

Some app like SEO suite can help you in optimizing image in bulk, boost your site speed or guides you through step-by-step fixes, which can make your SEO game easier.

4. Speed Up Your Site (Google Cares About This)

If your site is slow, it’ll be marked as unfriendly to Google Bot, which leads to poor SEO performance. Here’s how to boost speed for free:

• Avoid massive image files – Use free tools to compress images and convert image format to Webp or Avif because they have smaller file sizes while maintaining high quality. 
• Ditch unnecessary Shopify apps – Having too many app can slow your store down.
• Use a fast, mobile-friendly Shopify theme.

5. Start a Blog (Long-Term Free Strategy)

You don’t need fancy SEO skills—just write useful content related to your products.

Blogging helps Google understand what your store is about and brings in organic traffic over time.

If you can’t invest in SEO right now, no worries! . As your sales grow, you can slowly invest in paid marketing like Google Ads or advanced SEO tools.

Hope this can help!

Best regards,

Daisy

[Avitanshi_17]

Hi @Meravedltd,

To start improving your website’s visibility on Google without spending much, follow these basic steps:

1. Keyword Research: Identify keywords that potential customers use when searching for products like yours. Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.

2. Optimize Your Site: Use the identified keywords in your website’s titles, descriptions, headings, and content naturally.

3. Google My Business: Ensure your Google My Business listing is complete and accurate. This helps in local search visibility.

4. Content Creation: Regularly update your site with valuable content like blog posts, FAQs, or product updates. This keeps your site active and relevant.

5. Backlinks: Encourage satisfied customers or partners to link back to your site. Quality backlinks improve search engine ranking.

6. Technical SEO: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and has a clear site structure. Tools like Google Search Console can help identify and fix issues.

7. Analytics: Use Google Analytics to track your progress and understand what’s working and what’s not.

Starting with these steps won’t cost much, but consistency is key. Good luck!

[masoomi-saxena]

I can see that you have some foundational SEO elements in place, such as Google reviews. Well, apart from that, if you are on a low budget (and don’t know much about SEO), the good news is that you can still make the most of SEO. Here’s how: 

1. Prepare a blog page: You can definitely start working on a blog where you can look for topics that are relevant to the type of products you sell. That will help you get organic traffic to your site and push up conversions. 

As a pro tip, a website like AHREFS can help you get high-ranking keywords related to your products and business. 

• Product Page Optimization: Apart from that, you can look forward to improving your product pages. 

How? By adding high-ranking keywords to your descriptions, titles, image alt text, etc. That will also help your product pages rank and appear for popular queries looked up by potential customers online. 

1. Share on social media – Even if SEO takes time, sharing your blog posts and products on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest can help drive traffic.
2. Get backlinks – If you can, ask suppliers, bloggers, or business directories to link back to your site. These links help Google trust your website more.

Budget: As we already discussed, you can start working on SEO for free. But let’s say you wish to go a bit more advanced with the help of keyword tools, etc., and then, too, you can easily manage all expenses within $100 a month.

I hope this helps! 😄