When you launch an online store on Shopify, the excitement of showcasing your products to the world can quickly be dampened by a harsh reality: no one is finding your products. After all the effort spent in setting up your store, creating high-quality product images, and crafting compelling descriptions, it can be frustrating when your products remain hidden from potential customers.
In this article, we’ll explore why your Shopify products might have zero visibility and what actionable steps you can take to ensure your store gets the attention it deserves.
1. Poor SEO Strategy
Understanding Shopify SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the backbone of online visibility. Without a solid SEO strategy in place, even the most beautifully designed Shopify store can go unnoticed by search engines like Google. SEO ensures that your store ranks high when potential customers search for products similar to yours.
Why It Matters
Imagine opening a store in a mall with no signs or advertisements. That’s essentially what your Shopify store becomes without proper SEO. Your potential customers are out there, but they don’t know you exist. SEO bridges that gap by ensuring search engines can find and rank your store.
What You Can Do:
- Optimize Product Pages: Each product page should have a unique, keyword-rich title and description that accurately describes the product. Avoid keyword stuffing, but use relevant search terms naturally.
- Write SEO-Friendly URLs: Keep URLs short, descriptive, and free of unnecessary characters. For example, “/product/blue-widget” is better than “/product/1234-blue-widgets”.
- Use High-Quality Images: Images help your SEO. Use descriptive alt text to improve visibility on image search results.
If you’re unsure where to start with optimizing your Shopify store for SEO, you can reach out to experts on Shopify SEO for more personalized guidance.
2. Insufficient Content on Your Store
Content is King
Creating great content isn’t just about blog posts; it’s about making your Shopify store a resource. If your product descriptions, blogs, and other content aren’t detailed and helpful, search engines might not prioritize your store over others. Additionally, customers may find it difficult to understand the value of your products.
Why It Matters
Search engines like Google reward stores that provide value. If your product pages are just a few sentences with generic descriptions, they may not perform well. Similarly, stores that produce regular blog posts or resource guides often rank higher because they provide more comprehensive, engaging content.
What You Can Do:
- Develop Detailed Product Descriptions: Include specifications, features, and benefits in your product descriptions. Think about what questions a customer might have before making a purchase and answer them in the description.
- Start a Blog: Share helpful and informative content related to your products. For instance, if you sell fitness equipment, write blog posts about workout routines, tips, and health advice. This builds your site’s authority and provides more entry points for search engines to find you.
3. Lack of Social Proof
Trust is a Major Factor
In the digital marketplace, trust is vital. Consumers want to know they’re buying from a legitimate, trustworthy store. If your Shopify store has zero reviews, testimonials, or ratings, it can feel like a gamble for potential customers to buy from you.
Why It Matters
Without social proof, such as product reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content, your store may appear less credible. This makes it harder to convert visitors into buyers, which ultimately impacts your visibility and sales.
What You Can Do:
- Encourage Product Reviews: After a customer makes a purchase, send a follow-up email requesting a review. Make it easy for them by offering incentives like discounts or future store credit.
- Leverage User-Generated Content: Ask happy customers to share photos of them using your product. Feature these images on your product pages and social media.
4. Weak Mobile Optimization
The Rise of Mobile Shopping
A significant portion of e-commerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. In fact, many customers make purchases while on the go. If your Shopify store isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re potentially losing out on a large audience.
Why It Matters
Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in its rankings. If your Shopify store isn’t optimized for mobile, it might be harder to rank well in search results. Poor mobile experience also leads to higher bounce rates, meaning visitors quickly leave your site because it’s hard to navigate on their mobile devices.
What You Can Do:
- Use Responsive Themes: Shopify offers many responsive themes designed to work seamlessly on mobile devices. Choose one that fits your store’s needs.
- Optimize Images and Load Times: Large images can slow down your site, especially on mobile. Compress your images without sacrificing quality to improve load times.
- Ensure an Easy Checkout Process: Make sure that the checkout process is simple and streamlined on mobile devices to encourage conversions.
5. Slow Website Speed
Speed Equals Success
Website speed is an often-overlooked but critical factor in driving traffic and conversions. A slow website frustrates visitors and can cause them to leave before they even get a chance to explore your products.
Why It Matters
Google uses site speed as a ranking factor, meaning a slow website will directly impact your visibility in search results. It also affects the user experience, as potential customers may abandon your site if it takes too long to load.
What You Can Do:
- Minimize Code and Scripts: Remove unnecessary code and optimize the scripts that run on your site.
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN helps distribute content to visitors based on their geographic location, speeding up load times.
- Optimize Images and Videos: Compress images and videos for faster loading without compromising quality.
6. Ignoring Backlinks
The Power of Backlinks
Backlinks (links from other websites to your store) are one of the most powerful ways to boost your store’s SEO. If reputable sites link to your products, search engines will recognize your store as a trusted source, which can improve your visibility.
Why It Matters
Google sees backlinks as “votes of confidence.” If you get backlinks from high-authority websites, search engines are more likely to rank your Shopify store higher. Additionally, backlinks drive direct traffic, which can result in more sales and conversions.
What You Can Do:
- Guest Blogging: Reach out to relevant blogs and offer to write guest posts. This allows you to include a link back to your store.
- Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers or bloggers in your niche who can link back to your store.
- Create Shareable Content: Infographics, guides, and other highly shareable content can help attract backlinks from other websites.
Conclusion
Having zero visibility for your Shopify products can feel like a major setback, but the good news is that you can take steps to improve your store’s visibility. By focusing on SEO, creating valuable content, building trust through social proof, optimizing your mobile experience, improving website speed, and securing backlinks, you can increase your store’s chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting more customers.
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($900) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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