Launching a Shopify store is just the beginning of your eCommerce journey. If you need expert help, check out some of the leading Shopify agencies in the UK that can optimize your store setup and strategy. The moment your products are not indexed on Google, your chances of selling are significantly diminished. This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) apps come into play. This blog will examine 5 of the top Shopify SEO Apps: Smart SEO, SEO Manager, Plugin SEO, Avada SEO Suite, and Booster SEO. We’ll cover the features, the pricing, the use cases, and, more importantly, how each app will bring more qualified search traffic to your Shopify store.
Why Are Shopify SEO Apps Important?
Shopify is a pretty open-source, SEO, user-friendly platform(see our full Webflow vs Shopify comparison for platform insights). Unfortunately, the out-of-the-box requirements of this platform do not allow optimization of the content, metadata, structured data, and fixing technical SEO issues. Given that most visits to eCommerce stores come from organic searches (40-60%), installing an SEO app would ensure that your pages and products are indexed, ranked, and clicked on more.
Most Shopify SEO apps will do the following:
- Automate meta tag optimization.
- Fix broken links and duplicate content.
- Create structured data (JSON-LD) to generate rich snippets.
- Dynamically generate XML sitemaps.
- Improve page speed and monitor SEO health.
Next, let’s do a deep dive into 5 of the Top Shopify SEO apps that many successful eCommerce store owners have used.
Smart SEO - Best for Automating Multilingual SEO
Smart SEO is designed to automate a lot of tedious SEO pain points. It automatically creates metadata, alt tags, and structured data using JSON-LD. Unlike other applications that only tackle structured data, Smart SEO is a comprehensive multilingual SEO application that works with Shopify markets.
Main Features:
- Automated metadata creation (title, description, alt tags).
- JSON-LD structured data for rich snippets.
- Multilingual SEO, no manual translation issues to deal with.
- Sitemap and broken-link features.
- Bulk editing and templating features.
What Makes it Unique:
Smart SEO is very light and works behind the scenes. Compared to some other bloated apps that slow down sites, Smart SEO’s functionality is minimal in terms of impact on load time, giving their approach to SEO an edge in this area. Smart SEO is also very effective with Shopify internationalization, allowing you to optimize products in different locations with multiple languages.
Pricing:
- Free Plan – 50 products.
- Paid Plans – starting at $9.99/month.
Best For:
Stores that sell to international markets or have lots of products that need multilingual SEO automation.
SEO Manager - Best for Maintaining Manual Control of SEO
Built by Venntov, SEO Manager is one of the most popular apps for tackling Shopify SEO. It is best for owners who want complete visibility and control over their SEO, from meta tags to redirects.
Unique Features:
- Live SEO score and recommendations.
- Title and meta tags editor with templating.
- 404 error detection and redirections.
- Google Search Console integration.
- Keyword recommendations and focus keywords.
- JSON-LD schema markup.
What Stands Out:
The SEO Manager app is like having an in-house SEO analyst. It not only detects problems but also breaks down why they are important and how they can be resolved. The inclusion of Google Search Console allows actionable data to be pulled directly into your Shopify admin.
Pricing:
- Flat fee: $20/month.
Best For:
Shopify merchants with a baseline knowledge of SEO are looking for deeper optimization without coding.
Plugin SEO - Best for Beginners
Plugin SEO is ideal for merchants who are just starting to enter the world of SEO. It includes guided tutorials, checks for obvious errors, and will even automatically fix basic issues with your store, like missing meta tags or slow load times.
Unique Features:
- SEO health check reports.
- Clear optimization guides.
- Page load time analysis.
- Edit custom titles/descriptions.
- Structured data and JSON-LD.
What Stands Out:
The diagnostics tool scans your website for SEO errors and gives instructions in beginner-friendly language. You can follow their instructions and resolve the issues manually, or you can let the app fix it on your behalf.
Pricing:
- Free Plan: Limited features
- Pro Plan: $20/month with automation and bulk editing
Best For:
New Shopify store owners or non-technical retailers who are looking for SEO support with minimal effort.
Avada SEO Suite - Best All-In-One SEO and Speed Solution
Avada SEO Suite does everything traditional SEO apps do. You can combine your on-site SEO, image optimization, and speed improvement all in one dashboard. It’s a powerful solution for stores looking for automation at scale.
Notable Features:
- Auto-generated meta tags, image alt text, and canonical URLs
- Advanced speed optimization (I.E., lazy loading, minification)
- HTML sitemap generator.
- Structured data and schema definition support.
- SEO checklist and health report.
What Makes It Stand Out:
Avada has one of the most impressive free plans in the Shopify App Store. Its speed-boosting tools can massively enhance your core web vitals, which directly affect your SEO rankings.
Pricing:
- Free Plan: Comes with almost all SEO features
- Pro Plan: $34.95/month to add speed and schema improvements
Best For:
Mid to large stores that need SEO, image compression, and speed optimization all in one app.
Booster SEO & Image Optimizer – Best for Automated Optimization
Booster SEO is all about automation. It is designed for busy store owners wanting to improve their SEO without getting too complicated or getting overly busy without the hassle of manual tweaks or technical knowledge. From metadata to image optimization, Booster SEO is built for set-it-and-forget-it SEO improvement and management.
Standout Features:
- Auto-updating meta tags and descriptions.
- ALT text automation and image compression.
- JSON-LD structured data.
- Real-time 404 error alerts.
- Daily SEO health monitoring.
Why It Stands Out:
The booster makes sure performance and ease of use stay front and center. It eliminates time-burdening repetitive tasks so you can concentrate on growing your business rather than getting your hands dirty with SEO micromanagement.
Pricing:
- Free Plan: Core features.
- Pro Plan: Starts at $39/month.
Best For:
Entrepreneurs appear to have little time to get things done and need a totally automated SEO process.
How to Choose a Shopify SEO App
The best app for your store depends on a few factors, including whether you’re migrating from WooCommerce to Shopify or starting fresh.
- Your technical skill level: If you’re a beginner, you should go with Plugin SEO. If you want to make changes manually, use SEO Manager.
- Who your customers are: If you’re selling outside of your country, you will need Smart SEO’s language features.
- What size store do you have? If you have a large product catalog, you can use Avada or Booster for bulk SEO.
- Need for speed: Avada and Booster are best if you want to get up and running quickly.
- Your budget: Avada has a free plan that has an incredible number of features for start-ups.
Final Thoughts
By using the right SEO app, you can greatly increase the chances of bringing traffic from interested customers. There are systems for automation and hands-on control, so everyone can find what they need. A lot of apps provide free trials, so see which one you like most. Having the appropriate tools means your store will move up in search results and increase in size.
Ready to supercharge your SEO? Pick the app that fits your store’s needs and start attracting the right traffic today.
FAQs
Can I run more than one SEO app at the same time?
No. Using more than one SEO app can create incompatibility, particularly if both apps modify the same metadata or structured data. Stick to one comprehensive app.
Do the SEO apps guarantee higher Google rankings?
No, an SEO app will guarantee you rankings, but it will substantially enhance your site’s technical SEO and on-page SEO, which are important ranking factors.
Can I just install the SEO app and be done with it?
Not really. While some of the features are automated, you will still need to make regular content updates and write blog posts and product descriptions in order to get the best results.
Do they work with Shopify 2.0 themes?
Yes, all of the apps are compatible with Shopify 2.0 and most other modern themes.
Will these apps slow my site down?
Optimally designed SEO apps, such as Smart SEO, Booster, and Avada, are built to have as small a performance impact as possible. In fact, some will also improve your site speed with image compression, lazy loading, etc.