SEO in Shoporama

Shoporama has a comprehensive SEO system that helps you optimize your online store for search engines like Google. This article reviews the SEO features available in your store, with a special focus on the SEO tab for your products, where you can write titles and descriptions for Google, perform a keyword analysis, and manage sharing and indexing.

SEO Fields on All Page Types

Products, categories, static pages, blog posts, and landing pages all have fields for search engines. The most important ones are:

• Title for Google (called “Google title” on products): the blue headline in the search results. If you leave this field blank on a product, the product’s name will be used.
• Description for Google (called “Google description” on products): the text below the headline. The recommended length is 120–160 characters. Write plain text without HTML. Learn more about meta descriptions.
• Address (URL): the SEO-friendly address. It is generated automatically based on the name but can be customized.
• Open Graph: title and description when the page is shared on social media.
• Noindex: Instructs search engines not to display the page in search results.
• Canonical (products and categories only): points to the original if you have the same content in multiple places. Learn more about canonical URLs.

For products, the fields are grouped in the SEO card, which is covered below. Categories and other page types have the same basic fields, but do not include counters, Google preview, and keyword analysis.

The SEO tab on a product

Open a product under Products → All Products, and expand the SEO tab. The tab has four sections: Google Search Results, Keyword Analysis, Social Media Sharing, and Indexing. The product’s Google Shopping title and Google category are not listed here, but in the Product Feeds card directly below.

Google Search Results: Title, Description, and Preview

The Google title is the title that Google displays as the headline. Below the field is a counter, e.g., 56 characters · 504/600 px. The counter shows both the number of characters and the title’s width in pixels, and it turns orange when the title is too wide.

Why pixels and not characters? Google truncates the title based on how much space it takes up (approximately 600 pixels on a computer), not based on the number of characters. Wide letters like M and W take up much more space than i and l, so two titles with 60 characters each can have very different widths. Keep an eye on the pixel count to avoid having the end of the title cut off with “…”. If you leave the field blank, the product name will be used, and the field can hold a maximum of 255 characters.

The Google description is the text below the title. The counter shows, for example, 130 / 160 characters. Aim for 120–160 characters: Google displays about 160 characters on a computer and about 120 on a mobile device. The field can hold a maximum of 255 characters. If the field is left blank, Google will automatically generate an excerpt from the page.

If you use shortcodes such as [PRICE], the counters count the text the code generates, not the code itself. Click the “Shortcodes” link below the field to see which codes you can use.

AI Suggestions

Next to both fields is the “AI Suggestions” button. It generates a suggestion based on the product’s name, description, and primary keywords:

• A Google title is limited to 60 characters, and the store name is only included at the end if there is space.
• A Google description is limited to 155 characters.
• If you’ve entered a primary keyword, it will appear immediately in the text.
• The text is written in the same language as the product description and uses standard capitalization—capitalizing the first letter of each sentence, not every word.
• The AI may only use facts from the product descriptions, so it won’t include prices, shipping costs, or stock status that you haven’t mentioned yourself.

The suggestion replaces what’s in the field, but nothing is saved until you save the product. Always read through the suggestion and edit it so it sounds like your store.

Here’s how the product might appear in Google

Below the fields is a preview of the search result with the Mobile and Computer tabs. It shows the store’s name, address (domain › product URL), title, and description, and it updates as you type. Shortcodes such as [NAME], [PRICE], and [SEASON] are filled in so you see the text exactly as customers will see it. Your browser remembers whether you last viewed the Mobile or Desktop preview.

The display is for illustrative purposes only. Google truncates based on width and may choose different text on its own, for example, if Google believes that a different excerpt from the page better matches what the customer searched for.

Keyword Analysis

The keyword analysis checks whether the product’s text matches the keyword you want to be found for. Enter the keyword in the Primary Keyword field, e.g., “Brazilian coffee.” This field is used for the analysis and for AI suggestions, and it does not appear in the store. Choose the word that customers actually type into Google when they’re looking for this specific product. If multiple products need a keyword, you can select them in the product overview, click “Table Editing,” and enter the keywords in the “Primary Keyword” column.

Without a keyword, you won’t receive a score, but the checks for title width, Google description length, product description length, and image alt text will still be performed. With a keyword, you’ll receive:

• A score from 0 to 100 displayed as a circle. 80 and above is Good, 50–79 is Could Be Improved, and below 50 is Weak. Below the score, it shows how many checks have been fully met, e.g., “4 out of 8 checks are fully met.”
• Next step: the three items that boost the score the most. Warnings about duplicates and errors in shortcodes appear at the top. The “Fix” button jumps directly to the field and expands the card if the field is located within another card, such as the product name under “General.”
• All checks: a collapsed list of all checks and their status.

The analysis updates as you type, so you can see the effect of a change immediately.

What is checked, and why?

The checks are weighted differently because they aren’t all equally important to Google. The analysis is based on Google’s own recommendations: there’s no requirement for a specific keyword density, the title is measured in pixels, and repetitions lower the score. Google also has no set minimum for the number of words, so the limit on the length of the product description is a rule of thumb and not a requirement.

• The keyword in the product name and in the Google title carries the most weight because the title is the strongest signal of what the page is about. If the Google title is empty, the product name counts double because it is then used as the title.
• The keyword in the product description shows Google that the page is actually about the topic.
• The keyword in the Google description only counts when the field is filled in. It helps with clicks, not with ranking, because the customer can see that the result matches their search.
• The keyword in the URL only counts if the product is offline or doesn’t have a URL yet. For a published product, it’s just informational. Words in the URL carry very little weight, and if you change the URL of a product that’s already indexed by Google, the ranking may fluctuate for a few weeks.
• The title width should remain under approximately 600 pixels so that the title isn’t truncated.
• The length of the Google description should ideally be 120–160 characters.
• Product description length: The description should be at least 1,000 characters. This count is based on the text the customer sees on the product page: spaces count, formatting and images do not, and shortcodes count as the text they render. If the description is shorter, the check awards half a point and displays the text “The product description is short”; if it is empty, it awards no points. A product page with only a few lines of text is considered thin content because it doesn’t provide much for either Google or the customer to go on. This check also applies when the product doesn’t have a keyword.
• Images: The product must have at least one image, and all images should have alt text—that is, a brief description of what the image shows. Without images, the check awards no points, and if one or more images are missing alt text, it awards half a point. The keyword does not earn any extra points here, as the alt text should describe the image and not repeat the keyword. You enter the alt text under “Product Images.”
• Repetitions: If the keyword appears two or more times in the title, you’ll receive the warning “Once is enough.” In the Google description, you’ll receive a warning if it appears three times. Repetitions make the text harder to read and do not improve your ranking.
• Missingshortcodes—such as a typo like [PRICE]—trigger a warning because the code will otherwise appear as-is in Google. This check applies to the Google title, Google description, and Open Graph fields.

If only part of the keyword appears in a field, it counts as half a point, and the text will say, for example, “Only part of the keyword appears in the product description.” If all the words are present but in a different order, it counts as met.

Notes at the top of the analysis

• Noindex: If the product is hidden from search engines, no score is displayed, and the analysis indicates that the product is hidden. Turn this off under “Indexing” if you want the product to appear in Google.
• Offline: If the product is offline, it will be visible to Google once it’s put online.
• Canonical: If the product points to another product as the original, it will state that Google will likely display the other product instead.

At the bottom of the analysis, it says: “A checklist, not a guarantee of ranking in Google.” It’s important to remember: the analysis checks the elements you control on the product page. Competition, links from other sites, reviews, and how fast the page loads also play a role, and no single product score can measure those factors.

SEO Status in the Product Overview

You can view the analysis for all products at once in the product overview. Enable the SEO Status column under Customize View (the gear icon in the table’s header row). The column displays the score in a circle, “No keywords” with the number of missing checks, or an eye with a line through it if the product is hidden from search engines. Hover over it to see what’s missing, and click to open the product’s SEO card.

Click the header to sort so that products with the lowest score appear at the top when the arrow points up (▲). You can also use the SEO filter to, for example, display all products below 50 or all products without keywords. The status is updated when you save the product or change its images, and products are also reviewed overnight. Read more in the Product Overview.

If you’ve connected your store to Claude, Claude can also read the SEO status and use it to find the products that need the most attention. For example, type “find the products with a low SEO score and suggest what needs to be fixed.” See Manage Your Store with AI.

Social Media Sharing (Open Graph)

When someone shares a link to a product on, for example, Facebook or LinkedIn, the service retrieves a title, a description, and an image from the page. These are called Open Graph data.

• The Open Graph title is limited to 60 characters because Facebook truncates longer titles.
• The Open Graph description has a limit of 155 characters, because many social media platforms only display the beginning.
• The “Copy from Google title” and “Copy from Google description” buttons copy the text so you can use it as a starting point and customize it. The button is grayed out when there’s nothing to copy.
• If you leave the fields blank, the Google title and Google description will be used instead. You can also clear the fields again if you want to revert to that setting.
• To select an image, check the “Sharing Image” box next to one of the images under “Product Images.” If you don’t select one, the product’s first image will be used.

The default themes Montana, MontanaB2B, Delaware, and DelawareDK use the product’s Open Graph title and description when they are filled in. If you have your own or a custom theme, it depends on the theme.

Use these fields when you want to write a more personalized message for social media than for Google—for example, “Our most popular coffee, now in 1 kg” instead of a title optimized for search.

Indexing: canonical and noindex

Usethe canonical product option when the product is a duplicate of another product—for example, the same item created twice under different item numbers. Search for the original by name or item number, and select it from the list. Google will then consolidate the products and display the original in search results. Leave the field blank if the product is its own original.

• You can only select one product, and the product cannot point to itself.
• The product page will receive a canonical tag pointing to the original, and the duplicate will be omitted from the store’s sitemap.
• Canonical products you’ve set previously will remain unchanged. When importing via CSV, in bulk editing, and in the REST API, you still specify the original’s product ID.
• If the original has been deleted, the message “Product ID X does not exist in the store and will be removed when you save” will appear.

Search engines have the “Hide from search engines” (“noindex, follow”) setting. If you enable it, Google will not show the product in search results but will still follow links on the page. The product is also omitted from the sitemap. Noindex does not affect your product feeds: if you do not want the product to appear in Google Shopping either, select “Hide” under “Show in feeds” in the Product Feeds tab. Read more in “Set noindex on a page, product, or category.”

Categories, pages, blog posts, and landing pages

On a category page, you’ll find the SEO fields in the “Fields for Search Engines” section: Title, Description, a simple preview, Canonical (select another category), Open Graph title and description, Primary keyword, Google category, and the “noindex, follow” option. The AI Suggestions button is also available here and uses the category’s primary keyword. Categories do not have the counters, the Google preview with Mobile and Desktop, or the keyword analysis. The Google category is selected by searching directly in the field, just like on products. Read more in Categories in your online store.

Static pages, blog posts, and landing pages have fields for title, description, Open Graph, and noindex. Here you’ll also find AI suggestions for the title and description. The canonical tag is only available on products and categories.

Whether the Open Graph fields on categories and pages are used depends on the theme. Montana and Delaware use the page’s title and description when a category or page is shared.

Shortcodes in the SEO Fields

Shortcodes are codes enclosed in square brackets that are automatically replaced with the current value when the page is displayed. On product pages, they work in the Google title, Google description, Open Graph fields, and product description:

• [NAME]: the product’s name
• [PRICE]: the product’s price including tax. If the product has a sale price, that is used.
• [PRICE_EX_VAT]: the product’s price excluding tax. If the product has a sale price, that price is used.
• [STOCK]: stock level
• [BRAND]: brand
• [SUPPLIER]: supplier
• [YEAR]: current year
• [MONTH]: current month, e.g., "September"
• [SEASON]: season, e.g., "fall"
• [FREESHIPPING]: the amount for free shipping

On categories and landing pages, you can use [YEAR], [MONTH], [SEASON], and [FREESHIPPING].

The month and season are written in the store’s language. [SEASON] works in stores in Danish, English, German, Norwegian, Dutch, and now also Swedish, where it previously remained blank.

Example: A Google title such as “Buy [NAME] for [PRICE] kr.” automatically converts to the correct text on each product page. Prices and shipping amounts should be written as numbers, e.g., “1,299.00”; add “kr.” yourself.

XML Sitemap

Shoporama automatically generates an XML sitemap at /sitemap.xml. The sitemap contains your online products, categories, pages, blog posts, and landing pages and is updated regularly.

• Automatic prioritization: The homepage has the highest priority (1.0), followed by landing pages (0.9), categories (0.8), products (0.7), blog posts (0.6–0.7), and static pages (typically 0.5).
• Frequency of changes: Calculated automatically based on when the content was last modified.
• Respects noindex and canonical: Pages with noindex are excluded, as are products and categories that have a canonical tag pointing to another page.
• Image sitemap: A separate /image-sitemap.xml file containing all product images.

Robots.txt

You can customize your online store’s robots.txt under Online Store → robots.txt. Shoporama automatically blocks checkout pages (cart, payment, address, etc.) from search engines, and you can add your own rules. Learn more in robots.txt: control what search engines are allowed to crawl.

Google Shopping Category

You can assign a Google category to your products and categories. Search directly in the field—for example, for “coffee” or “dresses”—and select the category from the list showing the name, path, and Google ID. For products, the field is located in the Product Feeds tab, and for categories, under Search Engine Fields. The category is used in your Google Shopping feed. Learn more in Google Shopping Category ID for Products.

Morningscore Integration

Shoporama has an integration with Morningscore that provides you with SEO analysis directly in your admin panel. Here, you can view SEO scores, keyword analyses, and recommendations for optimizing your entire store. Learn more in Morningscore Integration.

Internal Search

The product’s “Internal Search” section includes a field for additional keywords and synonyms—for example, “espresso” for a coffee product that doesn’t include that word in its name. These words aren’t visible on the product page and don’t affect Google, but they help customers find the product using the search function in your store. Learn more in the Shoporama Search Function.

AI for SEO Content

The “AI Suggestions” button for titles and descriptions is available on products, categories, pages, blog posts, and landing pages. It generates titles of up to 60 characters and descriptions of up to 155 characters. For longer texts, such as product descriptions, you can use the AI assistant in the text editor. Read more in “AI Assistant in the Text Editor.”

URL Management and Redirects

All products, categories, and pages have a URL that you can customize. If you change a URL, Shoporama automatically saves the old one and creates a 301 redirect so that old links still work. However, your ranking on Google may fluctuate for a while as Google detects the new address, so leave the address unchanged for products that are already performing well. A product’s address does not change when you move the product to a different category. Read more in the article “The Ultimate Guide to Redirects.”

Practical Tips for SEO on Your Products

1. Write for people first. Google rewards content that answers what the customer is looking for. A title that’s pleasant to read and click on beats a title stuffed with keywords.
2. One primary keyword per product. Choose the most precise term, such as “Brazilian whole bean coffee” rather than just “coffee.” Give similar products their own keywords so they don’t compete with each other in Google.
3. Put the most important information first in the title. What is it, and what makes it special? The store’s name can go at the end if there’s room.
4. Avoid repetition. Including the keyword once in the title is enough. Repetition looks like spam and doesn’t improve your ranking.
5. Write a unique description. Many stores use the supplier’s standard text. Instead, write in your own words and mention the keyword naturally.
6. Start with the most important products. You don’t need to fill out every field for every product. Focus on the bestsellers and the products that drive the most traffic first.
7. Leave the address as is on published products, unless it’s clearly incorrect.
8. Use "canonical" for duplicate pages and "noindex" for pages that shouldn’t be found, such as test products or products sold only via a direct link.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to fill in the Google title and description for all my products?

No. If the Google title field is left blank, the product name is used, and if the Google description field is left blank, Google automatically generates an excerpt from the page. Focus on your most important products first. If you need to update many products at once, you can use bulk editing or CSV import, where the fields are named meta_title and meta_description.

Do AI suggestions overwrite what I’ve already written?

Yes, the suggestion immediately replaces the text in the field. But nothing is saved until you save it, so you can edit the suggestion. If you have text you’re happy with, copy it first if you want to compare.

How high should the score in the keyword analysis be?

80 and above is “Good,” and that’s a good goal. Don’t chase 100 at all costs: natural, sales-driven text is more important than the final check. The score is a checklist and no guarantee of a ranking on Google.

Why does the analysis say my product description is short?

Because the description has fewer than 1,000 characters. The analysis shows the exact number in parentheses. Only the “Description” field under “General” counts; the “Listing Description” does not. The product will appear in the store as before; the score will just be slightly lower. Expand the text where it makes sense for the customer, such as by including what the item is made of, how to use it, dimensions, and care instructions. If the item is listed under “Next Steps,” the “Go directly to the description” button will appear. If the item is so simple that there’s nothing more to say, feel free to keep the description brief.

Can I see the score for multiple products at once?

Yes. Enable the “SEO Status” column under “Customize View” in the product overview. You’ll then see the score for all products, sort by it, and filter by options such as “Weak” or “No Keywords.” On the product page itself, the analysis continues to update as you type.

Why does the counter show both characters and pixels?

Because Google truncates titles based on width, not character count. A title with many wide letters may be cut off even if it has fewer characters than another. You don’t need to do the math yourself: if the counter turns orange, the title is too wide.

Will a product disappear from Google Shopping if I enable "noindex"?

No. "noindex" only hides the product from regular search results and from the sitemap. If you also don’t want the product to appear in Google Shopping, select "Hide from Google Shopping" under "Show in feeds" in the Product Feeds tab.

We have the same item listed under multiple SKUs. Can I set the canonical URL for multiple products at once?

Yes, via CSV import or bulk editing. In the CSV file, use the `canonical_id` column, and in bulk editing, use the “Canonical Product (ID)” column. Enter the original product ID for each copy. The product ID is included in the URL when you edit a product. On the individual product page, locate the original under “Indexing.”

I’ve selected a new sharing image, but Facebook is still showing the old one

Facebook caches the preview of a link for a certain period of time. Make sure you’ve saved the product, and have Facebook re-fetch the page using Facebook’s own Sharing Debugger tool. You select the image for paid ads in Facebook’s Ads Manager.

Do AI suggestions include information that doesn’t match my products?

The AI can only use facts from the product’s name and description, so the more precise your description is, the better the suggestion will be. Always read through the suggestion before saving it.

If you have any questions about SEO for your store, feel free to contact us at support@shoporama.dk.