Shopify's out-of-box SEO is mediocre because the platform creates duplicate content through collection pages, automatic tags, and variant URLs. Your first priority is damage control: use canonical tags properly, consolidate duplicate product pages, and block low-value pages like /collections/all or tag archives in robots.txt if they don't serve users. Product pages need unique descriptions, not manufacturer copy that 50 other stores use. Write 150-300 words per product focusing on buyer intent keywords, use proper header hierarchy (H1 for product name, H2 for features), and add schema markup through apps like JSON-LD for SEO if your theme doesn't include it. Optimize every image filename and alt text before upload because Shopify doesn't let you bulk-edit these efficiently later. Shopify's URL structure locks you into /products/ and /collections/ prefixes, which wastes crawl budget on larger stores. You can't change this without headless architecture, so work within it by keeping URLs short after the prefix and using descriptive collection names like /collections/mens-winter-boots instead of /collections/category-a. The blog feature is bare-bones but critical for ranking informational queries that drive top-of-funnel traffic. Create buying guides, comparison posts, and how-to content targeting keywords your product pages can't rank for. Internal link from blog posts to relevant collections and products to distribute authority. Page speed is a chronic Shopify weakness because themes load heavy JavaScript and apps pile on tracking scripts. Run PageSpeed Insights, remove unused apps, lazy-load images below the fold, and consider a performance-focused theme if yours scores below 50 on mobile. Ottawa SEO runs Shopify stores in the 60-75 mobile speed range by auditing every third-party script. Most Shopify stores ignore collection page optimization. These should rank for category keywords, so write unique descriptions (not just filtered product grids), add 100-200 words of content above or below the products, and interlink related collections. If you sell across Canada, create location-specific collections or pages for major cities where shipping speed matters.