Shopify handles the technical SEO basics well enough that most stores won't actively hurt their rankings just by choosing the platform. You get automatic XML sitemaps, SSL by default, mobile-responsive themes, structured data for products, and editable title tags and meta descriptions. Page speed is acceptable on standard plans, though you'll need to watch app bloat and image sizes. The problems show up when you scale or need control. Shopify forces /collections/ and /products/ into every URL, so you can't get mystore.com/running-shoes—you're stuck with mystore.com/collections/running-shoes. That's fine for most stores, but it adds an extra folder layer competitors on WordPress might avoid. Duplicate content is another headache: collections can overlap, products can live in multiple collections, and Shopify doesn't always canonicalize cleanly without apps or Liquid edits. The blogging platform is weak—basic formatting, no category structure, hard to build real content hubs. App dependency is the hidden cost. Want proper schema beyond products? Need an app. Advanced redirects? App. Better blog features? App. Each one adds load time and monthly fees. On Shopify Plus you get access to the checkout code and better performance, but you're paying $2,000+ CAD/month. At Ottawa SEO we've ranked plenty of Shopify stores into six-figure revenue, but we're always working around the platform's constraints rather than with them. If you're launching a standard product catalog and don't need deep content marketing, Shopify works. If you're building a content-heavy brand, competing in saturated niches, or need total URL control, WooCommerce or a headless setup gives you more upside. Shopify won't kill your SEO, but it won't maximize it either—it's the safe middle ground that trades flexibility for ease of use.