Cross-border Sites

Shopify 2.0 introduced a fundamentally better architecture for SEO — metafields, sections everywhere, JSON templates — but most brands are still running with the default structure that Shopify ships. That means auto-generated collection pages with thin content, product titles that double as H1 and title tags with no differentiation, and no structured data beyond the minimal Product schema that Shopify injects. We audit existing stores with Screaming Frog and build a template-level SEO brief that developers implement once and benefit from across thousands of SKUs.

Collection page optimisation is where most Shopify SEO value is created and most commonly missed. A well-structured collection page targets high-intent category queries, uses a curated opening paragraph (not auto-generated from product counts or filter facets), and links internally to relevant product clusters. We write collection-level editorial content, build the internal linking architecture, and set canonical rules for filtered and sorted variants that prevent Googlebot from crawling thousands of near-duplicate URLs.

For WooCommerce stores, the technical surface is different but the principles are consistent. WordPress gives more flexibility on schema and custom fields, but it also introduces more failure modes — plugin conflicts, slow TTFB on shared hosting, poor Core Web Vitals from over-scripted page builders. We audit the stack and the Screaming Frog crawl together, identify which technical problems are blocking growth, and produce a prioritised fix list that distinguishes high-impact from noise.

Headless stacks — Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit fronts over Shopify or custom backends — require an SEO layer that is designed rather than patched. Server-side rendering must be validated in Google Search Console, not assumed from the framework documentation. Metadata, Open Graph, canonical, hreflang, and structured data all need explicit implementation. We write the technical SEO specification and QA it post-launch.

Content for cross-border stores does not mean a blog about "the top 10 gifts for her." It means buying guides that rank for high-commercial-intent queries, comparison pages that intercept competitive searches, and long-form product education that builds category authority and drives return visits. We build content programmes that are connected to the product catalogue: the editorial supports the commercial, not the other way around.

International cross-border sites add another layer: hreflang, currency and language switchers that do not confuse Googlebot, market-specific canonical decisions, and — for brands targeting Chinese consumers from an offshore store — the question of whether Baidu indexability matters alongside Google. We consult on that boundary case and help brands make the call deliberately rather than by default.

Link acquisition for e-commerce is different from SaaS or editorial. Product placements, manufacturer partnerships, gift guide coverage, and affiliate programme audits are all valid channels. We run a disciplined outreach programme and report on domain authority distribution, not just link count. One link from a relevant DTC media brand outweighs a hundred from aggregator directories.