UnfoldCRO/Knowledge Base

First 30 Days SEO Plan

Week-by-week SEO plan for the first 30 days on a new Shopify store. Updated for 2025–2026 with latest Google algorithm changes and AI search considerations.

Week 1: Foundation

Goal: Make sure Google can find, crawl, and understand your store.

Day 1–2: Technical Setup

  • Set up GSC (domain-level verification), GA4, and Bing Webmaster Tools
  • Submit sitemap to Google and Bing
  • Check robots.txt — nothing important blocked
  • Run PageSpeed test on homepage, one collection, one product
  • Check Core Web Vitals in GSC (LCP, INP, CLS)
  • Install review app (Judge.me) and email tool (Klaviyo)

Day 3–4: Homepage & Collection Pages

  • Write homepage title (60 chars) and meta description (155 chars)
  • Add descriptions to ALL collection pages (minimum 150 words each — increased due to AI competition)
  • Clean URL handles for all collections
  • Add SEO titles and meta descriptions to top 10 collections

Day 5–7: Product Pages (Top 20)

  • Identify top 20 products by revenue potential
  • Write unique descriptions (200+ words) — avoid manufacturer copy
  • Set SEO titles, metas, and alt text for all images
  • Fix duplicate content (same description on multiple products)
  • Verify Product schema with Google Rich Results Test

Week 2: Content & Internal Linking

Goal: Create content that targets keywords and build site structure.

Day 8–9: Keyword Research

  • List 50–100 keywords using: Google Keyword Planner (free), Ubersuggest (free tier), Ahrefs/SEMrush (paid)
  • Group into: product keywords, collection keywords, informational keywords
  • Check for AI Overview presence — keywords where Google shows AI answers need different content strategy (more detailed, more authoritative)
  • Identify People Also Ask questions for each keyword cluster — these are FAQ opportunities

Day 10–12: Write First Blog Posts

  • Write 2–3 blog posts (1000+ words each) targeting informational keywords
  • Include 3–4 internal links to products/collections in each post
  • Add images with descriptive alt text
  • Add FAQ section with FAQ schema to each post
  • Set proper SEO title and meta description
  • Add author name and bio — Google's E-E-A-T guidelines reward clear authorship

Day 13–14: Internal Linking Audit

  • Homepage links to top 5 collections
  • Collection pages link to individual products
  • Product pages link to related products ("You might also like")
  • Blog posts link to relevant products and collections
  • Create a "hub and spoke" structure — one pillar page linking to multiple related pages

Week 3: Technical SEO & Fixes

Goal: Fix technical issues hurting rankings.

Day 15–16: Fix Crawl Errors

  • Check GSC → Pages for errors (404s, redirect loops, server errors)
  • Fix 404s: create 301 redirects to relevant pages
  • Check for soft 404s — pages that return 200 but show "no products" (empty collections)

Day 17–18: Image Optimization

  • Add descriptive alt text to ALL product images
  • Shopify auto-converts to WebP/AVIF — but check original file sizes (under 500KB ideal)
  • Use descriptive file names before upload (blue-running-shoes-front.jpg not IMG_4532.jpg)
  • Add images to your Google Merchant Center feed for Google Shopping visibility

Day 19–21: Schema & Structured Data

  • Test 10 product pages on Rich Results Test
  • Verify Organization schema on homepage
  • Add FAQ schema to collection pages with FAQ sections
  • Add shippingDetails and returnPolicy to Product schema
  • If you have videos: add VideoObject schema

Week 4: Measure & Plan Ahead

Goal: Review, measure baseline, plan next month.

Day 22–24: Baseline Report

  • GSC: Total impressions, clicks, average position, top queries
  • GA4: Total sessions, organic sessions, engagement rate, top landing pages
  • Indexed pages: How many indexed (GSC → Pages)
  • Core Web Vitals: Pass/fail for mobile and desktop
  • Schema validation: How many pages have valid structured data

Day 25–26: Competitor Analysis

  • Identify 3–5 competitors ranking for your target keywords
  • Check: What content do they have that you don't?
  • Check their backlink profile (use Ahrefs free backlink checker)
  • Look for AI Overview sources — which competitors appear in Google's AI answers?
  • Note content gaps — these become your month 2 content plan

Day 27–30: Month 2 Plan

  • Content calendar: 4–8 blog posts for next month
  • Remaining product pages to optimize
  • Technical improvements (speed, mobile UX)
  • Link building plan (guest posts, partnerships, PR)
  • Set targets: "Increase organic sessions by 20%" or "Get 50 more pages indexed"

What to Expect (Realistic Timeline 2025–2026)

  • Month 1: Foundation — rankings probably won't change yet
  • Month 2–3: Google starts recognizing changes, some keywords move up
  • Month 3–6: Consistent growth if you keep publishing quality content
  • Month 6+: Compound growth — earlier content ranks, new content ranks faster

Important 2025–2026 reality check

SEO is harder than it was 3 years ago. AI Overviews now appear in 30–40% of searches, reducing organic click-through rates for informational queries. Focus on:

  • Transactional keywords (buy, shop, best X for Y) — AI Overviews appear less here
  • Brand building — branded searches have no AI Overviews
  • Unique data and opinions — AI can't replicate your specific experience
  • Video content — YouTube results still appear prominently in Google

Resources

Last updated 13 April 2026