Ahrefs vs Shopify SEO: key differences

Running a Shopify store and want to know whether it’s worth investing in Ahrefs or if Shopify native SEO features are enough? While both are designed for SEO optimization, they serve different purposes.

Shopify provides you with built-in SEO features like SEO metadata and URL handle editing. Ahrefs is an external SEO tool that helps you identify industry trends and how you can grow organic traffic. Shopify can be enough for merchants just starting out, but Ahrefs proves valuable for focusing on the bigger picture of SEO growth.

In this guide, we’ll break down Ahrefs vs Shopify SEO and their differences. We’ll help Shopify store owners understand when basic SEO is enough and when investing in external SEO tools is useful.

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What is Shopify SEO vs Ahrefs?

Shopify SEO is the process of optimizing your website for search engines like Google or Bing using built-in Shopify tools. It now also involves GEO optimization so that a site can become discoverable and cited by AI systems such as ChatGPT or Gemini.

Key SEO features available on Shopify include:

• Easy meta title and meta description editing
• Image alt text customization
• Automatically generated sitemap and robots.txt file
• URL handle editing
• Broken link management
• Speed-optimized website themes

Shopify is enough for basic SEO, but most of the Shopify stores we’ve worked with also use SEO apps to extend built-in functionality. For example, many merchants benefit from bulk metadata edits and page indexing management.

Meanwhile, Ahrefs is an SEO research and analysis tool used for keyword research, competitor tracking, backlink analysis, and ranking tracking.

The main features Ahrefs offers for Shopify users are:

• Advanced keyword research to help identify high-traffic queries you could target
• Backlink analysis to find opportunities for link-building and build site authority
• Competitor analysis to identify what other sites are ranking for
• Rank tracking to know how specific pages rank in search engines
• Site audit for finding technical SEO issues like broken links, large images, or broken images

What’s the difference between Shopify SEO and Ahrefs?

Shopify SEO and Ahrefs solve different SEO areas, so they’re not competing tools. Shopify helps you build a website and gives you tools for basic SEO tasks, while Ahrefs is meant for keyword research and competitor analysis.

The built-in tools on Shopify are designed to make SEO accessible for beginners. So, many growing stores eventually look for external SEO tools like Ahrefs to help with advanced SEO strategies.

When do I need Ahrefs with Shopify?

You don’t need Ahrefs to run a Shopify store early on. But based on the stores we’ve audited, many medium and large businesses are using external SEO tools like Ahrefs to compete for first page rankings.

Ahrefs can help you identify the keywords to target, understand competitor strengths and weaknesses, and perform data-backed optimizations.

Let’s look through the pros and cons of using Shopify SEO alone or with Ahrefs.

If you’re just starting out or have a few products only, then you can skip getting Ahrefs for now. Instead, start by focusing on the general best SEO practices and use the tools that Shopify already offers, like metadata and alt text optimization.

At the same time, use Google Search Console to monitor how your pages perform in search engines. It’s free and can help you identify low-performing parts of your site that you could improve.

As your store grows, you can use Ahrefs to scale organic traffic through data-driven strategies. It helps you understand which keywords to prioritize based on search demand and how your competitors are ranking, making it easier to compete for higher SERP positions.

We’d recommend getting Ahrefs when you can put aside money for the subscription, since it can cost anywhere from $129/month to $449/month.

Plus, Ahrefs requires a basic understanding of SEO concepts. For example, you need to know what search intent, backlinks, and keywords are. The platform can take a while to figure out, but you can use the free Ahrefs Academy to learn the ins and outs of it.

How does Ahrefs and Shopify SEO work together?

Ahrefs is used for the research phase, like finding what keywords to target, while Shopify is used for execution. So, we prepared an SEO workflow example for both platforms that’s typical in eCommerce.

1. Find keyword opportunities

Open Ahrefs and look for keywords that your customers are searching for. You can do it by entering a broad query that’s related to your products. Ahrefs will give you related keyword ideas or questions.

You can then choose keywords that have a higher search volume but don’t have a high ranking difficulty.

A great difficulty rating means that the SERP is dominated by strong and authoritative websites that will be hard to compete with. Targeting low or medium-difficulty keywords makes it easier for smaller sites to rank higher if they deliver high-quality content.

2. Identify keyword intent

Once you have a list of keywords you want to optimize for, you should map them to page types based on their intent. Keyword intent helps understand what is the reason behind the search. Ahrefs marks intent as Informational (I), Commercial (C), and T (Transactional).

Here’s what each intent means:

• Informational – meant for finding answers, like “how to fix my washing machine?”
• Commercial – meant for researching products, such as “best robot vacuums”
• Transactional – meant for taking action, such as “iPhone 16 for sale”

You’d map informational keywords to blog posts, while transactional keywords would be used for product or category pages.

Even if you optimize a page, it may not rank simply because it doesn’t match the search intent.

3. Optimize pages on Shopify

SEO optimization tasks happen directly on Shopify. You can use the mapped keywords to create related blog content, naturally include them in product descriptions, optimize URL handles, or add image alt texts.

If you use Ahrefs to audit your site, you can fix issues like broken links straight within Shopify. But if you find SEO tasks you can’t perform with built-in tools, you can browse the Shopify App Store to find apps that automate SEO tasks.

4. Track performance on Ahrefs

After optimizing your pages, you should track performance on Ahrefs. This includes monitoring how keyword rankings are changing for the pages you optimized over time.

Based on the data you see, you can come back to the same pages and improve your strategy, creating more high-quality content.

A huge mistake we often notice merchants make is analyzing results hours after optimization. Search engines can take days or even weeks to index your site changes (unless you’re using IndexNow for Bing, Yandex, and other engines), so monitor performance over time.

Ahrefs alternatives for Shopify stores

Ahrefs isn’t the only SEO tool you can consider using for your Shopify store. You should first set up a Google Search Console account and learn how to find optimization opportunities with free tools.

Once you outgrow its capabilities, you can compare Ahrefs to other external tools, like Semrush or SE Ranking, to find which one works best for you.

Google Search Console

If you're just starting out or don't have the budget to subscribe to Ahrefs, Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool that you can use for monitoring your site’s search performance. You can track such areas as keyword rankings, clicks, impressions, and indexing issues.

The difference between Ahrefs and GSC is that the latter is limited to your own site data. You can explore your own rankings, but only Ahrefs includes competitor analysis.

Still, you can find optimization opportunities, such as high-impression and low-click pages, to improve click-through rates.

Semrush

Semrush is a close alternative to Ahrefs that has many similar functionalities. You can use it for keyword research, backlink tracking, site audits, or examining competitors.

We find it better for merchants who want to focus beyond SEO. For example, Semrush also provides you with tools for PPC, content marketing, social media, and local SEO.

Semrush comes at a similar price point to Ahrefs, ranging from $117.33/month to $416.66/month.

SE Ranking

SE Ranking is a cheaper alternative to Ahrefs that offers tools for such SEO tasks as keyword research, rank tracking, and backlink analysis. While Ahrefs prices start from $129/month, SE Ranking prices start from $103.20/month when buying a yearly plan.

We find SE Ranking more beginner-oriented than Ahrefs, which makes it a better option for Shopify store owners who are new to SEO. Still, its keyword research and backlink tracking areas are not as advanced as those of Ahrefs.

Final thoughts

Shopify SEO enables you to do basic SEO optimizations directly on your site, but Ahrefs helps make more strategic decisions and compete with the top players in your niche.

If your website is new or isn’t generating much revenue yet, you can definitely grow without using Ahrefs. Shopify lets you perform tasks like optimizing product pages, managing SEO metadata, or fixing broken links, which is enough to start seeing improvements in organic traffic.

Ahrefs becomes valuable when you want to understand what users are looking for and see what your competitors are doing right based on real data. If you’re willing to learn how it works and can set aside some budget for its subscription, it can help you scale faster.

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About the author

Kristina Jaruseviciute

Kristina is a Content Lead at TinyIMG responsible for informing and educating readers on all things Shopify-related. She covers a broad range of topics around SEO, AI visibility, website performance, and conversion rates to help merchants stand out in a competitive landscape.