Shopify makes it easy to launch, but ranking and converting at scale comes down to your site architecture. If your catalog grows faster than your navigation strategy, you will drown Googlebot in near-duplicate URLs and your shoppers in choice paralysis. That is not a vibe. Baymard’s UX research notes that only 16 percent of large ecommerce sites deliver a genuinely good filtering experience, which means most stores leave findability and revenue on the table, as highlighted in Baymard’s analysis of filtering implementations at Macy’s. The observation that “only 16% of websites provide a good filtering experience” appears in their public teardown of Macy’s filtering approach at Baymard’s blog.
At Evolvingo, we plan and execute high-ROI campaigns for Shopify brands and we see this every day. Clear collection trees, controlled faceting, purposeful internal links, and clean structured data let you rank for intent-rich keywords and convert those sessions into revenue. If you are just getting started or considering a replatform, Shopify remains an operator-friendly choice, and you can spin up a store quickly with Shopify.

Why architecture is an SEO and revenue lever
Google explicitly calls internal links a signal for understanding page relevance and for finding new URLs to crawl, as the guidance on SEO link best practices explains. Their SEO Starter Guide also frames internal linking and descriptive anchors as fundamental for helping users and search engines. On the crawl side, Google defines crawl budget as a combination of crawl rate and demand, and their post on what crawl budget means for Googlebot makes it clear that generating thousands of thin parameter pages will waste crawl budget and reduce the frequency at which your profitable pages get revisited.
Architecture affects revenue as much as rankings. Faceted filters, breadcrumbs, and consistent hubs shorten the path to product and improve add-to-cart rates, a pattern seen across countless Shopify catalogs we have scaled at Evolvingo. You cannot buy your way out of weak architecture with ads forever. If you need an ROI-first paid approach while you fix the foundation, our playbook on breaking even in 30 days with DTC ads shows how we de-risk early spend.
Build a collection tree that maps to shopper intent
Shopify’s collection model is flexible and fast. You can create automated collections by rules or manual collections for merchandising. While Shopify does not enforce a category taxonomy, you can simulate multi-level navigation using nested menus. The Help Center explains how to set up drop-down menus by nesting menu items under top-level categories, which gives you a clean, crawlable menu hierarchy.
Beyond menus, your URL structure and on-page content should make hierarchy obvious. Google’s ecommerce guidance on helping Google understand your ecommerce site structure reiterates that consistent site navigation, descriptive anchors, and breadcrumbs help search engines and shoppers. Build top-level collections around primary intents such as Men’s Shoes or Vitamin Supplements, then create second-level collections for the most-searched attributes such as Running Shoes or Vitamin D. You can validate demand in Search Console or any keyword tool, then back-fill content blocks on category pages that answer questions shoppers have mid-browse such as sizing fit, materials, and care.
A practical Shopify approach looks like this:
Top navigation includes 5 to 7 primary collections that reflect how shoppers think, not your internal org chart.
Each primary collection becomes a hub with intro copy, featured sub-collections, top products, and FAQs.
Second-level collections are linked in the body of the hub and from the nested menu. Avoid third-level unless keyword research and conversion data justify it.
Blog content supports these hubs. If you create a “How to choose running shoes” guide, internally link to the Running Shoes collection and top products. Google’s post on the importance of link architecture frames this hub-and-spoke pattern well.
Faceted filters without creating an SEO mess
Faceted navigation lets users refine by attributes like size, color, price, and availability. It is also the fastest way to explode your crawlable URL count. Google’s explainer on managing crawling of faceted navigation URLs defines facets and shows how unchecked combinations create low-value pages and crawl traps. Their guidance suggests standardizing parameter naming, blocking crawl for certain patterns, and surfacing only meaningful combinations.
On Shopify, filters are handled in the Search & Discovery app and supported themes. The Help Center walkthrough for adding filters with Shopify Search & Discovery covers how to expose facets like price, availability, variant options, and custom metafields. These filters typically generate parameterized URLs, which can be discoverable if linked and crawlable.
Here is how to keep the upside of filters while avoiding crawl waste:
Make the base collection indexable and unique. The primary /collections/running-shoes page should have targeted copy, an H1 that matches intent, and standard ProductGrid listings. Treat it like a landing page, not just a feed.
Use canonical hints for parameterized variants. Google’s documentation on consolidating duplicate URLs and canonicalization explains that rel=canonical is a strong hint to fold near-duplicates into a preferred URL. Parameterized filter combinations that do not warrant their own rankings should self-canonicalize to the base collection.
Block crawl for obviously unhelpful combinations. If proliferation is severe, Shopify lets you customize robots via robots.txt.liquid. The Help Center describes editing robots.txt.liquid, and Shopify’s changelog even allows domain-specific rules. Use Disallow to keep crawlers out of infinite spaces like multiple-selected filters that create thousandfold URLs. Remember that Google no longer supports a robots noindex directive. As the official note explains in A note on unsupported rules in robots.txt, robots.txt does not support noindex. If you need deindexing, allow crawl and use a meta robots noindex or consolidate via canonical.
Promote only a small set of SEO-friendly filtered pages. Some filtered states match strong query demand, like “men’s black running shoes.” Create a dedicated collection or landing page for that cluster instead of letting an ephemeral parameter URL rank. Then link to it from menus or hubs. This avoids parameter bloat, gives you full control over on-page content, and keeps internal linking consistent.
Name parameters predictably. Google’s faceted guidance recommends well-formed parameters and consistent key-value pairs, as outlined in their page on managing faceted navigation URLs. Predictable patterns simplify robots rules and canonicalization.
Finally, note that Google retired the Search Console URL Parameters tool. The official announcement, Spring cleaning: the URL Parameters tool, confirms it was deprecated in 2022. Prevention and clean signals now matter more than ever.

Internal linking patterns that distribute authority and convert
Internal links are where architecture becomes revenue. Google’s docs on link best practices and the classic write-up on the importance of link architecture make two points clear. First, links help discovery and context. Second, anchor text matters. On Shopify, get these elements in place.
Breadcrumbs. They improve UX and clarify hierarchy. Google supports Breadcrumb structured data, and well-formed breadcrumbs help search results display your hierarchy. Every product and collection should expose a breadcrumb trail that maps to your collection tree, not random tags.
Hub modules on collection pages. Under your product grid, add blocks that link to major sub-collections, buying guides, and comparison pages. Anchor text should be descriptive such as “Men’s trail running shoes” rather than “Learn more.” This reinforces relevance for those sub-hubs and gives users a next step.
On product pages, link laterally to alternatives and vertically back to hubs. Show complementary products, visually similar items, and links back to the parent collection. That sends authority both sideways and up the tree, useful for both discovery and session depth.
Editorial to commerce. When your blog covers problem-aware queries, link to relevant collections and products. For example, if you publish creative testing insights for ads, link to your UGC or product storytelling guides. We do this in our article on UGC that sells, and the same principle applies to your brand’s blog. Use clear anchors like “best vitamin D supplements” that match a collection hub.
Footer links with intent. Reserve footer real estate for category anchors that shoppers actually use. Google’s SEO Starter Guide encourages helpful linking that adds context, so avoid stuffing 100 keyword-stuffed links.
If your team needs help translating this into production copy and design, that is our wheelhouse. We pair strategy with done-for-you creative at Evolvingo, and we are happy to audit your existing architecture.
Schema that helps Google understand your catalog
Structured data will not paper over a weak site structure, but it accelerates understanding and unlocks rich results. Google supports Product markup in multiple experiences. If you want rich product attributes in organic and free listings, start with the Product structured data intro and the eligibility requirements for Merchant listing structured data. Pay attention to required fields like name, image, offers, price, availability, and reviews if applicable, and follow the general structured data guidelines to stay eligible.
Add BreadcrumbList to all products and collections. The breadcrumb markup is straightforward and mirrors your navigation. It reinforces hierarchy and can be reflected in results.
Mark up collection pages as lists of products. Google does not have a dedicated rich result for collection pages, but using an ItemList that enumerates the products can help with understanding. The Carousel doc for ItemList in carousels is not a perfect analog for collections, but it shows how Google interprets ItemList groupings. In practice, many Shopify themes render an ItemList of Product items on collection templates. If you are building custom themes, you can also apply schema.org’s CollectionPage type with a nested ItemList to describe the product set. While CollectionPage is not a Google rich result type, it adds semantic clarity.
On search results and taxonomy pages, use consistent identifiers. If your collection grid includes price and availability, sync that with the Product entity for each item to avoid mismatches. Google’s docs on product snippet structured data cover how to structure product attributes on pages that are not the primary product detail page.

Practical Shopify checklist to ship this quarter
Menus and tree: Define 5 to 7 top-level collections based on keyword demand and merchandising, then nest second-level collections using Shopify’s drop-down menus guide. Add short intro copy to every hub.
Filters: Enable facets in the Search & Discovery app. Keep the UI, but set filtered states to canonicalize to the base collection unless you have a dedicated landing page.
Crawl control: Use robots.txt.liquid to disallow crawl of obviously low-value parameter patterns. Do not rely on robots noindex, as Google confirms in their robots.txt note that it is unsupported.
Internal links: Add breadcrumbs, sub-collection modules, and lateral links. Follow Google’s link best practices for crawlable anchors.
Schema: Validate Product, BreadcrumbList, and ItemList. Use Google’s Product structured data intro and Merchant listing requirements.
Content: Write short, useful copy for top collections that answers common objections and links to the right sub-collections. Reinforce with editorial that links back to hubs.
Tech notes for larger catalogs
Standardize parameters. Google’s advice on managing faceted navigation URLs recommends consistent key-value pairs, which makes canonicalization and robots rules predictable.
Monitor crawl stats. Use the Crawl Stats report to see if parameter pages are eating crawl budget. If they are, reconsider robots patterns and internal linking. The primer on crawl budget explains the tradeoffs.
Accept that the URL Parameters tool is gone. As confirmed in Google’s announcement deprecating the URL Parameters tool, the best defense is clean IA and signals.
Domain specific robots rules. If you sell in multiple markets, Shopify lets you vary robots by domain, as described in their robots.txt.liquid documentation. Keep crawl rules precise for each market.
If you want an outside team to design the IA, write the hub copy, wire the filters, and ship the markup, we do this end to end. We have planned and executed 75 plus campaigns that generated 4.5 million dollars in revenue for 49 clients, and we bring that operator mindset to your SEO foundation. Start a conversation at Evolvingo, or browse more practical tutorials on the Evolvingo blog.
