Adding Products to Shopify – From Start To Finish

Adding products to your Shopify store is essential for running a successful online business. We will look at the process of adding products, optimizing product listings for search engines, and managing your inventory efficiently.

By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your products are visible to potential customers and optimized for search engine rankings.

TL;DR Table Version

If you don’t have time to read the full article, check out the TL:DR table version below.

Introduction to Adding Products to Shopify

To set up an effective Shopify store, the most important step is to add your products, along with adding them to appropriate collections. Adding product details such as product title, product descriptions, images, and prices accurately can improve visibility in search engine results and drive traffic to your store.

The Shopify admin dashboard allows you to add both physical products and digital products easily. By understanding how to correctly enter product data, you’ll increase your chances of higher search engine rankings and target customers finding your products through multiple sales channels like your online store, Shopify POS, or other platforms.

Important Attributes to Prioritize:

• Product Title: Use a descriptive title that includes key product features.
• Product Descriptions: Write compelling product descriptions with relevant keywords to attract potential customers and improve visibility on search engines.
• Images: Add high-quality product images using a mobile device’s camera or professional shots for better engagement.

Preparing Your Product Information

Before adding products, gather all essential product data. Ensure your product listings include:

1. Product Title
2. Description
3. Pricing
4. Product Images
5. Inventory Information

Tip: Head on over to ChatGPT and explore the range of custom GPTs for product meta information creation.

Essential Product Information:

• Product Title: Create a descriptive title that clearly states the product name and key features. Use keywords that match customer searches.
• Product Description: Write compelling product descriptions that highlight the benefits and features of your product. Use terms your target audience would search for on search engines.
• Product Images: Include multiple angles of your product by uploading several product images. Use high-resolution images and ensure they are optimized for quick loading times on search engine results.
• Inventory Management: Include details like inventory quantity, shipping weight, and barcode number for tracking purposes. Use Shopify’s track quantity feature to ensure you’re never out of stock.

This preparation allows for smoother navigation within your Shopify admin and ensures consistency across product pages and sales channels.

Navigating Shopify’s Product Page

To add products manually to Shopify, follow these steps to access the products page:

1. From your Shopify admin dashboard, click “Products.”
2. Click “Add Product” to start adding a new product.

Fields to Complete:

• Title: Enter a short, clear, and descriptive title for your product. Example: “Leather Laptop Bag – Durable and Stylish.”
• Description: Write a detailed product description that addresses common customer questions and includes relevant keywords. Example: “This leather laptop bag is made from premium materials, perfect for professionals seeking both durability and style.”
• Product Images: Add multiple images from different angles, using the mobile device’s camera for quality visuals.
• Price: Set your original price and, if applicable, a sale price.
• Inventory: Assign SKU and barcode numbers for easy tracking. Use the inventory section to track quantity and manage stock availability.
• Shipping: Specify the shipping weight and if you use Harmonized System (HS) codes for international shipping.

Once you’ve filled in the necessary information, click Save to finish. You can also preview how the product will appear to potential customers on your online store.

Adding Product Details

Each product page in Shopify requires specific details for the best user experience and search engine visibility. The more specific you are with your product information, the better your product will perform in search results. Note you also have the option to use AI to create Shopify product content.

Key Details to Include:

• Product Title: Be specific. Include relevant adjectives and terms. For example, instead of “T-shirt,” use “Soft Cotton T-Shirt with V-Neck.”
• Product Description: This is your opportunity to engage with customers. Use bullet points to highlight key features, such as material, size options, and shipping weight.
• Product Media: Upload high-quality images and videos. For better engagement, consider using a mobile device’s camera to capture lifestyle images of the product.
• Pricing and Inventory: Set the original price and enable the track quantity option to monitor stock levels. This helps in managing multiple products efficiently.
• Shipping: If your product is physical, you’ll need to enter the shipping weight and select the relevant shipping options. If selling digital products, simply disable shipping.

Once these details are entered, the search engine listing section allows you to customize the meta description and SEO title. Ensure that these fields are optimized to improve the chances of appearing at the top of search engine results.

Managing Product Variants

If your product comes in different variants (such as sizes, colors, or styles), Shopify makes it easy to manage these different variants. Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the product’s Variants section in the Shopify product editor.
2. Click “Add Variant.”
3. Define option values like size or color. Example: “Small, Medium, Large” or “Red, Blue, Green.”

Managing Inventory for Variants:

For each variant, you can assign different prices, SKUs, and inventory quantities. You can also upload specific images for each variant to give potential customers a clear view of the options available.

The sales channel for each variant should be consistent with the main product listing. Search engines often favor product pages with well-defined variants, as this helps improve user engagement and reduces bounce rates.

Tracking Inventory and Shipping Settings

Proper inventory management is one of the most important elements to avoid overselling or stockouts. Shopify provides tools to track quantity, set restock alerts, and define shipping settings.

Inventory Settings:

• Track Quantity: Enable this option to automatically reduce stock levels when sales occur.
• Inventory Quantity: Enter the exact number of items in stock. Shopify will automatically update this when sales are made.
• Product Status: Set products as “active” or “draft” depending on whether they’re ready to be sold or need more work.

Shipping and Delivery:

For physical products, include the shipping weight and dimensions. This information helps in calculating accurate shipping rates. Shopify integrates with shipping carriers to offer real-time rates based on your location, customer address, and product weight.

For digital products, you can skip the shipping section. However, ensure your product availability is set to “online store” only.

These details ensure that potential customers have the right expectations when purchasing, and it allows you to better manage your sales channels.

Publishing and Previewing Products

Once all product details are entered, it’s time to publish your product to your sales channels. Shopify allows you to preview the product before making it live.

Steps to Publish:

1. From the products page, find the “Product Availability” section.
2. Select the sales channels where the product will be available (e.g., online store, POS).
3. Click “Publish.”

Previewing the Product:

Before publishing, click “Preview” to see how the product will look to potential customers. Ensure all the product details are correct and that the product images display properly. Use the search engine listing preview feature to view how your product will appear on search engines.

Once you’re satisfied, click Save and publish the product to your shopify store. Your product will now be visible to your target audience and ready to generate sales across more sales channels.

Final Notes

By following this step-by-step guide for adding products to Shopify, you’ll ensure that your product pages are well-optimized for both search engines and potential customers.

Focus on providing accurate product information, optimizing for SEO, and regularly managing your inventory to maintain high product availability. Implementing these steps will not only improve your shopify store‘s seo rankings but also ensure a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

Popular Questions

Below you can see some of the most common questions we get asked about Shopify products.