How to Write Shopify Product Titles for SEO (Formula and Examples)

A good Shopify product title names the product the way a shopper would search for it: product type first, then the one or two details that set it apart. Shopify also gives every product a separate SEO title, so you can keep a short, clean title on the page and a slightly fuller one for Google.

Here is the difference between the two, how long each should be, and a formula you can apply to a whole catalog.

Product title vs. SEO title

Shopify has two titles for every product, and they do different jobs.

- Product title: the name at the top of the product page, in collections, in the cart and in your Shopify admin. It is set in the Title field when you edit a product. - SEO title: the blue headline Google shows in search results and the text in the browser tab. It lives in the Search engine listing section at the bottom of the product page. Click Edit to change it.

If you leave the SEO title empty, Shopify uses the product title. That is fine when the product title is already descriptive. It is a problem when the product title is a brand name or a model code that nobody searches for.

How long should a product title be?

Shopify accepts long product titles, but long is rarely better. A title that wraps onto three lines on a phone pushes the price and the Add to cart button down the screen.

- Product title: short enough to read at a glance on mobile. For most stores that is a handful of words. - SEO title: Shopify's editor allows 70 characters. Google cuts the headline by width, which in practice lands around 60 characters. Put the important words first so a cut never removes them.

A simple formula

For most products this order works:

Product type + key attribute + differentiator (+ brand, if people search for it)

- Product type: what it is, in the words shoppers use (linen shirt, not Summer Top 04). - Key attribute: the detail people filter by, such as material, size, color or who it's for. - Differentiator: the one thing that separates it from the product next to it. - Brand: include it only if shoppers already search for it by name.

Before and after examples

- Before: "The Marina" - After (product title): "Marina Linen Shirt for Men" - After (SEO title): "Men's Linen Shirt, Relaxed Fit, Breathable | Marina"

- Before: "BTL-500 Black" - After (product title): "Insulated Water Bottle, 500 ml" - After (SEO title): "Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle 500 ml, Leak-Proof"

- Before: "Best Candle Ever!!! Soy Candle Scented Candle Gift Candle" - After (product title): "Lavender Soy Candle" - After (SEO title): "Lavender Soy Candle, 40-Hour Burn, Hand-Poured"

Notice what changed: the product type moved to the front, the repeated keywords disappeared, and every detail is true and something a shopper would actually type.

Mistakes that hurt titles

1. Keyword stuffing. Repeating the same word three times reads as spam to shoppers and adds nothing for Google. 2. Internal codes. SKUs and model numbers belong in the SKU field, unless shoppers search for that exact model. 3. Identical titles. Ten products called "Classic Tee" look the same in results. Add the detail that separates them. 4. Changing titles that already rank. If a product brings steady search traffic, edit carefully. Check Google Search Console for the searches it appears for before you rewrite it.

Updating titles across a catalog

Fixing 300 titles by hand is where most stores stop. Start with your best sellers and the vaguest names, and use Shopify's bulk editor (select products, then Bulk edit) to change product titles in a spreadsheet view.

EcomBoost AI rewrites SEO titles, meta descriptions and product descriptions from your own catalog data and saves them to Shopify in one click. It also flags products with missing descriptions, duplicate products and other problems that cost sales, so you can fix them in the same place. To see what your store is missing, [check your store free](/free-store-check).

Frequently asked questions

### Does changing a product title change the URL in Shopify?

No. The URL handle stays the same unless you edit it yourself in the Search engine listing section. If you do change the handle, Shopify offers to create a redirect from the old URL, which you should keep checked.

### Should the product title and SEO title be the same?

They can be, and for many products that's fine. Use a different SEO title when the product title is short or branded and you want Google's headline to include the product type and a key detail.

### Should I put my brand name in every product title?

Only if shoppers search for it. For a new brand, the product type and attributes are what people type, so lead with those and add the brand at the end of the SEO title if there's room.