Key takeaways
- Edit meta titles in the SEO section at the bottom of any product, collection, or page editor.
- Homepage title: Online Store → Preferences → Homepage title.
- Keep titles between 50-60 characters. Put the primary keyword first.
- Every page should have a unique meta title. Duplicate titles confuse search engines and waste ranking potential.
Meta titles are the clickable blue links in Google search results. They’re one of the most direct ranking signals you can control in Shopify — yet many stores leave them as default page titles, which are rarely optimized for search.
This guide shows you exactly where to edit them and how to write titles that perform.
How do I change the meta title in Shopify?
The answer depends on which type of page you’re editing.
Products
- Go to Products → select the product
- Scroll to the bottom of the product editor
- Find the “Search engine listing” section
- Click “Edit” (if it’s collapsed)
- Edit the Page title field
Collections
- Go to Products → Collections → select the collection
- Scroll to the bottom
- Find “Search engine listing” → Edit
- Edit the Page title field
Pages (About, Contact, etc.)
- Go to Online Store → Pages → select the page
- Scroll to the bottom
- Find “Search engine listing” → Edit
- Edit the Page title field
Homepage
- Go to Online Store → Preferences
- Find the Homepage title field near the top
- Edit and save
Where to edit metafields in Shopify?
Meta titles (and meta descriptions) live in the “Search engine listing” section at the bottom of each content editor — not in Shopify’s metafields system, which is a separate feature for custom data. Don’t confuse the two.
Best practices for Shopify meta titles
Keep titles between 50-60 characters
Google displays approximately 50-60 characters before truncating with ”…”. Titles that are too long get cut off in search results, which can obscure your key message. Titles that are too short leave ranking potential on the table.
A character counter in your browser’s address bar or a free tool like Moz’s Google SERP Preview tool helps you check length before saving.
Put the primary keyword first
Search engines and users scan titles from left to right. The keyword you want to rank for should appear as early in the title as possible.
Instead of: Winter Collection | YourStore - Shopify
Write: Women's Winter Coats - Puffer & Wool Styles | YourStore
Make every title unique
Duplicate meta titles across multiple pages is a common Shopify problem. It happens when products in the same category all use the same default title format. Search engines may only index one version, and you lose the ranking benefit of distinct pages.
Run a quick audit: export your products to CSV (Products → Export) and check the “Title” column for duplicates. For meta titles specifically, use a Shopify SEO app like Plug In SEO or SEO Manager for a bulk audit.
Include your brand name sparingly
Adding | YourStore to the end of every title is standard practice and helps with brand recognition. But for short titles, the brand suffix can push your keyword past the 60-character cutoff. Prioritize the keyword over the brand name.
What Shopify uses if you don’t set a meta title
Shopify defaults to the page title (the H1 or product name) as the meta title if no SEO title is set. This is better than nothing, but product names are rarely written for SEO. They’re often too long, include variant information, or lack the keyword context that helps Google understand what the page is about.
Always set explicit meta titles for your most important pages: homepage, collection pages, and top-selling products.
Bulk editing meta titles
For stores with hundreds of products, editing titles one by one isn’t practical. Options:
Shopify bulk editor. Products → select multiple products → Edit products → add the “SEO title” column. Useful for small batches.
CSV import/export. Export your product CSV, edit the SEO Title column in a spreadsheet, and re-import.
SEO apps. Apps like SEO Manager, Plug In SEO, or Smart SEO include bulk title editing with templates (e.g., [Product Title] - [Collection Name] | YourStore).
Common meta title mistakes on Shopify
Using the same title for every product in a collection. Each product needs a unique title reflecting what makes it distinct.
Stuffing multiple keywords. One primary keyword per title. Two secondary keywords maximum. Stuffed titles read as spam.
Forgetting collection pages. Product pages get attention, but collection pages often rank for high-volume category terms. Write deliberate titles for your most important collections.
Leaving the homepage title as the store name. Your homepage title should describe what you sell: “Handmade Leather Wallets | YourStore” outperforms just “YourStore”.