Shopify Collection Customization: Tailoring Your Store

Customizing your Shopify collections allows you to create shopping experiences that match your brand and serve your customers better. This guide covers the customization options available for organizing and presenting your products.

Understanding Collection Types

Shopify offers two types of collections, each with different customization approaches:

Automated Collections

• Products added automatically based on conditions
• Updates in real-time as inventory changes
• Best for large or frequently changing catalogs

Manual Collections

• Products selected individually by you
• Full control over what's included
• Best for curated selections and featured products

Categories and Organization

Organize products effectively:

• Structure collections by product type or category
• Create seasonal or promotional collections
• Build collections around customer interests

Using Tags for Customization

Tags enable flexible collection customization:

• Use consistent tag naming conventions
• Create tag-based automated collections
• Enable filtering by tag on collection pages
• Combine tags with other conditions for precise groupings

Visual Customization

Collection Images

• Add featured images that represent the collection
• Use consistent image styles across collections
• Include alt text for accessibility and SEO

Descriptions and Content

• Write compelling collection descriptions
• Include relevant keywords naturally
• Add helpful information for shoppers

Sorting Options

Customize how products appear in collections:

• Best selling: Promote popular products
• Alphabetical: Easy to find specific items
• Price: Help price-conscious shoppers
• Date: Highlight new arrivals
• Manual: Full control over order

SEO Customization

Scroll to the bottom of any collection page and click Edit website SEO to customize:

• Page title: Keep under 60 characters, place your primary keyword near the start (e.g., "Men's Running Shoes | Your Store Name")
• Meta description: Write a unique 150-160 character summary — this appears in Google search results and directly affects click-through rate
• URL handle: Use short, keyword-rich, lowercase handles (e.g., mens-running-shoes) — if you change an existing handle, set up a redirect at Online Store > Navigation > URL redirects

Best Practices

• Keep collection purposes clear and focused
• Maintain consistent naming conventions
• Review collections regularly for relevance
• Use analytics to track performance
• Test different customization approaches

Conclusion

Collection customization helps you create a shopping experience that reflects your brand and serves your customers. Use the available tools thoughtfully to organize products in ways that make sense for both your business and your buyers.

Related Resources

• Shopify Help: Collections
• What is a Shopify Collection?
• Using Tags Effectively