You just ran an SEO scan and got a score. Maybe it’s 45. Maybe it’s 72. But what does that actually mean for your business?
Here’s the simple version: Your SEO score is like a health check for your online visibility. It tells you how well Google can find, understand, and recommend your store to potential customers.
A low score doesn’t mean your boutique is bad. It just means you’re losing customers to stores that Google understands better.
How the Score Works
Your score is out of 100, broken down into four main categories:
- Technical SEO (25 points max)
- Content Quality (25 points max)
- Brand Pages (25 points max)
- Local SEO (25 points max)
Each category looks at different aspects of your website that affect whether people can find you.
📖 What Makes Up the Score?
We scan your homepage, product pages, and collection pages for over 20 common issues that prevent boutiques from showing up in Google. Each issue found lowers your score based on how much it impacts your visibility.
What Your Score Really Means
80-100: Excellent
You’re doing better than most boutiques. Google can easily find and understand your store. Small tweaks could still help, but you’re in great shape.
60-79: Good
You’re showing up for some searches, but you’re missing opportunities. A few hours of fixes could significantly improve your visibility.
40-59: Needs Attention
You have several issues preventing customers from finding you. These are costing you sales every month. The good news? Most are easy to fix.
0-39: Critical
You’re essentially invisible to Google searches. This should be your #1 priority. You’re losing dozens of customers every week to competitors with better SEO.
Breaking Down the Categories
Technical SEO (How Google Reads Your Site)
This measures whether Google can actually crawl and index your website properly.
Common issues:
- Missing or broken meta tags
- Pages loading too slowly
- Not mobile-friendly
- Missing security certificate (HTTPS)
Why it matters: If Google can’t properly read your site, it won’t show you to anyone—no matter how good your products are.
Content Quality (What Google Knows About You)
This measures how well you’re describing what you sell.
Common issues:
- Product pages with no descriptions
- Generic titles like “Home” or “Products”
- Missing meta descriptions
- Duplicate content across pages
Why it matters: Google needs to know what you sell to match you with relevant searches. Vague descriptions = invisible store.
💡 Quick Example
Title: "Home" → Google has no idea what you sell
Title: "Women's Boutique in Nashville | Designer Clothing & Accessories" → Google knows exactly when to show you
Brand Pages (How You Showcase Designers)
This measures whether you’re capturing searches for the brands you carry.
Common issues:
- No dedicated pages for brands/designers you stock
- Using generic Shopify vendor URLs
- Not mentioning brands on your homepage
Why it matters: People search for “Free People near me” or “Anthropologie Nashville” all the time. If you carry those brands but don’t mention them properly, those customers find your competitors instead.
Local SEO (Showing Up for “Near Me” Searches)
This measures how well you’re positioned for local searches.
Common issues:
- City/location not mentioned on website
- No physical address listed
- Missing Google Business Profile connection
- No local keywords in page titles
Why it matters: Most boutique customers search locally. “Boutique near me,” “[city] boutique,” “[city] women’s clothing”—these are high-intent searches from people ready to buy.
What to Fix First
Don’t try to fix everything at once. Start with what impacts you most:
If your score is below 50:
Focus on Technical SEO first. These are foundational issues that prevent Google from even understanding your site.
If your score is 50-70:
Focus on Content Quality and Local SEO. You need better descriptions and location signals.
If your score is above 70:
Focus on Brand Pages and fine-tuning. You’re mostly there; now you’re optimizing for specific searches.
✅ Action Step
Look at your scan results. Find the issues marked "High Priority" in red. Those are costing you the most customers. Start with just one. Fix it. Then move to the next.
Scores Change (And That’s Good)
Your score isn’t permanent. Fix an issue, and your score goes up. Let issues pile up, and it goes down.
The goal isn’t to hit 100 and stop. The goal is to consistently stay above 70 so you’re not invisible to potential customers.
What Good Scores Translate To
Let’s talk real numbers:
- Score below 40: You’re probably missing 80-90% of potential online traffic
- Score 40-60: You’re getting maybe 20-30% of the traffic you could be getting
- Score 60-80: You’re competitive, getting 50-70% of potential traffic
- Score 80+: You’re showing up for most relevant searches
Even moving from 45 to 65 can double your website traffic. That’s not exaggeration—that’s how much difference basic SEO makes for local boutiques.
The One Number That Matters Most
If you only focus on one thing, focus on Local SEO (the fourth category).
Why? Because most of your customers are local. They’re searching “[your city] boutique” or “boutique near me.” If you’re not showing up for those searches, you’re invisible to the people most likely to become customers.
A boutique with a 60 overall score but 90 in Local SEO will outperform a boutique with an 80 overall score and 40 in Local SEO—every single time.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Don't obsess over getting to 100. A score of 75-80 is more than enough to outrank most competitors. Focus on fixing critical issues, not chasing perfection.
What Happens After You Fix Issues
Most boutiques see results within 2-4 weeks:
- More website traffic from Google
- Showing up for “[city] boutique” searches
- Customers mentioning they found you online
- Increased online orders
It’s not instant, but it’s predictable. Fix the issues, and the customers start finding you.
Your score is a roadmap, not a report card. Use it to find what’s broken, fix it, and get back to running your boutique.