In this quarterly list of top free Shopify apps, we outline two apps that you can use to improve search engine optimization (SEO) for your products, and two apps that can help boost sales for your store.
All apps are either completely free, or have a free starting plan.
Top free Shopify apps: ALT Text
The ALT Text app automatically adds a defined alt text to your product images. Alt text helps search engines, like Google, index images as they are able to crawl through more description.
Set the structure for the alt text (Source)
You can create a standard template for the alt text by adding fields like product name, variant name, vendor name, product type, etc. This will apply this structure to all product images creating specific text for each.
Alt text for images based on set template (Source)
This alt text can help boost the search ranking for your images as each image is better indexed for the words within the alt text.
Top free Shopify apps: SEO Image Optimizer
The SEO Image Optimizer app by Booster Apps works in a similar way to the ALT Text app. You can set a template for the alt text in the SEO Image Optimizer app with fields like product name, store name, etc.
Set alt tag template in SEO Image Optimizer (Source)
The app then applies this template to different product images in your store.
Both apps for alt text can be set up quickly. You don’t have to worry about adding further information on an ongoing basis. As you build and grow your store, the apps automatically apply the alt text template to new product images.
You can also update the text template to adhere to latest best-practices. The apps will automatically sync all existing images to the new template.
Top free Shopify apps: Rewards, Referrals, and Email Capture Powered By Swell
The Rewards, Referrals, and Email Capture Powered by Swell app can help you incentivize purchases by your customers. The app provides a system to reward customers for specific actions and reaching set thresholds.
You can start a rewards program based on the amount spent on your store, number of items purchase, visits to your social platforms, subscribing to your newsletter, etc.
Reward customers for specific actions (Source)
Other than reward points for specific actions, you can also provide customers with a discount code for, say, signing up to your newsletter.
This helps grow engagement on your store, increases your average order value, generate leads through a bigger email list, and helps build loyalty as customers feel rewarded for transacting with your store.
You can start using the app for free, but also have the option to upgrade to the pro version for more features. Check out the Swell pricing page for more details.
Top free Shopify apps: Privy – Free email popups
The Privy app allows you to add popups to your store prompting people to provide their email address to receive discounts and offers. The app syncs with a number of email platforms, like MailChimp, to automatically populate your subscriber list.
Here’s a video by Privy explaining the app:
This can give more incentive to customers for making a purchase as they receive a discount offer for your store. Even if they don’t complete a purchase, you can pursue new leads through email marketing campaigns. In both these ways, you can increase revenue and engagement for your store.
You can start using Privy for free. You also have the option to upgrade to a number of other pricing plans to expand on the features.
Top free Shopify apps: Summary
A big part of capturing new customers is being easily searchable, and warming up new leads. In this edition of top free apps, we cover four apps that can help you do both these.
You can automatically generate alt text for your product images based on a set template. This can help boost your SEO as the images get better indexing by search engines due to the added description.
The other two apps in our list generate popups to capture customers leaving your store without making a purchase. There are two major ways in which these apps can help warm up the leads – provide customers with coupons to incentivize purchases, and build email lists to follow up with customers.
Are there other free Shopify apps that you use and find helpful? Please tell us about them in the comments below.
You can take a look at our previous lists of top Shopify apps for March 2016 and December 2015.
Jai Sangha
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