Team SEOSkit served a moissanite jewelry brand based on Shopify. Their target customers are mostly from the US and the UK. The brand website has hundreds of product pages in different categories like chains, bracelets, rings, earrings, pendants, etc.
One of our core responsibilities in this project was to fix over 1,000 technical issues. That included crawlability, metadata, schema, sitemaps, and internal linking.
By fixing these major errors, we were able to achieve organic growth. The organic traffic increased by 20–25%. Most of the collection pages ranked on the first pages of SERPs, and they ensured a significant conversion rate due to our custom solution for a clean and accessible page structure.
This technical SEO case study documents what we found, how we fixed it, and the approach applied across three audit pillars: Ahrefs Site Audit, Screaming Frog crawl validation, and Google Search Console monitoring.
What We Achieved
| Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|
| Organic traffic recovery & growth | ~20–25% increase in organic sessions to key collections and product pages after major technical fixes. |
| Revenue and conversions from organic | Higher organic-driven revenue as clean URLs, schema, and fixed 404s restored high-intent paths to product pages. |
| Crawlability and indexation efficiency | Google shifted from wasting crawl budget on 404s, noindex, and non-canonical URLs to fully indexing priority products and collections. |
| Rich results and SERP visibility | Eligibility for product rich results (price, availability, reviews) after resolving 52 schema issues, improving CTR and buyer trust. |
| Technical debt reduction at scale | Over 1,000 technical issues were eliminated across 404s, redirects, duplicate metas/titles, H1s, and orphan pages, stabilizing long-term performance. |
Results at a Glance
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Technical Issues Resolved | 1,000+ errors eliminated |
| 404 Errors Fixed | 137 product pages redirected or removed |
| Broken Redirects Resolved | 331 broken redirects cleaned |
| Duplicate Meta Descriptions Fixed | 204 pages rewritten with unique copy |
| Duplicate Title Tags Fixed | 108 pages given keyword-rich titles |
| Schema Issues Resolved | 52 structured data errors corrected |
| H1 Issues Fixed | 39 pages (25 missing + 5 multiple + 9 duplicate) |
| Orphan Pages Fixed | 78 pages properly interlinked |
| Tools Used | Ahrefs • Screaming Frog • Google Search Console |
| TAT | 4 Months |
About the Project
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Project | Jewelry Project |
| Industry | Luxury Moissanite & Iced-Out Jewelry (D2C eCommerce) |
| Platform | Shopify |
| Markets | United States, United Kingdom |
| Product Categories | Chains, Bracelets, Rings, Earrings, Pendants, Grillz, Custom Jewelry |
| Audit Period | October 2025 – February 2026 |
| Audit Cadence | Bi-weekly to monthly audits with ongoing GSC monitoring |
Segment 1: Ahrefs Site Audit
Ahrefs Site Audit was our primary health monitoring engine. We ran multiple full-site crawl cycles between October 2025 and February 2026, tracking errors, warnings, and notices every round. Each spreadsheet tab corresponds to a distinct task that was identified, prioritized, and resolved.
Audit Round 1: October (First Crawl)
The first diagnostic crawl revealed critical broken link issues caused by discontinued or reorganized product URLs being referenced from high-traffic blog posts.
Task: 404 — Broken Product URLs in Blog Content
| Broken URL (404) | Linked From | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 3mm Moissanite Tennis Chain - 14K White Gold | 3mm vs 4mm Tennis Chain Blog | Fixed |
| Jay Custom Moissanite Pendant - 14K White Gold | Offset Jewelry Collection Blog | Fixed |
| 4mm Moissanite Tennis Chain - 14K White Gold | 3mm vs 4mm Tennis Chain Blog | Fixed |
| 6mm Moissanite Tennis Bracelet - 14K White Gold | How to Wear a Tennis Bracelet | Fixed |
| 5mm Moissanite Tennis Chain - 14K White Gold | 3mm vs 5mm Tennis Chain Blog | Fixed |
| 4mm Moissanite Tennis Bracelet - 14K White Gold | Moissanite vs Diamond Tennis Bracelet | Fixed |
| 6mm Black Moissanite Tennis Chain - 14K Black Gold | Strongest Gold Chain Type | Fixed |
| 3mm Moissanite Tennis Chain - 14K White Gold | 3mm vs 5mm Tennis Chain Blog | Fixed |
| 10mm Round Moissanite Studs Earrings | Young Thug Jewelry Blog | Fixed |
All broken links were resolved by updating blog's internal links to correct live product URLs or equivalent alternatives.
Audit Round 2: October (Re-Crawl)
Task: Issue Resolution Tracker
| Issue Type | Status |
|---|---|
| 404 Errors | Resolved |
| HTTPS Page Has Internal Links to HTTP | Resolved |
| Page Has Links to Broken Page | Resolved |
| Image File Size Too Large | Resolved |
| 3XX Page Receives Organic Traffic | Resolved |
| Non-Canonical Page in Sitemap | Pending for Dev |
| Noindex Page in Sitemap | Pending for Dev |
The two pending sitemap issues were escalated to the development team, both causing Google to waste crawl budget on pages it should not index.
Audit Round 3: November (First Crawl)
Task: JavaScript Dependency Review
A recurring 404 on a CDN-hosted JavaScript file (intl-tel-input library) was discovered across multiple page types, inflating the site's error count.
| Page Type | Page Authority | Organic Traffic | Issue | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VVS Diamond Simulants Collection | 66 | 20 | intl-tel-input CDN 404 | CDN URL updated |
| How to Wear a Gold Chain (Blog) | 50 | 0 | intl-tel-input CDN 404 | CDN URL updated |
| Custom Leather Jewelry Box | 47 | 2 | intl-tel-input CDN 404 | CDN URL updated |
| S925 Moissanite Tennis Chain 14K | 47 | 3 | intl-tel-input CDN 404 | CDN URL updated |
| 8-on-8 VVS Moissanite Grillz | 37 | 99 | intl-tel-input CDN 404 | CDN URL updated |
| How to Tell if Gold is Real (Blog) | 31 | 228 | intl-tel-input CDN 404 | CDN URL updated |
Audit Round 4: November (Second Audit)
Task: Remaining Issues Summary
| Issue Category | Count | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 400 / 404 Pages | 34 | Critical |
| Broken Redirects | 24 | Critical |
| Page Has Links to Broken Page | 14 | High |
| Image File Size Too Large | 14 | Medium |
| HTTPS Page Has Internal Links to HTTP | 1 | High |
| Orphan Pages | 2 | Medium |
| Total | 89 |
Audit Round 5: December (Mass 404 Resolution)
The December audit was the largest single resolution sprint. 137 unique 404 errors surfaced across blog posts, collection pages, and cross-linked product recommendations, all resolved.
Task: 404 Product URL Resolution (Sample)
| Broken URL (404) | Found On | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Moissanite Scream Pendant - 14K Gold | What is Black Moissanite Blog | Link removed |
| Moissanite Lightning Bolt Hoop Earrings | Jewelry Trends Blog | Redirected to Star Moissanite Earrings |
| 2-Row 15mm Moissanite Cuban Link Chain | How to Make a Gold Chain Blog | Redirected to 4-Row 15mm Cuban Link |
| 10mm Moissanite Cross Earrings 14K | Migos Jewelry Blog | Redirected to 2-Row Cross Earrings |
| Moissanite Jesus Pendant - 14K Yellow Gold | Lil Yachty Jewelry Blog | Redirected to Moissanite Jesus Piece |
| 18mm Moissanite Miami Cuban Link Chain | Cuban vs Miami Cuban Blog | Redirected to Updated Product URL |
| 23mm Iced-Out Diamond Cuban Link Chain | How Much Does Cuban Cost Blog | Redirected to 13mm Baguette Cuban Link |
| Moissanite Star Ring 14K | Star Ring Meaning Blog | Redirected to Cushion Halo Engagement Ring |
| Moissanite Signet Ring 14K | What is Moissanite Blog | Redirected to S925 Baguette Ring |
| Custom Boston Letter Pendant 14K | Kanye West Jewelry Blog | Link removed (discontinued) |
Beyond the sample above, this sprint resolved a total of 137 unique 404 errors identified across the full December crawl report. Additional issues resolved in this round included HTTPS-to-HTTP internal link conflicts, broken redirect chains (specifically broken collection/product path redirects), non-canonical pages in the sitemap, and noindex pages appearing in the sitemap.
| Issue Type | Count Resolved | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 404 Errors (Total) | 137 | Done |
| Page Has Links to Broken Page | Multiple | Done |
| HTTPS Pages with HTTP Internal Links | Multiple | Done |
| Broken Redirects | Multiple | Done |
| Double Slash in URL | Fixed | Done |
| Non-Canonical Page in Sitemap | Resolved | Done |
| Noindex Page in Sitemap | Resolved | Done |
Audit Round 6: January (Structural Sweep)
The January audit focused on content architecture and internal linking, splitting tasks between the content writing team and the development team.
Heading Change: Structural Heading Fixes
Multiple pages had incorrect heading hierarchies. Dev team implemented corrected heading structure across all affected templates.
Missing Internal Backlinks: Content Interlinking
Blog posts and collection pages lacked internal links to relevant product pages. Writers added contextual links to improve user navigation and PageRank distribution.
Noindex: Indexing Audit
Pages incorrectly tagged with noindex directives from old development decisions were reviewed and corrected.
Redirection: Redirect Cleanup
Redirects pointing to 404 destinations and chains created from multiple URL migrations were resolved.
Broken Internal Links: Link Repair
Blog posts linking to removed or renamed products were updated to current, live product pages.
Pagination: Paginated Collection Fix
Proper canonical tags were applied to all paginated collection pages to eliminate duplicate content signals.
Audit Round 7: February 2026 (Full On-Page & Technical Overhaul)
The February 2026 audit was the most comprehensive sprint, covering 16 distinct issue categories. Every single issue was resolved to zero remaining errors.
Dashboard Summary
| Issue Category | Issue Count | Remaining | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Duplicate | 204 | 0 | Done |
| Title Duplicate | 108 | 0 | Done |
| Meta Too Long | 138 | 0 | Done |
| Meta Too Short | 65 | 0 | Done |
| 404 Errors | 137 | 0 | Done |
| Broken Redirects | 131 | 0 | Done |
| Schema Issues | 52 | 0 | Done |
| Orphan Pages | 16 | 0 | Done |
| H1 Missing | 25 | 0 | Done |
| Title Too Long | 22 | 0 | Done |
| H1 Duplicate | 9 | 0 | Done |
| Meta Description Missing | 18 | 0 | Done |
| H1 Multiple Tags | 5 | 0 | Done |
| Redirect Chain | 2 | 0 | Done |
| Image Broken | 2 | 0 | Done |
| Title Too Short | 6 | 0 | Done |
High-volume on-page fixes were executed on a phased 4-week rollout to avoid sudden shifts in Google's page understanding.
Phased Implementation Schedule
| Issue | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title Duplicate (108 pages) | 17 pages | 18 pages | 18 pages | 23 pages |
| Meta Duplicate (204 pages) | 36 pages | 37 pages | 37 pages | 70 pages |
| Meta Too Short (65 pages) | 11 pages | 11 pages | 11 pages | 10 pages |
| Meta Too Long (138 pages) | 26 pages | 26 pages | 26 pages | 36 pages |
Segment 2: Screaming Frog Crawl Validation
Screaming Frog served as our secondary validation tool, catching granular issues Ahrefs does not always flag at the URL level. For a Shopify store with hundreds of product variant URLs, collection filters, and dynamically generated pages, it provided URL-by-URL granularity that bulk tools cannot match.
Why Screaming Frog Was Essential
For a Shopify store with hundreds of product variant URLs, collection filters, and dynamically generated pages, Screaming Frog provided URL-by-URL granularity that bulk reporting tools cannot match. Key use cases included:
Identifying exact URLs with broken internal links across product and blog templates
Verifying that Shopify's URL canonicalization was correctly implemented for variant and collection pages
Catching HTTP-to-HTTPS mixed content issues at the individual resource level
Auditing page titles, H1 tags, and meta descriptions at scale with export capability
Reviewing JavaScript-linked resources for 4XX response codes
Key Findings & Actions
| Finding Type | Description | Action Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Internal 4XX Errors | Product and blog pages linked to discontinued URLs | Links updated or redirected to the closest live product |
| Broken Redirect Targets | 301 redirects pointing to non-existent pages, creating dead chains | Redirect chains cleared; final destination verified |
| HTTPS with HTTP Resources | Shopify theme assets loading over HTTP on HTTPS pages | Asset URLs updated to HTTPS |
| Duplicate Page Titles | Collection pages sharing identical title templates | Unique titles written across all affected pages |
| Missing H1 Tags | 25 pages missing H1 — critical on-page signal absent | H1 added using primary target keyword per page type |
| H1 Duplicate Issues | 9 pages sharing identical H1 from template-level config | Unique H1 assigned based on page-specific keywords |
| Meta Description Missing | 18 pages with no meta description | Keyword-rich meta descriptions written and deployed |
| Orphan Pages | 16 pages with no internal links pointing to them | Internal links added from blog content and collection pages |
| Schema Markup Errors | 52 structured data issues including broken JSON-LD | Schema corrected via metafield implementation and JSON-LD updates |
Schema Fix: Structured Data Overhaul
The 52 schema issues were high-priority. For a jewelry brand on Google Shopping, a broken schema is a direct revenue leak.
| Schema Issue | Fix Applied |
|---|---|
| Missing 'offers' property in Product schema | Offers block added with price, currency, availability |
| Incorrect 'availability' enum value | Updated to schema.org/InStock standard |
| Missing 'brand' property | Brand entity added to all product schema |
| Broken JSON-LD formatting | JSON-LD validated and corrected |
| Missing review / rating schema | AggregateRating added where review data existed |
| Duplicate schema blocks | Duplicate JSON-LD blocks removed |
| Organization schema missing | Organization schema with full NAP data implemented |
Segment 3: Google Search Console Monitoring
Google Search Console served as our ground-truth validation layer, showing what Google actually saw, not just what our crawler saw. It was the definitive source for indexing status, crawl anomalies, and performance data throughout the engagement.
GSC Monitoring Focus Areas
Coverage & Indexing Monitoring
GSC's Coverage report was reviewed after each major fix sprint to verify that resolved 404 errors were being recognized by Google and dropped from its Error list. We tracked:
Reduction in 'Not Found (404)' errors week-over-week after fix sprints
Pages transitioning from 'Excluded › Redirect Error' to 'Valid' after redirect fixes
Noindex pages correctly excluded after sitemap cleanup
Newly published product and blog pages appearing in 'Submitted and Indexed' status
URL Inspection & Crawl Validation
For high-priority product pages (particularly those generating strong organic traffic as identified in the crawl data), we used GSC's URL Inspection Tool to:
Confirm the rendered HTML matched the source HTML (verifying JavaScript-rendered content was being indexed correctly)
Verify canonical tags were being respected by Google
Request re-indexing of key pages immediately after fixes were deployed
GSC Sitemap Management
A critical task throughout the engagement was keeping the XML sitemap clean and accurate. Issues identified through Ahrefs and confirmed in GSC included:
| Sitemap Issue | Impact | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Noindex pages in sitemap | GSC showed "Excluded: noindex tag" for submitted URLs | Noindex pages removed from sitemap |
| Non-canonical URLs in sitemap | Crawl budget wasted on non-preferred URL versions | Sitemap updated to canonical URLs only |
| 404 URLs still in sitemap | GSC continued showing errors for deleted products | Sitemap regenerated after redirects implemented |
| Paginated collection pages in sitemap | Duplicate content signals from paginated URLs | Only page 1 included; others canonicalized |
| Outdated blog post URLs | Old URLs triggering soft 404 warnings in GSC | Redirects implemented and sitemap refreshed |
GSC Rich Results & Schema Validation
Following the February 2026 schema overhaul, GSC's Rich Results report confirmed product rich result errors dropped to zero, product pages became eligible for price and availability snippets, and review stars appeared in SERPs for key moissanite pages.
Performance Monitoring
| Query Type | Monitoring Action | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Moissanite chains & bracelets | Impressions tracked before and after 404 fixes | Traffic recovery to corrected product pages |
| Jewelry comparison blog queries | Clicks tracked after internal link fixes | Increased blog traffic as crawlability improved |
| Product-specific queries (e.g., Cuban link) | URL inspection + indexing request post-fix | Faster Google re-crawl and re-ranking |
| Collection page queries | Pagination canonical monitoring | Reduction in duplicate content impressions |
✅ Key Notes on Our Strategy
1. Systematic Audit Cadence
Auditing every 2–4 weeks meant new errors from product launches or content updates were caught before compounding. On an active Shopify store, technical debt builds faster than most brands realize.
2. Blog-to-Product Link Auditing
Blog content was a major traffic driver to product pages. When products were discontinued without redirect updates, blog posts became 404 sources rather than conversion paths. This became a standalone recurring audit task.
3. Shopify URL Architecture Handling
Product URLs exist in multiple forms on Shopify (/products/item vs /collections/xyz/products/item). Standardizing all internal links to the canonical /products/ path reduced duplicate content signals significantly.
4. On-Page Meta & Title Optimization
The February 2026 overhaul across 500+ pages was the largest content-level fix of the engagement. Unique, keyword-aligned titles per page is a genuine competitive advantage in jewelry eCommerce.
5. Schema as a Revenue Fix
Resolving 52 schema errors and implementing Product, Organization, and Review schema unlocked rich results eligibility — a direct conversion driver for shoppers comparing products in SERPs.
6. GSC as the Source of Truth
The three-tool loop — detected in Ahrefs, validated in Screaming Frog, verified in GSC — is the foundation of sustainable technical SEO for any eCommerce store.
⚠️ Challenges We Faced
1. Scale of Product Catalog
The 137 404 errors resolved in December alone demonstrate a scale requiring systematic tooling. With hundreds of product variants, even small URL changes create widespread link rot.
2. Active Publishing Creates Moving Targets
Every new blog post risks future broken links if linked products are later discontinued. Checking internal links at publication became an ongoing operational recommendation.
3. Shopify Platform Constraints
Pagination canonicals, collection-path duplicate URLs, and theme-level heading hierarchies all required developer-level intervention. Close SEO, content, and dev collaboration was essential throughout.
4. Phased Execution Without Ranking Disruption
Changing 204 meta descriptions or 108 titles in one batch risks temporary instability. The phased weekly rollout gave Google time to re-crawl and re-evaluate pages between batches.
📊 Overall Result
Reversed organic decline and lifted organic traffic by roughly 20–25% to high-intent product and collection pages.
Eliminated 1,000+ technical issues, including 137 404s, 331 broken redirects, duplicate titles/metas, and orphaned pages.
Restored clean internal link paths from blog to product, turning 404-generating posts back into revenue-driving entry points.
Resolved 52 schema errors and unlocked consistent product-rich results (price, availability, reviews) for key moissanite SKUs.
Improved crawl efficiency and indexation by cleaning sitemaps, canonicalization, and noindex usage, so Google focuses on URLs that actually matter for revenue.
Case study based on real technical SEO work performed on a premium Shopify jewelry store, October 2025 – February 2026. Data sourced from Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and Google Search Console.
Ready to Transform Your Website's Technical SEO?
Get your free technical SEO assessment. We'll show you your health score, top issues, and realistic timeline.
Get Your Free Assessment