Structuring Shopify Content: Metafields vs Metaobjects

Introduction

Hydrogen storefronts thrive on flexible content. Shopify provides two main tools for extending content beyond the catalog: metafields and metaobjects.

They sound similar — but they solve very different problems. This post breaks down when to use each, with patterns and practical GraphQL examples.

Metafields: Simple Extensions

• 🧩 Scalar values → string, integer, boolean, JSON.
• 🛒 Best for:
  • PDP specs (materials, dimensions).
  • Flags (is_featured, preorder).
  • SEO overrides (meta_title, meta_description).
• ⚡ Pros: lightweight, easy to query, inline with product data.
• ⚠️ Cons: not great for structured or relational data.

Example Query (Metafield):

query ProductWithSpecs($handle: String!) { product(handle: $handle) { title metafield(namespace: "specs", key: "material") { value } } }

Metaobjects: Structured Blocks

• 📦 Structured, relational content.
• 🛠️ Best for:
  • Editorial blocks (lookbooks, FAQs).
  • Relational joins (recipes ↔ ingredients).
  • Reusable content types (author bios, landing page sections).
• ⚡ Pros: flexible schema, reusability, CMS-like power.
• ⚠️ Cons: more complex queries, heavier schema management.

Example Query (Metaobject):

query EditorialBlock($handle: String!) { metaobject(handle: {type: "lookbook", handle: $handle}) { fields { key value } } }

When to Use Each

Use Case	Metafield ✅	Metaobject ✅
PDP specs (size, weight)	✅	❌
Preorder flag	✅	❌
SEO meta_title override	✅	❌
FAQ block	❌	✅
Recipe + ingredients	❌	✅
Landing page hero	❌	✅

👉 Metafields = simple data. Metaobjects = structured content.

Hybrid Patterns

• Metafields for PDPs → small flags, details.
• Metaobjects for CMS → editorial, marketing, relational.
• Load both into Hydrogen loaders → shape content dynamically.

Case Example: Lifestyle Brand

• Started with metafields for product details.
• Marketing team wanted rich editorial blocks.
• Migrated editorial → metaobjects (lookbooks, FAQs).
• Result: faster iteration, less developer bottleneck.

Guardrails

• ✅ Don’t overload metafields with JSON blobs → use metaobjects.
• ✅ Reserve metafields for product-specific content.
• ✅ Document metaobject schemas with marketing team.
• ✅ Cache queries smartly — metaobjects can be heavier.

Conclusion

Metafields and metaobjects aren’t interchangeable — they’re complementary. Use metafields for lightweight PDP details and flags, and metaobjects for structured, CMS-style content.

Think of metafields as notes in the margins, and metaobjects as chapters in the book.