SEO, AEO and GEO basics on Shopify

Fix 1

Check which crawlers your store lets in

If your robots.txt file tells AI search crawlers to stay out, ChatGPT search, Perplexity and others can't read your pages, so they can't quote or recommend you.

1. Run the AI crawler checker first. It reads your store's actual rules, including Shopify's defaults, and shows which crawlers can get in.
2. If a crawler you want is blocked, open your Shopify admin and go to Online Store, then click the menu icon next to your theme and choose Edit code.
3. Open robots.txt.liquid in the Templates folder and remove the lines blocking crawlers you want. Save.

Shopify calls this an unsupported customisation and warns that a wrong edit can lose all your search traffic, so change only the lines you need. Deleting robots.txt.liquid returns you to Shopify's default. Blocking crawlers here doesn't affect Shopify's own feed to agentic storefronts such as ChatGPT; that has separate settings.

Check it with the free AI crawler checker

Fix 2

Write a clear title and description for your store and pages

Your page title is the blue link people see on Google and the first thing an AI assistant reads about the page. "Home" or your business name alone tells neither of them what you do or where.

1. For the home page: go to Online Store, then Preferences, and fill in the title and meta description. Save.
2. For other pages: go to Online Store, then Pages, open a page, and click Edit website SEO in the Search engine listing section.
3. Fill in the Page title and Description, then Save. Products and collections have the same section at the bottom of their edit page.

Check it with the free Meta tag checker

Fix 3

Add your business details as structured data

Structured data spells out your business name, address, phone and hours in a format machines read without guessing. It helps Google and AI assistants match your website to your business.

1. Most Shopify themes already add product data. Run the schema checker on a product page first so you don't add a second copy.
2. If you have a shop people visit, create LocalBusiness code with the schema checker.
3. Duplicate your theme as a backup (Online Store, menu icon, Duplicate). Then open Edit code, open theme.liquid in the Layout folder, and paste the code just above </head>. Save.

Ask your theme developer if you're not comfortable editing code. A missing tag can break the theme.

Check it with the free Schema checker

Fix 4

Create an llms.txt file (optional)

llms.txt is a short plain-text list of your most useful pages for AI tools. It's optional: Google says its search doesn't need it. Do it only if it's easy on your platform.

1. Shopify doesn't let you upload a file to the top of your domain.
2. Yoast SEO for Shopify and some other apps can create llms.txt for you. If you don't use one, skip this step.

Check it with the free llms.txt checker

Fix 5

Speed up your store

Most local customers find you on a phone. If the page is still blank after a few seconds, many go back and tap the next result.

1. Run the page speed checker on your home page and one product page.
2. Remove apps you no longer use. Some leave code in your theme even after you uninstall them, so check with the app's support.
3. Upload product photos at a sensible size (around 2,000 pixels wide is plenty) rather than straight off the camera.
4. Replace a video or slider at the top of the home page with one image. Test again.

Check it with the free Page speed checker