Off the Record Ecommerce

Agentic commerce is generating a lot of hype, but very few people are actually buying inside AI tools yet. Leighton and Patrick break down where AI really fits in ecommerce today, and the practical Shopify setup work every store owner should be doing right now.
Links Mentioned
Shopify Knowledge Base app: https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-knowledge-base
Shopify Inbox: https://apps.shopify.com/inbox
Gorgias: https://www.gorgias.com/
Profound: https://www.tryprofound.com/
Peec AI: https://peec.ai/
Local Dominator: https://localdominator.co/
Common Crawl: https://commoncrawl.org/
Patrick's Free AI Visibility Audit: https://patrickriceco.com/ai
Watch This Episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/7uZR93yiX3Y
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:56 Hype vs. reality right now
3:54 Why niche brands are winning
6:39 The AI attribution problem
8:10 Tracking your AI visibility
11:47 Where to actually start
12:36 The Shopify agentic channel
13:20 Shopify Knowledge Base app
15:21 Where your product data goes
19:01 Writing product data for AI
21:52 Declarative copy vs. brand voice
26:16 Storefront agents and Gorgias
30:00 What Common Crawl is
32:38 What to do before BFCM
33:36 Free AI visibility audit
34:30 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work with Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

Everyone wants to increase their AOV (Average Order Value), but it's not always clear how. Leighton and Patrick break down what actually moves AOV in the right direction: free shipping thresholds with dynamic progress bars, relevant cart cross-sells, frequently bought together widgets, build-your-own bundles, and post-purchase upsells, plus the two cross-sell mistakes that cost stores trust and revenue.
Links Mentioned
Rebuy (Smart Cart, cross-sells, and A/B testing): https://www.rebuyengine.com/
Baymard Institute (cart and checkout UX research): https://baymard.com/
Monster Cart Upsell (Shopify app): https://apps.shopify.com/monster-upsells
Checkout Blocks (Shopify's checkout customization app): https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/checkout-blocks
Watch This Episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/oJQgzmeDnSg
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:33 Is AOV Advice Overhyped?
1:44 What AOV Actually Means
2:14 How AOV Compounds With Conversion Rate
3:48 Margins and Knowing Your Numbers
4:39 Free Shipping Threshold Messaging
6:02 Static Message vs Dynamic Progress Bar
7:09 Cart Cross-Sells and Two Big Mistakes
10:30 Lessons From Retail Checkout Aisles
11:33 Limits of Shopify's Recommendations
12:17 Frequently Bought Together Widgets
13:43 Recommending Items to Hit Free Shipping
16:07 Testing With Rebuy's Smart Cart
19:46 Build-Your-Own Bundles
21:07 Tailoring Tactics to Your Industry
22:29 Checkout and Post-Purchase Upsells
26:13 How Much You Can Realistically Upsell
27:12 Recap: The Quickest AOV Wins
28:02 A/B Testing and Collection Design
30:15 Starter Kits and Gift Bundles
30:51 Gift Wrap and Personalization
32:16 Content That Drives Bundle Sales
33:01 Subscriptions as an AOV Play
34:01 AOV, LTV, and What's Next
35:04 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work with Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

Many Shopify sellers have no idea whether their Google Ads are actually making money. Patrick Rice breaks down the numbers that tell you the truth, why a 10x ROAS can still lose you money, and how to know your ad manager is doing a good job even if you never open the dashboard yourself.
Links Mentioned
Google Ads Search Terms Report (Campaigns > Insights and reports > Search terms): https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2472708
Shopify Marketing Performance & Attribution Reports (new vs. returning customers): https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/analyze-marketing/marketing-performance
Google AI Max for Search campaigns: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910187
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:24 How to Hire an Ads Person
3:30 Start With the Search Terms Report
4:53 The Brand Keyword Trap
7:06 Should You Bid on Your Brand?
10:24 What Owners Should Monitor
13:35 Why ROAS Can Deceive You
15:47 Break-Even ROAS Explained
17:09 Why Chasing 10x ROAS Backfires
19:23 New vs. Returning Customers
20:41 Shopify's Attribution Advantage
23:58 PMax, Shopping, and Search
27:03 How PMax and Shopping Interact
28:20 What's Changed Recently
29:26 Testing Google's AI Max
30:39 Consolidation Beats Segmentation
31:41 A 10x Turnaround Story
35:09 Pilot Budgets and Structure
39:15 Site Optimization and CRO
40:19 The 90s Website Story
44:12 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work with Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

Shopify keeps telling you a new theme version is available, but should you actually update? Leighton and Patrick break down when to update your Shopify theme, when to switch to a new one, and when leaving it alone is the smarter (and cheaper) move.
Links Mentioned
Shopify Theme Store: https://themes.shopify.com
Ilana's JSON-LD for SEO (structured data app): https://apps.shopify.com/json-ld-for-seo
Theme Updater & Backups by Out of the Sandbox: https://apps.shopify.com/theme-updater-by-out-of-the-sandbox
Google PageSpeed Insights: https://pagespeed.web.dev
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:29 Adjust or start over?
2:21 Two real client examples
3:59 Cost, effort & maintainability
6:31 Where store owners should start
10:29 Custom work traps
11:58 Speed & SEO surprises
13:52 Protecting your nav & links
16:42 What if your traffic tanks?
19:21 The cost of playing it safe
20:25 How to approach the decision
21:51 The Online Store 2.0 cutoff
24:03 Finding the right theme
27:22 Testing before you commit
29:59 To update or not to update?
33:18 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work With Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

"What apps should I use on my Shopify store?" is a question we hear all the time. Leighton and Patrick break down how to decide between a Shopify app and custom development, the trade-offs of each, and the apps they install on almost every store, from reviews and subscriptions to CRO, SEO, and indexing.
Links Mentioned
Shopify Search & Discovery: https://apps.shopify.com/search-and-discovery
Judge.me Product Reviews: https://apps.shopify.com/judgeme
Microsoft Clarity: https://apps.shopify.com/microsoft-clarity
Matrixify: https://apps.shopify.com/excel-export-import
Ilana's JSON-LD for SEO: https://apps.shopify.com/json-ld-for-seo
Frequently Bought Together (CBB): https://apps.shopify.com/frequently-bought-together
Rebuy Personalization Engine: https://apps.shopify.com/rebuy
Awtomic Subscriptions: https://apps.shopify.com/awtomic
InstaIndex: IndexNow for Bing: https://apps.shopify.com/instaindex
AI image alt text app: [URL TO BE ADDED]
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:46 App vs Custom Question
3:02 The Three App Categories
5:57 Must-Have Review Apps
10:03 App vs Custom Trade-offs
16:33 Theme Updates & Maintenance
18:36 Reviews & Subscription Apps
21:22 Should You Build Your Own?
23:09 Microsoft Clarity Deep Dive
30:31 Matrixify & JSON-LD SEO
31:52 Bought Together & Rebuy
36:21 Apps That Hijack Collections
38:46 SEO Apps & Bing IndexNow
44:00 AI Alt Text & Sitemaps
45:25 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work with Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

Migrating your store to Shopify can tank your organic traffic if you're not careful. In this episode, Leighton Taylor and Patrick Rice walk through the exact pre- and post-launch checklist that protects your SEO, ad tracking, and conversion rate when making the switch.
Links Mentioned
Microsoft Clarity (free heatmaps & session recordings): https://clarity.microsoft.com
LambdaTest (cross-browser & device testing): https://www.lambdatest.com
Screaming Frog SEO Spider: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
Matrixify (Shopify data import/export): https://apps.shopify.com/excelify
SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com
Patrick's Post-Launch SEO & Ads Checklist: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yVGNMzXcDhBkHCDsX05dqO7tmEqd8XHPT6fP3ecx-b4/edit?usp=sharing
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:48 Why Merchants Move to Shopify
3:41 Shopify's Analytics & AI Advantages
6:09 How Migrations Go Wrong: SEO
8:02 Pre-Launch SEO Checklist
10:06 Ad Tracking & Conversion Setup
12:35 Using Microsoft Clarity
13:54 Redesign & Modernize Your UX
14:51 Dev Mistakes to Avoid
16:51 Keep Your Content During Migration
18:07 Testing Checkout & Fulfillment
19:53 Cross-Device & Browser Testing
24:31 The Three Migration Phases
25:49 Pre-Launch Design & UX Planning
27:58 Pre-Launch SEO Crawl
30:21 Blog on a Subdomain: SEO Impact
32:49 Post-Launch Day-One Checklist
37:23 Protecting Your Google Merchant Center Data
39:08 Monitoring Revenue After Launch
41:40 Importing Products & Customer Data
44:29 Wrapping Up & How to Get Help
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work With Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

How do you actually do SEO for a Shopify store in 2026? Patrick Rice and Leighton Taylor break down when SEO is worth the investment, how to size up your competition, what legitimate link building looks like today, and how to get your products recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews.
Links Mentioned
Ilana's JSON-LD for SEO (Shopify app): https://apps.shopify.com/json-ld-for-seo
Shopify's GEO Playbook: https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/generative-engine-optimization
Koray Tuğberk Gübür (Topical Authority / Holistic SEO): https://www.holisticseo.digital
Kurt Elster — The Unofficial Shopify Podcast: https://unofficialshopifypodcast.com
SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com
Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com
Moz Domain Authority: https://moz.com/domain-authority
Craig Lawson — ClickReady Marketing: https://www.clickready.com
Patrick Rice's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@patrickriceco
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:20 Does your store even need SEO?
2:34 Niching down: coffee & graphic tee example
6:08 Keyword & competitor research (SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz)
10:09 Link building in 2026: what still works
12:53 Affiliate programs & who to pitch for links
17:23 AI search & getting recommended by ChatGPT
21:11 Topical authority & GEO
24:31 Schema & structured data
27:07 Setting realistic SEO timelines
29:22 SEO wins & disasters
32:55 How Patrick got into SEO
35:43 How to work with Patrick
36:47 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work With Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

Your product page is the most important page on your store, so in this episode we break down how to optimize it for both conversion rate and SEO. We cover product imagery, reviews and social proof, cross-sells and bundles, unique product content, structured data, and page speed for Shopify stores.
Links Mentioned
Judge.me (reviews): https://judge.me
Stamped (reviews): https://stamped.io
Okendo (reviews): https://www.okendo.io
Trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com
Frequently Bought Together (Shopify app): https://apps.shopify.com/frequently-bought-together
Ilana's JSON-LD for SEO (Shopify app): https://apps.shopify.com/json-ld-for-seo
WebPageTest: https://www.webpagetest.org
Google PageSpeed Insights: https://pagespeed.web.dev
Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console
Google Merchant Center: https://merchants.google.com
Schema.org: https://schema.org
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:35 Why Product Pages Matter
2:34 Product Imagery
8:15 Reviews & Social Proof
9:48 The Fear of Bad Reviews
14:40 Upsells, Subscriptions & AOV
18:16 Cross-Sells, Bundles & Free Shipping
23:35 Pricing & Competition
25:55 Unique Product Content
30:08 Specs, FAQs & Part Numbers
34:21 Schema & Structured Data
37:47 Page Speed: How Much Matters
39:24 Page Speed Hacks to Avoid
41:14 Core Web Vitals & Tools
44:44 Theme Updates & OS 2.0
45:32 Wrapping Up
Book a Call
Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=podcast
Work With Us
Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.

Collection pages are the SEO and CRO workhorse of any Shopify store. They rank for the most commercial keywords, and they're where most shoppers decide whether to keep browsing or bounce. In this episode, Leighton and Patrick break down how to balance content for search engines with an optimal user experience, plus the specific Shopify defaults to turn off and the subcategory strategy that wins both rankings and conversions.
LINKS MENTIONED:
🔗 REI (collection page example): https://www.rei.com
🔗 Crutchfield (product title formatting example): https://www.crutchfield.com
🔗 Link Stacks (Shopify internal linking app): https://seolinkstacks.com
WATCH NEXT:
🔗 Product Page Optimization: https://youtu.be/1kgV035Y_TY 
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
1:07 Why Collection Pages Matter for SEO
1:21 The SEO vs CRO Tension
2:34 Where Collection Pages Fit in the Buyer Journey
3:47 Hybrid Page Structure: H1, Content, Products, FAQs
5:35 Collection Pages in the Age of AI / GEO
7:38 Demonstrating Breadth With Subcategories (REI Example)
10:36 Filters vs Subcategories: SEO Implications
13:15 Breaking Up Long Product Titles (Crutchfield Example)
16:46 Product Card Attributes That Help SEO and CRO
18:22 Turning Off Quick View on Most Themes
21:43 Pagination vs Infinite Scroll vs Click-to-Load
24:25 Canonical Tags on Paginated Pages
28:41 SEO Basics: Title Tags, H1s, and Entities
30:34 Internal Linking and the Link Stacks App
31:44 Recap and Quick Wins
BOOK A CALL:
🗓️ Book a Call with Patrick: https://calendly.com/patrickriceco/strategy-call
🗓️ Book a Call with Leighton: https://cal.com/leightontaylor/discovery-call?utm_source=youtube
WORK WITH US:
🔥 Work with Patrick (SEO and Google Ads): https://patrickriceco.com/
🔥 Work with Leighton (Shopify Store Builds, Migrations, & Ongoing Support): https://envision.io
You may notice that our content sometimes includes affiliate links or sponsored content. We may receive compensation for this type of content, which supports the work we do at no cost to you.