01 Score your store
Tick what is already true for your store. Your score updates as you go, and the unticked items are your to-do list. Most brands we check land between 5 and 9.
02 Let AI in
AI assistants can only recommend pages they can read. These are the fixes with the fastest payback, and most take under an hour.
Allow the AI search crawlers
Search crawlers fetch pages so an assistant can cite them in answers. Make sure your robots.txt lets them in. On Shopify, edit it in Online Store, Themes, Edit code, then add a robots.txt.liquid template and paste these rules below Shopify's defaults.
# Let AI search and assistant crawlers read your store
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: Bingbot
Allow: /
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /Check nothing else is blocking them
- Some CDNs and bot-protection tools block AI crawlers by default. Check your Cloudflare or firewall settings for AI bot rules.
- Open a product page, choose View Source and search for the product name and price. If they are missing, AI crawlers probably cannot see them either.
- Do not hide key facts such as sizing, materials or delivery inside tabs that only load on click, images or PDFs.
- Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Bing's index feeds several AI assistants.
Optional: add an llms.txt file
llms.txt is a short, plain-text summary of your site for AI tools. It is an emerging convention and the major assistants do not all use it yet, so treat it as a quick extra, not a priority.
# Your Brand
> Your Brand is a UK [category] brand selling [what you sell] to [who it is for].
> Founded in [year], based in [town]. Free UK delivery over [amount], [x]-day returns.
## Shop
- [Women's jackets](https://yourbrand.com/collections/womens-jackets): waterproof and insulated jackets, sizes 6 to 20
- [Bestsellers](https://yourbrand.com/collections/bestsellers): our most reviewed products
## Help
- [Size guide](https://yourbrand.com/pages/size-guide)
- [Delivery and returns](https://yourbrand.com/policies/shipping-policy)
- [About us](https://yourbrand.com/pages/about)03 AI shopping channels
AI assistants increasingly show products directly in the conversation, with images, prices and a link to buy. Getting into those results depends on clean, complete product data.
Switch on Shopify's AI channels
Shopify's Agentic Storefronts syndicate your catalogue to AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity and Google AI Mode. It rolled out to eligible US merchants first, so check what is available to your store in your Shopify admin, switch on every channel you can, and recheck each quarter as availability expands.
Get your Google Merchant Center feed right
Google's shopping results, including those in AI Mode, are built from Merchant Center. Free listings cost nothing, so there is no reason not to be in them.
| Field | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Title | Brand + product type + key attribute + variant. For example: Ridgeway Women's Waterproof Hiking Jacket, Recycled, Navy |
| Description | Who it is for and why first, then specs: materials, dimensions, care |
| GTIN, brand, MPN | Always filled. Missing identifiers are the commonest reason products are not shown |
| Attributes | Colour, size, material, gender, age group and product highlights |
| Policies | Shipping and returns set in Merchant Center, matching your site exactly |
| Price and stock | Synced at least daily. Mismatches get products disapproved |
04 Structured data
Structured data tells machines exactly what a page is: a product, its price, whether it is in stock and what customers think of it. Most Shopify themes output basic Product schema, but often miss reviews, GTINs, shipping and returns.
Check what you have
- Run a product page through Google's Rich Results Test.
- Product schema should include name, image, description, SKU, GTIN, brand, price, currency, availability and review rating.
- Add shippingDetails and hasMerchantReturnPolicy if your theme or reviews app does not.
- Fill gaps through your reviews app, a schema app or a small theme edit, not by duplicating schema twice.
Organization schema
Add once, sitewide, usually in theme.liquid. The sameAs list connects your website to your other profiles, which helps AI recognise your brand as one entity.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Your Brand",
"url": "https://yourbrand.com",
"logo": "https://yourbrand.com/logo.png",
"description": "UK [category] brand making [products] for [customers].",
"foundingDate": "2019",
"address": {"@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Manchester", "addressCountry": "GB"},
"contactPoint": {"@type": "ContactPoint", "email": "hello@yourbrand.com", "contactType": "customer service"},
"sameAs": [
"https://www.instagram.com/yourbrand",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@yourbrand",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourbrand",
"https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/yourbrand.com"
]
}
</script>FAQ schema for collection and guide pages
Mark up real questions and answers that are visible on the page. Never add schema for content customers cannot see.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Which jacket is best for hiking in heavy rain?",
"acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "The Ridgeway Pro. It has a 20,000mm waterproof rating, taped seams and pit zips for airflow on climbs."}
}]
}
</script>05 Page templates
AI assistants quote pages that answer a question clearly and early. Rework your ten best-selling products and five biggest collections first.
Product page
| Block | What to write |
|---|---|
| Answer first | Two lines under the title: who it is for and the main reason to buy. For example: A lightweight waterproof jacket for UK hillwalkers who run warm. 20,000mm rated, with pit zips. |
| Key specs | A table: materials, weight, dimensions, ratings, what is in the box |
| Sizing and fit | How it fits, model sizes, and how to choose between two sizes |
| Delivery and returns | Plain numbers: free over £50, next day if ordered by 2pm, 60-day returns |
| Compared with | One short line on how it differs from your own similar product, so AI can recommend the right one |
| FAQs | Five real questions from customer emails, chats and reviews |
| Reviews | Detailed reviews, with prompts that ask about use case and fit |
Collection page
- 80 to 150 words above or below the grid on how to choose, written for a first-time buyer.
- A three to five row how-to-choose table, for example: walking, running, commuting.
- Four to six FAQs, with FAQ schema.
- Links to your buying guides and best sellers.
Guides that get cited
- How to choose: How to choose a [product] for [use case].
- Comparisons: [Product A] vs [Product B]. Be fair, including when the other option is better.
- Best for: The best [product] for [specific situation], including honest picks.
- Care and fixes: How to wash, store, repair or get more from the product.
06 Brand facts
AI assistants trust brands whose facts match everywhere. Write one fact sheet, publish it on an About or press page, and copy it word for word into every profile.
Brand name: Your Brand (always written exactly this way)
One line: UK [category] brand making [products] for [customers].
Founded: [year], [town]
What we sell: [3 to 5 product types]
Who it is for: [customer, use case]
Price range: £[x] to £[y]
What makes us different: [one specific, provable point]
Delivery: [countries], free over £[x], [speed]
Returns: [x] days, [free or paid]
Proof: [certifications, awards, review score and count]Where to sync it
- Your About page and footer
- Google Business Profile and Bing Places
- Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube bios
- Amazon, Etsy and other marketplace storefronts
- Trustpilot or your reviews platform
- Your press kit and any directory listings
07 Earn mentions
AI answers lean on consensus. If independent sites keep naming you, assistants will too. This is the slowest module and the most powerful.
Find the sources AI already trusts
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity your discovery prompts from module 08, and list every article, review site and forum thread they cite. That list is your outreach target list, in priority order.
Five ways in
- Reviews: ask for an independent review after delivery, and reply to every one, especially the critical ones.
- Roundups: pitch the best-of and comparison articles that AI cites. Use the script below.
- Creators: send product to YouTube and TikTok reviewers in your niche. Video reviews get cited too.
- Communities: answer questions on Reddit and specialist forums as yourself, clearly identified as the brand, and only where you can genuinely help.
- Digital PR: share a useful piece of data, such as a survey or sales trend, that journalists can report on.
Subject: A suggestion for your [best X in the UK] guide
Hi [name],
I read your guide to [topic] and noticed it doesn't yet include [Your Brand].
We make [product], and it is often chosen by [type of customer] because [one specific, checkable reason, e.g. it is the only one under £100 with a 20,000mm rating].
Happy to send a sample, spec sheet or photos if it's useful for your next update. No pressure either way.
Thanks,
[Name], [Your Brand]08 Track it
You cannot improve what you do not measure. Set this up once and it takes about an hour a month.
Your 20 buyer prompts
Replace the brackets with your category, products and competitors. Run them in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, logged out where you can.
- What are the best [category] brands in the UK?
- Best [product] under £[price]
- Which [product] is best for [use case]?
- Recommend a [product] for [type of person]
- Where can I buy [product] with next day delivery in the UK?
- [Your brand] vs [competitor]: which is better?
- Is [your brand] better than [competitor] for [use]?
- Alternatives to [competitor]
- [Product type A] or [product type B] for [use case]?
- Cheaper alternatives to [premium competitor]
- How do I [problem your product solves]?
- What should I look for when buying a [product]?
- How do I choose the right size of [product]?
- What is the most [durable / sustainable / comfortable] [product]?
- Why does my [product] [common complaint]?
- Is [your brand] any good?
- [Your brand] reviews
- Is [your brand] legit?
- Who owns [your brand]?
- What is [your brand]'s returns policy?
The monthly tracking sheet
| Prompt | Engine | Date | Mentioned? | Position | Competitors named | Sources cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best waterproof jacket UK | ChatGPT | 1 Nov | Yes | 3rd | Brand A, Brand B | outdoorsmag.co.uk, reddit |
| Best waterproof jacket UK | Gemini | 1 Nov | No | Brand A, Brand C | Brand A site, which.co.uk |
Track AI referrals in GA4
In GA4, go to Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition, add a filter on Session source, choose matches regex and paste this. Save it as a comparison so it is one click next month.
chatgpt\.com|chat\.openai\.com|perplexity\.ai|gemini\.google\.com|copilot\.microsoft\.com|claude\.ai|meta\.ai09 Your 30-day plan
Access and baseline
Score your store, fix robots.txt and crawler blocks, set up GA4 tracking and run your 20 prompts for a baseline.
Data and channels
Fix Product and Organization schema, tidy your Merchant Center feed and switch on every AI channel available.
Pages
Rewrite your top ten product pages and five biggest collections with the templates in module 05.
Brand and mentions
Publish your fact sheet, sync every profile, build your source list and send your first ten pitches.
After that, rerun your prompts monthly, add one guide a month and keep pitching. Expect technical fixes to show within weeks and mentions to build over three to six months.
10 Want us to do it?
We run SEO and AI visibility as one programme for ecommerce brands: technical fixes, structured data, product and collection content, digital PR and monthly citation tracking against your competitors. If you would rather hand it over, book a call with the specialist who would run it.