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Off the Record Ecommerce
Off the Record Ecommerce episodes
- Shopify Themes: When To Update, Retrofit, or Start From Scratch
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.
35 min - What Apps We Actually Use to Run Dozens of Shopify Stores
"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.
46 min - Shopify Migration Without Killing Your Traffic & ROAS (Free Checklist)
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.
48 min - How Shopify SEO Actually Works in 2026: What to Skip, What to Double Down On
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.
38 min - Product Pages That Actually Convert (CRO + SEO)
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.
47 min - Shopify Collection Pages: The SEO & CRO Playbook
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.
36 min
About Off the Record Ecommerce
From the publisher's feed
Insider conversations about how to grow an ecommerce brand on Shopify. From marketing and conversion strategy to operations and scaling, Leighton Taylor and Patrick Rice share what's working now…
and what isn't.