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Checklist · 10 minutes

The 8-check product data checklist for AI search

AI engines can only recommend what they can read. These 8 checks cover what ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Perplexity and Copilot need from a Shopify store. Score yourself below, then use the free tools under each check to confirm.

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Quick score

Answer yes or no for your store

Not sure? Pick no. Gaps here are common and easy to miss.

1. Product schema

Each product page has Product and Offer structured data.

2. Merchant Center feed

Your Google feed runs with no errors and full titles.

3. One price everywhere

Page, schema and feed show the same price.

4. Availability

Stock status sits in the schema and the feed.

5. Shipping and returns

Your policies are in the schema and Merchant Center.

6. Reviews

Ratings are marked up so engines can read them.

7. Crawler access

AI search crawlers are allowed to read your store.

8. llms.txt

A short map of your store sits at /llms.txt.

Your score
0 / 8

Answer the 8 questions. Every no is a reason an engine can name a rival instead of you.

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Our free audit runs all 8 checks on your real store and shows how often you are named today across 5 engines.

The 8 checks

What each check means and how to test it

Every test below uses a free tool or a URL you can open in your browser.

1

Product schema

What it is
Structured data in each product page that states the name, brand, price, currency and stock in a format machines read.
Why engines care
It is the cleanest way for an engine to know what you sell and for how much, without guessing from the page layout.
Test it free
Paste a product URL into Google's Rich Results Test or the Schema Markup Validator at validator.schema.org.
Common gap
Themes that output Product schema with no Offer, no brand or no GTIN.
2

Merchant Center feed

What it is
The product file Google reads for Shopping, AI Overviews and AI Mode, sent through the Google and YouTube app on Shopify.
Why engines care
Google says its AI shopping answers draw on the Shopping Graph, which this feed helps fill. Thin titles and missing attributes mean fewer matches.
Test it free
Open Products › Diagnostics in Merchant Center and count the items with issues.
Common gap
Titles that are only the product name, with no type, size, color or material.
3

One price everywhere

What it is
The price a shopper sees on the page matches the price in the schema and the feed, sale prices included.
Why engines care
Mismatched prices look unreliable. Google disapproves feed items for it, and answer engines avoid quoting a price they cannot confirm.
Test it free
Compare the page price, the price in the Rich Results Test and the price in Merchant Center for 5 products on sale.
Common gap
Discount apps that change the page price but not the schema.
4

Availability

What it is
In stock, out of stock or preorder, stated in the schema and the feed for every variant.
Why engines care
Engines avoid recommending products a shopper cannot buy. Clear stock status keeps your in-stock items eligible.
Test it free
Check the availability field in the Rich Results Test for a sold-out variant and an in-stock one.
Common gap
Every variant marked in stock, even when sizes are sold out.
5

Shipping and returns

What it is
Your delivery times, shipping costs and return window, in the Offer schema and in Merchant Center settings.
Why engines care
Shoppers ask "which store has free returns" and "who ships fastest". Engines can only answer with stores that state it.
Test it free
Look for shippingDetails and hasMerchantReturnPolicy in the Rich Results Test, then check Shipping and returns in Merchant Center.
Common gap
Policies written on a page but missing from both schema and feed.
6

Reviews

What it is
Star ratings and review counts marked up as AggregateRating on product pages.
Why engines care
"Best" questions lean on ratings. Ratings an engine can read travel into answers. Ratings drawn only by a script often do not.
Test it free
Look for AggregateRating in the Rich Results Test. Most review apps can add it in their settings.
Common gap
A review app installed with its rich snippet setting turned off.
7

Crawler access

What it is
Your store lets the crawlers that AI search engines use read your pages, such as OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Googlebot and Bingbot.
Why engines care
A blocked crawler cannot fetch your pages, so the engine falls back on what other sites say about you.
Test it free
Open yourstore.com/robots.txt and search for "Disallow". Then check any bot settings in your CDN or security app.
Common gap
A security or CDN setting that blocks AI bots by default.
8

llms.txt

What it is
A short text file at yourstore.com/llms.txt that says what you sell, for whom, and which pages matter most.
Why engines care
It is a newer, proposed standard and not every engine reads it yet. It takes an hour to write and gives engines a clean summary when they do.
Test it free
Open yourstore.com/llms.txt in your browser. A 404 means you do not have one.
Common gap
No file at all, which is still the norm for Shopify stores.

After the 8 checks: what moves the share

Clean product data gets you eligible. It does not get you named on its own. Two more layers decide who makes the list:

  • Answer pages. Collection and guide pages that answer the questions shoppers ask, with a two-line answer at the top and a short FAQ.
  • Outside sources. Review sites, buying guides, Reddit threads and YouTube reviews that mention your store. Engines trust what others say about you.
Ad-Lab works through all 8 checks in a 4-week Foundation, then writes answer pages and works on outside sources every month, with your share of answers tracked weekly. See how it works.
Questions

Product data questions

Does Shopify add product schema by default?
Most Shopify themes add basic Product schema, but many miss fields engines use, such as brand, GTIN, shipping, returns and ratings. Test a product page to see what yours outputs.
Do I need Google Merchant Center if I don't run Shopping ads?
Yes. Free listings and Google's AI shopping answers can use your feed without ads. A store with no feed gives Google less to work with.
Will blocking AI crawlers protect my content?
Blocking crawlers used only for training is a fair choice. Blocking the search crawlers that engines use to answer shoppers keeps your store out of those answers.
How do I add llms.txt to a Shopify store?
Shopify does not let you upload files to the root of your domain. Most stores use an app that serves the file, or upload it under Content › Files and add a URL redirect from /llms.txt to it.
Is llms.txt required?
No. It is a newer, proposed standard. It is cheap to add, so we include it, but schema, the feed and answer pages matter more.
How long until fixes show up in AI answers?
Engines pick up schema and feed fixes within weeks. Changes in who they recommend usually take months, which is why we measure over 90 days.
Free audit

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We run 50 real shopper questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Perplexity and Copilot, score your 8 product data checks, and walk you through it on a 30-minute call.

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