LTV, or customer lifetime value, tells you what a customer is really worth to your Shopify store, and it decides how much you can afford to spend acquiring the next one. Leighton and Patrick break down how to measure LTV using cohorts and time windows, why contribution margin matters more than gross revenue, and the levers that actually move it: post-purchase email and SMS flows, subscriptions, loyalty points, retargeting, and AOV.

Links Mentioned

• Lifetimely (LTV and profit analytics for Shopify): https://apps.shopify.com/lifetimely-lifetime-value-and-profit-analytics
• Peel (retention and cohort analytics): https://www.peelinsights.com/
• Triple Whale (ecommerce attribution and analytics): https://www.triplewhale.com/
• Klaviyo (email and SMS marketing): https://www.klaviyo.com/
• Smile.io (loyalty and rewards for Shopify): https://smile.io/

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:06 What LTV Actually Means
• 3:06 Why Repeat Buyers Cost Less
• 5:26 The LTV to CAC Ratio
• 6:37 Nobody Knows Their Contribution Margin
• 8:09 Slicing Customers Into Cohorts
• 10:24 Shopify Analytics and Sidekick
• 11:07 Apps for Cohort Analysis
• 12:17 Cash Flow and Time-Based LTV
• 13:38 Why "Lifetime" Is Misleading
• 18:23 Retention Marketing: Email and SMS
• 19:26 The Post-Purchase Flow
• 20:11 Consumables and Subscriptions
• 20:45 Helping Customers Reach Their Goal
• 21:47 Building a Customer Persona
• 22:45 The Creatine Example
• 24:59 Retargeting Past Customers
• 26:59 When to Pitch a Subscription
• 29:09 The \$1 Olive Oil Club
• 32:12 Loyalty and Rewards Programs
• 34:29 How AOV Feeds LTV
• 35:26 Where LTV, AOV, and CR Meet
• 38:41 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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.