SEO Audit for Shopify help

How to answer the questions

The app checks what it can by itself. Some things it can't see, such as your checkout, your Search Console account or how your store feels on a phone. For these it asks short questions.

Last updated: 12 October 2026

How answering works

Each question has three buttons: Yes, No and Not sure.
Not sure counts as No for now, the same as leaving a question blank. You can come back and change your answer at any time.
The questions are in order of what is worth most to your store, so start at the top.
Each check shows what the app found. Use that as a starting point, then answer for your store as a whole.
Answer honestly. A Yes you are unsure about hides a fix that could help.

Most questions take a few seconds. Where you need to look something up, the notes below say where.

Storefront and first impressions

Clear homepage message

Could someone who doesn't know you say what you sell from the first screen? Open your homepage on your phone and don't scroll. Better still, show it to a friend for five seconds and ask them.
Could they also say who it is for? Ask the same person who they think the products are for.

One clear next step

Is the main button on the first screen and easy to see? Open your homepage on your phone. The button should be visible without scrolling and stand out from the background.

Simple main menu

Is each menu label a word customers would use? Read each top-level label and ask whether a shopper would type that word into Google. Brand names and words like "Explore" don't count.

Site search that works

Is the search icon easy to spot on mobile? Look at your header on your phone.
Do synonyms find relevant products? Only needed if you didn't enter a synonym before the audit. Search your store for a word customers use instead of yours and check the results.

Trust signals on the homepage

Are reviews or a star rating in the top half of your homepage? Scroll halfway down your homepage on your phone and see if a rating or reviews have appeared yet.

Delivery costs shown early

Do the delivery prices on your site match your settings? Compare what your announcement bar, product pages and delivery page say with Settings > Shipping and delivery.

Easy to use on a phone

Can visitors see your homepage straight away, with no popup? Open your homepage in a private window on your phone. Answer No if a popup covers the first screen as soon as the page loads.
Could you shop one-handed? On your phone, open the menu, choose a product and add it to the basket using one thumb. Answer No if you needed to zoom or mis-tapped.

About page with real people

Does your About page name the people and show a real photo? Open the page. A stock photo or a logo doesn't count.

Product and collection pages

Clear product titles

Would a newcomer know what each key product is from its title? Read your key product titles without the photos. If a title is only a name or a code, answer No.

Helpful product descriptions

Does each description open with a benefit and answer most top questions? List the five questions customers ask most (from emails, reviews or chats) and check how many each description answers.

Clear buy box

When you switch variants, do the price, image and stock update? On a product with options, click through each one. An out-of-stock option should be clearly marked.

Reviews on product pages

Is your newest review less than a year old? Check the dates in your reviews app or on a product page.
Does your reviews app send review requests automatically? Look in your reviews app's settings for request emails after delivery.

Tidy collections

Are collections organised the way customers shop? Look at Products > Collections. Collections named after suppliers or internal codes mean No.

Practical details on product pages

Is every practical detail on the product page as text? Check a key product for sizing, materials or ingredients, care and what's in the box. Details only in an image, PDF or separate page mean No.

Smooth checkout

Are express payments switched on? Check Settings > Payments.
Do express buttons show on the product page or in the cart? Look under Add to cart and in your cart on the live site.
Did a full test purchase on your phone go smoothly? Go through checkout on your phone. Look for errors, confusing steps or costs you didn't expect.

SEO basics

Google Search Console

Is your store verified? Sign in to Google Search Console and see if your domain is listed.
Have you submitted your sitemap? In Search Console, open Sitemaps and look for sitemap.xml.
Have you checked the Pages report in the last 3 months? Answer honestly. If not, open Indexing > Pages now, then answer Yes.

No broken links

Have you checked the "Not found (404)" list and added redirects? In Search Console, open Indexing > Pages and find the 404 list. Your redirects are in Shopify under Content > Menus: click the three-dot (...) button and choose URL redirects.

Leftover app code and large images

Have you uninstalled unused apps in the last 3 months? Go through Settings > Apps and ask whether you still use each one.

Collections that match searches

Does each key collection target a real search phrase? Type the collection's name into Google and see what suggestions appear, or check Performance in Search Console. The phrase should appear in the collection's title and description.

AI search visibility

Showing up in AI answers and How AI tools describe you

These two checks use the AI prompt log rather than Yes or No questions for the buyer prompts. See How to run the AI prompt tests.

Did at least three of the four tools describe you accurately? After running the brand prompts, check each answer for what you sell, who it is for, your price point and where you are based.
Did at least one tool get you roughly right? Answer Yes if any tool was close, even with gaps.

Clear brand facts

Does your About page name the founder or team? Open the page and look for real names.

Consistent details everywhere

Do your details match across profiles and listings? Open your social profiles, Google Business Profile, marketplaces and directory listings side by side. Compare name, description, location, website and logo.

Answers to buyer questions

Do these headings cover real customer questions, with the answer first? The app lists question headings it found on your site. Compare them with what customers actually ask you, and check each answer starts in the first sentence.

Mentions on other sites

Do you have active reviews on an independent platform? Check Trustpilot, Feefo, REVIEWS.io or your Google Business Profile.
Are you mentioned in at least three independent articles or threads? Search Google for your brand name, excluding your own site.
Was one of those cited in your AI prompt tests? Compare your list with the sources you noted in the prompt log.

Google product feed

Is a product feed live with free listings on? Open the Google & YouTube app in Shopify, or sign in to Google Merchant Center.
Are key products approved, with no account issues? Check the products and account sections in Merchant Center.
Do you check Merchant Center monthly? Answer honestly. A diary reminder makes this an easy Yes next time.

Changing a score by hand

If you think a result is wrong for your store, open that check on its area page, click Set the score yourself and pick a score. The check then shows "Score set by you" next to the score the app suggested.

Need help with the audit?

We're happy to help

Email contact@capewired.com with your store address and what you're stuck on, and we'll get back to you.

Contact Cape Wired All help guides