FAQs
I always welcome questions from my customers so I’d like to share some of the more common ones here.
I strongly believe it’s better to educate you on my products so you can make the decision that best suits you.
You can also check out my Support & Knowledge Base for even more information.
Setup / Install
- What if it doesn’t install or I need help installing it?
- Does JSON-LD for SEO work with Shopify’s Online Store 2.0?
- How do I migrate from the legacy snippet to the App Embed Shopify Online Store 2.0?
- What happens if I need to change my theme later?
How It Works
- What structured data does JSON-LD for SEO include?
- What kind of results can I expect and how soon will they show up?
- What do the Rich Results / Rich Snippets look like?
- How do I add FAQSchema to JSON-LD for SEO?
- What if I don’t see any results, can I have my money back?
- Will it impact my store’s page speed and performance?
- Why am I seeing warnings in Google Search Console after installing JSON-LD for SEO?
- Do I need to delete other SEO apps I have installed?
Integrations
- What review apps integrate with JSON-LD for SEO?
- How do I connect my Shopify site to Pinterest to qualify for Rich Pins?
- What’s the Google Merchant Center integration? Can it help me with…?
Billing
- How much does it cost?
- Is there a free trial for JSON-LD for SEO?
- Will I be charged every month or only once?
- Why do you cost more than [OTHER APP]?
Do I need this?
- Does my Shopify store really need structured data?
- How can I trust you, with SEO being full of false promises and scams?
- Why can’t I do this myself or pay someone else to do it for me?
- I have a question that isn’t here.
Setup / Install
Q: What if it doesn’t install or I need help installing it?
JSON-LD for SEO should work on every store but if there’s a problem installing, I’m happy to help.
I’ve only had two customers ever who had problems installing it and one of them was running a very custom theme that went far outside the Shopify site guidelines. Even so, it took me about five minutes to help install it for him.
Here’s how to install JSON-LD for SEO by enabling the app in the Theme Customizer.
Q: Does JSON-LD for SEO work with Shopify’s Online Store 2.0?
Yes! JSON-LD for SEO works with both Shopify’s Online Store 2.0 themes and legacy themes.
Please reference this article on installing JSON-LD for SEO.
For stores using Online Store 2.0 features, you’ll need to enable the Structured Data JSON-LD for SEO App Embed in the Theme Settings. Make sure you select Save after enabling the app. You can follow this guide on installing the app for your theme.
For legacy JSON-LD for SEO users, we ask that you migrate to the new Online Store 2.0 process. Migrating is optional at this time, but the old snippet will no longer receive updates or new features. If you don’t migrate now, you don’t have to do anything when you switch themes. JSON-LD for SEO will automatically detect the change and re-run its snippet installer.
Most themes should work out of the box with JSON-LD for SEO.
If the install process doesn’t work, I’d be happy to take a look at it and see what changes need to be made to the theme.
Q: How do I migrate from the legacy snippet to the App Embed Shopify Online Store 2.0?
We’ve made the migration process as simple as possible with a quick two-step process. Migration instructions are also in the app.
- From JSON-LD for SEO’s setting dashboard, Select Theme Settings. Ensure the toggle for JSON-LD for SEO is enabled and select Save.
- Head back to JSON-LD for SEO’s setting dashboard and select Remove old snippet and finish migrating.
You can test your site to make sure JSON-LD for SEO’s code is running using this guide.
Q: What happens if I need to change my theme later?
For stores using Online Store 2.0 features called the App Embed, you’ll need to enable the Structured Data JSON-LD for SEO App Embed in the Theme Settings each time you update your theme. Make sure you select Save after enabling the app. You can follow this guide on installing the app for your theme.
For legacy JSON-LD for SEO users, we ask that you migrate to the new Online Store 2.0 process. Migrating is optional at this time, but the old snippet will no longer receive updates or new features. If you don’t migrate now, you don’t have to do anything when you switch themes. JSON-LD for SEO will automatically detect the change and re-run its snippet installer.
Either way, you have full freedom to edit and change your theme.
How It Works
Q: What structured data does JSON-LD for SEO include?
JSON-LD for SEO includes the data needed by Google for Rich Snippets and Google Merchant Center.
The key pieces include:
- Business data – Organization/LocalBusiness
- Product data – Product, Offers
- Product reviews – AggregateRating
- Site search – Website
- Blog posts – Article
- Recipe blog posts – Article/Recipe
- Videos – VideoObject
- Frequently Asked Questions – FAQPage
There are probably 100+ fields that are included automatically from your Shopify data and I’m always adding more and tweaking the ones used.
If you have a detailed question about which fields are included, feel free to contact me.
Q: What kind of results can I expect and how soon will they show up?
After installing I’ll show you how to use the official Google tools to test your structured data so you can be confident it’s there.
Google itself can take a while before they update the search results. Google’s gotten scammed in the past by shady SEO-types so they’re cautious when they add Rich Snippets for a store.
The unofficial timelines that I’ve heard about are that it can take 8-11 weeks before you start seeing any results in Google from Rich Snippets…
… but, with the optimizations done in JSON-LD for SEO some customers start to see Rich Snippets and results within the first week.
Many customers see the results within the first month or two.
Q: What do the Rich Results / Rich Snippets look like?
The type of Rich Results you get depends a lot on Google’s algorithm but the main ones I see feature the product price, availability, and reviews.
This video outlines the types of search enhancements you can qualify for with Shopify and JSON-LD for SEO.
Here are some screenshots from actual customers’ stores on Google’s SERP and Image Results.
Here are some screenshots from actual customers’ stores on Bing and Pinterest.
Q: How do I add FAQSchema to JSON-LD for SEO?
To add FAQSchema and qualify for FAQPage Rich Results, you’ll need to add the FAQ questions and answers to your Shopify store using a special format.
Full details on adding FAQSchema can be found in this article.
Q: What if I don’t see any results, can I have my money back?
With the JSON-LD for SEO, I’m unable to guarantee any results in Google so there is no money-back guarantee. The vast majority of customers will get some results given enough time.
On average, it takes 34 days to see Rich Results start to appear. This is not a hard and fast rule, just the average I’ve seen. Some stores take upwards of six months to see results.
Q: Will it impact my store’s page speed and performance?
There will be no impact on your store’s page speed or performance.
There are two main causes of poor performance on Shopify:
- loading a lot of files like large images
- running a lot of JavaScript
The size of the data JSON-LD for SEO adds is so small, it’s probably smaller than your smallest logo. Right now it weighs in at 2.9KB for all of the code, of which only 20% or so will be used on any given page.
While JSON-LD for SEO uses JSON-LD which looks and sounds like JavaScript, it doesn’t run any code in your customer’s browser. That means there is 0-speed impact on your store and customers.
In fact, the code for the app runs on Shopify’s super-fast servers so you don’t even notice it.
So unlike other apps that add a bunch of files or JavaScript code to your store slowing it down, JSON-LD for SEO will have no impact on performance at all.
Q: Why am I seeing warnings in Google Search Console after installing JSON-LD for SEO?
The answer 95% of the time is that the theme is coded wrong or is missing data. This is the case with the majority of Shopify themes out-of-the-box. They have structured data but it’s outdated, incomplete, and sometimes includes errors or breaks Google’s rules.
JSON-LD for SEO does not remove your theme data, we add a new set of data that is more complete.
Having more than one set of product data is normal and a common misconception from SEO consultants that there should be only one.
Google Search will use the higher-quality set of data from JSON-LD for SEO and ignore all of the structured data from your theme.
If you have JSON-LD for SEO installed, you can ignore the warnings from Google Search Console.
Search Console has a history of raising issues that don’t actually impact Google Search. I wish the Search Console report would recognize when you have good data and ignore the other data automatically, but it doesn’t.
I cover these in more detail in my article on testing the structured data.
https://www.ilanadavis.com/articles/test-json-ld-code-shopify/
Q: Do I need to delete other SEO apps I have installed?
It’s rare that another SEO app conflicts with JSON-LD for SEO, so that’s not usually a concern I have. There are lots of JSON-LD for SEO customers who use other SEO apps.
Despite what other apps or SEO consultants say, having more than one set of product data is normal and a common misconception that there should be only one. Google Search will pick the best set of data to use for its analysis. That’ll be the set from JSON-LD for SEO. They’ll ignore the other Product data.
I’ve found over time that Shopify is adding to the platform many of the core features found in most Shopify SEO apps. So the apps have been adding features that aren’t all that effective or helpful, more buzzwordy. At best they are automation tools to get ‘okay’ results, at worst they’ll hurt your SEO.
I have a large guide on Shopify SEO with a ton of details on how to improve your SEO without using another app in Shopify. If you specifically scroll down to the Shopify SEO Apps section, I also mention SEO tools outside of Shopify that don’t impact your site load times.
I just have a hard time with monthly costs when most of the features are built into Shopify directly.
Integrations
Q: What review apps integrate with JSON-LD for SEO?
Here’s the full list of review app integrations I have currently. If you use any of them, JSON-LD for SEO will be able to pull in their data and format it correctly for Google.
It is possible that review apps change their code without notifying us of the change. We’ll do our best to resolve the integration as quickly as possible.
Q: How do I connect my Shopify site to Pinterest to qualify for Rich Pins?
Pinterest has become a popular visual search engine and can be incredibly important to Shopify stores.
Pinterest themselves don’t have any documentation on JSON-LD but you can test your pages using their Rich Pins Validator (free account required).
You’ll most likely need to click on the “Fetch New Scrape Information” button. Once you do this the first time, you shouldn’t need to do anything else. It just works.
Q: What’s the Google Merchant Center integration? Can it help me with…?
Google Merchant Center is the system that connects ecommerce products to Google AdWords.
It’s a complex beast of a system that is frankly, quite fragile and suffers from complicated and confusing documentation.
But it’s absolutely the best way to run Google ads for your products.
JSON-LD for SEO has a minor integration with Google Merchant Center to help with automatic item updates. This system is the part that tells Google when product prices or availability changes so your ads can automatically change too.
While JSON-LD for SEO won’t replace the need for a data feed app (e.g. Shopify’s Google Shopping app, Google Sheets) it can help you if you’ve experienced problems getting Automatic Item Updates working.
Feel free to contact me and I can share my guide on integrating the whole system.
Billing
Q: How much does it cost?
The JSON-LD for SEO Plus+ plan is $299, one-time. It adds 6 months of personal monitoring of your Rich Snippet process to ensure you have the best chance possible to get Rich Snippets.
Q: Is there a free trial for JSON-LD for SEO?
I’m sorry, I don’t offer a trial for JSON-LD for SEO. Unlike most apps on the Shopify App Store, JSON-LD for SEO only charges you a one-time fee, rather than an ongoing monthly charge.
Since you’ll get the benefit of the application immediately, you’re charged for the work straight away – just as if you’d hired a web developer or Shopify Expert to do the work for you. Unlike hiring a developer, though, once you install you’ll get free updates and improvements to the data.
If you’d like to see an example of the structured data that it adds, I do have a demo store at the following URL: https://json-ld-for-seo-demo.myshopify.com
Q: Will I be charged every month or only once?
JSON-LD for SEO is a single, one-time charge.
Because it’s meant to replace the work needed by an experienced web developer, charging you a one-time fee makes the most sense.
That way you pay it once, just like if you hired someone for several hours to do the same.
Q: Why do you cost more than [OTHER APP]?
Other apps might claim JSON-LD as one of their features but JSON-LD for SEO is exclusively focused on providing the very best structured data for your store.
I’ve worked one-on-one with at hundreds of different stores, both to help them understand how structured data and Google work together, as well as researching the best data to get actual results in Google (e.g. Rich Snippets). A lot of the structured data themes and apps provide are just ignored by Google.
This is important because one error in your structured data can mean you will lose or never get your Rich Snippets. I’ve seen many such errors in other apps, some errors have been around for six months at a time.
I would recommend thinking about how many sales you’d need to “make back” the cost.
1? 2? 3?
I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about JSON-LD for SEO paying back its investment within the first week or month.
So why does JSON-LD for SEO cost more than the competitors?
Because it’s a premium app that has been designed and optimized to get you results in Google, fast.
Do I Need This?
Q: Does my Shopify store really need structured data?
I’ll be honest, almost every store that asked this question needed this app.
The structured data built-in to most themes is broken and is missing critical data. There’s also the risk of changes to your theme breaking your structured data and losing your Rich Snippets.
So unless you’ve already reviewed your structured data and compared it to Google’s guidelines, you’ll probably benefit from the app.
If you still want to check, I’m happy to run my Structured Data Audit on your store. Just use the contact link to the right to contact support and ask for the Structured Data Audit. It’s 100% free.
Q: How can I trust you, with SEO being full of false promises and scams?
That’s a great question that I wish more people would ask of anyone who sells anything related to SEO and marketing.
I’m a developer first and foremost.
I’ve learned advanced SEO as part of getting traffic to my own business and to help customers, but I’m not an SEO consultant or play one on TV.
The SEO consultants I talk to and get advice from are 100% above-the-board (called white-hat in SEO jargon). They are people who have gotten the results by staying on the good side of Google and providing value to their website visitors.
Even then, I still double-check their advice to make sure it’s safe.
But anyone can say this so, I’d recommend taking a look at the reviews below. All of them are from actual paying customers, no one there has gotten a special deal or discount for providing a review (In fact, it’s against Shopify’s policies too).
Q: Why can’t I do this myself or pay someone else to do it for me?
You could create the JSON-LD structured data by hand for your store.
I estimate if you’re an experienced web developer who knows JSON, Liquid, and HTML it would take you about 3-5 hours to learn enough about structured data to have a basic first version created. Maybe another 5-10 hours or so to reproduce all of the data and product review integrations that JSON-LD for SEO provides.
So if you’re experienced and have 8-15 hours of free time, you totally could do it all yourself.
Though you’ll also want to budget a few hours every month to update and maintain it too. And maybe an hour or so to keep up on the news from Google and the structured data organizations.
If you’d rather pay to have this taken care of and supported, it’s probably a better business decision to buy the app.
Q: I have a question that isn’t here.
If you have another question or concern about the app, feel free contact me at this email address. I’m around every weekday from 9am-5pm and would be happy to answer your question.
Get more organic search traffic for your Shopify store
A premium app that has been designed and optimized to get you results in Google, fast. $299, one-time. No monthly recurring payments needed.