Detailed guideEcommerce website rebuild or targeted improvements: what do you need?
An ecommerce website rebuild makes sense when the current store cannot support essential buying or operating tasks. If the problem is unclear product information or a broken template, a focused improvement may be enough. Start with the task customers cannot complete, then choose the scope.
Read the detailed guideSeparate a platform limit from a page-level obstacle
Brand operationsGymshark’s reason to rebuild
UK-founded brand · historical 2015-era outage
Shopify’s account reports an eight-hour Black Friday outage; Ben Francis estimated £100,000 in lost sales. Gymshark subsequently moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
Ben Francis, founder, quoted in Shopify’s case
Vendor-published history and a founder estimate. It neither proves every store should migrate nor establishes that a platform change caused later growth.
Read the source notes and related topicsUX researchChristian Holst on product-size clarity
Original usability research · May 30, 2017
Holst reports that shoppers used product images to judge size and sometimes rejected suitable products after misreading scale. The article recommends an image with a familiar size reference.
Christian Holst, Baymard research director and co-founder
A historical observed usability problem, not proof that a particular image will increase your conversion rate. Validate the task on your own store.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Gymshark’s Black Friday outage gave the business a concrete reason to reconsider its store. Apply that level of specificity to your own project: what can the current site no longer do reliably? Ask whether the cause is the platform, an integration or a repairable page template.
Ask for two scoped options: a contained repair and a rebuild. Compare cost, disruption, search continuity, team maintenance and the acceptance tests each option can pass. A rebuild can be the right decision when repeated repairs leave the same dependency unresolved. It is harder to justify when the main issue is missing delivery information or a confusing variant selector that can be fixed directly.
A repair-versus-rebuild comparison with evidence, dependencies, launch risks, ongoing ownership and a concrete definition of done for both options.
Service answerCan Dahna build our US Shopify store and help market it?
Yes. Dahna offers Shopify and brand website work alongside content, creators, paid media and search services. The useful starting point is the buying journey: what the product needs to explain, where the first visitors will come from, and what the team must be able to manage after launch.
A website and its launch marketing can be scoped together or separately. A Korean or European headquarters does not prevent a US-focused project. Product availability, fulfillment information, approved English copy, permissions and store access still need clear owners. Platform eligibility, logistics and legal work are separate responsibilities unless explicitly agreed.
Share your current store or catalog, intended US customer and first launch channel so Dahna can define the build and marketing scope.
Give the website and marketing one shared brief
Brand SEO practiceadidas: combine search and conversion evidence
SearchPilot recap · November 2025, updated February 2026
Morrisey describes a more descriptive product-grid element whose conversion test was flat but whose SEO test showed a traffic gain. The combined evidence supported rollout; no numerical lift is disclosed.
Matthew Morrisey, Organic Search Director for Europe in the interview; Will Critchlow, host
Official interview recap, not raw experiment data. Small catalogs may lack the stable page groups and traffic needed for a comparable controlled SEO test.
Read the source notes and related topicsBrand campaignCeraVe × Michael Cera
US · 2024 Super Bowl campaign
Ogilvy describes a staged narrative connecting influencer appearances, publicity, a website and a Super Bowl reveal. CeraVe’s own campaign page resolves the premise by explaining that the products were developed with dermatologists.
Michael Cera; Adam Kornblum and Charlotte Tansill, campaign speakers at Cannes 2024
A celebrity-scale campaign, not a budget template. Do not imitate the false-rumor device or infer that attention proves profitable sales. These are external examples, not Dahna clients.
How to apply it
Give the website and marketing teams the same launch brief. The store needs to explain the offer in the campaign, and the campaign needs to promote products the business can supply. The adidas example below shows why search and conversion findings belong in the same discussion.
For a combined Dahna project, agree on the pages, content, campaign setup and measurement included. Your team should name the people responsible for inventory, product facts and customer service. A shared brief helps the teams coordinate, while clear deliverables let you check that every part is ready.
A single launch map connecting each audience and offer to its asset, page, tracking check, operational owner and post-launch review.
Published guideWhy does our brand need its own website if we already sell on marketplaces?
Choose the next channel by the demand you can serve and the work you can support—not by a universal platform winner. Compare customer fit, contribution, content capacity, fulfillment, and measurement. An established US brand may get more from fixing its current channel than adding another.
Open the full guide for the examples and steps.
Give shoppers a place to resolve the full product question
Product-page exampleGlossier: identify the exact formula
US Balm Dotcom page · inspected October 12, 2026
The inspected page distinguishes ingredient lists by flavor and includes original-formula wording. A shopper can inspect a specific product’s information rather than relying on a general brand description.
Glossier’s own product documentation
This is a factual product-page example, not an observed AI-error case or a study of ranking effects. Live product information can change.
Read the source notes and related topicsBrand localizationKASH Beauty’s local purchase experience
Ireland-founded cosmetics brand · international storefront case
Shopify’s case identifies local marketing, copy and currency as connected parts of KASH Beauty’s expansion. Conor Cochrane discusses fitting the storefront to the destination market.
Keilidh Cashell, founder; Conor Cochrane, director in Shopify’s case
This is an international example, not a verified US-only result. No isolated uplift is used. Local implementation needs its own customer evidence.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Give customers a place to understand the full range, check current product facts and find support. Glossier’s product documentation and KASH Beauty’s localized storefront illustrate parts of that role. A useful brand site can support customers who ultimately buy through a marketplace too.
Decide which tasks the site must handle well before expanding it. A small catalog may need excellent product pages, an understandable comparison and reliable delivery information more than a large editorial section. Connect marketplace and creator activity to appropriate destinations where the platform permits it. The case for the website should rest on customer needs and operating control, with its maintenance cost included in the decision.
A website task map covering discovery, comparison, product verification, purchase, support and the relationship with each marketplace or retail destination.
Service answerWhat changes the cost of a Shopify website for our brand?
The cost changes with the work the store must support: catalog size and complexity, theme customization, product copy, photography, integrations, language needs and how much existing content can be reused. A homepage redesign and a complete buying journey are different scopes even if both are called a website project.
Ask what is included in the quote and what your team must provide. Make content production, migration, subscriptions and ongoing support visible. Dahna can estimate the project once the page requirements, catalog and available assets are clear.
Prepare a page list, product list, must-have integrations and examples of assets already ready to use.
Price the scope against the problem it must solve
Brand operationsGymshark’s reason to rebuild
UK-founded brand · historical 2015-era outage
Shopify’s account reports an eight-hour Black Friday outage; Ben Francis estimated £100,000 in lost sales. Gymshark subsequently moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
Ben Francis, founder, quoted in Shopify’s case
Vendor-published history and a founder estimate. It neither proves every store should migrate nor establishes that a platform change caused later growth.
Read the source notes and related topicsUX researchChristian Holst on product-size clarity
Original usability research · May 30, 2017
Holst reports that shoppers used product images to judge size and sometimes rejected suitable products after misreading scale. The article recommends an image with a familiar size reference.
Christian Holst, Baymard research director and co-founder
A historical observed usability problem, not proof that a particular image will increase your conversion rate. Validate the task on your own store.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Two proposals called an ecommerce redesign may solve completely different problems. One may repair unreliable integrations; another may improve product photos, copy and templates. Gymshark’s rebuild and Christian Holst’s usability research illustrate why the brief matters more than the project label.
Ask each proposal to separate discovery, design, development, content migration, integrations, quality checks, search continuity and training. Record assumptions about catalog size, variant complexity and who supplies copy and photography. Include ongoing tools and maintenance. The useful comparison is which proposal resolves the verified problem with an operable result, rather than which delivers the most screens for the lowest headline fee.
A comparable scope and cost sheet, including assumptions, required brand inputs, ongoing expenses, acceptance criteria and change-request rules.
Service answerHow long would our website take, and what do we need ready?
Timing depends on the scope and on when the brand can supply approved product facts, media, access and decisions. A small build with ready content follows a different path from a store waiting for new photography or a complex catalog. Set the timeline after discovery, with review dates and dependencies visible.
Agree who approves copy and design, who provides shipping and returns information, and who will test checkout. If a launch date is fixed, reduce the first release to a credible shopping experience and schedule optional work later. Treat any initial timeline as a planning estimate until the scope is agreed.
Name one decision-maker and collect product details, assets, store access and fulfillment information before the kickoff.
Build the schedule around the slowest dependency
Brand operationsGymshark’s reason to rebuild
UK-founded brand · historical 2015-era outage
Shopify’s account reports an eight-hour Black Friday outage; Ben Francis estimated £100,000 in lost sales. Gymshark subsequently moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
Ben Francis, founder, quoted in Shopify’s case
Vendor-published history and a founder estimate. It neither proves every store should migrate nor establishes that a platform change caused later growth.
Read the source notes and related topicsBrand localizationKASH Beauty’s local purchase experience
Ireland-founded cosmetics brand · international storefront case
Shopify’s case identifies local marketing, copy and currency as connected parts of KASH Beauty’s expansion. Conor Cochrane discusses fitting the storefront to the destination market.
Keilidh Cashell, founder; Conor Cochrane, director in Shopify’s case
This is an international example, not a verified US-only result. No isolated uplift is used. Local implementation needs its own customer evidence.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Find the work that can hold up launch: product facts, photography, integration access, stock setup and approvals. Design cannot finish those tasks on the brand’s behalf. Build the schedule around when those inputs will actually be ready.
Assign an owner and due date to each dependency before promising launch. Use staged reviews for the customer journey, representative templates and real product data. Leave time to correct failures found in checkout and mobile testing. If the launch date is fixed, define a smaller complete scope that can be supported, then schedule later improvements explicitly.
A milestone schedule with dependencies, brand inputs, review windows, contingency time and a minimum launch scope that still supports a complete purchase.
Published guideWhat should a product page explain before a shopper will buy?
The next product page is not simply more animated. It is better at helping a customer see the product, understand its fit, and trust the purchase. Beauty brands need a hybrid of ecommerce utility, category-specific education, creator-style demonstration, and distinctive art direction. Three.js can strengthen that system when 3D reveals something useful, but the page still needs fast, accessible, server-rendered product facts and an obvious path to buy.
Open the full guide for the examples and steps.
Answer the uncertainties that prevent a confident choice
Product-page exampleGlossier: identify the exact formula
US Balm Dotcom page · inspected October 12, 2026
The inspected page distinguishes ingredient lists by flavor and includes original-formula wording. A shopper can inspect a specific product’s information rather than relying on a general brand description.
Glossier’s own product documentation
This is a factual product-page example, not an observed AI-error case or a study of ranking effects. Live product information can change.
Read the source notes and related topicsUX researchChristian Holst on product-size clarity
Original usability research · May 30, 2017
Holst reports that shoppers used product images to judge size and sometimes rejected suitable products after misreading scale. The article recommends an image with a familiar size reference.
Christian Holst, Baymard research director and co-founder
A historical observed usability problem, not proof that a particular image will increase your conversion rate. Validate the task on your own store.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
List what a first-time shopper needs to know: size, variant, contents, intended use, limitations and delivery. Glossier’s product details and Christian Holst’s size research offer concrete examples. Put the information where it helps someone choose.
Use photographs or demonstrations where words alone leave uncertainty. Put important variant differences beside the selector and clarify what the package includes. Keep factual information in accessible text rather than hiding everything inside an image or video. Read the finished page with a customer who has not seen the campaign and note the questions that remain unanswered.
A product-page content checklist tied to real customer questions, with approved facts, matching visuals, variant differences and responsibility for keeping each field current.
Published guideWhere should creator videos and customer proof go on our store?
The next product page is not simply more animated. It is better at helping a customer see the product, understand its fit, and trust the purchase. Beauty brands need a hybrid of ecommerce utility, category-specific education, creator-style demonstration, and distinctive art direction. Three.js can strengthen that system when 3D reveals something useful, but the page still needs fast, accessible, server-rendered product facts and an obvious path to buy.
Open the full guide for the examples and steps.
Place the video beside the uncertainty it resolves
UX researchChristian Holst on product-size clarity
Original usability research · May 30, 2017
Holst reports that shoppers used product images to judge size and sometimes rejected suitable products after misreading scale. The article recommends an image with a familiar size reference.
Christian Holst, Baymard research director and co-founder
A historical observed usability problem, not proof that a particular image will increase your conversion rate. Validate the task on your own store.
Read the source notes and related topicsProduct-page exampleGlossier: identify the exact formula
US Balm Dotcom page · inspected October 12, 2026
The inspected page distinguishes ingredient lists by flavor and includes original-formula wording. A shopper can inspect a specific product’s information rather than relying on a general brand description.
Glossier’s own product documentation
This is a factual product-page example, not an observed AI-error case or a study of ranking effects. Live product information can change.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Place each video beside the question it answers. A size demonstration belongs near dimensions; a comparison belongs where shoppers choose between products. Christian Holst’s image research is relevant to that practical question, though it does not test every video placement.
Keep the purchase controls usable while the video loads or plays. Provide accurate captions and a short text explanation so the answer is available without sound. Confirm usage rights and that the demonstrated version still matches the listing. Review whether shoppers can complete the task more easily; video plays alone cannot establish that the placement improved the buying experience.
A placement plan naming the customer question, video segment, supporting text, loading behavior, usage permission and the task used to evaluate the change.
Published guideHow do we help shoppers choose between similar products?
Build a comparison page when shoppers repeatedly struggle to choose between related products and the meaningful differences cannot be explained clearly in a small product-page module. Compare the same verified fields across each SKU, explain who may prefer each option and preserve uncertainty. A comparison page should clarify a choice, not manufacture a winner or repeat every product description.
Open the full guide for the examples and steps.
Compare options on the dimensions the shopper actually uses
Product-page exampleGlossier: identify the exact formula
US Balm Dotcom page · inspected October 12, 2026
The inspected page distinguishes ingredient lists by flavor and includes original-formula wording. A shopper can inspect a specific product’s information rather than relying on a general brand description.
Glossier’s own product documentation
This is a factual product-page example, not an observed AI-error case or a study of ranking effects. Live product information can change.
Read the source notes and related topicsExpert discussionAleyda Solís on ecommerce SEO and GEO
Official webinar recap · July 2025
The recap emphasizes agreement between visible product information, structured data and Merchant Center feeds. It also discusses useful product-page reviews and expert context.
Aleyda Solís, SEO consultant; Will Critchlow, SearchPilot host
Expert guidance, not a controlled GEO uplift study. We reviewed the official recap, not the complete video transcript. Inclusion in an AI answer remains outside an agency’s control.
How to apply it
Compare products using the differences shoppers care about: finish, size, ingredients, intended use or kit contents. State those differences clearly. A table that describes every option as perfect for everyone leaves the customer with the same choice they had before.
Use the same definitions and measurement basis across columns. Explain tradeoffs and identify the customer who should choose each option. Link every product name to the exact relevant destination and keep availability current. If a comparison involves another brand, verify its current information and show the source and date; do not turn an assumed weakness into a factual claim.
A decision table with consistent comparison criteria, verified product facts, suitable customer situations, limitations and direct links to the available options.
Service answerHow should we organize products so shoppers can find the right one?
Group products around how customers choose: product type, a relevant use case or a clear difference between options. Use labels a new shopper understands. A very small catalog may need only a few meaningful paths; a large menu is not automatically more helpful.
Make category pages lead to the right products and provide contextual links between useful guidance and purchase pages. Avoid creating almost identical collections for every wording variation. The test is whether the structure helps someone find and compare the product they need.
Ask a person unfamiliar with the brand to find a product for a specific use case; note the labels or choices that slow them down.
Organize the catalog around a shopping task
Brand SEO practiceadidas: combine search and conversion evidence
SearchPilot recap · November 2025, updated February 2026
Morrisey describes a more descriptive product-grid element whose conversion test was flat but whose SEO test showed a traffic gain. The combined evidence supported rollout; no numerical lift is disclosed.
Matthew Morrisey, Organic Search Director for Europe in the interview; Will Critchlow, host
Official interview recap, not raw experiment data. Small catalogs may lack the stable page groups and traffic needed for a comparable controlled SEO test.
Read the source notes and related topicsPlatform educationAlan Kent: the product-discovery foundation
Google Search Central · foundational 2021–2022 video series
The selected resources explain getting product information into Search and improving an ecommerce site’s search presentation. Current Google documentation accompanies the older videos.
Alan Kent, presenter in Google Search Central’s ecommerce videos
Platform education rather than an independent brand-results study. Older videos are learning resources; current documentation governs implementation details.
How to apply it
Start with how customers look for products. They may browse by type, use or an important feature, while internal collection names leave them guessing. The adidas product-grid example is a useful reminder to review both discovery and the experience of choosing.
Keep category labels understandable and make products reachable through ordinary links. Avoid creating many near-identical collections that differ only by keyword phrasing. On mobile, check whether filters and sorting make sense for the actual assortment. A small catalog may need a clear comparison more than elaborate filtering. Evaluate whether the organization helps someone find a suitable item without already knowing its name.
A catalog map linking customer tasks to collections, filters and products, with a rationale for each indexable destination and a mobile task check.
Service answerWhy does our store look good on desktop but lose people on phones?
Review the complete purchase task on a real phone, including the browser opened inside a social app. Check whether text is legible, the product is clear, variant controls work, and shipping information is visible before payment. Sticky banners, pop-ups and heavy media can get in the way even when the desktop layout looks polished.
Inspect the actual points of hesitation alongside device-level store data. A mobile conversion gap is a reason to investigate, not proof that speed or layout alone caused it. Fix the most direct obstacle and review the same task again.
Record a mobile product-to-checkout walkthrough and choose the first obstacle a shopper encounters.
Test the real mobile purchase, not only the page width
UX researchChristian Holst on product-size clarity
Original usability research · May 30, 2017
Holst reports that shoppers used product images to judge size and sometimes rejected suitable products after misreading scale. The article recommends an image with a familiar size reference.
Christian Holst, Baymard research director and co-founder
A historical observed usability problem, not proof that a particular image will increase your conversion rate. Validate the task on your own store.
Read the source notes and related topicsBrand operationsGymshark’s reason to rebuild
UK-founded brand · historical 2015-era outage
Shopify’s account reports an eight-hour Black Friday outage; Ben Francis estimated £100,000 in lost sales. Gymshark subsequently moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
Ben Francis, founder, quoted in Shopify’s case
Vendor-published history and a founder estimate. It neither proves every store should migrate nor establishes that a platform change caused later growth.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Check the whole purchase on a phone. A page can resize correctly and still have a difficult variant selector, hidden delivery costs or a failed payment step. Also check whether its images give shoppers enough detail to judge the product.
Use representative devices and a realistic connection. Test product discovery, image inspection, variant choice, cart changes, address entry, payment and confirmation. Note where overlays, sticky elements or third-party widgets compete with the main task. Combine technical performance measurements with observed task failures; a better score is valuable when it corresponds to a more reliable and usable experience.
A mobile purchase test log with device, connection, product, failed step, evidence, severity, owner and a retest confirming the fix.
Service answerCan our existing Korean or European store work for US shoppers?
Often, the current store can support a US launch with focused changes. Review the customer's language, product explanation, currency display, delivery expectations, returns information and payment experience. Preserve the brand identity while removing assumptions that only customers in the home market understand.
A separate site is a bigger decision involving content ownership and operations. Do not create a US copy merely to add country keywords. Dahna can help adapt the buying experience and marketing; the brand must confirm the practical and regulatory conditions for selling the product in the market.
Walk through your best-selling product as a first-time US customer and mark each missing fact or unfamiliar reference.
Review the US storefront as a local customer would
Brand localizationKASH Beauty’s local purchase experience
Ireland-founded cosmetics brand · international storefront case
Shopify’s case identifies local marketing, copy and currency as connected parts of KASH Beauty’s expansion. Conor Cochrane discusses fitting the storefront to the destination market.
Keilidh Cashell, founder; Conor Cochrane, director in Shopify’s case
This is an international example, not a verified US-only result. No isolated uplift is used. Local implementation needs its own customer evidence.
Read the source notes and related topicsProduct-page exampleGlossier: identify the exact formula
US Balm Dotcom page · inspected October 12, 2026
The inspected page distinguishes ingredient lists by flavor and includes original-formula wording. A shopper can inspect a specific product’s information rather than relying on a general brand description.
Glossier’s own product documentation
This is a factual product-page example, not an observed AI-error case or a study of ranking effects. Live product information can change.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Begin with the offer US customers can actually receive. Confirm the version, size, kit contents, inventory and support before adapting the copy. KASH Beauty’s international storefront is a useful example of changing the buying experience alongside the message.
Check currency, price presentation, shipping estimates, returns and customer-service hours with the teams responsible. Adapt examples and explanations where the original assumes familiarity with the home market. Preserve the brand’s origin and useful product story. Localization should remove avoidable uncertainty without pretending the company is based somewhere it is not.
A US storefront audit covering offer, product facts, language, currency, delivery, returns, support and consistency with US-facing creator and paid content.
Published guideWhat should we check before sending ads and influencers to a new store?
Launch an owned beauty store in four phases. Before the build: pick the platform and plan, confirm label and claims readiness, and assign one store owner. During the build: write concern-led, claims-safe product pages with full ingredient lists, publish privacy, terms, shipping, and returns pages, switch on email and SMS capture with real consent, and install analytics and pixels. Pre-launch: QA on mobile, test speed against Core Web Vitals, and place a real order end to end. Week one: reconcile analytics against actual orders daily and fix what real customers stumble on. The platform is the easy part; the education and compliance layers are what beauty stores usually launch without.
Open the full guide for the examples and steps.
Launch only after a complete customer journey works
Brand operationsGymshark’s reason to rebuild
UK-founded brand · historical 2015-era outage
Shopify’s account reports an eight-hour Black Friday outage; Ben Francis estimated £100,000 in lost sales. Gymshark subsequently moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
Ben Francis, founder, quoted in Shopify’s case
Vendor-published history and a founder estimate. It neither proves every store should migrate nor establishes that a platform change caused later growth.
Read the source notes and related topicsProduct-page exampleGlossier: identify the exact formula
US Balm Dotcom page · inspected October 12, 2026
The inspected page distinguishes ingredient lists by flavor and includes original-formula wording. A shopper can inspect a specific product’s information rather than relying on a general brand description.
Glossier’s own product documentation
This is a factual product-page example, not an observed AI-error case or a study of ranking effects. Live product information can change.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Test the store with real product information and policies before sending visitors to it. Check that it loads reliably and explains the offer clearly. Placeholder text can hide questions about delivery, contents or availability until customers start asking them.
Run a complete purchase test and confirm the order appears where fulfillment expects it. Check confirmation messages, support routes, analytics events and the handling of out-of-stock variants. Inspect important search metadata, existing URLs and inbound campaign links. Record who can pause a campaign or roll back a release if a critical issue appears. A launch checklist should contain observable checks rather than a single approval that everything looks good.
A signed-off launch record covering product accuracy, mobile purchase, fulfillment, support, measurement, search continuity and recovery ownership.
Service answerShould SEO be included while we build the website?
Yes. Product structure, useful page titles, accessible content and internal links are easier to plan while the store is being built. Decide which pages should answer a product question, organize a category or teach a shopper before designing templates around them.
Include a search handoff in the build scope: the important URLs, indexability checks, product information and measurement access. SEO does not end at launch. Someone still needs to review how customers find the site and whether the pages meet those needs.
Add the priority search pages and the existing URLs that must be preserved to the website brief.
Resolve search decisions while the templates are still flexible
Platform educationAlan Kent: the product-discovery foundation
Google Search Central · foundational 2021–2022 video series
The selected resources explain getting product information into Search and improving an ecommerce site’s search presentation. Current Google documentation accompanies the older videos.
Alan Kent, presenter in Google Search Central’s ecommerce videos
Platform education rather than an independent brand-results study. Older videos are learning resources; current documentation governs implementation details.
Brand SEO practiceadidas: combine search and conversion evidence
SearchPilot recap · November 2025, updated February 2026
Morrisey describes a more descriptive product-grid element whose conversion test was flat but whose SEO test showed a traffic gain. The combined evidence supported rollout; no numerical lift is disclosed.
Matthew Morrisey, Organic Search Director for Europe in the interview; Will Critchlow, host
Official interview recap, not raw experiment data. Small catalogs may lack the stable page groups and traffic needed for a comparable controlled SEO test.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Decide how products, variants, collections and guides connect while the navigation and templates are still being designed. Alan Kent’s ecommerce resources can help frame those decisions. People and search engines both need a clear route to important products.
Include titles, headings, visible product facts, internal links and supported structured data in representative template reviews. Map existing URLs before migration and preserve protected destinations. Give the content team a way to maintain the required fields after launch. SEO added at the end often becomes a patch list for decisions that could have been settled during design.
A search-aware template specification and URL inventory, with responsibility for metadata, product information, navigation, redirects where authorized and post-launch inspection.
Service answerCan our team manage the store after the agency builds it?
The store should be designed around what your team will maintain. Identify routine tasks such as changing a price, adding a product, editing a page or replacing a campaign banner. Ask the agency to demonstrate those tasks in the actual setup before handoff.
Confirm brand-owned access, documentation, training and which changes require development support. A highly customized site can create extra maintenance work, so custom features should solve a specific business need. Agree on ongoing support separately from the build.
List the five updates your team makes most often and use them as the handoff acceptance checklist.
Test the handoff with the person who will maintain the store
Brand localizationKASH Beauty’s local purchase experience
Ireland-founded cosmetics brand · international storefront case
Shopify’s case identifies local marketing, copy and currency as connected parts of KASH Beauty’s expansion. Conor Cochrane discusses fitting the storefront to the destination market.
Keilidh Cashell, founder; Conor Cochrane, director in Shopify’s case
This is an international example, not a verified US-only result. No isolated uplift is used. Local implementation needs its own customer evidence.
Read the source notes and related topicsBrand SEO practiceadidas: combine search and conversion evidence
SearchPilot recap · November 2025, updated February 2026
Morrisey describes a more descriptive product-grid element whose conversion test was flat but whose SEO test showed a traffic gain. The combined evidence supported rollout; no numerical lift is disclosed.
Matthew Morrisey, Organic Search Director for Europe in the interview; Will Critchlow, host
Official interview recap, not raw experiment data. Small catalogs may lack the stable page groups and traffic needed for a comparable controlled SEO test.
Read the source notes and related topicsHow to apply it
Have the person who will maintain the store try the everyday editing tasks. Can they update a product without breaking the layout or removing useful search information? Access to the admin screen is only the starting point.
Have that person update a real product, change an image, adjust availability and publish an approved content correction in a suitable test environment. Provide short instructions for recurring tasks and explain which changes need specialist help. Confirm account ownership, access recovery and support arrangements. Keep the operational documentation connected to the actual implementation rather than delivering a generic platform manual.
A task-based handoff checklist with recorded walkthroughs, account ownership, editing boundaries, support contacts and evidence that the brand owner completed the routine tasks.
Service answerIf we rebuild our store, how do we protect existing search traffic?
Inventory the current pages and identify the ones with search visits, useful links or a role in the customer journey. Preserve working URLs where possible. If a URL must change, plan and test an appropriate destination, then check navigation, canonical information and indexing controls before launch.
A rebuild needs a before-and-after record. Keep the old URL list and baseline search data, inspect the launch, and monitor important pages afterward. No agency should promise that a migration has zero search risk. A visual refresh with unchanged URLs may be the smaller, better project.
Request a page inventory and URL preservation plan before approving a rebuild scope.
Treat existing search destinations as business assets
Brand operationsGymshark’s reason to rebuild
UK-founded brand · historical 2015-era outage
Shopify’s account reports an eight-hour Black Friday outage; Ben Francis estimated £100,000 in lost sales. Gymshark subsequently moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
Ben Francis, founder, quoted in Shopify’s case
Vendor-published history and a founder estimate. It neither proves every store should migrate nor establishes that a platform change caused later growth.
Read the source notes and related topicsPlatform educationAlan Kent: the product-discovery foundation
Google Search Central · foundational 2021–2022 video series
The selected resources explain getting product information into Search and improving an ecommerce site’s search presentation. Current Google documentation accompanies the older videos.
Alan Kent, presenter in Google Search Central’s ecommerce videos
Platform education rather than an independent brand-results study. Older videos are learning resources; current documentation governs implementation details.
How to apply it
List the pages that already bring useful visits or have links from other sites. Keep that inventory before changing the platform, templates or content. A redesign should preserve the routes customers already use to find your products.
Preserve working URLs and document any essential changes with a page-by-page mapping. Check canonical tags, indexing settings, product facts, titles and internal links before launch. Compare important pages with the old site, then monitor them against a dated search baseline. Give someone responsibility for investigating drops or broken destinations.
A migration continuity register with old and new behavior, protected URL checks, content parity, prelaunch tests, postlaunch observations and recovery actions.