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Getting Started with Keystone AI SEO
Keystone AI SEO is a Shopify app that uses artificial intelligence to optimize your store's SEO. It generates improved product titles, descriptions, meta tags, FAQs, and image alt text — and shows whether AI shopping assistants recommend your store — helping your products and articles rank higher in search engines and AI-powered discovery tools.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know, from initial setup to managing ongoing optimizations.
Table of Contents
- Onboarding (First-Time Setup)
- AI Visibility
- Dashboard Overview
- Creating a Product Workflow
- Creating an Article Workflow
- Managing Workflows
- Optimizing a Single Item
- Version History
- FAQ and Tips
1. Onboarding (First-Time Setup)
The first time you open Keystone AI SEO, a setup wizard replaces the dashboard. It scans a sample of your catalog, then walks you through:
- Store context — who your customers are and where they shop, what you sell, the problems you solve, and your brand voice. Choose Around the world or Specific regions and countries on an interactive map. That choice powers content targeting and lets AI Visibility name your markets when it asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, Gemini, and Shopify Agentic about products like yours.
- Content gaps — which sampled products need attention first
- Optimize a product — run an optimization on the weakest product
- FAQ setup — add the Keystone FAQ block in the theme editor (or skip it and use the legacy theme guide)
- LLMs.txt — open the page that generates a discovery file for AI crawlers
- A workflow — create an automatic optimization that keeps running
Click Finish setup on the summary screen to open the dashboard. You can close the wizard early and finish these tasks from the sidebar.
The same answers live in Settings → Store context, where you can edit markets and the rest of the profile without starting over. Restart onboarding in Settings runs the wizard again and clears that saved profile. It does not delete optimizations or workflows.
See Onboarding for the full walkthrough.
2. AI Visibility
AI Visibility (sidebar) answers: when shoppers ask AI assistants for a product like yours, do you show up?
You'll get a catalog readiness score, per-assistant presence, setup foundations, prioritized boosts, real buyer questions with live or forecast measurements, and competitor share of voice. Buyer-question scans respect the selling markets you chose in onboarding.
See the full guide: AI Visibility.
3. Dashboard Overview
After onboarding, Home is your dashboard. The top actions are Create product workflow and Optimize products.
At a glance
- Optimizations used — a count out of 3,000. Manual optimizations and workflow runs both count, and a workflow counts when it runs, not when you save it.
- Workflows — how many product and article workflows you have.
Reaching 3,000 blocks further optimizations. A repeating workflow will not schedule another run after the cap is reached.
Get started
Shortcuts open Product optimization, Article optimization, Workflows, and LLMs.txt. AI Visibility is in the sidebar, where you check whether assistants recommend the content you've optimized.
Recent workflows and LLMs.txt
Recent workflows lists the latest runs, with View all for the full list. The LLMs.txt card shows whether the discovery file is not generated, in progress, ready, or failed.
Help Banner
A dismissible We're here to help banner offers two ways to get assistance. Dismissing it hides it for the current browser session.
- Book a call — schedule a free setup call with the Keystone team
- Contact Support — opens a live chat widget for direct support
4. Creating a Product Workflow
Navigate to Workflows, then click Add Workflow under Product Optimization. If you have no product workflows yet, click Create product workflow. You can also start from Create product workflow on Home.
Step-by-Step
1. Name Your Workflow
Enter a descriptive name in the Workflow Name field (e.g., "Summer Collection SEO" or "Weekly Product Refresh"). This is required.
2. Select Products
Click "Select Specific Products" to open the Shopify product picker. Browse or search for the products you want to optimize, then confirm your selection.
Your selected products appear in a list below. You can:
- Search through your selected products by name
- Remove individual products by clicking the remove button next to each one
- Page through your selection if you've picked many products
Note: Products that are already part of an active workflow (scheduled or currently running) won't appear in the picker. Once that workflow completes, the products become available for selection again.
3. Choose Optimization Fields
Select which SEO fields the AI should optimize. The available fields are:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Product Title | The main title shown on your store and in search results |
| Product Description | The full product description displayed on your store |
| Meta Title | The clickable headline that appears in search engine results |
| Meta Description | The short summary shown under the meta title in search results |
| FAQ | Questions and answers that improve product clarity and search discoverability |
| Alt Text | Alternative text for product images, improving accessibility and image SEO |
Meta Title and Meta Description are always included and cannot be deselected — these are the most impactful fields for search rankings.
4. Set a Schedule
The Schedule card controls the first run and how often it repeats.
How often
- Every — enter a whole number of days from 1 to 365. New workflows start at 30.
- Just once — the workflow runs one time and does not schedule another run.
When the first run starts
Leave Run at a later date off to run as soon as you save. Turn it on to pick a first-run date and time. The date cannot be in the past.
A summary under the controls describes the schedule in plain language. Older workflows that were saved before intervals existed still repeat every calendar month until you change the number of days.
5. Save
Click Save in the save bar. The workflow appears on the Workflows page. If you left Run at a later date off, the first run is queued immediately. Optimization usage is counted when that run executes, not when you click Save.
5. Creating an Article Workflow
Navigate to Workflows, then click Add Workflow under Article Optimization. If you have no article workflows yet, click Create article workflow. The process is very similar to product workflows, with a few differences.
Differences from Product Workflows
Article Selection
Instead of the Shopify product picker, you'll see a Select Articles modal. This modal displays all your blog articles in a list with checkboxes. You can:
- Search articles by title
- Select all available articles on the current page
- Page through your articles
Articles already in an active workflow are shown with a disabled checkbox and a grey background. A banner at the top of the modal explains: "Articles that are already part of an optimization workflow cannot be selected."
Optimization Fields
The fields are tailored for articles:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Article Title | The main headline of the article |
| Article Content | The full body text of the article |
| Meta Title | The clickable headline in search engine results |
| Meta Description | The summary shown under the meta title in search results |
| FAQ | Questions and answers that improve article clarity and discoverability |
| Alt Text | Alternative text for the article's featured image |
As with product workflows, Meta Title and Meta Description are always included.
Scheduling and Saving
The schedule and save options work the same way as product workflows: run on save or on a later date, once or every 1–365 days. New workflows default to every 30 days.
6. Managing Workflows
The Workflows page shows all your workflows organized into two sections: Product Optimization and Article Optimization.
Workflow Table
Each workflow displays the following information:
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The workflow name you chose |
| Start | When the workflow is scheduled to run |
| Completed at | When it finished (if applicable) |
| Status | Current status — see below |
| State | Whether the workflow is Enabled or Disabled |
| Trigger | Automatic for workflows created from the schedule form, including one-time schedules. Manual is an older immediate run. How often an automatic workflow repeats is set on its schedule, not by this badge. |
| Affected Resources | How many products or articles were processed |
Understanding Statuses
- Scheduled — the workflow is queued and waiting for its start time
- Started — the workflow is currently running and optimizing your items
- Completed — all items were successfully optimized
- Stopped — the workflow was manually disabled or canceled
- Failed — something went wrong during optimization
Actions You Can Take
On individual workflows:
- Edit (pencil icon) — change the name, items, fields, or schedule. A workflow that is currently running cannot be edited.
- View (eye icon) — see the workflow details and which items were affected
- Enable/Disable (toggle icon) — pause or resume a workflow
- Delete (trash icon) — remove the workflow permanently
In bulk (select multiple workflows using checkboxes):
- Bulk Enable — enable all selected workflows
- Bulk Disable — disable all selected workflows
- Bulk Delete — remove all selected workflows
Viewing Workflow Details
Click the view icon on any workflow to see its full details, including:
- Workflow name, status, and state
- Trigger type and timing
- A table of all products or articles that were (or will be) optimized, with thumbnails and titles
7. Optimizing a Single Item
Not everything needs a workflow. Product Optimization and Article Optimization in the app navigation are for one item at a time.
When to Use Them
- You want to tweak a single product or article without a workflow
- You want to review product suggestions before they go live
- You need to update a specific item
How It Works
- Open Product Optimization or Article Optimization
- Browse or search for the item
- Click it to open the editor
The Single Item Editor
When you open a product or article, you'll see a full editing page with these sections:
Editable Fields
All SEO fields are available for direct editing:
- Title — edit the product or article title
- Description / Content — a rich text editor for the main body text, with formatting tools (bold, italic, lists, headings, links, and more)
- Meta Title — edit the search engine title
- Meta Description — edit the search engine description
- Alt Text — edit the image alt text
- FAQ — add, edit, or remove question-and-answer pairs
SEO Preview
A live preview shows exactly how your product or article will appear in search engine results, updating as you type changes to the meta title and meta description.
Optimize Now
Products. Each field has an Optimize checkbox. Select all, Select failing (fields the SEO score marks as failing), and Clear sit above the form. Alt text is only offered when the product has an image. The product title is available but is left unchecked until you include it. Click Optimize Now and the selected fields fill with suggestions. Shopify does not change until you click Save.
Articles. Optimize Now analyzes the article and saves the optimized fields immediately. Alt text is updated only when the article already has an image. Previous versions stay in Version History.
Saving
When you edit fields by hand — or when a product optimization is waiting in the form — a save bar appears at the bottom of the page:
- Save — pushes your changes to Shopify immediately
- Discard — reverts all unsaved changes
Article Optimize Now already saves, so that save bar is for later edits, not for the optimization itself.
8. Version History
Every change made to a product or article — whether by a workflow or a manual edit — is tracked in the Version History section at the bottom of each single item editor page.
What It Tracks
- Which field was changed (title, description, meta title, etc.)
- The original value before the change
- The new value after the change
- The date and time of the change
- Whether the change was made by a workflow (with a link to that workflow)
Restoring a Previous Version
If an optimization didn't turn out as expected, you can restore a previous version of any field directly from the version history. This gives you full control and peace of mind when using automated workflows.
9. FAQ and Tips
Why can't I select a product or article?
If a product or article appears disabled or hidden in the selection picker, it's because it's already part of an active workflow (either scheduled to run or currently running). Once that workflow completes, the item becomes available for selection again.
How often do workflows run?
You choose. Every repeats on a fixed interval of 1 to 365 days (new workflows default to 30). Just once does not schedule another run. Leave Run at a later date off to start as soon as you save, or turn it on and pick the first date and time.
Workflows created before this schedule existed still repeat every calendar month. Open the workflow, change the number of days, and save to switch it to a fixed interval.
What is the optimization limit?
Each store can use 3,000 optimizations. The Home dashboard shows the count. Usage increases when an optimization actually runs. At the cap, new optimizations are blocked and a repeating workflow does not schedule its next run.
Which fields are always optimized?
Meta Title and Meta Description are required in every workflow. These two fields have the most direct impact on how your pages appear in search results.
Can I edit AI-generated content before it goes live?
For products, yes. Optimize Now only fills the form. Edit the suggestions, then Save to publish them, or Discard to drop them.
For articles, Optimize Now saves immediately. Open the article afterward to adjust fields, or restore an earlier version from Version History.
Can I undo an optimization?
Yes. Every change is tracked in Version History on the single item editor page. You can restore any previous version of a field at any time.
Why do I choose regions or countries during setup?
So Keystone writes for the shoppers you sell to, and so AI Visibility asks assistants about your store in those markets instead of a generic worldwide prompt. Choose Around the world if you aren't focused on specific countries — AI Visibility then uses your Shopify billing country. Edit anytime in Settings → Store context. See Onboarding.
How do I see if ChatGPT or Perplexity recommend my store?
Open AI Visibility in the sidebar. Use Visibility Foundations and Boost for setup and catalog fixes, then Buyer questions (and a live scan) to measure recommendations across assistants. See AI Visibility.
How do I get help?
Two options are available from the dashboard:
- Book a call — schedule a free setup session with the Keystone team
- Contact Support — open a live chat for immediate assistance