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Product Workflows ​

Product workflows are the primary way to optimize SEO across your Shopify product catalog at scale. Instead of editing each product one by one, a workflow lets you select a batch of products, choose which SEO fields to improve, and let Keystone's AI handle the optimization — either on a schedule or immediately.

This guide covers every step of creating, configuring, and understanding product workflows.

When to Use a Product Workflow ​

Product workflows are ideal when you want to:

  • Optimize SEO for a new collection or seasonal launch all at once
  • Keep your product catalog's SEO fresh with recurring 30-day optimization cycles
  • Ensure consistent, high-quality meta titles and descriptions across many products
  • Generate FAQs and image alt text in bulk without manual effort

If you only need to tweak a single product, consider using Manual Optimization instead.

Creating a Product Workflow ​

Navigate to Workflows from the sidebar, then click "Create new workflow" under the Product Optimization section. You'll be taken to the workflow creation page with the following steps.

1. Name Your Workflow ​

Enter a descriptive name in the Workflow Name field. This name appears in your workflow list, so choose something that helps you identify the workflow later.

Good naming examples:

  • "Summer 2026 Collection SEO"
  • "Weekly Top Sellers Refresh"
  • "New Arrivals — January"
  • "Clearance Items Optimization"

The name field is required — you won't be able to save the workflow without it.

2. Select Products ​

Click "Select Specific Products" to open the Shopify product picker. This is a familiar interface if you've used other Shopify apps — it shows your full product catalog and lets you browse or search for specific items.

Searching and browsing ​

Use the search bar at the top of the picker to find products by name. You can also scroll through your catalog to browse. Select products by clicking on them — a checkmark will appear next to each selected item.

After selection ​

Once you confirm your selection, the chosen products appear in a list below the picker button. From this list you can:

  • Search through your selected products by name to find specific ones
  • Remove individual products by clicking the remove button next to each entry
  • Page through the list if you've selected a large number of products

Product availability rules ​

A product can only belong to one active workflow at a time. "Active" means the workflow is either scheduled to run in the future or currently running. If a product is part of an active workflow, it won't appear in the picker — it's filtered out automatically.

Once that workflow completes (or is disabled/deleted), the product becomes available for selection again. This prevents conflicting optimizations from running on the same product simultaneously.

3. Choose Optimization Fields ​

Select which SEO fields the AI should optimize for your chosen products. Each field targets a different aspect of how your products appear in search results and on your storefront.

Available fields ​

Product Title — The main product name displayed on your store and in search results. The AI refines titles to be more descriptive, keyword-rich, and compelling while staying true to your product.

Product Description — The full product description on your store. The AI improves readability, adds relevant keywords naturally, and structures the content to be more engaging for both shoppers and search engines.

Meta Title — The clickable headline that appears in Google, Bing, and other search engine results. This is often the first thing a potential customer sees, so it needs to be concise, relevant, and enticing. Limited to 60 characters for optimal display.

Meta Description — The short summary shown below the meta title in search results. A well-written meta description increases click-through rates by giving searchers a clear reason to visit your page. Limited to 160 characters for optimal display.

FAQ — AI-generated questions and answers about the product. These improve search discoverability (especially for voice search and featured snippets) and help customers find answers without leaving the page. Requires the FAQ block to be enabled in your theme (see Onboarding).

Alt Text — Alternative text for your product images. This improves accessibility for visually impaired users and helps search engines understand your images, which can drive traffic through image search results.

Required fields ​

Meta Title and Meta Description are always included in every workflow and cannot be deselected. These two fields have the most direct and measurable impact on your search rankings and click-through rates.

4. Set a Trigger ​

Choose when and how the workflow should run.

Scheduled (recurring) ​

Select Schedule and pick a future date and time. The workflow will run at that exact time and then automatically repeat every 30 days to keep your SEO content fresh.

When setting the schedule:

  • The date must be in the future — you can't schedule a workflow for a past date.
  • Set the hour, minute, and AM/PM to control the exact start time.
  • The 30-day recurring cycle starts from this initial date. For example, if you schedule a workflow for March 1st, it will run again on March 31st, April 30th, and so on.

Recurring optimization is valuable because search engine algorithms evolve, competitors update their listings, and seasonal trends shift. A 30-day cycle keeps your SEO aligned with current best practices.

Run now (immediate) ​

Click the "Run Workflow Now" button in the top-right corner to start optimization immediately. The workflow will begin processing your selected products right away.

Use this option when you want results quickly — for example, before a product launch or sale event.

5. Save ​

Click "Save" in the save bar at the bottom of the page. Your workflow is now created and will appear on the Workflows page. If you scheduled it, it will wait for the scheduled time. If you chose to run it now, processing begins immediately.

What Happens During Optimization ​

Once a workflow starts running, here's what happens behind the scenes:

  1. Keystone's AI analyzes each selected product — its current title, description, images, and existing SEO content.
  2. For each selected field, the AI generates an optimized version based on SEO best practices, relevant keywords, and your product's unique attributes.
  3. The optimized content is applied to your Shopify store automatically.
  4. Each change is recorded in the product's Version History, so you can review or revert any changes.

The time it takes depends on how many products are in the workflow and which fields you selected. A workflow with 10 products and all fields selected typically completes within a few minutes.

Tips for Effective Product Workflows ​

  • Start small. If this is your first workflow, select 5–10 products and review the results before scaling up to your full catalog. This lets you get a feel for the AI's output and make sure it matches your brand voice.

  • Group products logically. Create separate workflows for different collections, categories, or seasons. This makes it easier to manage and review results — and lets you schedule different groups at different times.

  • Keep meta fields active. Since Meta Title and Meta Description are always included, every workflow run refreshes the most important SEO fields automatically.

  • Review results after the first run. Open a few optimized products in Manual Optimization to see what changed. If something doesn't look right, you can tweak it manually or restore the previous version from Version History.

  • Let recurring workflows do their job. SEO is not a one-time task. The 30-day cycle ensures your content stays competitive as search trends change.