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Off the Record Ecommerce

Leighton Taylor & Patrick Rice 6 Episodes Aug 21, 2026

This podcast features insider conversations about growing an ecommerce brand on Shopify. Topics include marketing, conversion strategy, operations, and scaling. Hosts Leighton Taylor and Patrick Rice discuss what's working now and what isn't in the ecommerce space.

Episodes

Get Your Store Recommended by ChatGPT Before Black Friday Aug 21, 2026 2108 Agentic commerce is generating a lot of hype, but very few people are actually buying inside AI tools yet. Leighton and Patrick break down where AI really fits in ecommerce today, and the practical Shopify setup work every store owner should be doing right now. Links Mentioned Shopify Knowledge Base app: https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-knowledge-base Shopify Inbox: https://apps.shopify.com/inbox

Shopify AOV: How to Increase Your AOV (and the Mistake that Backfires) Aug 14, 2026 2183 Everyone wants to increase their AOV (Average Order Value), but it's not always clear how. Leighton and Patrick break down what actually moves AOV in the right direction: free shipping thresholds with dynamic progress bars, relevant cart cross-sells, frequently bought together widgets, build-your-own bundles, and post-purchase upsells, plus the two cross-sell mistakes that cost stores trust and re

Google Ads for Shopify: 4 Simple Numbers That Make You Profitable Aug 7, 2026 2734 Many Shopify sellers have no idea whether their Google Ads are actually making money. Patrick Rice breaks down the numbers that tell you the truth, why a 10x ROAS can still lose you money, and how to know your ad manager is doing a good job even if you never open the dashboard yourself. Links Mentioned Google Ads Search Terms Report (Campaigns > Insights and reports > Search terms): https:/

Shopify Themes: When To Update, Retrofit, or Start From Scratch Jul 31, 2026 2057 Shopify keeps telling you a new theme version is available, but should you actually update? Leighton and Patrick break down when to update your Shopify theme, when to switch to a new one, and when leaving it alone is the smarter (and cheaper) move. Links Mentioned Shopify Theme Store: https://themes.shopify.com Ilana's JSON-LD for SEO (structured data app): https://apps.shopify.com/json-ld-for-se

What Apps We Actually Use to Run Dozens of Shopify Stores Jul 24, 2026 2753 "What apps should I use on my Shopify store?" is a question we hear all the time. Leighton and Patrick break down how to decide between a Shopify app and custom development, the trade-offs of each, and the apps they install on almost every store, from reviews and subscriptions to CRO, SEO, and indexing. Links Mentioned Shopify Search & Discovery: https://apps.shopify.com/search-and-discovery

Shopify Migration Without Killing Your Traffic & ROAS (Free Checklist) Jul 24, 2026 2852 Migrating your store to Shopify can tank your organic traffic if you're not careful. In this episode, Leighton Taylor and Patrick Rice walk through the exact pre- and post-launch checklist that protects your SEO, ad tracking, and conversion rate when making the switch. Links Mentioned Microsoft Clarity (free heatmaps & session recordings): https://clarity.microsoft.com LambdaTest (cross-brows

How Shopify SEO Actually Works in 2026: What to Skip, What to Double Down On Jul 24, 2026 2229 How do you actually do SEO for a Shopify store in 2026? Patrick Rice and Leighton Taylor break down when SEO is worth the investment, how to size up your competition, what legitimate link building looks like today, and how to get your products recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews. Links Mentioned Ilana's JSON-LD for SEO (Shopify app): https://apps.shopify.com/json-ld-for

Product Pages That Actually Convert (CRO + SEO) Jul 24, 2026 2808 Your product page is the most important page on your store, so in this episode we break down how to optimize it for both conversion rate and SEO. We cover product imagery, reviews and social proof, cross-sells and bundles, unique product content, structured data, and page speed for Shopify stores. Links Mentioned Judge.me (reviews): https://judge.me Stamped (reviews): https://stamped.io Okendo (r

Shopify Collection Pages: The SEO & CRO Playbook Jul 24, 2026 2129 Collection pages are the SEO and CRO workhorse of any Shopify store. They rank for the most commercial keywords, and they're where most shoppers decide whether to keep browsing or bounce. In this episode, Leighton and Patrick break down how to balance content for search engines with an optimal user experience, plus the specific Shopify defaults to turn off and the subcategory strategy that wins bo