Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Generative Engine Optimization
What is AI SEO?
AI SEO is the practice of helping AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini understand, cite, and recommend your products. At FirstShelf, AI SEO is powered by Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the methodology we use to improve listing clarity, factual coverage, structure, and supporting evidence.
How does AI SEO relate to GEO?
AI SEO is the customer-facing outcome: stronger AI visibility and better recommendation readiness. GEO is the technical methodology underneath. We use GEO techniques to make your listings easier for language models to parse, trust, and quote.
How is AI SEO different from traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO helps you rank in search results. AI SEO helps your products get understood and recommended inside conversational AI answers. Search engines rely more on ranking signals and links, while AI systems care more about factual coverage, attribute completeness, readability, and trustworthy context. Most sellers need both.
Does this improve my platform's search ranking (Etsy, Shopify, etc.)?
No. FirstShelf focuses on AI SEO across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other LLMs. This is about getting cited or recommended by generative AI, not directly optimizing marketplace search algorithms. That said, clearer structure and stronger product details often help both AI visibility and traditional search performance.
I don't sell on Etsy. Does this work for me?
Absolutely! FirstShelf works for ANY e-commerce platform—Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, your own website, and more. We optimize for how AI models process and cite product information, which is platform-agnostic. Whether you sell handmade jewelry, digital planners, vintage clothing, beauty products, furniture, or services—if you want AI models to recommend your products, we can help.
What product categories do you support?
We support all product categories with our category-adaptive AI system. This includes digital products (planners, templates, printables, courses), physical handmade items (jewelry, pottery, textiles, art), vintage and collectibles, fashion and apparel, home decor, beauty and cosmetics, electronics, food and beverages, and more. Our AI analyzes category-specific criteria to maximize AI citation potential for any product type.
What is the AI SEO Score?
The AI SEO Score is our proprietary 0-100 metric, powered by the FirstShelf scoring model, that estimates how ready your listing is to be cited by AI systems. It combines semantic density, structure quality, product-attribute coverage, and trust signals into one view of AI recommendation readiness.
What are AI SEO Fixes?
AI SEO Fixes are the clear, rule-based issues we surface after an audit. They draw on deterministic measurements such as fact density, readability, and semantic coverage so you can see exactly what to improve instead of relying on a black-box score alone.
How does the AI analyze my listings?
Our system analyzes your product title, description, tags, and optional images using specialized AI workflows. We evaluate semantic context, information density, product-attribute coverage, structural formatting, metadata quality, and text-image alignment to predict what AI recommendation systems look for.
What does AI SEO for Product Images do?
Our image audit checks whether your product images support what your listing claims. It looks for text-image mismatches, missing visual proof, brand consistency, and image quality so AI systems have stronger evidence to trust and recommend your listing.
How does AI image generation work?
Available on Pro and Premium tiers, our AI image generation creates optimized product visuals based on your listing information. The system translates your product details into visual prompts and generates images designed to enhance AI citation potential. Generated images are stored in your account for download and use in your listings.
Is my data secure?
Yes. We implement industry-standard security measures including TLS/HTTPS encryption for all data in transit, encryption at rest for stored data, secure password hashing, and row-level security ensuring you can only access your own data. We follow GDPR compliance principles and never store your product data longer than necessary. Your listing content is processed for analysis but not used to train AI models or shared with other users.
What happens to my product images?
Uploaded images are stored securely in encrypted cloud storage. They are used only for visual analysis and remain private to your account. We use time-limited signed URLs (10-minute expiration) for secure access. Generated AI images are stored in your account until you choose to delete them. You can request deletion of all your images at any time.
Do you share my data with third parties?
We share data only with essential service providers needed to operate the platform: Supabase (database and storage), LemonSqueezy (payment processing), AI model providers (for analysis—they process but don't retain your data), and Resend (email delivery). We never sell your data to advertisers or data brokers. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.
How long until I see results?
Most users see stronger AI citations within 24-72 hours of implementing optimization suggestions. The full impact typically appears within 1-2 weeks as AI systems process and index the updated content. Results vary by product category, competition, and how fully you implement the recommendations. We recommend re-auditing after optimization to track score improvement.
Do you guarantee results?
We provide optimization recommendations based on how AI systems process and cite content, but we cannot guarantee specific citation frequency, visibility gains, or sales outcomes. AI behavior changes over time and is outside our control. Our AI SEO Score estimates citation likelihood, but it does not guarantee outcomes. What we do guarantee is actionable, data-driven guidance to improve your AI visibility potential.
Does this comply with platform policies?
Yes. We focus on white-hat AI SEO powered by GEO. We only suggest improvements to your product titles, descriptions, tags, and supporting content that stay within normal e-commerce platform guidelines. We never recommend keyword stuffing, misleading claims, or anything likely to violate platform terms.
What if I'm not tech-savvy?
No coding or technical knowledge needed. Our dashboard provides clear, actionable recommendations explained in plain language—like 'Add material information to your title' or 'Include dimensions in your description.' Everything can be implemented by copying text into your e-commerce platform's listing editor. Most optimizations take less than 5 minutes per listing.
Will this affect my existing platform SEO?
AI SEO and platform SEO work independently, and our optimizations are not designed to hurt your existing rankings. In fact, clearer descriptions, better structure, and stronger factual coverage often help both AI visibility and traditional search. Many users see stronger platform performance as a side effect of better AI SEO.
How does it handle seasonal trends?
Our AI adapts keyword suggestions based on current trends and seasonal patterns. The system monitors AI recommendation patterns and updates suggestions to match what users are searching for throughout the year. You can refresh your optimization suggestions anytime to catch seasonal opportunities like holiday shopping, back-to-school, or summer trends.
What are the differences between pricing tiers?
Free tier: 5 audits and 5 text optimizations per month—great for trying the service. Pro ($18/month): 50 audits, 20 text optimizations, 10 visual optimizations, and 10 image generations—ideal for active sellers. Premium ($30/month): 99 audits, 50 optimizations, 20 visual optimizations, 30 ChatGPT previews, 20 image generations, plus advanced features like competitor analysis and citation supply chain mapping—for power users and agencies.
What happens if I hit my monthly limits?
When you reach your monthly limit, you'll see an upgrade prompt. You can upgrade to a higher tier anytime for increased limits. Unused allocations don't roll over to the next month. Limits reset at the beginning of each billing cycle. If you only occasionally need more capacity, consider upgrading for one month then downgrading.
Can I cancel my subscription anytime?
Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Upon cancellation, you'll retain access to paid features until the end of your current billing period. After that, your account reverts to the Free tier with its associated limits. Your audit history and saved data remain accessible.
Do you offer refunds?
All subscription fees are non-refundable except as required by applicable law. We encourage you to try the Free tier first to ensure FirstShelf.AI meets your needs before upgrading. If you experience technical issues that prevent you from using the service, contact us at hello [at] firstshelf [dot] ai and we'll work with you to resolve the situation.