EMC #22: Claude Design, ChatGPT Ads, and Why SEMrush Just Lost a Customer

EMC #22: Claude Design, ChatGPT Ads, and Why SEMrush Just Lost a Customer

Charles is ditching SEMrush. here's what he's switching to and why. Welcome to Ecommerce Marketing Chats with Charles Travers (Shopify SEO Consultant) and Jimmy Dalgleish (Google Ads specialist). Charles announces he's moving from SEMrush to SE Rankings, breaking down the key differences including 2000 keyword tracking, 100 AI search prompts as standard and an annual price roughly half that of SEMrush. Jimmy shares an update on his ChatGPT ads testing after spending a few hundred dollars across multiple accounts, and both hosts discuss how Claude Design is transforming their workflow for proposals, slide decks, and client-facing documents. They also cover why AI is replacing the Fiverr market rather than agencies, and why Bing and DuckDuckGo are quietly becoming more relevant for certain ecommerce audiences. Tools & Resources Mentioned: - SE Rankings: https://seranking.com [https://seranking.com] - SEO and AI search tracking tool with 2000 keywords and 100 AI prompts included - SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com [https://www.semrush.com] - Referenced as the tool Charles is moving away from - Claude Design: https://claude.ai [https://claude.ai] - Used for proposals, slide decks, and blog UX redesigns - Claude Cowork: https://claude.ai [https://claude.ai] - Used to build a blog generation skill for ecommerce stores - ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com [https://chat.openai.com] - Preferred for image generation. also being tested for ads - DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com [https://duckduckgo.com] - Privacy browser seeing a resurgence among users opting out of AI search About the Hosts: Charles Travers specializes in Ecommerce SEO & AI Search for DTC brands, while Jimmy Dalgleish is a Google Ads expert with 12+ years scaling ecommerce businesses. Connect With Us: Join our Facebook community: Shopify Marketing Secrets - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/] Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BK6tUJ6Q0YE?si=yjCRo2otBJyx9-w4 [https://youtu.be/BK6tUJ6Q0YE?si=yjCRo2otBJyx9-w4] #ecommerce #shopify #semrush #seranking #claudedesign #chatgptads #shopifyseo #ecommercemarketing #aitools

EMC #21: We're Testing ChatGPT Ads. Here's What We've Found So Far

ChatGPT ads just launched and Jimmy is already in the testing phase. here's what ecommerce stores need to know before jumping in. Welcome to Ecommerce Marketing Chats with Charles Travers (Shopify SEO Consultant) and Jimmy Dalgleish (Google Ads specialist). Jimmy shares his early experience with ChatGPT ads, currently live in Australia, UK, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. The approval process takes around two weeks, the recommended CPC sits between $3-5, and the ads manager is about as basic as it gets. He breaks down three campaign structures worth testing, why UTM tracking is essential from day one, and why high-ticket products are likely to see the best returns given the cost per click. Charles covers Google's announcement that AI search impression data is coming to Google Search Console, rolling out in the UK first. They also get into what a properly built blog system looks like and why refreshing old blog posts can be a quicker win than writing new ones. Tools & Resources Mentioned: - ChatGPT Ads: https://ads.openai.com [https://ads.openai.com] - Now live in Australia, UK, New Zealand, Canada, and the US Connect With Us: Join our Facebook community: Shopify Marketing Secrets - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/] Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jdUwVOzl2qc [https://youtu.be/jdUwVOzl2qc] #ecommerce #shopify #chatgptads #openaiads #shopifyseo #blogstrategy #ecommercemarketing #aisearch

EMC #20: Google's Biggest AI Search Update Yet. Agentic Shopping Is Here!

Google just held their biggest AI keynote yet. and the implications for ecommerce stores are significant. Welcome to Ecommerce Marketing Chats with Charles Travers (Shopify SEO Consultant) and Jimmy Dalgleish (Google Ads specialist). Charles breaks down the key takeaways from Google's two-hour keynote, including the full integration of AI overviews and AI mode, the launch of agentic commerce features, and why search queries are at an all-time high even as organic clicks trend downward. Jimmy covers the new Shopify agentic sales channel connecting product catalogues to ChatGPT and Copilot, and shares an important warning about making Claude Code changes on live themes after a student's site went down for eight hours. They also get into blog strategy, why a well-targeted post should generate clicks within its first week of being indexed, and how to build a content flywheel that turns one good blog into email, social, and paid traffic assets. Tools & Resources Mentioned: - Claude: https://claude.ai [https://claude.ai] - Connected to Shopify via MCP connector for bulk metadata management - Claude Code: https://claude.ai/code [https://claude.ai/code] - Used for theme edits and custom tool building. draft themes only - Shopify: https://www.shopify.com [https://www.shopify.com] - New agentic sales channel for ChatGPT and Copilot integration - Google Merchant Center: https://merchants.google.com [https://merchants.google.com] - Agentic commerce features available in beta - ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com [https://chat.openai.com] - Now integrated into Shopify's agentic sales channel - SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com [https://www.semrush.com] - Connected to Claude via MCP for keyword research - Screaming Frog: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider [https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider] - Integrated into Claude via MCP for site auditing About the Hosts: Charles Travers specializes in Ecommerce SEO & AI Search for DTC brands, while Jimmy Dalgleish is a Google Ads expert with 12+ years scaling ecommerce businesses. Free Resources: Subscribe to Charles's FREE newsletter "In The Search Trenches" for monthly SEO and AI Search insights: https://www.charlestravers.com/in-the-search-trenches-newsletter [https://www.charlestravers.com/in-the-search-trenches-newsletter] Connect With Us: Join our FREE Facebook community: Shopify Marketing Secrets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/] Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fKJg02QDb-Q [https://youtu.be/fKJg02QDb-Q] #ecommerce #shopify #googleai #agenticcommerce #claudeai #shopifyseo #ecommercemarketing #blogstrategy

EMC #19: Google's Official AI Search Documentation Is Out! Here's What Stores Need to Know.

Google just released their first official AI search documentation. and what they said will either reassure you or make you question what you've been paying for. Welcome to Ecommerce Marketing Chats with Charles Travers (Shopify SEO Consultant) and Jimmy Dalgleish (Google Ads specialist). Charles breaks down Google's first official guidance on generative AI search, which confirms that good SEO is still the foundation for showing up in AI results. AEO and GEO are industry-coined terms Google itself uses interchangeably, and from their perspective it is all still SEO. Charles adds a practical caveat: what Google says and what actually works are not always the same thing, and experience still matters. Jimmy shares a client with 14 blog posts that generated zero organic clicks over 12 months, and what that tells you about strategy versus output. They also get into real referral data showing ChatGPT converting at 12% for one ecommerce store, nearly double the rate of Google Ads, and why the quality of AI-driven traffic is unlike any other channel. Plus Charles shares how an AI email bot closed his own purchase of an air purifier and what that means for ecommerce customer experience. Tools & Resources Mentioned: - Google Search Documentation: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide [https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide] Official guidance confirming SEO fundamentals apply to AI search About the Hosts: Charles Travers specializes in Ecommerce SEO & AI Search for DTC brands, while Jimmy Dalgleish is a Google Ads expert with 12+ years scaling ecommerce businesses. Connect With Us: Join our Facebook community: Shopify Marketing Secrets - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/] Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EcommerceMarketingChats [https://www.youtube.com/@EcommerceMarketingChats] #ecommerce #shopify #aisearch #GEO #AEO #chatgpt #googleai #shopifyseo #ecommercemarketing

EMC #18: Why Building Your Own Claude Skills Beats Anything You'll Find on LinkedIn

Are you installing Claude skills from LinkedIn without knowing what they're actually doing? Welcome to Ecommerce Marketing Chats with Charles Travers (Shopify SEO Consultant) and Jimmy Dalgleish (Google Ads specialist). Jimmy shares how a LinkedIn Claude skill for negative keyword analysis flagged competitor terms running at a 15.5x return on ad spend for removal. for a store generating around $70,000 from those terms in a single month. The lesson: don't install skills you don't fully understand. Charles explains how to build your own Claude skills from scratch in minutes, and walks through how he's using Claude Cowork with scheduled tasks to automate metadata optimization, competitor intelligence reports, and Monday morning blog ideas for clients. They also cover a simple change log habit that every Shopify store and agency should be running to track every page edit, why it was made, and what happened after. Plus real CRO wins from a client test, a smart blog strategy for slower economic periods using thought leaders in your niche, and why focusing on what you can control beats blaming the economy every time. Tools & Resources Mentioned: - Claude Cowork: https://claude.ai [https://claude.ai] - AI agent tool for automating metadata, competitor research, and scheduled reports - Claude Code: https://claude.ai/code [https://claude.ai/code] - Used to build internal tools and automate Shopify workflows - Claude Skills: https://claude.ai [https://claude.ai] - Custom instruction sets that train Claude on your specific processes - SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com [https://www.semrush.com] - Connected to Claude Cowork for keyword research and search intent analysis - Shopify: https://www.shopify.com [https://www.shopify.com] - Referenced for bulk metadata management and CRO testing - OpenAI Codex: https://openai.com [https://openai.com] - Emerging alternative to Claude Code with voice input features About the Hosts: Charles Travers specializes in Ecommerce SEO & AI Search for DTC brands, while Jimmy Dalgleish is a Google Ads expert with 12+ years scaling ecommerce businesses. Free Resources: Subscribe to Charles's FREE newsletter "In The Search Trenches" for weekly SEO and AI Search insights: https://www.charlestravers.com/in-the-search-trenches-newsletter [https://www.charlestravers.com/in-the-search-trenches-newsletter] Connect With Us: Join our Facebook community: Shopify Marketing Secrets - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecommarketingcommunity/] Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EcommerceMarketingChats [https://www.youtube.com/@EcommerceMarketingChats] #ecommerce #shopify #claudeai #claudeskills #claudecowork #shopifyseo #ecommercemarketing #aitools