Shopify SEO Issue: Pages Not Getting Indexed

Ask Me Anything Q&A AEO vs SEO
1

Hi everyone,

I recently launched a new Shopify store for my handmade customizable pillow cover business and I’m having trouble getting pages indexed on Google.

So far I have:

  • Submitted my sitemap to Google Search Console

  • Verified my domain

  • Requested indexing for several URLs manually

  • Added product descriptions/images

  • Connected Instagram and Facebook

However, only a few pages are indexed.

In Search Console I’m mainly seeing:

  • “Discovered – currently not indexed”

  • “Crawled – currently not indexed”

  • A few redirects/noindex/robots.txt exclusions

I’m not sure whether this is just because the site is new or if I’m doing something wrong SEO-wise.

I also keep hearing about AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) alongside SEO, especially with AI search becoming more common. For a handmade ecommerce store, how should I approach AEO? Are there specific things I should do on Shopify product pages, blogs, FAQs, or structured data to improve visibility in AI-driven search results?

For those experienced with Shopify SEO/AEO:

  • Is this normal for a new store?

  • What helps product pages get indexed faster?

  • Are there important Shopify SEO mistakes/settings I should check?

  • What are the best beginner steps for AEO on Shopify?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

3

Hi @Muneebah_Jabeen

This is David from SearchPie here.

It is completely normal for Google not to index a new domain immediately. “Discovered” means Google knows the page exists but hasn’t crawled it yet, while “Crawled” means the page was evaluated but not yet added to the index, often because the site is new or the content is deemed too thin

To speed up indexing, ensure your products have unique descriptions, utilize strong internal linking, and acquire external backlinks. Additionally, check your settings to ensure you are using canonical URLs properly and that there are no accidental noindex tags in your theme.

AEO is a major equalizer for small brands because it rewards clarity over massive budgets. Because handmade items often sell out and lead to transient URLs that AI actively avoids citing. You must also maximize your structured data by injecting specific attributes like material into your Product schema, and use Store Profile schema to establish your site as a topical authority. Additionally, check your robots.txt file to ensure you are not accidentally blocking AI bots from crawling your site.

Hope this helps!