SEO / AEO Optimisation

SEO and AEO for The Black Farmer after its move to Shopify: organic clicks up 78% and average position from 15.2 to 9.4 across matched 28-day windows, May to August 2026.

The Black Farmer moved from WooCommerce to Shopify in September 2025. Brand rankings held, but collections, product pages and metadata had not been built for search, and some product copy carried unverified claims from earlier AI-generated text. I led SEO and AEO from May to August 2026.

30

collections rewritten against live Search Console data: 16 butchery collections plus the Gluten-Free and Caribbean hubs and their 12 sub-collections

60+

product pages rebuilt: headline, copy, question-led FAQs, metadata and internal links

14+

unverifiable claims removed: gluten-free, free-range and grass-fed statements the supplier could not confirm

Outcomes of the 30-day re-evaluationStacked bar of 117 pages re-evaluated at 30 days: 60 improved, 52 stable or mixed, 5 declined, each with a diagnosed cause.

Search results

Google Search Console, matched 28-day windows, May to August 2026

+78%

4.5K →8.0K

organic clicks

page 2 to page 1

15.2 →9.4

average Google position

+108%

479K →997K

search impressions

+44%

3.2K →4.6K

ranking keywords (Semrush)

+81%

8.3K →15K

estimated monthly organic traffic (Semrush)

78%

of clicks from non-branded searches, new customers rather than existing ones

Google Search Console, matched 28-day windows, May to August 2026

+467%

Pork Belly Slices

6

34

+183%

Bacon Rind On Unsmoked Middle

12

34

140

page 4 → page 2

Gluten-Free Cakes

average position 37.4 → 14

120

page 2 → page 1

Gluten-Free Sausages

average position 11.2 → 7.5

average position 6.1

Oven-baked lamb steaks recipe

762 clicks in 28 days

117 pages re-evaluated against Search Console

60improved

52stable or mixed

5declined, each with a diagnosed cause

AI search results

Alongside the SEO work, I rebuilt the catalogue around the questions customers actually ask: are sausages gluten free, is salami gluten free, how to cook lamb steaks. Each owning page got a clear, extractable answer, verified claims only, and the founder was marked up as a structured entity so AI systems could attribute the brand correctly.

2.2x

daily AI impressions, first vs last week

287K

impressions in Google's AI features, May to August 2026

356

keywords where AI Overviews link to the site

Daily impressions in Google's AI featuresLine chart of the weekly average of daily impressions in Google's AI features, 18 May to 30 August 2026. week starting 18 May, 1,393; week starting 25 May, 1,710; week starting 1 Jun, 1,951; week starting 8 Jun, 2,369; week starting 15 Jun, 2,516; week starting 22 Jun, 2,304; week starting 29 Jun, 2,736; week starting 6 Jul, 2,646; week starting 13 Jul, 2,621; week starting 20 Jul, 2,948; week starting 27 Jul, 3,137; week starting 3 Aug, 3,661; week starting 10 Aug, 4,143; week starting 17 Aug, 3,359; week starting 24 Aug, 3,044. The series rises from 1,393 to a peak of 4,143 in the week starting 10 August, then eases to 3,044.01K2K3K4K5K1.4K3.0KMayJunJulAugDaily impressions in Google's AI featuresLine chart of the weekly average of daily impressions in Google's AI features, 18 May to 30 August 2026. week starting 18 May, 1,393; week starting 25 May, 1,710; week starting 1 Jun, 1,951; week starting 8 Jun, 2,369; week starting 15 Jun, 2,516; week starting 22 Jun, 2,304; week starting 29 Jun, 2,736; week starting 6 Jul, 2,646; week starting 13 Jul, 2,621; week starting 20 Jul, 2,948; week starting 27 Jul, 3,137; week starting 3 Aug, 3,661; week starting 10 Aug, 4,143; week starting 17 Aug, 3,359; week starting 24 Aug, 3,044. The series rises from 1,393 to a peak of 4,143 in the week starting 10 August, then eases to 3,044.01K2K3K4K5K1.4K3.0KMayJunJulAug

Weekly average, 18 May to 30 August 2026

A real conversational query from Search Console. The Gluten-Free Sausages page was shown in the answer and clicked: the site's first documented click from an AI-style question.

Semrush AI Visibility score across the tracked setHorizontal bar chart of Semrush AI Visibility scores across five tracked brands. The category leader scores 31, The Black Farmer 27, and three further competitors score 22, 22 and 14. Only The Black Farmer is highlighted.0102030Category leader31The Black Farmer27Competitor22Competitor22Competitor14Semrush AI Visibility score across the tracked setHorizontal bar chart of Semrush AI Visibility scores across five tracked brands. The category leader scores 31, The Black Farmer 27, and three further competitors score 22, 22 and 14. Only The Black Farmer is highlighted.Category leader31The Black Farmer27Competitor22Competitor22Competitor14

Gap to the category leader cut from 8 points to 4 in three weeks, 5 to 24 August 2026.

Sources: Google Search Console (Generative AI features report, available from 18 May 2026), Semrush AI Visibility, August 2026.