Shopify Magic is a new tool that lets you generate AI product descriptions in seconds. Just enter your targeted keywords, select a tone of voice, and Shopify Magic does the rest.
Shopify expects to roll out Shopify Magic AI to other tools, using the power of AI to enhance the experience of the retailers using their platform.
What is Shopify Magic?
Shopify Magic is Shopify’s move into AI which has been accelerated with the news about Chat GPT, the AI chatbot which has been hugely popular since its launch in 2022.
Using OpenAI, ChatGPT is pre-trained on textbooks, articles and websites and uses NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). Then, it uses this data to model its responses to human interaction.
Google have also moved into the world of AI and LLM (Large Language Models) with the beta launch of their chatbot Google Bard.
This is potentially huge for how people search online, as it could mean we ask an AI chatbot to suggest ideas for our search query rather than sifting through answers ourself.
Generative AI is still relatively untapped, so Shopify’s move could establish it as a market leader. In addition, as more retailers get on board, there could be money to be made by licensing their Shopify Magic products.
How Does it Work?
If your site is eligible for Shopify Magic you will see purple stars next to the description box on the product page.
When you click on this you will be prompted to List product features and keywords (at least two) – here you can add any USPs of your products and any unique information you want to include within the new description.
You can then choose a tone for your description, with more formal types such as ‘Expert’ to more light-hearted tones such as ‘Playful’.
We’ve tried this extensively and find the results of Shopify Magic pretty impressive – ir does a decent job of writing appealing content and changing the tone can help to align it with your site’s tone of voice.
Product descriptions can be a real slog to write especially if you have a large catalogue and AI is a very useful tool to help lessen the workload.
Here are the results of the information we entered above for our ‘Fancy Widget’ product:
- Playful: Our Fancy Widget isn’t just your ordinary widget. Made with UK-based quality, this little gadget has a lifetime guarantee that’ll survive all your wildest adventures. Plus, you can get it in a range of colours, so the world can know you mean business. Go on and get fancy!
- Expert: This top-of-the-line Fancy Widget is designed and made in the UK and comes with a lifetime guarantee for quality assurance. It comes in a range of colours, so you can pick the one that best suits your needs.
Not bad at all if we say so ourselves!
But are AI-Generated Product Descriptions good for SEO?
AI can save you time and effort by generating descriptions fast. And if English is your second language, it does all the work for you, saving you time and effort.
However, AI-generated content can cause issues for your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
It comes down to ethics. How ethical is it to use AI-generated data? For example, does it come under copyright or plagiarism laws, or is it considered original data?
Currently, Google penalises blogs and websites that use AI-generated content. Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, has confirmed that Google considers all AI-generated content as spam, treating it the same way as word shuffling and synonym tricks.
He also confirmed that Google would slap a manual penalty on sites using AI-generated content.
Therefore, from an SEO perspective it’s best to use AI content writing tools such as Chat GPT and Shopify Magic with caution in order to avoid any penalty from Google.
How Should You Use Shopify Magic?
Obviously, Shopify Magic is a helpful tool for quickly generating and updating large numbers of product descriptions. And in turn, that can boost sales and improve customer experience.
However, AI-generated content lacks personality and doesn’t convert as well as product descriptions written by a real person. In addition, there’s the risk of invoking a Google penalty against your site.
Shopify Magic is a tool you should use with care. For example, generating text to give you ideas for your own copy can be helpful.
But we recommend that your product descriptions are written by someone who understands your brand and products.
Writing your own brand descriptions or using a copywriter is the best way to capture your values and tone of voice and drive conversions.
That’s not to say there isn’t a place for AI content generating tools such as Shopify Magic – however we think that instead of solely relying on them it’d be a better idea to use them to brainstorm ideas and style before rewriting and adding in your own individual take.
Looking for some help increasing traffic to your Shopify site?
If you really want to up your SEO copywriting game or general Shopify SEO strategy, get in touch with Search Hog today.
As Shopify Partners, we specialise in Shopify web design and Shopify SEO. Contact us today to find out more.
