MRKT360 Comments on Shopify’s Silent AI Restrictions: Shopify SEO Impact Assessment

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, July 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- MRKT360, a digital marketing and web performance agency, is closely monitoring Shopify’s recent move to quietly restrict agentic AI on merchant storefronts. First reported on July 14, 2025, Shopify added a directive in its robots.txt file to limit automated scraping and AI agents performing checkout tasks autonomously. While framed as a developer’s note, the implications for SEO, AI discoverability, and future sales automation are substantial. While it may be a win for privacy, it signals a potential loss for online businesses.

Now present across thousands of Shopify storefronts, the line reads “Automated scraping, ‘buy-for-me’ agents, or any end-to-end flow that completes payment without a final review step is not permitted.” Though not an outright block, it points to Shopify as drawing early boundaries for how AI agents interact with merchant content.

“This is a critical moment for online businesses,” said Eran Hurvitz, CEO of MRKT360. “We’re entering a new internet era where your storefront isn’t just indexed by Google, but interpreted and actioned by AI systems. If those systems are quietly told to back off without the merchant’s knowledge, that’s a visibility problem waiting to happen.”

MRKT360 warns that many merchants may not realize their content and products will become invisible to AI-driven discovery engines, including large language models (LLMs) and generative shopping tools. LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Amazon Q, rely on clean signals from sites to learn, reference, and recommend products.

With Amazon and Walmart investing heavily in autonomous AI shopping tools, Shopify’s passive restriction—though upfront and seemingly well-intentioned—could place its merchants at a competitive disadvantage if visibility into these next-generation platforms is diminished.

“Merchants may believe their SEO is strong because they’re optimized for Google,” Hurvitz added. “But if you're not visible to AI, you’re missing out on a growing slice of online discovery and purchase behavior.”

To help address these evolving AI limitations, MRKT360 is already offering custom audits and solutions for Shopify merchants, including Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) audits for product content, Shopify AI setup optimization, checkout compatibility and SDK integration consulting.

MRKT360 has observed a real opportunity in companies that optimize their SEO for AI usage, as hosting companies often stifle SEO, without consumers' knowledge.

“It’s not about fighting AI or restricting automation,” said Hurvitz. “It’s about participating on your own terms. That starts by knowing what your site is actually telling these systems.”

MRKT360 is educating clients on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a content strategy for visibility and monetization in AI-driven search. The agency now offers a dedicated GEO plan with AI SEO services to help businesses thrive in this new landscape.

About MRKT360

MRKT360 is a performance-focused digital marketing and IT solutions agency offering integrated services in SEO, GEO, paid media, eCommerce strategy, AI optimization, and platform infrastructure. With clients across North America and beyond, MRKT360 helps businesses grow through smarter marketing and stronger systems.

Alex Zertuche
MRKT360 INC.
+1 416-477-0587
sales@mrkt360.com

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