The Client
A premium Australian skincare brand selling direct on Shopify, with a wide product range covering cleansers, serums and facial tools. In July 2026 its average Google position was 17.4, the bottom of page two, and only 10 visitors a month were arriving from ChatGPT.
The Starting Point (July 2026)
| Measure | July 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average Google position | 17.4 | Google Search Console |
| ”gua sha stone” | #56 | Keyword tracking |
| ”gua sha” (14,800 searches a month) | #58 | Keyword tracking |
| ”sodium hyaluronate” | #12 | Keyword tracking |
| AI search visibility, Australia | 24 | Semrush |
| Visitors from ChatGPT | 10 users | Google Analytics 4 |
What We Did
In the first 90 days we worked on five things:
- Technical SEO fixes. Errors found in Google Search Console.
- On-page optimisation. Product and collection page titles, descriptions and content.
- Link building. New links to the store from other sites.
- Quick fixes. Small issues found along the way, fixed as they appeared.
- AI search (GEO) tracking. Monthly tracking of the store’s visibility in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
The Results
July to September 2026:
| Measure | July | September | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store sales (Shopify) | not shown | not shown | +69% |
| Average order value (Shopify) | not shown | not shown | +17% |
| Average Google position (Search Console) | 17.4 | 13.8 | 3.6 places better |
| AI search visibility, Australia (Semrush) | 24 | 30 | +6 |
| ChatGPT referral users a month (GA4) | 10 | 23 | +130% |
| “gua sha stone” | #56 | #17 | +39 places |
| ”gua sha” (14,800 searches a month) | #58 | #38 | +20 places |
| ”sodium hyaluronate” | #12 | #3 | +9 places |
Source: the client's Shopify Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4 and Semrush (Australia), July and September 2026. Keyword positions from SERP checks and team tracking.
Also in September 2026:
- “l-ascorbic acid serum” (4,400 searches a month) ranked #1 in Semrush’s Australian organic keyword list for the store.
- Of 17 tracked keywords, 12 moved up, 5 held and none fell in the month.
- The store appeared in Google AI Overviews for three searches, and one of its products was named as the first recommendation for one of its target searches.
Store sales rose alongside the SEO and GEO work over the same three months.
Key Takeaways
- Ingredient and category terms are where an established brand wins first: “sodium hyaluronate” reached #3 and “l-ascorbic acid serum” reached #1.
- Even the most competitive term moved: “gua sha” (14,800 searches a month) gained 20 places in 90 days.
- AI search visits are small but measurable: ChatGPT referrals went from 10 to 23 users a month, and the store now appears in Google AI Overviews.