Frequently asked questions
Getting started
What platforms does CataSEO work with? Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, and WooCommerce.
Do I need to install anything on my store? For Shopify, BigCommerce, and Wix, you authorize CataSEO through the platform’s app marketplace — no plugin install required. For WooCommerce, you install the CataSEO connector plugin on your WordPress site.
How long does the first sync take? A few minutes for small catalogs, up to half an hour or so for very large ones.
Is there a free trial? Yes, all subscription plans include a 7-day free trial.
What is Universal Search Optimization? Whether a shopper asks Google or asks ChatGPT, the answer is assembled from your product pages — so most of the optimization work is shared and should be done once, properly. CataSEO writes original copy plus the metadata that both classic search engines and AI assistants read. Read more at Universal Search Optimization.
Optimization
Will CataSEO change my product copy without permission? No. Every optimization waits in your review queue until you approve it. Your live storefront copy is never touched until you click Approve.
What gets optimized — titles, descriptions, both? On Shopify and BigCommerce, CataSEO optimizes six fields per product: page title, meta description, meta keywords, description (long copy), Open Graph title, and Open Graph description. Other platforms support subsets of these — CataSEO automatically skips fields that don’t apply.
Can I edit the AI’s suggestion before approving? Yes. Every field on the approval view is editable. Your edits become the version that gets published.
What languages are supported? English is the default. CataSEO supports additional languages through the SEO profile’s language setting. If you sell in multiple languages on one store, contact support — multi-locale support is being rolled out.
Does CataSEO write alt text for product images? Yes. Each product image gets a suggested alt text in the same language and voice as the rest of the optimization. You can edit per-image alt text before approving.
Does CataSEO build backlinks for me? No. CataSEO optimizes your on-page content — titles, meta descriptions, and product copy. Link building is outreach work no tool can automate safely. See Backlinks, linking domains, and spam score for how the two halves of SEO fit together.
Will my content be unique, or will other stores get the same copy? Every piece of content is unique to your store. CataSEO builds each product’s copy from your catalog data, your brand voice, and an analysis of the top-ranking competitor pages for that product — so no two stores get the same output, including other CataSEO customers.
How does CataSEO match my brand voice? Choose a tone of voice preset (professional, casual, playful, and more) or describe a custom tone in plain English, then add brand guidelines — words to always use or avoid, recurring claims, voice direction. Every field is still editable before you approve. See SEO profile settings.
Why shouldn’t I just optimize my entire catalog at once? You can — it’s just a matter of tokens. But search engines reward a continuous flow of fresh content more than a one-time blast: optimize everything at once and the gains fade once there’s “nothing new,” while optimizing a portion every month earns credit for continuous improvement. We recommend working through about 10% of your catalog per month.
How does CataSEO handle seasonal or frequently changing products? Re-optimize any product on demand with an express token — no need to wait for your next scheduled batch. Batch runs won’t re-optimize an already-optimized product on their own, so express is the way to refresh seasonal listings.
Can I undo a change after it’s live? Yes. CataSEO backs up your product copy before publishing, and you can revert any product to its previous version — or undo an entire bulk approval in one click. See Undo or revert changes.
When will I see results? First movement typically shows within a few weeks of publishing, with meaningful gains building over two to three months — SEO compounds. See When will I see SEO results? for what happens between approval and rankings.
Billing and plans
What does CataSEO cost? Batch plans run from $25/month (50 products) to $250/month (500 products), all with a 7-day free trial. Express tokens for one-off optimizations are $0.75 each, minimum purchase of 10. See Plans and tokens for the full plan table.
I have 5,000 products — what will it cost to optimize my store? We recommend optimizing about 10% of your catalog per month rather than everything at once — search engines reward a continuous flow of new content. For a 5,000-product catalog that’s the Enterprise plan: 500 products per month for $250/month.
What kind of ROI can I expect? Writing one product’s description, title, and metadata by hand takes 15–20 minutes even with a chat AI. CataSEO does it for $0.50–0.75 per product — compare that to what your time is worth, or the $50–200+/hour an SEO professional charges. Nothing in SEO is guaranteed, but consistent optimization compounds into traffic that carries no per-click cost.
How do I subscribe? From the Subscription & Tokens page in the CataSEO app: pick a batch plan, or buy express tokens for immediate use. Batch subscriptions renew monthly from your signup date.
How am I billed? Monthly. Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and CSV-only accounts are billed through Stripe. Wix accounts are billed through the Wix App Market.
When does my monthly batch run? On the optimization day you choose when you subscribe. Each month on that day CataSEO processes your batch and emails you when it’s ready to review, edit, and approve.
What’s a token? A token is one optimization. Express tokens are for on-demand single-product work ($0.75 each). Batch tokens are for catalog-wide work and are bundled with your subscription ($0.50 each). Category tokens (for category and brand optimization) come with your batch subscription.
Do Wix merchants pay more because of the App Market fee? No. Studio 1119 absorbs the Wix App Market fee so prices match every other platform.
Is there an annual billing option? Not currently. CataSEO bills monthly only.
If I cancel, will my rankings drop? The optimized content you approved stays on your store — CataSEO doesn’t remove it, so rankings it earned don’t disappear with your subscription. What stops is forward progress on new and unoptimized products.
Can I get a refund? Contact support — refunds are handled case by case. Token refunds happen automatically when you edit a product directly on your storefront while a CataSEO optimization for that product is still pending review.
Troubleshooting
My store disconnected — how do I fix it? See Reconnect your store. For Shopify and Wix, you’ll get a reconnect email — click through and reinstall. For BigCommerce and WooCommerce, self-service reconnect isn’t available yet; contact support.
Why isn’t my optimization showing on my storefront? Nothing publishes until you approve it. Check your Awaiting Review queue first.
My batch is stuck — what do I do? See A batch is stuck or failed. Most “stuck” batches are just slow-starting, rate-limited, or out of tokens.
Payment failed — what happens to my data? Your SEO profile, pending optimizations, and approved work are all preserved. Batch processing pauses until billing is resolved. See Payment failed.
Privacy and data
Does CataSEO read my customer data? No. CataSEO only requests permissions to read and write products. Customer data, orders, and payment information are not accessed.
Where is my data stored? On Google Cloud Platform in the United States. Studio 1119 operates CataSEO on GCP infrastructure.
What happens to my data if I cancel? Your SEO profile, product history, and optimization history are retained for a grace period after cancellation in case you reactivate. After that, data is purged per our retention policy.
Does CataSEO use my product data to train its AI? No. Your data is used to optimize your own products and is not used to train CataSEO’s models or shared with other accounts.