See links in the bio for newsletter and substack content on organic eCommerce growth.

My career began at a startup SEO agency, where I was the first in-house employee and helped scale it to a team of 10 (as much as a graduate can help, that is). The agency expanded its services too rapidly with an undersized team, which led to its decline. I gained exposure to various digital marketing channels, including managing the paid account for our second-largest client.

This agency was sold to another agency. Here, I learned the importance of connecting all elements of SEO into an overall strategy. I also saw firsthand how toxic culture and poor leadership can cause an agency to fail—an experience that shaped my career. The agency's reputation was so damaged that it had to rebrand. However, I met my current business partner, Antonio, during this time (Although we only worked together for about 6–8 months, he stuck around like a pungent smell you can't un-smell). Five years later, this agency's ethics were called into question when they directly copied our NOVOS proposition (I know!).

MADE.com
I moved in-house to MADE.com during its peak growth period. As the sole SEO managing all five markets, I inherited a declining channel after a failed A/B test on a major product category. Over two years, I generated over £20 million in non-brand growth. I also supported MADE through what was, at the time, the largest headless migration in Europe (as far as I’m aware).

Despite this success, I was offered only a £1,500 pay rise. After speaking with all the leading SEO agencies at the time, I knew there was a gap in the SEO market for this niche eCom knowledge.

NOVOS
After a failed attempt at launching a men's accessories website, Antonio and I pivoted to statement.digital. In March 2019 we rebranded to NOVOS and hired our first employee. By the end of this first year, NOVOS had grown to a team of 8. The following year, we doubled to 16, and the year after that, we reached 40.

In early 2022, Antonio and I sold NOVOS to our staff through an Employee Ownership model.

The Living House
In 2023, I invested in The Living House, an interior design studio. I own 20% and support the business's marketing and operations.

NOVOS 2.0
At the beginning of 2024, we launched NOVOS 2.0—a new strategy and direction for the agency. We're still focused on eCommerce but leaning more into our "Organic" expertise. The eCommerce industry is far too focused on short-term paid media for growth, and this is a problem we're aiming to solve with NOVOS 2.0.

If you have made it this far, well done

Samuel Hurley

Straight-up strategies to boost your business's bottom line. No jargon, just results.

I help Shopify apps in the age of AI — 

Nail your positioning so users don't scroll past your app. 

Land more clients, find product-market fit, optimize you onboarding and UX funnels, optimize your app store listing to attract and convert more paying clients and create revenue generating pipelines to grow ARR.

Get a free audit for your app here: https://audit.ohadmichaeli.com

Ohad Michaeli

I tell Shopify app founders to spend $1,500 a month on ads.

Not to get installs. To get smarter.

Most think I'm crazy. They're bootstrapped. Every dollar matters. Why waste money on clicks that won't convert?

Because you're learning what merchants actually search for. Not what you think they search for. What they type when they need a solution.

You see which keywords cost $50 per click. Where competitors are bleeding money. What's worth fighting for.

Here's the play:

Underbid on expensive keywords. Shopify suggests $30? Bid $28.

You won't win every auction, but you'll see the search volume. The intent. What gets clicked.

Then optimize your listing around that.

The trick: maximizing CTR per search term reduces your CPC. Higher predicted CTR means you win bids at lower costs.

That $1,500 tells you which play you're running.

This isn't just marketing spend. It's reconnaissance.

Ohad Michaeli 🫧

100+ Shopify app audits 🫧 I help founders fix their positioning, listing, and ads before they scale the wrong thing.

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Why do we act like saying “I want to sell you something” is a crime?

I called someone out mid-call.

"Are you prospecting me right now?"

A long pause.

Then: "No, no. Just learning. Discovering."

He was lying. And we both knew it.

He'd reached out asking to "understand the Shopify ecosystem better." Wanted my perspective as someone who spent years building in it.

Ten minutes in, he started walking me through his AI product. How it solved the exact problems I had. How founders like me loved it.

Classic disguise.

The thing is, I don't blame him for wanting to sell. I blame him for not owning it.

Because the disguise doesn't protect you. It destroys you.

Once I called him out, that was basically it. Not because he was selling, but because he’d spent the first 10 minutes making things up. You can’t really come back from that.

I mean... COME ON...

People hide behind "learning conversations" and "discovery calls" when they're clearly selling. They think the disguise makes it easier to get a yes. It doesn't. It just guarantees a no.

The prospect isn't dumb. They see it. They say nothing. They just never respond again.

"I built something I think could help you. I might be wrong. Can I take 5 minutes to find out?"

That's it. Honesty beats any pitch deck.

Your App Store listing looks great.

Until a merchant actually tries to understand it.

I’ve seen this in dozens of audits: founders obsess over polish and miss what actually blocks the install.

What tanks listings, even the ones that look professional:

𝐉𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝

You're fluent in your own product. Merchants aren't.

"Automated post-purchase engagement flows" means nothing to someone who just wants to send a thank you email after checkout.

They type simple problems into search. You rank for complex solutions nobody's looking for.

The fix isn't dumbing it down. It's using the exact words your support tickets use. That's what merchants search for.

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐙𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬

Your screenshots show your app. They should show what changes.

A merchant doesn't care what your dashboard looks like. They want to know what happens after they install.

First screenshot needs to answer one question in under 3 seconds: "What's different for my store?"

Most founders need 6 screenshots to get there. That's 5 screenshots too late.

𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬

Last review response was 4 months ago.

Doesn't matter if it's a 5-star review. What merchants see is silence.

They're not reading reviews just for social proof. They're checking if anyone's actually running this thing.

Recent replies signal you're present. Old timestamps signal you've moved on.

You lose installs before they finish scrolling.

Your listing isn't static. It's the first impression of whether your product is alive or abandoned.

When's the last time you actually looked at yours like a merchant would?

Helping Shopify apps get more clients with the power of AI

147+ Shopify app audits. Same pattern almost every time.

Good product. Bad listing. Zero traction.

Not all install problems are the same. A visibility problem and a conversion problem require completely different fixes.

I've narrowed it down to 5 specific problems:

1. Nobody sees your app. Your search impressions are under 200/month. Merchants aren't finding you.

2. They see it but don't click. Impressions are fine, click-through rate is garbage. Your name and tagline aren't giving merchants a reason to care.

3. They click but don't install. Your listing page isn't closing the deal. Screenshots, copy, or reviews are scaring people off.

4. They install but immediately uninstall. Most users are gone within 72 hours. Your listing is making promises your onboarding can't keep.

5. Your category is wrong. You're solving a problem merchants don't know they have. Or you're in the wrong category entirely.

Most founders I talk to have a mix of two or three. But there's always one doing the most damage.

Open your analytics dashboard. Check impressions, listing views, install rate, retention. The numbers tell you which problem you have.

Which one are you dealing with?

One space. 
That's what separated page 1 from page 2.

Had an audit call with my friend Gideon.

He runs partnerships for a solid Shopify app. Great product, strong reviews, around 500 installs.

He wanted quick wins for their App Store listing.

We're going through it and I notice something.

They were optimizing for "chatbot", one word.
But their competitors ranked for "chat bot", two words.

We checked:
Page 2 for "chatbot"
Page 1 for "chat bot"

One space. That's it.

——

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬:

Turn visitors into users, and help new people find you.

Most founders only think about the first one.

The apps that get found don't stuff keywords. They match the exact words merchants type. Every character counts.

Most of the wins I find on audit calls are this quiet. Nothing flashy. Just the gap between what you wrote and what merchants actually type.

What's the one keyword your app most needs to rank for? Go check how the page 1 apps spell it.

——

Follow me for more.
Repost this ♻️ if you think it's valuable 😎

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The Battle

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