Knowledge
Glossary: terms from e-commerce, Shopware and SEO
This glossary explains terms that come up again and again in our projects and guides: from ERP integration and PIM to Core Web Vitals, GEO and llms.txt. Each definition comes first and makes sense on its own. Some terms have their own page with a detailed explanation.
A
- AEO
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AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) means optimising content for systems that answer questions directly, such as featured snippets, voice assistants and AI search. The core is a clear answer right at the start.
Also: Answer Engine Optimization, Answer Engine Optimisation
An answer page gives the answer in the first paragraph and goes into detail afterwards. How we put this into practice for shops is described on the page GEO, AEO and AI visibility.
Related: GEO, Structured data
C
- Canonical tag
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A canonical tag is a hint in the HTML head of a page that tells search engines the preferred URL for identical or very similar content, for example for variant or filter pages in an online shop.
Also: Canonical, canonical URL, rel=canonical
Incorrectly set canonicals are among the most common technical SEO errors in shops. Find out more under technical SEO.
Related: Structured data
- Core Web Vitals
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Core Web Vitals are three Google metrics for the user experience of a page: the loading time of the largest content element (LCP), the response time to input (INP) and visual stability while loading (CLS).
Also: Web Vitals, LCP, INP and CLS
Google rates a page as good if LCP is at most 2.5 seconds, INP at most 200 milliseconds and CLS at most 0.1. Read how we make shops faster under PageSpeed optimisation.
Related: Headless commerce
E
- ERP integration
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An ERP integration is the interface between an online shop and an ERP system. It automatically synchronises products, prices, stock levels, customers and orders so that nobody has to maintain data twice.
Also: ERP interface, ERP connection
For Shopware 6 we implement ERP integrations as a plugin, via middleware or through the ERP vendor’s connector. You will find an overview of the systems under ERP integration for Shopware.
Related: Middleware, PIM, Shopware 6
G
- GEO
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GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) means optimising content for generative AI search such as ChatGPT Search, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews, so that these systems use the content as a source for their answers.
Also: Generative Engine Optimization, AI SEO, LLM optimisation
Related: AEO, llms.txt, Structured data
GEO explained in detail
H
- Headless commerce
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Headless commerce is a shop architecture in which frontend and backend are separate. The shop system delivers products, basket and orders via an API, and the frontend is built independently.
Also: Headless shop, decoupled frontend
Shopware 6 provides the Store API for this. The approach makes sense when several channels use the same data or the frontend needs to be highly customised. Find out more under Shopware 6 development.
Related: Shopware 6, Core Web Vitals
L
- llms.txt
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The llms.txt is a Markdown text file in the root directory of a website. It summarises for language models what the website is about and points to the most important pages.
Also: LLMs.txt, llms-txt file
llms.txt explained in detail
M
- Middleware
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Middleware is software that mediates between two systems. It receives data from one system, transforms it and passes it on to the other, for example between Shopware 6 and an ERP system.
Also: Integration layer, integration software
Middleware pays off when several systems are involved or a system does not come with a suitable interface. Find out more under API and middleware.
Related: ERP integration, PIM
P
- PIM
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PIM (Product Information Management) is a system in which companies maintain product data centrally, such as descriptions, attributes, images and translations. Online shops, marketplaces and catalogues then draw their product information from the PIM.
Also: Product Information Management, PIM system
A well-known example is Plytix. Read how a PIM works together with Shopware under PIM integration.
Related: ERP integration, Product feed, Middleware
- Product feed
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A product feed is a file or interface that delivers a shop's product data in bundled form, such as title, price, availability and images. Google Merchant Center, marketplaces and price comparison sites read the offers from it.
Also: Product data feed, shopping feed
Errors in the feed quickly lead to products being rejected in Merchant Center. Find out more under Google Shopping feed.
Related: PIM, Structured data
S
- Shopware 6
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Shopware 6 is a shop system from shopware AG, based in Schöppingen, Germany. It is built on the PHP framework Symfony, provides all functions via APIs as well and is used in B2C and B2B commerce.
Also: Shopware
The Community Edition is open source, and shopware AG offers paid plans for more demanding requirements. Read what we build with Shopware under Shopware.
Related: Headless commerce, ERP integration, PIM
- Structured data
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Structured data is machine-readable information in a page's source code, usually as JSON-LD based on schema.org. It describes things like product, price, availability or reviews so that search engines can classify the content clearly.
Also: JSON-LD, schema markup, schema.org markup
It is a prerequisite for rich snippets but does not guarantee them. Find out more in the article JSON-LD and rich snippets in Shopware.
Related: GEO, AEO, Product feed
A few sentences are enough to start. We will get back to you with questions or a suggested date.