# Getting started with Sphen

> Install Sphen, sync your Shopify catalog, run the first audit and apply your first change — the full setup path in about fifteen minutes.

Canonical URL: https://sphen.ai/help/getting-started/
Last updated: 2026-08-14

## What it does

Sphen mirrors your Shopify catalog, audits every product, collection and page for the signals search engines and AI assistants rely on, and drafts the missing content. Nothing is written to your store until you approve it. The guided setup walks you through the three steps that get you from install to your first applied change.

### Why it matters

An AI assistant can only recommend a product it can describe. Missing descriptions, empty alt text, absent brand or GTIN fields and unreadable structured data are the reasons a store gets skipped in an AI answer. The setup below gets your catalog into a state where those answers can actually cite you — usually in one working session, not one quarter.

## Setup

1. Open Sphen from the **Apps** section of your Shopify admin. The install and permission grant finish automatically the first time the app loads. If you see **Reinstall required**, reopen the app from Shopify admin so the missing permission can be granted.
2. Work through the guided setup wizard (**Get started**). Step **Store profile** shows what Sphen detected about your business, category, audience, markets and tone. Correct anything that is off — this profile steers how every draft is written — then press **Confirm & continue**.
3. Step **Buyer questions** lists the prompts Sphen will measure your store against. Add the questions your buyers actually ask, remove the ones that miss, then press **Run my first visibility check**.
4. Step **First results** shows how many products were audited and how many are not AI-ready yet. Press **Continue to your dashboard**.
5. On **Overview**, work the **Setup checklist** top to bottom: **Connect your catalog**, **Apply your first recommendation**, **Measure your AI visibility**. The next-action card above it always names the single next thing to do.
6. Activate the theme app embed so your structured data is actually emitted. See [Theme integration](/help/theme-integration) — without it, the audit will keep flagging structured-data gaps.
7. Go to **Recommendations**, open the **Inbox** tab, and apply one draft. That single applied change is what turns the checklist green and starts the measurement window.

## Reading the results

A finished setup looks like this on **Overview**: the store shows as **Connected**, **Products synced** carries a real number, and the next-action card reads **All clear: your changes are live** rather than asking you to sync or audit. **Potential improvements** counts what Sphen can fix with an AI draft; **Ready to review** counts drafts waiting for your approval. A separate line tells you how many of those need a manual edit in Shopify (vendor, category, GTIN) because no AI draft can produce them.

Both numbers dropping over the following weeks is the signal you want. A visibility number does not appear until your first AI visibility scan completes — see [AI visibility](/help/ai-visibility).

## Troubleshooting

### The setup checklist says a step is blocked.

Blocked almost always means a missing Shopify permission or an inactive theme app embed. Reopen Sphen from your Shopify admin to re-grant permissions, and check [Theme integration](/help/theme-integration) for the embed. Press **Try again** on the checklist afterwards.

### The catalog sync is still running after several minutes.

Large catalogs take a while, and the sync continues in the background — you can leave the page. If it reports **Sync failed**, use **Retry catalog sync** on the next-action card. Persistent failures show up as failed jobs under **Activity**; see [Troubleshooting](/help/troubleshooting).

### I skipped the wizard. Can I get it back?

Yes. The **Setup checklist** on **Overview** carries a **Resume guided setup** link. Nothing you entered is lost.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Sphen change my store without asking?

No. Every change is drafted, shown with a before/after diff and applied only when you press **Apply**. Automatic applying is part of the Growth plan, but it is currently a private beta that is not enabled for every store — ask support if you want it. Until then you apply every change yourself.

### How long until I see results?

Catalog fixes are live on your storefront within seconds of applying. AI visibility moves on a slower clock — plan for a few weeks and several scans before the trend is readable.

### Can I undo an applied change?

Yes. Open **Recommendations → Done** and use **Revert** on the change. If the field was edited in Shopify after Sphen applied it, you get a warning before the newer edit is overwritten.

## Still stuck?

Support answers installation, catalog sync, audit, billing, privacy, and account questions for the SPHEN.AI Shopify app. https://sphen.ai/support/