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Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about Surge: AI Search? You're in the right place. This article covers the most common questions we hear from merchants, organized by topic.


Getting Started​

Shopify's default search helps shoppers find products, but it offers limited control over how results are ranked and little insight into search performance. If customers search for products that don't appear, merchants have no way to understand what went wrong or to optimize the experience.

Surge transforms search into a powerful merchandising and conversion tool. Its AI-powered search engine delivers instant, typo-tolerant results as shoppers type, supports advanced filtering using metafields, and stays continuously synchronized with your catalog. Built-in analytics show exactly what customers are searching for, which queries return no results, and where search demand exists, giving you the data you need to improve product discovery and drive more sales.


Is Surge free?​

Surge offers a 14-day free trial period so you can test the full experience before your first charge. After the trial, paid plans start at $19 per month. Check the Surge: AI Search listing on the Shopify App Store for more details about the available plans.


How do I install Surge?​

Installation takes under five minutes and doesn't require any code changes. Go to the Shopify App Store, find Surge: AI Search, click Install, and follow the on-screen steps. Once installed, open the Surge dashboard, add the Surge App Blocks to your theme in the Shopify Theme Editor, and publish your updated theme.


Does Surge work with all Shopify themes?​

Surge supports all Shopify Online Store 2.0 themes, including Dawn, Sense, and Craft, as well as third-party OS 2.0 themes. Older legacy themes are also supported and may need a small manual code adjustment during setup. If you run a headless or custom storefront, contact support before installing to discuss your configuration.


Does Surge slow down my store?​

No. Surge's search components load asynchronously and don't block your page's main render cycle. Shoppers see your page at full speed, and search queries go directly to Surge's search engine, designed for fast response times even under large catalogs.


Yes, once you add the Surge Search Bar App Block to your theme and publish, Surge takes over the search experience in that location. If you later uninstall Surge or remove the App Block, your store reverts to Shopify's original search with no leftover code.


Can I test Surge on a duplicate theme before it goes live?​

Yes. Install Surge, add App Blocks to a duplicate theme, and preview that theme before publishing. Your live storefront remains unaffected until you publish.


Is Surge designed for large catalogs?​

Yes. Surge is built to scale and handle one million search queries per month. Stores with catalogs of 1,000 products or more, or those noticing slow or irrelevant results with Shopify's default search, typically see the biggest improvement after switching.


Does Surge work with Shopify Plus?​

Yes. Surge works on all Shopify plan levels, including the Plus plan. If your Plus store uses a headless or custom storefront, contact our support team before installing.


I only have 200 products. Is Surge still worth it?​

Yes. Even small catalogs benefit from typo correction, as-you-type suggestions, and search analytics. The $19/month Basic plan covers most small-store needs, and the analytics dashboard shows you exactly what your shoppers are searching for from day one.


Can I use Surge alongside other Shopify apps?​

Yes. Surge works alongside your existing stack. The only exception is other search or filter apps: running two search tools simultaneously causes conflicts. Remove any active third-party search apps before enabling Surge.


Dashboard & Analytics​

Why does the product count on the dashboard not match Shopify?​

The dashboard indexes only Active products. Draft and Unlisted products are excluded. If the count still differs after accounting for drafts, run a full re-index from the Surge settings to reconcile any discrepancy.


Surge shows a Disconnected status. What should I do?​

A Disconnected status means Surge isn't receiving product webhooks from Shopify. Check that the Surge app is still active in your Shopify admin, verify your Shopify plan hasn't lapsed, and run a manual re-sync from the Sync History page. If the status stays disconnected, contact support.


Why does my analytics show no data after installation?​

This usually means one of three things: Surge was installed recently and hasn't collected data yet, the Surge-enabled theme hasn't been published, or the App Blocks weren't added before the theme went live.


Can I filter analytics by device type or location?​

These filters aren't available in the current version. The dashboard shows aggregate data across all devices and regions.


Does analytics data reset if I reinstall the app?​

Reinstalling creates a new account session, and historical data may not carry over. Contact support before uninstalling if preserving your analytics history matters.


Data Sync​

How does Surge keep product data up to date?​

Surge automatically detects and syncs changes from Shopify in near-real time. When you update a product in Shopify, Surge updates the search index within seconds.


Does running a re-sync interrupt live search for shoppers?​

No. Surge continues serving search from the existing index throughout the sync. Updated records become searchable progressively as they're processed, with no blackout period.


When should I run a manual re-sync?​

You rarely need to trigger a manual sync since webhooks handle updates automatically. Run one only if specific products are missing from results or your product counts look inconsistent.


What if I remove a product from Shopify?​

When you delete a product in Shopify, Surge automatically detects the change and removes it from search results immediately. A manual re-sync also removes deleted products, but this is handled automatically in real time.


My product count dropped significantly in the sync log. Is something wrong?​

Not necessarily. The Sync History log keeps all past entries, so older rows may show higher counts from when your store had more active products. The dashboard always shows the current total.


App Blocks​

Do I need to re-add App Blocks if I switch to a new Shopify theme?​

Yes. App Blocks are theme-specific. Switching themes means you need to re-add the Surge blocks to your new theme. Your settings, search index, and analytics carry over automatically.


Will adding App Blocks slow down my store?​

No. Surge App Blocks load independently from your theme's critical rendering path and don't affect your page performance scores or Core Web Vitals.


What happens to the App Blocks if I uninstall Surge?​

All App Blocks are automatically removed from your theme. Your theme returns to its original appearance with no leftover code or broken layouts.


Synonyms Management​

What are synonyms, and why do I need them?​

Synonyms let you map alternate words or phrases to the same products. For example, if your product is listed as 'trainers' but some shoppers search for 'sneakers', adding a synonym means both searches return the same results.


What's the difference between synonyms and typo correction?​

Typo correction works automatically and catches misspellings based on character similarity, such as matching 'shooes' to 'shoes'. Synonyms are for intentional alternate words, regional terms, or abbreviations, such as mapping 'sofa' to 'couch'. You configure synonyms manually.


Will synonyms affect my analytics data?​

No. Search analytics continue to show the terms shoppers actually searched for. If a shopper searches for "trainers", that search will be recorded as "trainers" in your analytics, even if synonym rules help match products that use the term "sneakers." This helps you understand the language your customers use while improving search relevance through synonyms.


I added a synonym but still see zero results. What should I check?​

Confirm you saved the synonym. Then verify that at least one product in your catalog contains the target term in its title, vendor, product type, options, or tags. If matching products exist but don't appear, run a manual re-sync.


Do synonyms work with filters?​

Synonyms apply to the search query before Surge fetches results. The returned products can then be filtered normally.


Metafields Indexing​

What is metafield indexing, and why does it matter?​

Metafields are custom data fields attached to products in Shopify, such as "Fabric: Cotton" or "Season: Winter". By default, shoppers can't filter by these fields. When you index a metafield in Surge, it becomes available as a filter option in the sidebar, without any code changes.


Can I index variant-level metafields?​

Surge currently supports product-level metafield indexing. Contact our support team if variant metafields are a priority for your store.


What metafield content types work best for filters?​

Single-line text is the most reliable type. It produces short, consistent values that display cleanly in the filter panel. Avoid rich text, multi-line text, or reference-type metafields as filter options, as they produce inconsistent results.


Do I need to re-index my full catalog after adding a new metafield?​

No. Surge triggers a partial re-index automatically when you save a new metafield configuration.


Why does the same metafield show duplicate filter values?​

Duplicate values appear when the same attribute isn't formatted consistently across products. For example, "Cotton" and "cotton" are treated as two separate values. Standardize the values in Shopify admin and then run a re-sync.


Will changes to the Search Bar Design also affect the full search results page?​

No. Design settings in the Search Bar tab apply only to the instant search overlay dropdown. The full results page has its own settings under the Search Result tab.


The search bar inherits your theme's font by default. To use a custom font, add a font-family rule in the Custom CSS field in the Design tab, or set the Font Family field to a font already available in the app.


How does the search bar behave during a data re-sync?​

The search bar stays fully functional throughout a re-sync. Updated records become searchable progressively as the sync completes.


Search Results​

Does Surge automatically replace my theme's search results page?​

No. You add the Surge Search Results App Block to your theme's search page template in the Shopify Theme Editor. Once placed and saved, it displays Surge-powered results on that page.


Why are some products not appearing in search results?​

Common reasons: the product hasn't synced yet, the product is in Draft status in Shopify, the product has an excluded tag, or the query doesn't closely match the product's indexed fields.


Does filtering update results without a page reload?​

Yes. All filter and sort changes update the product grid in place using JavaScript, without reloading the page.


Can shoppers save or share filtered search results?​

Yes. Surge updates the URL with filter and sort parameters as shoppers apply them. Shoppers can bookmark or share the URL to return to the same filtered state.


Product & Recommendations​

What is the Product Recommendations widget?​

The Product Recommendation widget is an App Block that appears on product detail pages. It shows shoppers a curated set of related products based on attributes such as tags, type, and vendor, as well as behavioral signals from previous shopper interactions.


Do Product Recommendation widget loads count against my search credits?​

No. Recommendation widget loads don't consume search credits. Only search bar queries count against your monthly plan.


Will recommendation settings carry over if I change my Shopify theme?​

Yes. Surge stores customization settings independently of your theme. After switching themes, re-add the Surge Product Recommendation App Block to your product page template and review your Design settings.


Cart Recommendations​

What is the Cart Recommendation widget?​

The Cart Recommendation widget appears on your cart page and shows shoppers a selection of products based on what's already in their cart. It uses behavioral data and product relationships to surface items shoppers are likely to want next, helping increase average order value.


Does the cart recommendation widget affect cart loading speed?​

No. Surge loads cart recommendations asynchronously. The cart opens immediately, and recommendations populate within a fraction of a second after the cart renders.


Will cart recommendations work in a slide-out drawer cart?​

Cart recommendations are designed for the dedicated cart page. Contact support if you need guidance for embedding them in the cart drawer.


Billing & Credits​

What counts as a search credit?​

Each time a shopper performs a search, one query is sent from their browser to the Surge search engine, and that counts as one search credit.


What if I reach my monthly credit limit?​

Search queries stop returning Surge-powered results once you hit your credit cap. You can purchase additional credits immediately through the Surge Billing portal to restore service.


Do unused credits carry over to the next month?​

No. Credits reset on your billing date each month. Unused credits from the current cycle are cleared and don't carry forward.


Is there a custom plan for very high-volume stores?​

Custom plans aren't available at this stage. If none of the four standard tiers fit your needs, contact our support team to discuss your situation.


Support​

How do I get help if something isn't working?​

The quickest way is through the live chat icon embedded in the Surge app. You can also email support@bevycommerce.com with your store URL and a brief description of the issue.


Where can I find guides and tutorials for Surge?​

All setup guides and feature walkthroughs are available at Bevy Academy.


Can I get hands-on setup help?​

Yes. If you'd prefer guided setup rather than following the documentation yourself, contact our support team, and we'll help you configure Surge for your store.