We just wrapped up an incredible few days at Camp Miva 2026, held at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla.
Our CEO, Al Sefati, had the privilege of presenting two sessions at the event, SEO That Turns Rankings Into Revenue and Keywords to Conversations in AI Search, joining a lineup of ecommerce leaders, developers, and merchants who came together to share ideas and strategies for growing ecommerce businesses on the Miva platform.
March 10 Session: SEO That Turns Rankings Into Revenue
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Presentation Summary:
This presentation outlined a practical framework for ecommerce SEO designed to turn rankings and traffic into measurable revenue. Many SEO programs focus primarily on visibility, but the goal of ecommerce SEO should be to close the gap between search traffic and actual sales performance.
Key areas covered included:
• Aligning SEO with the full buyer journey by mapping informational, comparison, and transactional queries to the right pages and content.
• Optimizing high value category pages with contextual copy, buying guides, internal links, and structured data to capture high intent search demand.
• Strengthening product detail pages with unique product content, reviews, structured product schema, and content that answers real buyer questions.
• Ensuring technical SEO supports both rankings and conversions through fast page speed, strong mobile experience, and efficient crawling and indexation.
• Building authority through digital PR, brand mentions, and reviews that improve both trust and search visibility.
The core takeaway is that ecommerce SEO should be treated as a full funnel growth channel designed to drive revenue, not just rankings.
March 11 Session: From Keywords to Conversations in AI Search
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Presentation Summary:
This presentation explored how search behavior is rapidly shifting from traditional keyword queries to conversational discovery powered by AI platforms. Buyers are increasingly asking detailed questions in tools like AI assistants and receiving summarized recommendations rather than browsing through a list of links. As a result, ecommerce brands must adapt their search strategy to ensure they are referenced and cited in AI generated answers.
Key areas covered included:
• Understanding the shift from keyword based search to natural language conversations where buyers describe problems, situations, and preferences instead of typing short queries.
• Maintaining strong SEO fundamentals such as crawlability, structured data, site speed, and technical performance since AI systems still rely on the same underlying web data that search engines crawl.
• Expanding beyond traditional blog content to build a richer content ecosystem that includes product videos, explainer videos, images with descriptive alt text, transcripts, and conversational FAQ sections.
• Strengthening off page authority through reviews, brand mentions, digital PR, and third party validation, since AI systems evaluate how a brand is discussed across the broader web.
• Developing content that answers real buyer questions so that AI platforms recognize the site as a credible source when generating product recommendations.
The core takeaway is that AI search rewards the most helpful answer, not just the most optimized page. Ecommerce brands that combine strong SEO fundamentals with authoritative, question driven content will be better positioned to remain visible in AI powered discovery.
Photos from Camp Miva 2026
(coming soon)
About Miva
Miva is one of the longest standing ecommerce platforms in the industry and continues to power many successful online merchants. While it may not always receive the same level of attention as some newer platforms, Miva has built a strong reputation for flexibility, performance, and deep customization capabilities.
For many mid market and enterprise merchants, Miva offers a powerful alternative to more rigid ecommerce systems. Its architecture allows merchants and developers to build highly customized ecommerce experiences while maintaining strong performance and scalability.
Events like Camp Miva highlight the strength of the platform’s ecosystem and the community of merchants, developers, and partners who continue to innovate and grow on the platform.
