SEO is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic from search engines. It targets unpaid organic traffic only. While there may be expenses for online businesses using an eCommerce SEO agency, it costs nothing to rank your online store organically in the search engine results, your only investment needs to be time and an understanding of eCommerce SEO techniques.

SEO is very cost-effective, but it is a slower process that requires continual maintenance.

PPC advertising for eCommerce is an online advertising strategy that drives traffic to eCommerce stores and their products. The advertiser pays a publisher such as Google each time the ad is clicked.

Pay per click is commonly associated with the paid search advertising results that appear on search engines such as Google. However, PPC ads can also display on social media networks, websites and other online advertising outlets. Did you know Tillison Consulting are experts in Google Ads Management?

PPC (Pay Per Click) covers a wide variety of paid advertising opportunities which SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) cannot cover. Broadly speaking, there is no direct comparison.

However, a Paid Search is a similar strategy to SEO. In a Paid Search campaign, the advertiser is bidding and paying for clicks on ads at the top of the search results. With SEO, pages are ranked in the organic listings.

Also within Google Ads, eCommerce stores can invest in a Google Shopping campaign. Google Shopping shows Product Ads at the top of search results – there is no real “organic SEO” opportunity of note which competes with Google Shopping Ads.

PPC campaigns also include Facebook Ads, YouTube Ads and Google Display Ads, amongst others, none of which compete with an SEO strategy directly.

In summary, the most successful eCommerce Marketing strategies;

1. Use a combination of PPC campaigns for top-of-funnel audience reach and engagement, along with a Content / SEO strategy. 
2. Use a combination of Paid Search Campaigns, Google Shopping and SEO to get rank category and product pages, attracting clicks and visitors when they’re more likely to buy.

A crucial reason why SEO and PPC integration works so well is that they are both heavily dependent on keyword optimisation to surface for related searches.

Google search and Google shopping campaigns are led by keywords. They are used for bidding on search terms (queries), as well as playing a big part in optimisation for your ad rank. SEO landing pages are optimised for the best and most relevant keywords to capture organic traffic.

Both SEO and PPC use high intent keywords to capture traffic that is most likely to convert. The similarities in both make SEO and PPC integration very achievable.

It is worth noting that only Google search and shopping ads are keyword driven. Display ads, remarketing and other types of Google advertising are led by other factors.

As we’ve mentioned already, PPC campaigns can generate immediate results for online stores. Working alongside SEO, paid advertisers can utilise profitable keywords, with the aim of optimising landing pages. This will enhance visibility and traffic for immediate PPC results, as well as for longer-term SEO gains.

eCommerce Tracking is essential to the success of an eCommerce store, regardless of the channels used to attract traffic.

Configured correctly for the Ad Platform (Google Ads, Facebook Ads etc.) and for Google Analytics, tracking provides data about;

1. The number of visitors to your site and each page
2. The time each user spent on a page, or on your site
3. How many pages users viewed
4. Whether those users converted in to a sale and the transaction values

Given that this data can then be segmented by traffic source, device, gender, age, location and others, this data can help marketers and eCommerce store owners understand which are their most profitable traffic sources, which genders and locations perform best and most critically therefore to understand how to scale their eCommerce traffic and sales.

Targeted and optimised regularly, Facebook PPC (Facebook Ads) can work incredibly well for eCommerce stores.

However, when comparing Facebook Ads and Google Search Ads, it must be remembered that Facebook Ads is an interruption strategy – targeting users who are likely to be interested in your product, whereas Google Search and/or Google Shopping campaigns seek to attract users when they already have a demand for your product.

Facebook PPC Ads primary support your eCommerce store’s revenue in a number of ways;

1. Creating awareness and desire for your products among (niche) target audiences, which in turn creates site traffic and search traffic
2. Retargeting site visitors with ads for products, nurturing those users through a consideration period in a an effort to have those users return to the site and purchase
3. Engaging and nurturing existing fans and customers, which encourages repeat orders.
4. Introducing new products to an existing audience.

Google Ads for eCommerce is the foundation for many successful stores, but relying solely on Google Search or Shopping is a risky long-term strategy.

To be stable, eCommerce stores should consider investing in other traffic sources such as organic traffic (SEO), email marketing, social PPC ads and content marketing.

To achieve real eCommerce success, it is critical to remember that Google Ads is an advertising platform. Well- structured and optimised Google Ads campaigns can get your products found when users are searching, but it cannot convert those visitors in to sales – for that, Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is absolutely critical, along with product pricing.

YouTube ads can work for eCommerce as a top-of-funnel strategy – targeting broad or niche audiences with video ads for your products, or latest range.

As a strategy to drive direct sales, YouTube may not by your first choice as an eCommerce business, but it sure does pack a punch in reach and engagement.

A video retargeting strategy on YouTube could produce awesome results, helping to educate a “nearly customer” audience about the range of products on offer.

Like Facebook Ads, YouTube also delivers a fantastic opportunity to reach your target audience with video content, creating awareness, desire and search activity around your brand and your products.

eCommerce Conversion Rate Optimisation is important because it allows you to lower your customer acquisition costs by getting more value from the visitors and users you already have.

By utilising this service, you can increase revenue per website visitor, acquire more customers, and grow your business exponentially. 

A/B testing is important for eCommerce stores looking to up their click-through rates (CTR) and conversions. As SEO plays a much longer game, PPC is often a great way to drive traffic to test pages to gain an instant bulk of data.

Test out new variations of brand messaging, different creative assets and multiple calls to action with A/B testing to see what works best for the audience. You can then use your data to inform SEO efforts and further your PPC gains. If you’re new to the idea of A/B testing, contact a digital marketing agency offering conversion rate optimisation services (CRO). They’ll be able to give you a head start!

Managing your site requires a well-performing eCommerce CMS system. There are a variety of eCommerce maintenance platforms available including WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify and PrestaShop. Shopify’s SEO functionality is also admirable, as well as the product management aspect.

Don’t be shy about running ads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. If your target audience uses it, your brand should be there.

Facebook Ads is a good place to start. On this platform, you can create and manage campaigns that run on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. Facebook Business Suite makes it so easy to do this.

Make your ads eye-catching with videos and GIFs, and tailor them to your audience. You want people to stop scrolling to click on your ad and head to your store – don’t give them a reason to ignore it.

Facebook and Instagram both offer integrations for shopping, too. While they are currently only available in the US, they’re likely to come to the UK soon, so it’s worth keeping an eye out.

It’s also worth looking into buyable pins on Pinterest. These show users the most up-to-date information about price and availability with information directly from your website.

Regardless of whether or not you’re running PPC campaigns, you’re going to need to implement technical SEO to drive traffic to your eCommerce store. If you’re new to this, the basics aren’t as scary as they sound.

Page speed is a ranking factor, so make sure your website loads fast. This may include implementing lazy loading or even moving your web hosting. Make sure your web pages link to each other – no search engine likes orphan pages – and optimise your site for mobile.

Another important thing to consider is your site structure. Can users move around easily? Does your navigation make sense? Take another look at it, ask users for feedback or contact an SEO agency to help you out.

It might seem underhanded, but looking at what your competitors are doing will help you a lot. Ask yourself these questions:

• What keywords are they targeting?
• When are they posting on social media?
• What does their ad copy say?
• Which social media platforms do they run ads on?

Online shopping is highly competitive, and that makes driving traffic to your eCommerce store harder. Take note of the tactics your competitors employ and figure out what works for you and your particular audience. SEMrush and Ahrefs are tools that can help you out here.