Paid Social and SEO can be really powerful channels for getting your brand in front of the right eyes, driving free (well almost anyway) traffic and turning clicks into customers. But even if you’ve found a strategy which works for you, it’s rarely ever a “set it and forget it” game.
We’ve already shared a few broader tactics about how you can test, learn and get under the bonnet of your metrics in order to overcome eCommerce challenges. But now it’s time to zoom in from above and look at individual channels more closely.
Whether you’re just starting out or pushing through the scaling phase, there will always be hurdles which will constantly shift as your brand grows. What’s important is how you adapt to each new stage.
Paid Social
Where we see many brands slip up in the first instance, is not understanding the fundamentals of each platform; they assume all are the same – not only in how they work but also how customers interact with them.
Creative efforts can also be really hit and miss. Investing in your creative is essential in today’s competitive market. You have between one and three seconds to stop your customer from scrolling, and if you don’t, then it’s one nil to the competition. Poor creative also means lower Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and less reach.
SEO
In organic search there’s a frustrating misconception that rankings on competitive terms will materialise overnight. Unfortunately, that’s rarely ever the case with SEO, which is why its power in eCommerce is frequently downplayed.
Today Google’s different search landscape presents a challenge; the diversity of search types on the results page is difficult for smaller brands to navigate. What should be the priority? Organic product listings? Paid search results? Google maps listings? AI overviews? It can be a minefield trying to create a paid search and SEO strategy which effectively balances results and takes into account the marketplace, intent, CTR and cost to the brand.
Furthermore, younger and smaller brands must deal with the oversaturation of the search results by the most dominant players (we’re looking at you Amazon).
That said, these channels can drive sales effectively if you get them right. And that’s a big if. The only way to nail them is by fine-tuning, adjusting and learning as you go.
But before diving into your test-and-learn strategy for SEO and Paid Social, here five are key questions you might want to think about.
Paid Social
If one ad is performing well, double down by creating variations of it with tweaked copy, swapped images or videos or a new CTA. Keep pushing that winning ad to work harder. Remember, no single asset will maintain the same ROAS forever; ads are constantly competing for attention, so you need to keep things fresh by testing new creative ideas – whether it’s video hooks, ad copy or targeting different audiences.
Plus the lessons you learn from these tests and testing more broadly are what’s going to set you up for success in future campaigns.
SEO
Google makes minor tweaks to its algorithm almost every day and rolls out bigger updates a few times a year, so you can’t just assume what works will stay the same. Testing gives you a solid baseline, so when things shift, you can spot the reasons why. A test-and-learn approach helps you hit your KPIs by doubling down on what works and quickly dropping what doesn’t.
Paid Social
If your on-platform data is looking good then the true test of whether it’s working at its optimum is to run through the following:
SEO
There are tons of ways to measure success in organic search, but rankings are usually the best gauge. Unlike other metrics which are influenced by things like seasonality or internal changes (like pricing), rankings give you a clear picture of how search engines see your site’s performance holistically.
By tracking keyword rankings regularly – whether it’s daily, weekly or monthly you can easily see if your SEO efforts are boosting your visibility, having no impact or even causing rankings to drop. Regular checks keep you competitive and help you fine tune.
Paid Social
We hate to say it but TikTok isn’t going away…
OK, we admit, we love it really!
Brands which were early adopters are reaping the benefits while naysayers are regretting their earlier decisions. Even luxury brands are jumping on the bandwagon.
For those who aren’t on the platform, you’re not too late to the party. More brands are driving revenue through TikTok Live and TikTok Shop than ever before. Although set up costs can seem to be prohibitive – there is a way for smaller brands to hop aboard which we’ll cover later in the blog.
Here’s a hot tip: Pinterest is still wide open, and brands getting in early could see faster growth and lower costs. With its improved eCommerce features and less competition, those increasing their ad spend are seeing great returns. Pinterest’s new Performance+ (kind of like Meta’s Advantage+) is already delivering a 13% boost in checkouts and 11% lower CPA, according to their 2024 webinar. Remember, you heard it here first.
SEO
AI Overviews in Google and Bing search results, using ChatGPT, is the latest shift in SEO. AI’s been part of search for a while, but now it’s more out in the open. What does it mean and how useful for brands? Well it’s about the relative positioning of your snippet or ad with respect to these AI Overviews. Ads still appear above AI Overviews for commercial searches, but for informational ones, they show up below.
Google’s also been teasing SGE (Search Generative Experiences) for a while but this seems to have taken a backseat with AI Overviews having more of an ubiquitous roll out.
Paid Social
Before jumping into paid social, research where your audience actually is. TikTok might sound all singing, all dancing (it is often, quite literally), but if your customers aren’t there, it’s not worth your time or money. Once you’ve found the right platforms, build an organic presence – an empty profile can and will hurt your credibility.
Test different creatives, messaging and audiences. If you’re new to a platform and don’t have any pixel data, optimise events further up the funnel such as ‘Add to Cart’ to help Meta learn faster and boost sales.
Also, don’t solely rely on sales campaigns. Traffic campaigns can be really valuable, helping your brand to reach more people, increasing site visits and growing your retargeting audience for more revenue.
SEO
The best advice: don’t get too caught up in trends without thinking about their real value for your business. Just because an AI Overview pops up for a commercial query doesn’t mean you should ignore the sales-focused ones underneath. Sure, showing up higher in the funnel helps, but it’s the bottom-of-the-funnel queries that really drive sales, especially in eCommerce.
Paid Social
If you’re thinking about trying out platforms like TikTok Shop but aren’t sure about putting down the cash right away, start by testing your creative on organic social – it’s a cost-effective way to see what works before you start splurging on ads.
‘Late’ adopters are finding the initial investment to get up to speed on TikTok expensive, but there is a way forward. One option is to team up with a TikTok Live partner which will be able to handle the end-to-end process for your brand. If you don’t have the infrastructure in-house they can offer options including staging, actors, hosting and community engagement.
At Space & Time, we’ve got partnerships across the eCommerce landscape. So, if you’re considering TikTok Shop, we have partners who can help you grow there. We also collaborate closely with creative agencies because our top priority is boosting your performance, and we know the right creative can turn a good campaign into a major success.
SEO
We’ve warned against jumping on trends for trend’s sake. Our advice would be to look at your site’s current SEO situation holistically, figure out where the gaps are, and prioritise those areas based on your brand’s needs.
For example, if your brand relies on informational searches but hasn’t invested much in content, then prioritising a content strategy might be the way to go. If you’re running an eCommerce site and struggling with technical issues, it’s wise to focus there first. On the other hand, if your technical and content foundations are solid but you’re still lagging behind, off-site SEO could be the key to staying competitive.
If you need help deciding on where you sit, then the Space & Time team have decades of experience behind them, successfully helping brands define the scope and priorities of their SEO campaigns to power successful eCommerce growth.
Stay tuned for the next post in the ‘Redefining Potential: Mastering Growth Through Adaptation’ series where we’ll cover PPC and Programmatic channels. If you have any questions, need help, or want to share your thoughts on this blog, feel free to reach out to one of our team.