How to Use SEM and SEO to Grow Your Ecommerce Business?
When running an ecommerce business, visibility is everything. With thousands of online stores competing for attention, how do you ensure that your products show up when potential customers search for them? The answer lies in a powerful combination of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
SEO helps you rank higher organically, bringing in free, long-term traffic. Meanwhile, SEM, through paid ads, gets you immediate visibility in search results. Together, they form a winning strategy to drive more traffic, increase sales, and scale your dropshipping business.
But how exactly do SEO and SEM work, and how can you leverage them effectively? In this blog, we’ll break down the key benefits, strategies, and best practices to help you grow your ecommerce store. Let’s dive in!
Understanding SEO and SEM
To understand SEM and SEO is to first understand Google. The world’s leading search engine divides its search results into two major categories: paid search (SEM) and organic search (SEO). They are two sides of the same coin offering different results.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy that helps bring organic traffic to your website. It’s an unpaid strategy where search engines crawl content to see its effectiveness and ability to drive traffic. It assesses the use of keywords in copy, titles, meta descriptions, and tags in a website to increase the chances of conversions and sales. You can also get your ecommerce store in the paid search results section with Pay Per Click (PPC).
What is SEM?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) uses paid tactics to gain visibility and bring paid and organic traffic to your online store. It incorporates SEO and various types of paid search advertising, such as targeted paid ad campaigns to increase visibility and get traffic from search engines. A paid SEM strategy incorporates setting up and optimising the ads, ensuring appropriate keyword placement and usage in copy, and setting an ideal budget for the placement of ads.
Both SEM and SEO are crucial for the success of your ecommerce business. While some people believe that SEM and SEO should be used independently, in reality, they’re best when in action together.
Benefits of SEO for ecommerce growth
Let’s explore some key benefits of creating a SEO strategy.
Drives organic traffic
SEO helps your store appear in search results when customers look for products like yours. Unlike paid ads, organic traffic is free and continues to grow over time. When your site ranks well, you attract potential buyers without constantly paying for clicks. Optimising your product pages, blog content, and meta descriptions with relevant keywords ensures you show up for the right searches. The more visible your store is, the more potential customers you reach - without increasing your ad spend.
Builds trust and credibility
Ranking high on Google signals that your store is trustworthy and relevant. Customers are more likely to click on organic search results than paid ads because they see them as more credible. Strong SEO practices, like optimising site speed, securing your site with HTTPS, and earning backlinks from reputable sources, help build authority. When your store consistently appears in search results, shoppers start recognising your brand, leading to higher trust, more clicks, and eventually, more sales.
Improves user experience
SEO isn’t just about keywords; it’s also about creating a smooth, enjoyable shopping experience. A well-structured website that loads fast, is easy to navigate, and works well on mobile keeps visitors engaged. If users find what they need quickly, they’re more likely to stay, browse, and buy. Plus, search engines reward sites with good usability, pushing them higher in rankings. By focusing on SEO-friendly design and performance, you make your site more appealing to both customers and search engines.
Increases conversions over time
Unlike paid ads that stop driving traffic when your budget runs out, SEO delivers long-term results. Once your pages rank well, they continue attracting visitors and potential buyers without additional costs. Consistently optimising your content, improving site speed, and refining your keywords ensure your rankings stay strong. More targeted traffic means more conversions - customers who find your store through organic search are often actively looking for what you sell, making them more likely to purchase.
Benefits of SEM for ecommerce growth
Let’s explore some key benefits of implementing SEM for your ecommerce business.
Get instant visibility
Unlike SEO, which takes time to show results, SEM (Search Engine Marketing) gives your store instant visibility. With paid ads, your products appear at the top of search results, helping you reach potential customers immediately. This is especially useful for new stores or seasonal promotions where quick traffic is needed. By targeting the right keywords, you can attract shoppers who are actively looking for products like yours, increasing your chances of making a sale right away.
Target the right customers
SEM allows you to target customers based on their search intent, location, device, and even shopping behavior. This precision ensures your ads are shown to the right audience - people who are more likely to buy your products. Unlike social media ads that appear randomly, search ads appear when users are already looking for products. This means higher-quality traffic and better chances of conversion, making your marketing budget more effective.
Control your budget and scale easily
With SEM, you have full control over your spending. You can set daily budgets, adjust bids, and scale up or down based on performance. Unlike traditional advertising, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. If a campaign is performing well, you can increase the budget to drive more sales. If it’s underperforming, you can pause, tweak, or test new strategies, ensuring you get the best return on investment.
Retarget visitors and recover lost sales
Many shoppers don’t buy on their first visit, but SEM lets you bring them back. Retargeting ads remind previous visitors about your products, keeping your brand top of mind. These ads appear on Google, social media, and other websites they visit, increasing the chances of conversion. Since these users have already shown interest, they’re more likely to complete their purchase, helping you recover lost sales and maximise revenue.
How to grow your ecommerce business with SEM and SEO
Now that we have an understanding of the differences between SEM and SEO, let’s dive into how you can work them to the advantage of your ecommerce business.
SEO strategies for your ecommerce business
Keyword research
Keyword research is the backbone of SEO. It can be a deciding factor in the fate of your ecommerce business, so you must choose the right keywords. Optimising for the most relevant keywords will enable search engines to surface your online store when someone performs a relevant search.
You could do keyword research with the help of various SEO tools, such as SEMrush and Ubersuggest, to make an educated guess. A pro tip is to target keywords with above-average search traffic and weak competition. Since it's harder to rank for competitive keywords, you could use long-tail keywords for better results. For instance, if you sell customised keychains, you could use the phrase ‘customised keychains in Melbourne’ to localise your content, and this keyword might have less competition. You could further benefit if the design of your keychains appeal specifically to Melbournians. By using this keyword or search term, you might also gain better visibility and traffic.
Implement on-page SEO strategies
Once you’ve done keyword research, it’s time you put it to work. A study by Ahrefs found that 91% of content gets no organic traffic from Google, often due to poor on-page SEO practices. You could use your selected keywords strategically in various places, including:
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Meta title and meta description
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Product descriptions
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Alt tags
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Page URLs
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Headings and subheadings
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CTAs
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Page title
Improve your UX design
Another essential factor is ensuring that your website is user-friendly and visually appealing. An ecommerce store that is easy to use enables customers to navigate your website and browse and buy your products effortlessly. Here are some of the ways that you can improve your website’s UX design:
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Make your website mobile-friendly
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Minimise interference of ads with content
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Keep your website clutter-free
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Make your website easy to navigate
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Include call-to-actions (CTAs) to guide customers towards next steps
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Keep the styling consistent
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Improve your website’s speed
Build high-authority backlinks for credibility
Link building is a proven way of growing an online business as it helps develop trust and build authority. It’s one of the most common SEO practices. As important ranking factors in Google's algorithm for SEO, both external and internal links play a role in growing your traffic. Additionally, they improve your website’s ranking, which ultimately helps you sell more products. Every time you earn a quality link, Google will mark your ecommerce website as more authoritative and reputable, so it’s beneficial to get creative when link building.
SEM strategies for your ecommerce business
Set up Google Ads campaigns
A well-structured Google Ads campaign can drive high-quality traffic and boost conversions, but only if set up correctly. Start by defining clear goals, whether it’s increasing sales, generating leads, or boosting brand awareness. Use keyword research tools to target high-intent search terms that match what your audience is looking for. Structure your campaigns with tightly themed ad groups and write compelling ad copy that includes a strong call to action.
Match visitor search intent
Whether you’re focused on converting visitors or nurturing leads, every ad should direct to a landing page targeted at a defined market. In an ideal world, you should create personas before developing landing pages. Always cross-check against customer value propositions (CVPs), and if there isn’t a relevant CVP, rethink the offer. The more relevant and accurate your marketing content, the longer your audience will stick around your online store, which should translate into stronger sales and better search rankings. There is nothing more frustrating than clicking an ad that asks you to take a different action on a landing page.
Leverage Retargeting Ads to convert lost visitors
A study found that fewer than 2 per cent of ecommerce website visits result in a purchase, with nearly 80 per cent of shopping carts abandoned. This indicates that most visitors, especially first-time ones, leave without buying, even if they’re interested. Many are still in the research phase, comparing prices, or need more time before making a decision. This is where retargeting comes into play. Retargeting your potential customers with relevant content may encourage them to take the desired action. Tools such as Google Analytics and Adroll can help you keep track of your online store visitors.
Pro tip: Tailor your retargeting based on your campaign goals, with options including retargeting visitors who have either clicked your ad, added your products to their cart, or even taken a highly specified action on your website, such as signing up to your newsletter in the last 60 days.
Use A/B testing to optimise ad performance
A/B testing helps improve ad performance by comparing two versions to see which one works better. Test different elements like headlines, images, ad copy, and CTAs to understand what attracts your audience. Focus on one variable at a time to get clear insights.
Track key metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and conversions to determine the most effective version. Regular testing and optimization help you refine your ads, reduce wasted spend, and boost ROI. Instead of guessing, A/B testing ensures data-driven decisions that lead to better engagement and higher conversions.
Maximise ROI with smart budgeting and bidding
Budgeting wisely is crucial. Set daily limits and bid strategically to get the best return on investment. Use ad extensions to provide extra information and improve click-through rates. Lastly, monitor performance regularly and optimise based on data. Adjust bids, test different ad variations, and refine targeting to improve results over time. A properly managed Google Ads campaign ensures that your budget is spent effectively, attracting the right audience and maximizing your advertising ROI.
How to combine SEO and SEM for your ecommerce business
SEO and SEM work best when used together. A combined approach ensures steady traffic, stronger brand presence, and higher conversions. By leveraging insights from both, you can refine your marketing strategy, target the right audience, and maximise your ROI. Here’s how you can integrate SEO and SEM effectively.
Use SEM for quick traffic while SEO builds up
SEO takes time to show results, but SEM can drive traffic instantly. Running paid ads ensures your products appear at the top of search results while your SEO efforts gradually improve rankings. This is especially useful for new ecommerce stores or seasonal sales where immediate visibility is crucial. Over time, as your SEO strengthens, you can rely less on paid ads, reducing costs while maintaining steady traffic. A balanced approach helps sustain growth without depending too much on one strategy.
Use PPC data to improve your SEO strategy
PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns provide valuable insights into high-performing keywords, user behaviour, and conversion rates. By analysing which keywords drive the most clicks and sales, you can refine your SEO strategy to target those terms organically. PPC data also reveals search trends, helping you create content that aligns with what your audience is actively looking for. This ensures your SEO efforts are based on real user intent rather than guesswork, making your content and product pages more effective.
Optimise your website for both SEO and SEM
A well-optimised website benefits both organic and paid traffic. Ensure your site loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and provides a seamless user experience. Use relevant keywords in your product descriptions, meta tags, and landing pages to improve SEO while making ads more relevant for SEM. A well-structured site with clear navigation and compelling CTAs helps convert visitors from both organic and paid channels. The better your website performs, the higher your chances of ranking well and reducing your cost-per-click (CPC) in paid campaigns.
Retarget organic visitors with paid ads
Most visitors don’t buy on their first visit, but retargeting helps bring them back. Use paid ads to re-engage organic visitors who browsed your site but didn’t convert. By showing them relevant product ads on search engines and social media, you remind them of their interest and increase the chances of conversion. Retargeting keeps your brand top-of-mind and helps turn passive visitors into paying customers, making your combined SEO and SEM strategy even more effective.
Why SEM and SEO matter for dropshipping businesses
Looking to build an ecommerce dropshipping business? Dropshipzone can help you get started. We offer you hassle-free and seamless dropshipping experience.
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For dropshipping businesses, standing out in a competitive market is key, and that’s where SEO and SEM come in. SEO helps you build long-term organic traffic, reducing reliance on paid ads over time. Meanwhile, SEM drives immediate visibility, allowing you to attract potential buyers right away.
By combining both strategies, you can capture customers at different stages of their buying journey, whether they’re researching products or ready to purchase. A well-optimised website, strategic keyword targeting, and data-driven ad campaigns ensure you stay ahead of the competition.
Investing in SEO and SEM isn’t just an option, it’s essential for scaling your dropshipping business, increasing conversions, and building a sustainable brand that keeps growing.
If you have any questions about dropshipping products from Dropshipzone for your ecommerce business, get in touch with us today.
