eCommerce Marketing: Organic Search
For brands in today’s eCommerce landscape, understanding the changing relationship between search engines and social media sites it vital. A real opportunity exists to capitalise on the opportunities. However, it requires marketeers to combine creativity and data analysis, a combination that's taking brands to the next level.
What changes are there in eCommerce Search Marketing?
As a marketer in 2025, you’ll be aware of the changing sales funnel and the new habits of eCommerce customers. Only a few years ago would it be normal for customers to start their search on Google, research a product then head off to Amazon to click on a product and make a purchase. Now the landscape has changed, with social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube targeting users right at the beginning of the sales funnel.
‘A lot of the initial research phase was taking place on traditional search engines. But this is no longer the case. Your audience are actually already looking at other places, so you need to be where they are, and you need to be early.’ Ben Barker, specialist in Performance Marketing.
There is a rising trend of video or image content being surfaced around both shorter and longtail keyword searches, particularly around more "inspirational" niches such as home and garden. For example, clients are seeing trends around ‘best products for my hobby’. By analysing these search terms, they can create content that matches their product to the situation. A very niche and real example is from TikTok and the search term "best sofas for pet owners”. Interestingly enough, video that ranked first with the most likes and comments was actually a short clip that didn’t actually mention anything about the keyword searched for, but it did clearly explain the benefits of why the sofa was good for pet owners, benefits such as being easy to clean fur off for example - this is showing that TikTok is able to surface intent based results which provides a much better experience for users overall.
How do I capitalise on Google video content?
As Google is displaying more video content within search results it gives brands the opportunity to appear high in the organic listings without having a website that competes with market leaders. Rather than simply listing the most relevant website, Google is now listing video content that is relevant to the search that it deems relevant. For example, searching for a type of carpet or flooring could allow for brands to create content around comparing carpet types which would then sit within the search results in a very prominent position. Even if clients are in possession of existing video content for other means, optimising a video for Google terms which have high monthly searches gives the opportunity to promote their brand. Yes, users aren’t clicking directly through to your website to purchase, but you have a presence at the top of the funnel next to your competitors.
Is Reddit important for my marketing strategy?
Popular social media platform Reddit often described as ‘The front page of the internet’ is providing customers with un-bias reviews and insight into products and brands across a range of sectors. Ben Barker highlights that, ‘What we're seeing actually is that there's a huge shift towards people using the likes of Reddit to actually do product reviews before visiting particular brands and carrying out purchases. On Reddit as an example, you tend to get really raw and unbiased reviews, I personally use Reddit quite a bit when I'm when I'm researching products, and I've always found it's been really, really spot on.’
But how do you influence content on Reddit if it’s un-bias? It’s not as easy as the brand jumping onto Reddit and starting to comment as the company they represent. What brands need to do is build their own communities. For larger companies they will likely have community managers who could potentially make this work, but it is harder for smaller companies. They just have to be aware that their products may well be discussed on that platform, and it could go either way, requiring a careful and considered approach. It is a great platform for assisting with product development though, providing free focus groups essentially. ''
What is the impact of AI on eCommerce Search Marketing?
Google is putting out more ads and AI results, pushing websites further down the page, which reduces organic traffic to client’s websites. However, if someone does visit your site, the conversion rate is likely to be higher. This highlights the changing search landscape and the importance of focusing on quality over quantity of traffic. However, Adam Ward, an experienced Marketing Director with a Head of Digital and eCommerce background highlighted on LinkedIn that ‘The AI results themselves are snippets of pre-existing information from existing websites, so it does pay to optimise for AI. Not all is lost on providing informative content and then still reaping the benefits of a good SEO strategy and driving traffic to your site, it’s just a different way of displaying results, for now anyway!’
James Crisall, Founder of SEO Agency Manchester SEO wants to ensure that no-one underestimates the increase in importance of Bing within search marketing,’ With the rise of AI search like ChatGPT, make sure clients are optimising for Bing as well. Consider what questions people are asking about your products and create content that answers those questions to attract traffic.’ This emphasises the need to adapt to the evolving search landscape and diversify optimisation efforts. It could mean that conversion rates are higher for now, as there are limited answers displayed in the AI’s search results.
However, the quality of the content on websites continues to be vital for presence within Google. James explains that ‘High-quality content is crucial. Google is de-indexing more pages, so ensure your content is valuable and satisfies user intent. Don't just create pages for the sake of SEO; focus on providing real value.’ This underscores the importance of creating valuable content that meets user needs and improves search engine ranking.
How are eCommerce marketeers adopting AI?
AI is a tool that allows marketeers to be efficient in their roles and free up time for more strategic activity. As AI learns it can take data that has previously driven successful outcomes and learn to identify and automate that process moving forward. It might be that it is absorbing customer trends, data, click throughs and helping to display ads and content that coverts highest to sales. People who don’t embrace AI may be seen as less desirable within the recruitment process moving forward. Interestingly many advertiser marketing tools and software’s already have AI built into it, so there’s little need for the majority of advertisers to build proprietary software. As ChatGPT can be so widely adapted and customised, it provides a great starting point for marketers wanting to do anything bespoke.