Getting your e-commerce store off the ground can be difficult. Once you spend the time to plan your online store, build your site, get your products uploaded, line up suppliers, and everything in between, it can feel a little bit like, “Now what?”.
Unfortunately, running an online store is nothing like Field of Dreams; just because you’ve built it does not ensure that ANYONE will come.
Marketing is essential to finding success in your e-commerce niche. For Dunn Medical, this looked like a combination of SEO and PPC.
In this case study, we give you a sneak peek into our strategy for taking a new store from zero to $40,000 in online sales within its first year of operating.
Step 1: Product Uploads & Google Merchant Center
Once your site is built, the most critical next step is to set up your product uploads in a way that makes sense and is accessible to users.
Take your time to ensure all the necessary information for your products is in place and ready to go. Although it may seem like a huge time commitment, doing this first step accurately will save you a ton of time down the road.
To learn more about uploading your products to Shopify correctly, click here.
Once done correctly, your next step will be to set up a Google Merchant account and sync your products through their platform, this is important for a few reasons:
Visibility and Reach
Google is the largest search engine, and its shopping platform is extensively used by consumers looking for products online. Syncing your Shopify store with Google Merchant Center makes your products available on Google Shopping, significantly increasing your potential customer reach.
Efficiency and Time-Saving
By setting up a sync between Shopify and Google Merchant Center, you automate the process of updating product listings. This means any change in your Shopify store (such as price adjustments, product launches, or stock updates) automatically reflects on Google Shopping. It saves significant time and reduces the margin for error compared to manual updates.
Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Product Discoverability
Accurate and detailed product uploads help improve your products’ SEO on Google. By using relevant keywords in your product titles and descriptions, you improve the chances of your products being found by potential customers. This directly impacts your store’s visibility and sales.
Advertising Opportunities
Google Merchant Center is not just about listing your products on Google Shopping; it also opens up advanced advertising opportunities. With your products properly synced, you can easily set up and manage Google Ads campaigns to target specific audiences, use dynamic remarketing strategies, and optimize your ad spend for the best return on investment.
Step 2: Content
90% of SEO is content. Many people misunderstand what SEO is mainly because of the name “Search Engine Optimization.” This name makes the endeavor sound like a technical task: place the header tags here, make the meta tags this, make sure you build internal links, optimize your images, etc.
While these aspects of SEO are essential, without well-written content that targets user queries, you will spin your wheels without an ounce of success.
We use tools that enable us to analyze what people are searching for on Google, how many people are searching for it, and how hard it is to rank for that specific keyword.
When your site is fresh and new, Google doesn’t trust you; you’re the new kid on the block and need to build up your reputation before Google will start sending organic traffic your way.
In order to do this, you need to focus on those lower-difficulty keywords that might not drive sales but will drive traffic. This type of content is known as “top of the funnel” (click here to learn about sales funnels); it is generally focused on answering questions about the products or industry you operate in. This simple, helpful information shows Google and users that you know your stuff and your site is a trust worthy resource.
Pro Tip
By linking your blogs to your product pages, you are enabling an easy pathway for users to follow as they go along their buying journey. This strategy can also help rank your product pages for valuable keywords.
Step 3: Backlink Building
Building backlinks is a fundamental aspect of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that plays a crucial role in enhancing a website’s visibility and authority on the internet.
Backlinks, which are links from other websites to your own, are considered by search engines as votes of confidence or endorsements of your content’s quality and relevance.
The importance of building a robust backlink profile lies in how search engines, particularly Google, evaluate and rank web pages.
Websites with a high number of quality backlinks are often perceived as more authoritative and trustworthy, leading to higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).
This increased visibility translates to more organic traffic, which is essential for achieving online success.
We work with a network of blogging and news sites to deliver our clients the best possible backlinks that drive site authority and traffic.
Step 4: Google Ads
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is inherently a slow and gradual process, primarily because it involves enhancing your website’s visibility organically on search engine results pages through a variety of tactics, including content creation, keyword optimization, and improving site usability.
These efforts take time to be recognized and rewarded by search engines, often requiring several months to see significant improvements in rankings and traffic.
Due to this slow nature of SEO, we advise clients looking for immediate results to leverage Google Ads. Google Ads provides a quick solution to drive traffic to your site by allowing you to appear at the top of search results for chosen keywords through paid advertising. T
his method not only facilitates instant visibility and increased traffic but also enables you to test and determine which products and keywords resonate most effectively with your target audience. Furthermore, Google Ads can significantly enhance your revenue in the short term while your SEO efforts gradually build a solid organic presence.
It’s a strategic approach to balance immediate visibility and long-term growth, ensuring your business captures potential customers at every stage of the search process.
It can also be quite profitable, in the case of Dunn Medical their lifetime ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) is just over 350%, meaning that for every dollar spent on advertising, they received 3.5 back in revenue.
Takeaway
Launching your e-commerce store is just the beginning; attracting customers to it is where the real challenge lies. Dunn Medical’s journey from zero to $40,000 in online sales within a year showcases a strategic mix of SEO and PPC, proving that building a successful online store requires more than just setup—it demands smart marketing.
Key steps like meticulous product uploads and syncing with Google Merchant Center broaden your reach and streamline operations. Content creation targets low-difficulty keywords to build trust with Google and drive traffic, while backlink building enhances your site’s authority and visibility.
However, due to SEO’s slow nature, leveraging Google Ads for immediate results and testing product-market fit can significantly boost your revenue, as seen with Dunn Medical’s impressive 400% ROAS. This case study underscores the importance of a balanced approach to digital marketing, combining long-term SEO strategies with immediate PPC campaigns for sustainable growth.