Greg Shuey’s Post

This is what proper keyword research and re-optimizing a website looks like from a ranking perspective over a 30-day period. If done correctly, meaning targeting transactional and commercial intent keywords, traffic and revenue follow at a similar clip. This is just one of many examples of what SEO looks like when working with our amazing team at Stryde - Ecommerce Marketing Agency

Batch and blast email marketing vs data-driven strategy... things have changed so much over the last 15-20 years. Actually, things have changed so much over the last 2-3 years. It's crazy. Privacy laws and tightening of sending requirements are making it harder and harder to inbox your emails with your prospects and customers. D2C email marketers have to heavily rely on their data and segmentation to really dial in what they send, when they send it, etc. to have the biggest impact on their efforts. If you want to check out the full podcast episode I recorded with Jimmy Kim, here's the link: https://lnkd.in/g6eqtTVH

One of the biggest reasons we lead with customer research before we start any kind of marketing is because... We believe that people buy from your brand when they feel they are understood. When you know your ideal customer inside and out, you can... 👉 Position your product as the perfect solution for them. 👉 Build website content that speaks directly to them, using their same language. 👉 Address the exact pain points they are experiencing and your solution. 👉 Build ad copy & creative that feels as though they created it for themselves. And the list can go on and on. Your goal as a brand owner or marketer is to create perfect alignment with your ideal customer from the top of the funnel to the bottom. When you do this your customer acquisition and retention efforts get easier.

3 underestimated and oftentimes ignored benefits of investing in ecommerce SEO... ✅ Optimize and drive traffic for high-intent keywords Thanks to tools like Semrush you can perform keyword research and hone in on keywords that are either commercial or transactional in nature and dial in your website optimizations. This targeted approach drives high-quality, buyer-ready traffic to your site, increasing the likelihood of conversions. ✅ Fill the top of the funnel full of product researchers On the flip side, you can use Semrush to identify informational search queries and frequently asked questions and use them to inform your content marketing strategy. You should be building content that highlights topics and questions that matter most to your audience as they are researching solutions to their questions and problems. If they are built and optimized correctly, they will rank and will also start showing up in the Generative AI results and People Also Ask dropdowns. ✅ Enhance the user experience Because you are optimizing for specific, relevant keywords, you can match the content and user experience to the reason they visited in the first place. Your potential customers will then find what they are looking for quickly and easily, which should reduce bounce rates and increase overall engagement and conversions. These are just a few that you might not be thinking of. You should reevaluate if SEO should be part of your strategy as you start to prep for BFCM and Q4 in general.

5 reasons SEO is critical to the long-term success of an e-commerce brand: 👉 More cost-effective in the long run Unlike paid media, where costs can quickly escalate, organic SEO involves an upfront investment that pays dividends over time. Once you've optimized your website, built a solid content foundation, and begun acquiring links on a monthly basis, you can enjoy a steady stream of high-quality, buyer-ready traffic without the ongoing expense of ad spend. 👉 Builds trust and credibility Believe it or not, consumers are more likely to trust organic search results over paid ads. When your brand ranks high in organic search results, it signals to users that your brand is authoritative and trustworthy. This trust translates into higher conversion rates and customer loyalty. 👉 Longer-lasting results SEO is not a fast strategy to drive growth from, but its effects are long-lasting. While ad campaigns end the moment you stop paying, the benefits of SEO can last for years. High-quality content and backlinks continue to drive traffic long after the initial effort, providing a more sustainable growth model. 👉 Improves user experience SEO is not just about search engines; it's about creating a better experience for your users. Fast-loading pages, mobile-friendly design, and relevant content all contribute to a seamless user experience, which in turn boosts your SEO rankings. Also, happy users are more likely to become repeat customers... gotta drive that LTV! 👉 Supports other marketing channels Organic SEO enhances the performance of other marketing channels. High-ranking content can boost the effectiveness of your social media campaigns, email marketing efforts, and even paid ads. More traffic into your website feeds the pixels which helps them work better and help your ads be served to the right people at the right time. By driving organic traffic to your site, you create a virtuous cycle that amplifies your overall marketing strategy.

Email deliverability isn't guaranteed. Most brands I talk with assume that they can acquire email address after email address and they are guaranteed to inbox their next promotion and generate revenue. Not so, especially with the changes Google & Yahoo have made to their sender requirements. It's only going to get more difficult as time goes on. Why? Because ESP's are working hard to deliver the best customer experience to the end user (hint, you are not the end user, your customer is). So, you have to rethink how you approach your customer's experience and ensure it's in line with the guidelines the ESP's set. Jimmy Kim from Sendlane is such a smart cookie. If you want to check out our entire podcast, you can listen to or watch it here: https://lnkd.in/g6eqtTVH

Had an awesome podcast episode with Michael Diesu from Revenue Roll this last week. We dove into the new sending requirements from Google & Yahoo and how to operate optimally within them in order to scale your brand through email marketing. https://lnkd.in/gDnJFhX2

Less is more isn't always true... especially in e-commerce. Many brands I talk with do the bare minimum when it comes to educating their potential customers. As a result, conversion rates are typically pretty low, product return rates are higher than they should be, etc. Let's take a product page as an example. What should be included? 👉 A comprehensive library of imagery and video showcasing the product. 👉 A robust product description. 👉 A list of features, advantages, and benefits. 👉 A list of materials (if applicable). 👉 A list of warranties, guarantees, shipping time frames, a link to a returns page, etc. 👉 At least 5-10 product-specific FAQs answered right on the page. 👉 Product reviews. Brands that do this consistently generate more revenue and have happier customers than those that don't. And it's not hard to do. Start with your top 25 products and knock them out and then move on to your next 25 and so forth. You should be able to do 2-3 per day in less than an hour. July & August is the perfect time to do this so you are ready for Q4. Make the time and get it done.

If you aren't using direct mail as an acquisition and retention strategy for your D2C brand, you are leaving a huge amount of cash on the table. If you are just getting started, Michael Epstein from PostPilot shared with me that you should ALWAYS start with retention. There are tons of easy wins. The biggest opportunity is targeting old customers who ARE NOT engaging with your other channels (email, Meta, etc.) and "waking them back up" as he puts it. The magical thing is you can track each of these retention audiences by cohort and understand how each is performing and which is most profitable. Seriously, if you aren't using PostPilot, you need to wake up!