Written by
Fabian van Til
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has long been seen as a long-term traffic and brand equity driver. But in 2025, with the rise of paid ads, influencers, AI-generated content, and platform changes—is SEO still a smart investment for Ecommerce businesses?
The answer: it depends.
We’ve created a practical decision-making matrix to help Ecommerce brand owners understand if (and when) SEO is worth pursuing. Below, we break down the main takeaways, the decision points, and strategic options you should consider.
Quick Rule of Thumb
If no one is searching for your product, or the space is too competitive, don’t start with SEO. But if there’s consistent, transactional search intent related to your products or brand—you’re leaving money on the table without it.
Key Questions to Ask Before Investing in SEO
1. Are You Still Building This Brand in 2 Years?
If your brand is just a test or short-term venture, stick to simple branded SEO optimizations:
Secure your branded SERP presence.
Create review listings.
Add Reddit/Quora/forum presence.
Run branded Google Ads.
If you’re building long-term: go deeper. Optimize and scale organic visibility.
2. Are People Already Searching for You or Products Like Yours?
Perform keyword research:
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ubersuggest.
Look at keyword difficulty, volume, and competition.
Analyze what pages rank and how authoritative they are.
If there’s existing demand—SEO is a must.
3. Have You Hit ~10,000 Orders?
This is often the tipping point where:
SEO becomes cost-effective.
Brand maturity supports long-term marketing.
There’s budget and bandwidth to build topical authority.
If you’re not there yet, start light. Focus on branded presence and foundational technical SEO.
4. Is Your Business Mostly Marketplace, Affiliate, or DTC?
Marketplace-heavy brands benefit from SEO by gaining visibility outside Amazon or Etsy.
DTC-focused brands need SEO to diversify acquisition beyond paid traffic.
If you rely heavily on aggressive direct response (DR), SEO might be challenging. DR claims often trigger negative reviews, and lack of trust signals can hurt rankings.
What SEO Involves at Scale
If you’re planning to run a real SEO campaign (not just branded optimization), expect to invest in:
Topical authority building (pillar pages + blogs)
Keyword clustering and mapping
Technical SEO, E-E-A-T enhancements (About Us, reviews, policies)
On-site changes (site structure, menus, collection organization)
Link building (naked URLs, branded anchors, high-authority sites)
SEO takes time—expect 6 to 15 months depending on competition and niche.
A Note on Momentum
Like a flywheel, SEO gains power over time. The longer and more consistently you execute, the better your results—and the harder it becomes for competitors to catch up.
If you’re investing in:
Influencer marketing
Paid ads
Email flows
...and you’re not complementing it with SEO, you’re missing long-term leverage.
Final Recommendations
✔️ Start SEO If:
You're in it for the long haul.
You already see brand or product search demand.
Your store does $250K+/month or 10,000+ orders.
You want to reduce dependence on paid traffic.
You're building topical authority in your niche.
❌ Delay or Limit SEO If:
You're testing a short-term product.
There’s no current demand/search volume.
Your brand isn’t trustworthy or optimized yet.
Even then, branded SEO optimization (like site links, review schemas, basic links) is essential.
📞 Want a Personal Recommendation?
Get in touch with us—we'll help you assess whether SEO is the right move for your brand in under 15 minutes.
SEO in 2025 is not dead. It’s just smarter, more strategic, and better integrated with the rest of your funnel. Use it right—and you build traffic you own.