How PPC and SEO Work Together for E-commerce Growth

Intro

If you are running an online store and investing in either PPC or SEO alone, you may be leaving significant revenue on the table. The frustrating part? You might not even realize it. Most e-commerce brands treat these two channels like rivals competing for the same budget. But when you combine them, they complement each other and deliver better results.

Here's how to stop choosing sides and start using both to grow your store.

Why "SEO vs. PPC" Is the Wrong Question

Let's get this out of the way first. SEO and PPC aren't opposites. They are two parts of the same strategy.

SEO is your long-term strategy. You optimize product pages, create valuable content, build authority, and over time, your store begins showing up organically when shoppers search for what you sell. It takes time to build, but a well-executed e-commerce SEO strategy is incredibly cost-effective once it gets rolling. The results typically take four to six months to become significant.

PPC is the fastest route to success. You bid on keywords, launch ads, and start driving traffic to your store within hours. It costs money every single day, but it puts you in front of buyers right when they're ready to purchase.

Here's the thing most store owners miss. These two channels generate different data sets that, when shared, make each one perform significantly better. According to industry research, 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. That's a massive pool of potential customers flowing through both organic and paid results. If you're only optimizing for one, you're ignoring half the opportunity.

	SEO	PPC
Time to results	4-6 months	Immediate
Cost structure	Upfront investment, free traffic over time.	Pay per click, ongoing spend
Best for	Sustained growth and authority	Product launches, seasonal pushes
Data strength	User behavior and engagement insights	Conversion and keyword performance data
Risk	Algorithm changes can shift rankings	Costs rise in competitive auctions

Use PPC Data to Find Your Best SEO Keywords

This is where the real magic happens, and it's probably the single most valuable reason to run both channels together.

SEO keyword research involves a lot of educated guessing. You look at search volume, competition scores, and estimated difficulty. But you won't really know if a keyword drives actual sales until you rank for it, and that can take months.

PPC eliminates that guesswork almost overnight.

The fastest way to validate SEO keyword targets is to test them with paid search first. PPC specialists like Victor Serban, who manages Google Ads for Shopify brands, routinely use Search Terms reports to identify high-converting queries that SEO teams should prioritize. If a keyword converts profitably in Google Ads, it's worth the organic investment.

This approach saves you from spending six months chasing a keyword that looks great on paper but never actually leads to sales. Here's a simple process to put it into practice:

• Run PPC campaigns on a broad set of product-related keywords for 30 to 60 days.
• Pull your Search Terms report and sort by conversions.
• Identify queries that convert at a profitable cost per acquisition.
• Add those terms to your SEO content calendar as priority targets.
• Pause PPC spend on those keywords once organic rankings take over.

Dominate the Search Results Page

When your store appears in both the paid ads section and organic results for the same keyword, something notable happens. Shoppers start trusting you more.

Think about it from the buyer's perspective. They search for "organic cotton baby clothes," and they see your ad at the top and your product page in the organic listings below. That double exposure creates instant credibility. It signals that your brand is established and relevant.

This isn't just a theory. Research from Google found that when a brand appears in both paid and organic positions, combined click-through rates increase significantly compared to appearing in just one spot. Even if a shopper skips your ad, seeing your brand name twice makes them more likely to click your organic listing.

Let Organic Content Improve Your Ad Performance

Here is a benefit that flows in the opposite direction. Strong SEO actually makes your PPC campaigns cheaper.

One of the biggest factors in Quality Score is landing page experience. Google Ads uses a metric called Quality Score to determine how much you pay per click. If you optimize your product pages for SEO, they should load quickly, be mobile-friendly, and feature relevant content. Google rewards you with lower costs per click.

Google rewards you with lower costs per click. In other words, the work you put into your e-commerce SEO strategy directly reduces what you spend on PPC. You can also use your top-performing organic content as inspiration for ad copy. If a blog post or product description generates strong organic engagement, test similar messaging in your ads.

Ways SEO strengthens your PPC performance:

• Optimized landing pages improve Quality Score, cutting cost per click by up to 50%.
• High-performing organic headlines and descriptions become proven ad copy angles.
• Strong site architecture reduces bounce rates, boosting both ad relevance and organic rankings.
• Internal linking passes authority to key product pages, helping them rank and convert from paid traffic.

Smart Budget Allocation as You Grow

One of the biggest practical advantages of running PPC and SEO together is how your budget allocation naturally shifts over time.

When you're just launching a store or entering a new product category, PPC carries most of the weight. You need visibility now, and organic rankings haven't had time to develop yet. As your organic rankings improve and start driving consistent traffic, you gradually dial back PPC spend on keywords where you already rank well.

Business Stage	PPC Budget	SEO Budget	Focus
New store launch	70%	30%	Drive immediate traffic, test keywords
Growth phase (6-12 months)	50%	50%	Scale winners, build organic authority
Established store (12+ months)	30%	70%	Keep using PPC for launches, while focusing more on organic

The key is treating this as a dynamic relationship, not a fixed budget line. Assess your channel performance monthly and reallocate resources based on what is actually driving profitable sales

FAQ

Can small e-commerce stores afford to run PPC and SEO at the same time?

Yes. Start with a small PPC budget focused on your highest-intent product keywords, and invest in basic SEO fundamentals like optimizing product pages and site speed. You don't need massive budgets for either channel to see results from their combined effect.

How long does it take to see results from combining PPC and SEO?

PPC delivers traffic almost immediately, while SEO typically takes four to six months to build meaningful organic rankings. The combined benefits, such as using PPC data to guide SEO priorities, begin showing value within the first 30 to 60 days.

Should I bid on keywords I already rank for organically?

In most cases, yes. Running ads on keywords where you also rank organically increases your total click share and prevents competitors from stealing that traffic. Test pausing ads on specific keywords and monitor whether your overall conversions drop.

What's the biggest mistake e-commerce brands make with PPC and SEO?

Running PPC and SEO in complete silos is the biggest mistake e-commerce brands make. When your PPC and SEO teams don't share keyword insights, conversion metrics, and audience signals, both channels underperform. Regular cross-channel reporting is essential.

Key Takeaways

• PPC and SEO are not competing strategies. They strengthen each other when used together.
• Use PPC search terms data to validate which keywords deserve long-term SEO investment.
• Appearing in both paid and organic results builds trust and increases total clicks.
• Strong SEO improves your Google Ads Quality Score, lowering your cost per click.
• Start PPC-heavy when launching, then gradually shift the budget toward SEO as organic rankings grow.
• Track blended metrics across both channels rather than evaluating them separately.