A new e-commerce store owner seeks cost-effective SEO strategies to grow traffic without paid advertising, questioning whether to prioritize blog posts, product page optimization, or backlinks.
Consensus on Priority:
Most contributors recommend starting with product page optimization as the foundation, focusing on:
Technical Fundamentals:
Before content creation, establish proper site infrastructure including meta titles, H1 tags, favicon, JSON-LD markup, and overall site speed optimization.
Long-term Strategy:
After product pages are solid, develop a blog content strategy (suggested: one post weekly) targeting customer questions and research-phase queries to build authority and steady organic traffic.
Backlink Approach:
Backlinks are important but should come later. Focus on creating shareable content that naturally attracts links rather than aggressive outreach initially. Consider niche directories and micro-influencer collaborations as low-effort wins.
Alternative Suggestions:
Some recommend affiliate marketing programs or personal connections through social media and local markets as budget-friendly traffic sources.
Key Insight:
Success depends heavily on targeting long-tail keywords with high purchase intent. Results vary by store, but the recommended sequence is: product optimization → blog content → backlink building.
I’ve just started a small e-commerce store and want to grow traffic without spending much on ads. Right now I’m doing basic on-page SEO, but I’m unsure what brings results faster—blog posts, product page optimization, or backlinks.
Any tips from your experience would be super helpful!
The very best method for new stores to generate traffic without ads is through personal connection that builds trust and recommendation. Whether that be through social media, friends and family, or your local Sunday Market, personal connection is always the way to go when you’re starting out on a budget.
You can get SEO started on a new store from Meta Title and Meta Description, Favicon, H1 tags, On-Page Optimization and Page Speed, etc. I can share you an article from Google and you can take a look to know how to start professionally.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide
You can also give SEOAnt a try as it provides free features to make a full scan on the website and detect SEO status, tell you what is missing and how to optimize them.
it’s important for you to note that in SEO, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. what i mean is, for my e-commerce store product pages may start performing well and bringing results, whereas in your case blogs may start doing well and increase organic visitors on your page.
but in any case, i would suggest prioritizing product page optimization and writing new blogs. these two are likely to get you better and longer-term results. this is because product pages can rank faster for buyer intent searches, while blogs will steadily grow authority, build trust, and drive consistent organic traffic.
at the same time, keep strengthening your backlink profile as well. this is because quality backlinks do play a role in improving rankings and improve the overall credibility of your domain.
Hi @anhadfashions,
If you want to see results faster, I’d recommend first investing in your site SEO fundamentals. Make sure your meta titles, heading tags, image alt text, and overall page speed are optimized. Product and collection descriptions should also be clear, keyword-rich, and written in a way that actually helps your customers. That alone can already give you an edge in search visibility.
If your goal is to grow traffic with the lowest cost, you might also consider affiliate marketing. Partnering with small KOLs in your niche or even inviting happy past customers to become affiliates can create authentic promotion without big upfront spending. Apps like Shopify Collab or UpPromote can help you easily set up and track these partnerships without heavy upfront costs.
Done well, this gives you two streams: long-term organic traffic through SEO, and community-driven reach through affiliates - both of which compound nicely over time.
@anhadfashions For a small e-commerce store with limited ad spend, the fastest wins usually come from optimizing your product pages first. Make sure each product has:
Blog posts help in the long term by attracting organic traffic, but they often take a few months to rank. Focus on topics that answer specific customer questions or showcase your products in action.
Backlinks are powerful, but they take time to build and can be hit-or-miss if you’re just starting. Low-effort wins like getting listed in niche directories or collaborating with micro-influencers can help.
A good sequence is: product page optimization → internal blog content → targeted backlink outreach. This keeps your store visible and growing steadily without spending on ads.
I would recommend focusing on internal SEO structure first. Get metadata, images, JSON-LD, internal linking correct and then focus on backlinks, blog posts and etc.
Also a huge ranking factor is store speed, so make sure to that your store loads fast for your customers.
Hello @anhadfashions
That’s the perfect question for a new store, and focusing on the right thing first makes all the difference.
For the fastest results that can lead directly to sales, your absolute first priority should be product page optimization. This is your foundation. Focus on targeting specific keywords that show high purchase intent in your product titles and descriptions, and ensure your photos and copy are flawless. Traffic to these pages is the most valuable, so getting them right is key.
Once your product pages are solid, shift your focus to writing helpful blog posts. This is your long-term traffic engine for attracting customers who are still in the research phase and for building your site’s authority.
Don’t worry too much about actively building backlinks in the beginning; instead, concentrate on creating excellent content that people will naturally want to share and link to. Over time, those backlinks will lift the rankings of your entire site, including your high-value product pages.
This strategy from product pages to content to backlinks is the most sustainable way to grow without a big ad budget.
Hope this helps!
All these you mentioned in the description are necessary and bring results. The success of SEO lies in your keyword strategy. Since your store is new, I would suggest you to target long-tail keywords with the highest potential of bringing in customers who will actually buy your products.
Here’s the priority for SEO tasks -
Good luck!
From my experience, focusing on product page optimization first gives faster results because it directly improves visibility for buyer intent keywords. Blog posts help build long-term organic traffic, while backlinks boost authority. A balanced mix works best, optimize key pages, publish helpful blogs, and slowly build quality backlinks.