The FMCG/CPG & E-commerce category has witnessed remarkable growth in revenue, number of engagements, and business size, with D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) brands leading the way. This trend comes as no surprise, as the D2C business model is projected to generate a $100 billion opportunity by 2025, with a sturdy growth rate of 25% between 2020 and 2025. The adoption of the D2C model by brands has been further bolstered by the digital landscape’s swift transition towards a cookie-less world and an increasing need to gain a deeper understanding of the audience through the development of first-party data.
How is SEO fundamentally different for a D2C Vs traditional Brand.com?
The approach to SEO for a D2C website is distinct from that of other brand.com sites. While the key performance indicators (KPIs) for brand.com revolve around Search Visibility (i.e., organic rankings) and Organic Traffic, a D2C website’s KPIs are primarily centered around revenue, with Search Visibility and Organic Traffic serving as secondary KPIs. To achieve optimal organic performance on a D2C website, it is essential to conduct an in-depth breakdown of website categories/LOBs and devise individual strategies for each cohort.
In addition to maintaining a constant check-and-fix approach for the traditional technical and content factors of a standard brand.com, a D2C website demands frequent monitoring of SKU pricing, AOVs (average order values), inventory availability, purchase fulfillment capabilities, and nodal analysis of consumer journeys. One of the critical differentiators for a D2C website is understanding sale periods and seasonality. During these periods, traffic, sales, and revenue typically increase, and pre-planning can help maximize output.
Crafting an SEO strategy for a D2C brand hinges on numerous factors, ranging from foundational elements such as the website’s technology hygiene to more equity-led top-of-mind awareness. Additionally, a brand’s evolution and expertise in the most effective marketing channels also play a significant role. Incorporating insights from these aspects is critical to ensure optimal results from a typical slow-starter channel like SEO.
In addition to making revenue the cornerstone of a D2C website’s SEO strategy, an agile approach to operations based on three key factors is essential: Monitor, Measure, Optimize. Firstly, monitoring the website’s existing performance and identifying areas with a higher affinity for low-hanging fruits. Secondly, measuring search demand, identifying products that cater to the demand, sizing up the competition, and devising an optimization plan. Lastly, optimizing the website systematically for mass deployment and minimal customization.
At Performics, we have modified our SEO framework to carve out a structure that is tailored-made for this agile approach:
These parameters across the 4 pillars gives us the clearest idea on what
a) the diagnosis of the website would be
b) what are key pain points the website suffers from
c) what are the key areas of opportunity
d) what should be the go-to-optimize strategy consist of
This approach has proved to be successful for numerous DTC brands, including a leading brand in the Personal/Beauty care space in India. The brand has experienced remarkable organic revenue growth of 60% and an increase in organic traffic of over 90%.
What helps drive and sustain organic growth for D2C?
In the fast-moving D2C space, being tech-savvy, especially from an SEO perspective, is essential. A fluid and agile website setup, both in build and structure, is pivotal to enable constant tweaks and adjustments to adhere to changing Search Engine Results and Algorithm updates.
Having worked on D2C websites at both nascent and advanced stages of evolution, it is critical to identify avenues that keep the needle moving on organic traffic. For example, using data insights from internal site search, cross-channel audience behavior, and product/category pricing can unlock new information on user persona and demeanor. This approach can help tap into growing search trends at their infancy, thereby keeping ahead of the curve.
In the new cookie-less world, consumer data is invaluable, and a combination of third-party data, first-party data, and CRM data influenced by audience attributes and intent is essential to deliver personalized experiences across channels.
Organic search serves as the most efficient means of obtaining cost-effective, high-quality first-party data. With a well-planned SEO strategy aimed at scaling up progressively, perpetual benefits can be reaped. Additionally, incorporating SEO automation techniques, such as optimizing content and leveraging automated tools, further enhances data collection, analysis, and overall SEO performance.
How Performics can help you unlock Organic growth for your D2C brand?
Performics offers a tailor-made framework for direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses, leveraging the SEO framework blueprint as its foundation. Our comprehensive skeleton comprises of over 100 checkpoints that meticulously analyze the SEO performance of your website, providing you with actionable insights to enhance your online visibility, drive traffic and ultimately, increase revenue. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to learn more.
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