Imagine this: You pause your Facebook ads for a week. Overnight, website traffic dries up, sales dip, and you’re scrambling to turn the faucet back on. Now, picture another channel where the opposite happens. The work you did last month keeps sending customers today, and the content you publish this year continues attracting traffic next year. That’s why businesses choose to invest in search engine optimization (SEO).
The flip side is that SEO takes longer than paid channels and requires upfront investment, which can be significant. This guide will walk you through what makes SEO worthwhile, when it may not be, and how to forecast return on investment so you can turn it into a sustainable growth channel for your business.
Is SEO worth it?
SEO is a long game, but for ecommerce businesses willing to invest the time and effort, the impact can be meaningful. With SEO, you’re building an actual asset, Kyle Risley, Shopify senior SEO lead, explains. “Once you rank, that page can bring you traffic for years, and your cost to get a customer goes way down.” That’s because you don’t have to pay for the traffic you get through organic search results. As long as your page ranks, the traffic—and conversions—you get from it is free.
Once some of your pages start ranking for search queries, it can also help your other pages rank faster. Each successful content piece builds your brand’s topical authority. Over time, Google begins to recognize your site as a trusted source, helping new content rank faster.
But SEO can take a meaningful investment of time and money upfront, as you may need to audit and improve your site’s technical fundamentals and hire experts to conduct keyword research and develop SEO-optimized content. From there, results don’t happen overnight. It can take three to six months for you to start seeing significant traffic and revenue from SEO, so it may not be worth the effort for businesses that need quick wins. In this case, using paid channels like Google Ads or social media marketing may bring faster results.
An additional consideration is where your target audience primarily shops: If they primarily shop online and use Google to discover products, then SEO can be very impactful. If your potential customers primarily shop in physical stores, at events, or on social media platforms like TikTok, optimizing your website for Google search may have a limited impact.
How to determine if SEO is worth the investment
1. Start with demand
Without real search demand, even the best-optimized website won’t drive results. For example, a product might be too new or too niche, and people simply aren’t searching for it, such as a new biohacking wearable that no one has ever heard of.
“It ultimately comes down to the opportunity size of your niche,” Kyle explains. “First, you need to determine if people are actually searching for what you sell and how realistically you can rank for those terms.”
Look at search volume using keyword research tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. If the volume is big enough to drive meaningful traffic, look at the search engine results pages (SERPs) to assess the competition. If the SERP is full of websites with high-authority domains and large content catalogs, you might not be able to rank. But if the SERP has websites similar in scope to yours, you could have a better chance.
Assessing demand isn’t just about keyword visibility, but buying intent as well. Sometimes, high-volume, broad keywords might have more searches, but low-volume, targeted keywords have higher purchase intent.
“Instead of a broad page for ’baby blankets,’ a store might target ’organic cotton baby blankets’ or ’handmade baby blankets,’” Kyle says. “These terms have less search volume, but they’re easier to rank for and the traffic translates directly into revenue.”
Similarly, local SEO can signal customer demand in specific areas and uncover regional opportunities. “For businesses with storefronts, ranking in Google’s local packs and map results can be night and day for driving in-store sales. I’ve seen it completely change revenue trajectories,” Kyle says.
A local pack is the boxed section that appears above organic results on Google, which includes a map with store links, ratings, and other key business details, especially beneficial for storefront businesses.
That’s how mattress brand Polysleep approached its SEO strategy. Even though it didn’t have a retail footprint, the brand wanted to compete with product-related, localized keywords. It built pages around keywords tied to geographic intent, such as “best mattress store in Laval,” promoting local Polysleep retailers within the page.
2. Estimate potential revenue
Once you confirm demand, calculate how many sales those searches could realistically generate for your store. Kyle recommends a simple formula to create a forecast for potential monthly revenue:
(Search volume) × (Click-through rate) × (Conversion rate) × (Average order value) = Potential revenue
While it won’t predict exact sales, it will give you an idea of whether the opportunity is big enough to pursue. “If you see you could potentially make X amount more per month, you can then decide how much time and resources you’re willing to invest to capture that,” he explains.
For example, if you run a Shopify store that sells eco-friendly yoga mats, the phrase “non-toxic yoga mat” receives 1,200 monthly searches. If you rank on the first page, you might expect:
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15% click-through rate (CTR) depending on position
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2% conversion rate (CVR)
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$50 average order value (AOV)
(1,200) × (0.15) × (0.02) × (50) = $180 in monthly revenue
That’s $2,160 per year from a single page. Multiply that across five to 10 similar opportunities, and SEO quickly turns into a meaningful channel.
3. Choose an approach
Ultimately, success depends on your ability to execute an effective SEO strategy. This includes the time, budget, and skills you’re able to allocate to it. There are three main paths most ecommerce businesses take:
DIY SEO
Implementing SEO strategies yourself is the most cost-effective option, but it requires time and consistency, and ideally an in-house SEO specialist. If no one on your team fits that bill and you can’t afford to hire one, you can develop the expertise yourself by reading SEO industry blogs and newsletters.
Expect to spend five to 20 hours per week on research, content, and site updates, depending on your experience. If you aren’t familiar with SEO, web development, or content writing, budget closer to 20 hours per week.
Keyword tools like Ahrefs or Semrush start at around $120 per month, and Shopify includes SEO essentials such as customizable title tags, auto-generated sitemaps, and blog optimization apps, eliminating the need for technical know-how and making SEO edits part of your regular workflow.
For new brands, Kyle recommends keeping it simple in the first year. “Focus on the fundamentals,” he says. “Make sure your site is technically sound, build five to 10 great product or collection pages targeting very specific, long-tail keywords, and do things that earn authority, like getting mentioned on podcasts or industry blogs.”
Hire a consultant
A consultant is a middle-ground option. Costs vary, but freelance SEO experts typically charge between $150 and $250 per hour. A consultant can run a technical SEO audit, help define your keyword strategy, and coach you on execution.
Work with an SEO company
SEO agencies can cost $2,000 to $10,000 or more per month, but they usually offer end-to-end SEO services, including keyword strategy, technical fixes, SEO content development, link building, and reporting. Just note that agency pricing models vary wildly depending on their activities and where their staff is located.
These agencies are suitable for online stores with a budget and larger goals, such as entering new markets or competing for high-volume keywords. However, the investment should match the opportunity. For example, if your SEO revenue projection shows potential for tens of thousands in monthly revenue, a $5,000 monthly retainer is a justified option.
4. Factor in time frames
SEO results compound over time. Slowly at first, then more meaningfully as time goes on. Kyle says even if you’ve chosen the right keywords and invested in content, search engines need time to crawl, index, and evaluate your pages.
“Generally, you should start to see some traction within three months, noticeable traffic improvement in three to six months, and more significant results in six to 12 months,” Kyle says. However, that timeline varies based on competition and your site’s starting point. If a domain has no existing brand recognition or backlinks, the timeline depends on how long it takes to develop them.
This means your SEO efforts will require an upfront investment of time and money, and the return may not be evident for several months. Think of SEO like a real estate asset. You’re investing now for payback later. SEO also requires that you stick with it for at least a year. If you stop investing too early, you may not break even. If you have the luxury of time, SEO is a good option. If not, you may want to look at other, more immediate avenues like paid ads.
When is SEO not worth the investment?
SEO is a powerful growth engine, but there are some cases when it may not be the best use of your time or budget:
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You have limited product depth. If you sell only one or two well-known products, there may be limited content opportunities to expand your reach. In this case, other channels, such as PR, influencer partnerships, or retail distribution, may be a more effective investment to drive word-of-mouth referrals and boost brand awareness.
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Your audience doesn’t shop through Google. If your store relies on trend-driven items or your audience skews young, paid social and influencer campaigns may deliver faster results than SEO.
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You need results immediately. SEO can take as long as a year to have impact. If you need revenue sooner than that, consider paid channels like Google Ads, social media marketing, and display advertising for faster results.
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You rely on offline or event-based sales. If your sales primarily come from events or in-store retail, the time it takes to optimize for SEO may not be worthwhile.
Is SEO worth it FAQ
Is it worth paying for SEO services?
It’s worth paying for SEO if there’s clear search demand and revenue potential. A consultant or agency can help optimize your website for better visibility, but if there’s not enough search volume for your products or brand-relevant topics, or you need quick results, it may not be worth the cost.
What is the 80/20 rule of SEO?
The 80/20 rule means 80% of your efforts yield 20% of your results. This is also known as the Pareto Principle. For ecommerce, that usually means a handful of well-optimized product and collection pages drive the majority of organic traffic and sales.
Is SEO still relevant in 2025?
Absolutely. Even with the rise of AI search, search engines still dominate discovery. They’re the primary way people find products and information online. And it’s more cost-effective than paid ads, so it’s one of the best long-term investments for traffic to your site.
