By Digital
Shapermint is a distinct segment attire web site for females, having launched in 2018. It now ranks on Google for roughly 17,600 key phrases with simply 371 linking domains.
Can an ecommerce web site launch in 2019 and obtain natural search site visitors with out backlinks? Most search optimizers imagine it’s not potential. I used to suppose the identical. However I hold seeing proof on the contrary.
Google lately launched “web optimization Mythbusting,” a YouTube sequence. Within the first two installments, Google staff downplayed the significance of constructing hyperlinks to a web site. Nonetheless, websites that carry out properly in search usually have robust backlink profiles. So how does a brand new enterprise compete?
I’ve some excellent news.
Final yr, in “web optimization: Learn how to Win towards Big Rivals,” I shared the fascinating story of Style Nova, a retailer for females that launched its ecommerce web site in 2013. By 2018, it had larger natural search rankings than many well-known manufacturers, despite a a lot weaker backlink profile. What it did have, nonetheless, was a robust demand for its model identify, as evidenced by Google Tendencies. I steered within the piece that model searches could possibly be a wonderful proxy for the recognition of the location.
I wrote, “Put your self in Google’s place. Think about seeing an enormous search demand for a web site with far fewer hyperlinks than equally searched rivals. It is smart to rank the outcomes to fulfill searchers’ expectations as a substitute of counting on historic backlinks.”
On this submit, I’ll describe Shapermint, one other new, highly-ranked ecommerce firm with few backlinks. The corporate, which sells feminine shapewear, launched in 2018. Based on a submit on Reuters, the corporate recorded $50 million in gross sales in simply 9 months!
Visitors Sources
I usually use SimilarWeb to grasp what channels drive site visitors to an internet site.
For Shapermint, the primary site visitors drivers are social media websites, adopted by direct visits, after which search. Inside the social channel, Fb accounts for probably the most site visitors; YouTube is a distant second.
The majority of natural search site visitors is from queries on the model identify, Shapermint. That is per the Google Tendencies chart.
Google Tendencies stories that almost all natural search site visitors is from queries on the model identify, Shapermint.
So, it appears Shapermint is efficiently branding its web site on Fb, which is outwardly driving numerous searches for the corporate identify on Google. However, what sort of content material drives branding and viral progress? Let’s test the web site and social media accounts.
Compelling Content material
Shapermint constructed a group of greater than 1 tens of millions prospects in lower than a yr and in addition secured write-ups with high publications. The corporate has a compelling advertising message and coordinated public relations.
On Instagram, Shapermint launched a viral marketing campaign below the hashtag #ThisIsMyTruth, which resonated with many females. As a substitute of showcasing photos of lovely fashions, Shapermint encourages its viewers to share photographs with out utilizing shapewear.
The corporate’s message — there shouldn’t be a necessity for our merchandise — is unique and is clearly working.
Shapermint’s adverts on Fb and Instagram use the identical #ThisIsMyTruth hashtag. And the adverts use actual folks — not fashions. Thus the corporate encourages females to simply accept their our bodies whereas implicitly encouraging them to buy shapewear.
Shapermint’s Instagram adverts use the identical #ThisIsMyTruth hashtag as its viral campaigns, as do the Fb adverts.
Few Backlinks, Many Key phrases
Style Nova and Shapermint share two principal advertising approaches. First, they deal with a slender, ignored demographic. Second, they depend on social media to unfold the message.
How does it translate to natural search rankings? Based on Ahrefs, Shapermint has simply 371 linking domains. But it surely ranks for a powerful 17,600 key phrases — in lower than one yr.
