Show notes
What happens when your Shopify store depends on paid ads for every sale, Google rankings are harder to turn into clicks, and AI starts recommending products from sources beyond your website?
Your ecommerce SEO strategy may need a serious rethink.
In Part 2 of this conversation on The Simple and Smart SEO Show, host Crystal Waddell and AI search consultant Parth Suba explore why organic search still matters, even as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and other AI-powered platforms change how customers discover businesses.
Parth challenges the idea that ecommerce growth should depend entirely on paid advertising. He explains how SEO can become a compounding investment, why he recommends gradually shifting marketing budgets as organic results improve, and how Shopify sellers can use insights from Bing Webmaster Tools to understand emerging AI search visibility.
The conversation also explores why brand mentions, user-generated content, YouTube, and Reddit may influence how products get discovered in AI search.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Paid ads versus SEO: Why Parth recommends using paid advertising for early traction while investing in long-term organic visibility.
- Compounding organic growth: How SEO can potentially reduce customer acquisition costs over time.
- Bing Webmaster Tools: Why Parth believes ecommerce owners shouldn't overlook Bing when measuring AI search performance.
- Beyond Google rankings: How ChatGPT, AI Overviews, and AI Mode are changing product discovery.
- Third-party visibility: Why your brand's presence on YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest, and other platforms matters.
- AI search and traditional SEO: Why optimizing your website remains worthwhile even when AI provides answers without a traditional click.
- Technical SEO for AI bots: How server logs may offer insights into automated crawler activity.
💡 Episode Highlights
"SEO for sure will not give you revenue in the first two, three months." — Parth Suba
"The minute they turn the ad off, you shut the faucet off completely." — Crystal Waddell
"What's the point of doing SEO? Is it really worth it?" — Crystal Waddell
✅ Listener Action Items
- Compare your paid advertising costs with the results you're generating from organic search.
- Review your store's performance in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Search for your products and business category in AI-powered search tools. Document what appears and which sources are cited.
- Identify opportunities to build an authentic brand presence beyond your own website.
- Continue improving the helpfulness, accessibility, and clarity of your ecommerce content.
🔗 Connect With Parth Suba
Website: https://seomarathon.com
Find Parth Suba on LinkedIn and learn more about his ecommerce SEO consulting services and SEO Talk community.
🎙️ About The Simple and Smart SEO Show
Hosted by Crystal Waddell, The Simple and Smart SEO Show helps Shopify sellers, creative entrepreneurs, and small business owners navigate SEO, AI search, and sustainable online visibility with practical strategies they can actually implement.
Learn more: https://simpleandsmartseo.com
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Full transcript
The transcript for this episode is on its way.