These Brands Are Nailing Search Visibility During the Ecommerce Boom

Just because ecommerce is booming doesn't mean it's simple for brands to navigate. As the pandemic drags on and the habits of lockdown life become increasingly cemented into our economy, ecommerce is exploding. The industry was up 44% in 2020, accounting for $861 billion of consumer spending and more than a fifth of total retail sales for the year. But online retailers have to grapple with the influence and dominance of major players such as Amazon and eBay. On top of that, there are constantly shifting Google search algorithms that adjust according to consumer behavior. To get a sense of who's winning at this game, digital marketing analytics firm Searchmetrics looked at how online retailers have improved their search visibility throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, ranking the top 10 brands based on how much progress they made during that time frame. Target and Home Depot were the only traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to make it into the top 10. The study analyzed weekly Google search results for millions of keywords throughout last year, scoring brands based on how often they appear and how high they rank. The top 10 list shows which brands improved the most from the beginning of 2020 to the end. “It’s not always easy to reduce to one reason why certain brands are winning on Google,” Tyson Stockton, vp of U.S. client and account management for Searchmetrics, said in a statement. Google's algorithm "reacts to changes in user behavior," he explained, which gave some brands a boost during the pandemic. Google Trends data showed big increases for Home Depot and Etsy during the first lockdown period last spring, which likely carried over into the rest of the year. Nintendo saw a similar benefit following a barrage of searches for the Nintendo Switch. The spike in popularity can initiate a shift in the algorithm that favors the brand over the following months, he said, because Google makes "the association that home entertainment queries are relevant to 'Nintendo Switch.'" The popularity of the Nintendo Switch likely benefitted the company longterm in 2020. But despite those few surprises, tech giants still managed to dominate the top of the list. Apple, Amazon and eBay took the top three spots. Online retail platform Etsy also saw a big bump in traffic during the pandemic as shoppers searched for masks, self-care items and games to keep them busy amid lockdowns. Home Depot and Target were the only two traditionally brick-and-mortar retailers that improved their search visibility enough throughout 2020 to make the list. Both were bolstered by user-friendly curbside pickup services and fast, free shipping options for consumers. While no fashion brands made it into the top 10 overall, Searchmetrics identified H&M, ASOS and global fashion search platform Lyst as the category's most improved in search visibility during the year. Macy's, on the other hand, lost more than 20% of its search visibility within the same time frame. Read Next: In a Year of Uncertainty, These Brands Defined What It Means to Disrupt