“Build It and They Will Come” Doesn’t Work in E-Commerce
The phrase “build it and they will come” might work in the movies, but in the world of e-commerce, it’s one of the biggest myths out there. Launching a beautiful website or uploading your products to Amazon doesn’t guarantee sales. In fact, no one will even know your store exists unless you put in the work to drive traffic.
Unlike a physical store where foot traffic naturally happens—people walking by, seeing your signage, and stepping inside—your online store doesn’t sit on Main Street. It’s floating in a sea of millions of websites. Without a clear SEO strategy and a strong online presence, your store is basically invisible.
Why “If You Build It” Doesn’t Work Online
No natural walk-ins. In e-commerce, there’s no street corner with heavy foot traffic. Your customers must find you and only see you if you appear in their searches.
Competition is fierce. Amazon, Shopify, Walmart Marketplace, Etsy—you name it. Thousands of brands are competing in your niche, and you’ll be buried unless you optimize.
Attention spans are short. Customers won’t scroll endlessly to find your listing or store. If you’re not on page one of search results, you may as well not exist.
The Role of SEO in E-Commerce Success
This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. SEO isn’t just about sprinkling keywords into your product descriptions—it’s about building a foundation that gets your store noticed. That means:
Crafting optimized product titles and descriptions.
Writing blogs that target long-tail keywords people are actually searching for.
Creating backlinks that boost your site's authority.
Making sure your site loads quickly and works on mobile.
Without these, even the best product in the world can go unseen.
Driving Traffic Beyond SEO
SEO is powerful, but it’s just one part of the equation. To get steady online traffic, you also need to:
Invest in PPC advertising on platforms like Amazon, Google, and social media.
Build a brand presence on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Use email marketing to re-engage past customers and nurture new leads.
To establish trust, leverage content marketing (blogs, how-to guides, product education).
The Bottom Line
In e-commerce, success doesn’t happen just because you launched a site. It happens because you combine SEO, marketing, and branding into a strategy that consistently drives the right traffic to your store. Without it, your products are hidden in plain sight.
So, instead of relying on the myth of “build it and they will come,” think of it this way: “Optimize it, market it, and then they will come.”
