This case study documents a nine-month engagement with a Singapore brand that designs backpacks, luggage and travel organisers. Most of its sales came through its stores on Shopee and Lazada, with a smaller share through its own WooCommerce site. Buyers on the marketplaces rarely searched for the brand by name. They typed what they needed, such as "laptop backpack 15.6 inch", "cabin luggage 20 inch" or "packing cubes set", then filtered by size, material and price.
The brand's 186 listings had been written quickly at launch. Titles were short, most attributes were left empty, and product names and specs differed between Shopee, Lazada and the website. On Google, searches for the brand's own name and product models mostly sent people to its marketplace listings rather than its own site, so only 38% of branded Google clicks reached the website. The team wanted more marketplace sales from search and a website that could stand on its own, without relying on marketplace fees for every order.
We collected the terms buyers type into Shopee and Lazada search for each product type, using the search bar suggestions on both platforms and the keyword data in each seller centre. We then checked Google Search Console for branded and product searches, which showed the brand's own site ranking below its marketplace listings for its own product names.
Marketplace buyers describe what they need in their own words, often with a size, capacity or use. Knowing those terms for each product type gave every listing a clear set of words to include, and the Google data showed where the website was losing its own brand searches.
We rewrote all 186 listings. Each title follows a consistent order: product type, key size or capacity, main feature and the brand, kept within each platform's length limit. We filled in every attribute field, including laptop size, capacity in litres, material, weight and dimensions, because buyers use these as filters. Image names and descriptions describe what is shown, and each description answers the questions buyers ask in chat, such as whether a bag fits under a plane seat.
Marketplace search relies heavily on titles and attributes to decide which listings to show for a search and for each filter. A listing with empty attributes drops out the moment a buyer filters by size or material. The work was all listing content. We did not run ads, vouchers or livestreams, and the brand's team kept running the stores.
We built a single product information sheet with the official name, model, specifications and care instructions for every product. Marketplace listings and the website both pull from it, so a buyer sees the same name and the same dimensions wherever they look. On the website, product descriptions were written to be longer and more detailed than the marketplace versions, with sizing guides and comparison tables, so the two were not duplicates.
Mismatched specs confuse buyers and lead to returns. Consistent product facts also help Google understand that the website and the listings describe the same products, while the more detailed website pages gave Google a reason to rank the brand's own site for its own models.
We strengthened the website for searches on the brand's name and models: a clear About page, Organization markup, category pages for the main product types (laptop backpacks, cabin luggage, travel organisers) and guides such as choosing cabin luggage for budget airlines. Internal links connected each guide to the matching category and product pages. Each product page now shows stock, delivery times in Singapore and returns, so people searching the brand on Google have a reason to buy from the site.
When a brand's own site does not rank for its own name, Google sends that demand to the marketplaces, where the brand pays fees on every order. Taking back branded searches moved the share of branded clicks going to the brand's site from 38% to 71%.
We added Product and Offer markup to every product page on the website, with price in S$, availability, shipping and return details, and AggregateRating where verified buyers had left reviews on the site. We checked every template in Google's Rich Results Test and fixed warnings as they appeared in Search Console.
Price, stock and review stars in Google results help the brand's own pages stand out next to marketplace listings, which already show this information. That made the website a real alternative in the search results rather than a plain link.
Shopee, Lazada and Google all reward relevance, but they decide it in different ways. These four differences shaped the work.
Marketplace search leans on titles, attributes and how well a listing sells. Google looks at the whole page, the site and the links pointing to it. The same product needed different content for each.
On the marketplaces, buyers filter by size, capacity and material within seconds. A listing with empty attributes simply disappears from those results, however good the title is.
When people search the brand on Google, the brand's site should be the first choice, not a marketplace listing that charges a fee on every sale. Branded searches were the easiest revenue to win back.
One set of names and specs across Shopee, Lazada and the website cut confusion for buyers and helped Google connect the products to the brand.
Treat marketplace listings as search content. Titles in the order buyers search, every attribute filled in and descriptions that answer real questions will win more search visibility on Shopee and Lazada without spending more on ads.
Keep one source of product facts. When names and specs match across every channel, buyers trust what they see and Google can connect your website to your products.
Make sure your own website ranks for your own brand and models. Every branded search that lands on your site instead of a marketplace is a sale without a commission.
Marketplace SEO is optimising your product listings so they appear for the searches buyers make inside platforms such as Shopee and Lazada. It covers titles, attributes, images and descriptions, and works alongside SEO for your own website rather than replacing it.
Put the words buyers search into your titles in a clear order, fill in every attribute, use clear images and write descriptions that answer common questions. Sales and reviews also matter. On this project, orders from marketplace search grew from 410 to 1,240 a month after all 186 listings were rewritten.
Marketplaces are strong websites, so their listings often outrank a brand's own site for its own product names. A clear About page, detailed product and category pages, product schema and consistent product facts help Google rank your own site for your brand searches.
Most brands do best with both. Marketplaces bring buyers who are already searching, while your own site keeps more margin on each order and builds your brand. SEO for both channels makes each one stronger.
Start with a free SEO audit. We check how your website ranks for your own brand and products, review your product pages and schema, and show you a realistic path to more sales from your own site before you commit to anything.
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