Case study · 12-month data
We ran both channels for 12 months. YouTube converted 3.25× more.
A Shopify app company in the inventory and operations category. Past 500 installs, small team, growing but stuck on blog-driven acquisition that had flatlined. We ran YouTube and blog in parallel for 12 months. Same topics, same offers, same landing pages. The gap widened every month.
3.25×
more conversions from YouTube vs blog
12 months
parallel execution, same audience
1,668
total conversions tracked via GA
Two channels. One app. 12 months.
The problem
Blog traffic was growing but conversions were flat. Impressions up, clicks down. AI tools were answering the queries before anyone reached the site. The same SEO approach that worked three years earlier was producing half the results.
The hypothesis
What if we stopped chasing top-of-funnel blog traffic and targeted only bottom-of-funnel keywords on YouTube? Merchants searching for apps want to see the interface and watch the workflow before they install.
The experiment
12 months
YouTube channel
- 48 videos over 12 months (4/month)
- Bottom-of-funnel keywords only
- Voiceover + screen recordings
- Category, comparison, and jobs-to-be-done queries
Blog
- Continued publishing SEO-optimized articles
- Same topics where possible
- Same offers, same landing pages
- Only variable: the channel
Bottom-of-funnel keyword types we targeted
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Category | "best inventory apps for Shopify" |
| Comparison | "Shopify vs WooCommerce inventory management" |
| Jobs-to-be-done | "how to sync inventory across multiple Shopify stores" |
The results
YouTube won. And the gap kept growing.
YouTube
1,257
Blog
411
Total conversions over 12 months, tracked via Google Analytics
1,257
YouTube conversions
75% of all conversions
411
Blog conversions
25% of all conversions
3.25×
YouTube advantage
grew from 2.5x to 4.9x over 12 months
Monthly breakdown
The gap widened every month.
YouTube grew every month. Blog stayed flat or declined. By May 2025, the gap had widened to nearly 5x.
| Month | YouTube | Blog | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | 78 | 31 | 2.5x |
| Jul 2024 | 85 | 33 | 2.6x |
| Aug 2024 | 92 | 35 | 2.6x |
| Sep 2024 | 98 | 34 | 2.9x |
| Oct 2024 | 105 | 36 | 2.9x |
| Nov 2024 | 108 | 35 | 3.1x |
| Dec 2024 | 112 | 34 | 3.3x |
| Jan 2025 | 118 | 33 | 3.6x |
| Feb 2025 | 125 | 32 | 3.9x |
| Mar 2025 | 132 | 34 | 3.9x |
| Apr 2025 | 138 | 35 | 3.9x |
| May 2025 | 142 | 29 | 4.9x |
| Total | 1,257 | 411 | 3.25x |
Final month snapshot: May 2025
142
YouTube (65%)
47
ChatGPT referrals (22%)
29
Blog (13%)
All conversions tracked via Google Analytics on install-button clicks. Same landing pages, same offers. Only variable: the channel.
The strategy behind the numbers.
Every video targeted a bottom-of-funnel query where a merchant was ready to buy, not browse. Category keywords (“best inventory apps for Shopify”), comparison keywords, and jobs-to-be-done queries. Nothing generic.
Production was voiceover and screen recordings, structured as problem, solution, product bridge, CTA. Four videos a month, every month, optimized for search rankings, not virality. All conversions measured through Google Analytics on install-button clicks. The same approach we now run for Shopify app clients.
“The videos we published in month one were still converting in month twelve. That was the part we did not expect. Blog posts from the same period had already been buried.”
Head of growth, Shopify app company
Merchants want to see, not read
Shopify merchants searching for apps want to watch someone navigate the settings and demonstrate the workflow. A blog post describes it. A video proves it.
YouTube compounds harder
Videos from month one still ranking and converting in month twelve. Blog posts from the same period buried by newer content, AI summaries, and algorithm changes.
Wide open at BoFu
Everyone else makes tutorials and tips. Almost nobody targets "best [category] app for Shopify" with video. That is where the buying intent sits.
Blog traffic is getting harder to convert. YouTube videos keep ranking and converting for years. Most Shopify app companies have not figured this out yet.
Want YouTube working for your Shopify app?
30 minutes. We look at your app, your current channels, and whether YouTube could do for your installs what it did here. This is the same approach we run for every Shopify app client.
A direct conversation. If we cannot help, we say so.