When your business runs entirely off online sales, increasing the quality and quantity of your traffic has a huge impact on your bottom line. The ecommerce world is shifting every year as technology changes how people access your site, search engines change their algorithms and new marketing strategies emerge. Implement several strategies to create an ecommerce site that will draw traffic and result in more sales for your business.
1) Mobile optimization. Typical screens are getting smaller, and you need to be able to reach people who do most of their shopping on a tablet or smartphone rather than a laptop or desktop computer. In fact, 50 percent of shoppers these days are on mobile devices. Web browsing looks different, people see less content on each page, and your site needs to be easy to navigate. Hire a web designer who is familiar with mobile versions of sites to create a structure that will allow your site to be just as user-friendly on small screens as it does on large ones.
2) Speedy and intuitive navigation. People aren’t going to waste their time trying to browse products on your site if they can’t get from one page to another. Set up your site navigation system with logical organization and search pages that are easy to return to when people want to view additional products. In addition, use a fast and reliable web host that will keep your site running at its best so page load times stay low.
3) Product reviews. Help people understand the quality of the items they’re looking at by including a section for product reviews with each product listing. A week or two after customers receive an order, send an email inviting them back to write a review, and consider offering an incentive. These reviews make future customers more likely to buy.
4) Media-rich product descriptions. Although the words on the page are the main things that get indexed by search engines, the media on the page matters too. Product photos improve engagement, and videos of your products in use are even better. These videos will give people a better sense of what to expect, especially if you sell just a few types of items. Plus, people can search for photos and videos instead of web pages, so they will help you capture that traffic.
5) Email marketing list. Search traffic isn’t the only way to get people to your site. Email marketing can be effective as well, but you need a solid mailing list. One way to capture email addresses is to give away a freebie, like an e-book download, in exchange. Then you can send targeted emails that will bring people back to your site when they may be interested in making a larger purchase.
As you’re trying to increase your web traffic, maintain detailed records of your traffic statistics. These can help you understand what’s working so you can focus even more on those areas to further improve your site’s standings. Soon, you may even be one of the leading ecommerce stores for your type of product.
