You need quality traffic on your e-commerce website.

This statement will be true for as long as you have an e-commerce website.

Website traffic refers to web users who visit a website. Web traffic is measured in visits, sometimes called “sessions,” and is a common way to measure an online business effectiveness at attracting an audience.

What does traffic mean?

The number of visitors that a web page receives. For a website to be successful it needs traffic to be driven to it from various sources. This traffic, however, needs to come from people who will be interested in buying your product or service and in order for this to take place you need to target people within your niche. In the past website traffic was the primary metric for determining the importance and value of a site, but that is no longer the case. While traffic is still important – you can’t have conversions without traffic – the conversion and profitability metrics are far more important when valuing a website.

Web site traffic x conversion = Profitability

The success of a site cannot be simply judged by the amount of traffic it receives. When a visitor visits a site, they will often simply bounce back out of the site; the percentage of visits that do not convert into clicks onto more of your content is known as the bounce rate. A high bounce rate, or a short time-on-site metric often points to problems in converting traffic, and since most traffic has some cost, whether that cost is monetary or some other resource such as time, it’s beneficial for every website owner to maximize the conversion of the traffic received on their site.

Why Website traffic is important?

When ecommerce took off in the 1990s, the metric of web traffic was first viewed as the most important means of determining a website’s popularity, as other metrics did not yet exist to gauge online success. As digital marketers got savvier, analyzing a website’s performance became much more comprehensive.

Analysts no longer just ask “how many people visited?” Now, it’s just as — if not more — important to find out:

  • How long did users stay? Bringing in huge amounts of traffic is ultimately meaningless if users leave after mere seconds. Metrics such as bounce rate and time on page pant a picture of how users behave.
  • What % of users made a purchase? For an online business to flourish, it needs a large audience. But it also needs to be the right audience. Determining how many users buy products, commonly measured by conversion rate, shows whether an ecommerce store is effectively selling marketing their product offerings.
  • How much does it cost to bring in a visitor? Some web traffic is free, but many online stores rely on paid traffic — such as PPC or affiliates — to support and grow their business. Cost of Acquiring Customers (CAC) and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) are arguably the two most important ecommerce metrics. When balanced with AOV (average order value) and CLV (customer lifetime value), a business can assess and adjust its ad spend as necessary.

Website traffic is not the be all, end all of ecommerce performance measurements. But it is still a great starting point to determine a website’s popularity and visibility.

Out of the entire bunch, today, we will be discussing the proven techniques through which you can successfully draw enviable traffic influx to your e-commerce website. These techniques will help you make more sales, even if you use the most minimalist effort.

01. Do audience research

Figuring out the best way to reach potential customers requires understanding who those people are. The people who are most likely to buy your product are known as your target audience, and they are united by a common characteristic—whether it be a behavior or belonging to a particular demographic. When you pinpoint your target audience, you can get a better idea of what methods and strategies you need to take on to capture their attention and achieve great conversion rates. Audience research will help you identify and understand your target audience and what their typical online shopping habits are.

The first step in conducting thorough audience research is gathering data on your current customers. There’s no better place to start than looking at those who have already bought your product. What information you are able to gather depends on how customers connect with your business, but collect what you can without pestering your customers.

If you don’t have this sort of information on hand, taking a look at your website and social media analytics can give you an idea of who your customers are. Most social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have built-in analytic tools, but you can also use third-party services. Even though not everyone interacting with your social accounts will be customers, it reveals who is interested in your product and services.

Some important demographics to track include:

  • Geographic location: Where are your customers located? Finding geographic trends helps you determine where to target ads. It also allows you to adjust and fine-tune the times that you post on social media to ensure that your message is reaching the largest audience possible.
  • Age: Knowing the general age of your customers can inform your marketing strategy. There’s no need to get specific, but having an idea of the generation or decade will likely come in handy.
  • Stage of life: This factor is often correlated to age, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Are the people who buy your product newlyweds? Students? Parents?
  • Income and spending patterns: Analyzing the average income of your customers gives some insight into how they approach purchasing your product and those like it.
  • Interests: Find out what your customers like besides your product or services. What are their hobbies? What music are they listening to? How do they spend their free time?

As you collect your data, be sure to input it in a database or spreadsheet that will allow you to track trends. Once you have some data points, you can use the information to target consumers who have similar characteristics.

02. Attract Customers with a Sales Campaign

When shopping online, do you immediately click the “sales” tab to find the best prices, or is that just us? By creating the right sales campaign, visitors will come running to your website looking for a good deal. Whether that campaign is planned just in time for the next holiday season or for no particular reason, people will respond.

To get you started, here are some campaign ideas you can implement:

  • Offer a competition or giveaway: People love being rewarded. You can offer an incentive in which visitors receive free shipping or a coupon towards their first purchase if they sign up for your mailing list. This move motivates them to enter your site and shop.

  • Create a coupon available on your website only: Speaking of coupons, they’re also a surefire way to lure guests in, whether it’s 15% off or 50% off. By making the coupon accessible through only your website, you can ensure that more visitors will come your way and find themselves shopping.

  • Create a sense of urgency: Whether it’s a flash sale, free shipping until the end of the month or announcing a huge upcoming sale, urgency is a tactic which is sure to drive visitors to your site. When you input a countdown clock on your website for a particularly exciting event or sale, users will be motivated to continue to re-enter your website again and again waiting in anticipation.

  • BOGO (buy one, get one) deals: Whether it’s scarves, notebooks, chocolate bars or plants, most of us are more inclined to buy when we know we’re getting something for free. At the very least, we’ll come check out the website to see what this deal is all about.

However, just creating a sale is only step one. Without a proper promotion plan to back this action up, you can end up running down lost roads. This is especially true when you don’t have a brick and mortar shop with a huge sign out front screaming “SALE NOW.”

That’s where marketing promotion comes in. Whether you conduct your advertising efforts via social media, email marketing, or other efforts, this promotion is the missing ingredient to your sales’s success. So, are you ready to get more website traffic? Combine the efforts of a creative campaign with the following promotional tips, and you’ll have the formula for success.

03. Target Your Audience on Facebook

Did you know that 75 percent of consumers turn to Facebook before making a purchase? That’s reason enough to be active on today’s most popular social network. Plus, it’s one more way for customers to hear from you and stay up-to-date on your business’s news. The following methods will help you utilize this social network to the fullest.

Create a Facebook page

Having a Facebook page for your business is not a recommendation, it’s a requirement. Customers will look to your store’s Facebook page for crucial information, like your website’s link, phone number, reviews and customer support.

This is also a good place to publish and promote any content that links back to your website, such as a sales campaign (as mentioned above), a blog post (providing a link straight to your site), or a new item available in your store.

Run Facebook ads

Pay-per-click advertisements on Facebook have become fundamental to businesses seeking to broaden their target audience. Set a budget, a campaign objective (like traffic, engagement, conversions, etc.), a timeframe and then pay for and run your ads. The difference between promoting ads and simply publishing to your Facebook page is the difference between night and day—whereas only your followers (and not that many of them) will see posts published on your page, you can target anyone on Facebook, anywhere in the world with your Facebook Ads.

The advantage of Facebook is that it allows you to target more specifically than any other platform based on the huge amount of data that it holds. So, since these potential customers are on Facebook to leisurely browse, it’s the perfect place to whet their appetite for your product.

Integrate Facebook shop

Let customers browse your products when they’re on Facebook, then automatically direct them to your site to checkout.

If you’re using Wix, you can integrate Facebook shop with your eCommerce site in just a few clicks. Then your inventory will all be managed in your site’s backend and any updates you make to your product listings will automatically appear in your Facebook shop. Once your shop is created and integrated, don’t forget to add a Shop Now button to your Facebook business page that’ll direct customers to your catalog.

04. Use Instagram’s Many Features

Depending on your business, Instagram can be a huge asset for increasing traffic to your website. Use it to cultivate your brand and to give people a look into how your product is developed and how your store is run. Let your customers fall in love with your business and with you.

There are several ways to link your Instagram account to your website (and vice versa) in order to best use the social media channel to drive traffic and sales.

Optimize your Instagram bio

Make sure your Instagram bio is optimized for your business, including a link to your store, other contact info, and perhaps some witty content. In fact, customers will expect to find that info there.

Use Instagram stories

This is probably the most popular feature on Instagram and one businesses should definitely make use of. Develop the human element to your store by showing your day-to-day life behind the scenes. You can also use it to showcase new products, designs or offerings.

Business accounts with more than 10,000 followers or verified accounts can add a link to their CTA and utilize the ‘Swipe Up’ feature. To do so, you’ll want to build a story with your slides. You can draw customers in with relevant and exciting content crafted for your brand, from videos to pictures, hashtags and more. Then, conclude with a CTA to your online store, like “Shop Now,” or “Link in Bio.”

Integrate Instagram with your site

Sync your Instagram feed with your online store so that customers can shop your products from your Instagram posts as well as on your website. Similar to Facebook shop, this let’s customers find the product they love on your social media channel and then click on the image in order to see more details and check out. So once you’ve posted your pics on the ‘gram, half the work is already done.

05. Lean into Email Marketing

Although email marketing may sound outdated in the world of TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, this marketing channel actually boasts the highest return on investment (ROI) of all, with an average of $40 earned for every dollar spent. As one of the most successful ways to direct your customers to your online store, it’s definitely worth implementing. Plus, it’s completely free, so what do you have to lose?

The first step you’ll need to take, is to grow your email list. One way to get people to sign up for your emails is by adding a lightbox to your site that promises a discount on their next purchase if they provide their email address. You should also add the sign up form in your site’s footer so shoppers can opt in to learn about your store’s updates and promotions.

Once you have your list of emails, you’ll need to make sure that the emails you send are opened and the links inside of them are clicked. Here’s how to run your eCommerce email marketing campaign in 4 simple steps:

Decide on a direction.

Will you be holding a holiday sale that you want to promote? Do you want to showcase your new product line? Do you have a product that is ideal for this specific time of year? Make sure you have a clear goal for your email.

Choose a platform to design your emails.

Pick one that’s simple to use and lets you customize templates, easily sync contacts, and track your stats.

Write your subject lines, CTAs and content.

Here’s a breakdown:

  • Subject lines: This is hands down the most important element to your email marketing campaign, so don’t mess this up. The subject line is what your customers will see before they decide whether they’ll even open the email. Make sure you keep the text short, punchy, provocative and engaging.

  • Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The entire reason you’re writing an email is to get potential customers to visit your site and buy. Therefore, you should not only link every photo and important piece of text to your website, but also include a prominent button with clear directions on what the reader should do next. For example, if you’re showcasing different sale items, include a “Shop Now” button near each one that links to the product page.

  • Written content: Don’t overdo it with the text. People have short attention spans, especially for promotional material. Make sure every word you write is useful, eye-catching and geared towards getting visitors to click on your CTA.

Don’t skimp on the visuals.

As an online store, people want to see exactly what it is you’re selling them. You should include visuals within your email of your products. And if you’re launching a new product, photos and videos are the way to shine the spotlight on it.

06. SEO Optimize Your Site

Your potential audience is already searching Google for products like yours anyways. You just need to find a way to be one of the first online stores that they see in the search results. The way to get your business to be featured prominently in Google’s search results is through a process called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is the process of increasing eCommerce traffic through efforts to get your site high on the list of specific search results.

To ensure that your SEO plan is effective, begin by understanding some critical SEO terms, like keywords. These are short phrases or individual words that make it possible for people to find your online store via search engines. Some are more popular than others, so it does take some digging to find the most suited words. You can use programs like Google Trends, SEMrush or Ahrefs to help you do your keyword research.

According to Google’s algorithm, the more web pages that have links that point back to your site, the more trustworthy your website is deemed to be, which leads to higher rankings. In addition to higher rankings, it also gives more people an opportunity to discover your website while browsing other pages. But you can’t just go throwing links around other webpages. Google recognizes sketchy and disreputable link building techniques and penalizes sites that engage in those methods.

Whose sites you are linking to also matters. Pages with low-quality content are penalized, so you want to make sure that the sites with your links are relevant. And if you’re including other sites’ links on your own website, you’ll want to make sure that those are reputable sites as well.

So how do you successfully build links for your ecommerce website? Here are a few techniques to get started:

  • Blogging: Starting a blog is a simple, yet effective way to steer traffic to your website and products. Keep content relevant and related to your particular niche. Blog posts that make for great evergreen content are things like how-to guides, buying guides, product comparisons, and infographics. These stay fresh year-round and don’t become irrelevant as quickly as viral content.
  • Guest posting: To get your links across a wider variety of sites, consider writing guest posts on other blogs. Pitch stories to sites related to your niche and create quality, on-topic content. If you accept guest posts on your own blog, make sure that you are only receiving links from trustworthy sites and content that is relevant to what you are selling in your store.
  • Get manufacturers to feature you: If applicable, get the brands that you stock to feature you on their own websites. Many manufacturers list the stores that sell their products. It never hurts to reach out to make sure you are featured on the page.
  • Ensure your site is worth linking to: In ecommerce, sometimes product and category pages aren’t that exciting to look at. To encourage more backlinks, create pages that are unique, fun, or interactive in some way.
  • Watch competitors: As always, it helps to keep an eye on what your competition is doing. You can use online tools to see where their backlinks are, and craft a strategy inspired by their marketing tactics.

While SEO progress is slow, once you start to gain relevant rankings, it can send a high volume of traffic your way.

07. Use PPC to increase paid traffic

For a faster traffic source, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can get you on the first page of Google right away. The main search engines all have ad platforms that use a PPC model, meaning you don’t pay for the ads themselves—you only pay for the traffic they deliver.

Pay-per-click works exactly as it sounds. Every time someone clicks on your ad, sending a potential customer to your website, you are charged a fee.

There is not a set price for each click. Businesses place bids on keywords that their customers are likely to use when looking up their products and services. For example, a company that sells backpacks for hiking may place bids on “hiking day pack” or “hiking backpack.” The price of bids varies based on several factors, including the search volume and competitiveness of a keyword. Of course, numerous companies can place bids on keywords, so not all PPC ads are seen with a search. The ads that actually get shown are determined by a number of factors, like the size of the bid and the quality and relevance of the actual ad to the keyword.

PPC ads are valuable for a few main reasons:

  • PPC traffic is relevant: Your ads will only show up for the keywords you choose, so you only pay for clicks from people seeking out your products.
  • PPC ads are targeted: You control who sees your ads based on factors like demographic details and behavioral data.
  • PPC campaigns give you a lot of control: You set a maximum budget to control your spending, and choose the text, images, and placements for your ads.

There’s a lot that goes into running a successful PPC advertising campaign, but the following are a few important factors to be especially aware of. By focusing on these areas, you will improve your chances of getting your ads featured on search engine result pages (SERPs).

  • Relevance of keywords: Use your keyword research to select the most relevant terms to place bids on, and remember that long-tail keywords can contribute a hefty portion to overall site traffic.
  • Optimized landing pages: You want your landing page to be clear, cohesive, and navigable from a user experience perspective. Are people finding what they initially searched for?
  • Ad text: Not only does the landing page need to be relevant, but so does the text of the ad itself. The better your ad copy, the higher your click-through-rate will be.

The work doesn’t end once you have a PPC campaign up and running. You should continuously analyze data and aim to improve your campaign. Reduce costs by reviewing the performance of keywords and discontinuing the use of under-performing terms. Refine the copy of your ad to create something that is enticing and relevant. Fine-tune your landing pages so they always align with search queries, leading to higher conversion rates. The longer you do it, the more you’ll learn and come to truly understand the ins and outs of PPC advertising.

08. Retargeting

With PPC platforms, you can use retargeting ads that show past visitors ads based on what they viewed on your site. If someone checked out a pair of shoes, but wasn’t ready to buy, seeing an ad for those shoes a few weeks later could encourage them to finally take that step of purchasing.

Conclusion: Ecommerce Traffic Leads to Sales

An ecommerce website needs traffic to thrive. Every visitor is a potential customer, and no one will become a customer without first being a visitor. Use these strategies to drive traffic to your ecommerce website, then use persuasive copy and conversion optimization techniques to turn traffic into sales.

Hire a Pro

If you take anything away from this article, take this: you shouldn’t go it alone when it comes to PPC.

There are just too many ways to lose money when you venture into online advertising without professional guidance.

Locate a company (or hire a rock star employee) that can help you find the best ad network for your brand and work with you on ad copy, bidding strategies, and testing. Also, make sure to do plenty of competitive analysis before you start.

You’ve invested a lot to build your business. Keep it profitable by working with a reputable PPC company when you want to advertise online.

hire expert PPCWeb Targeted Traffic brings you a fully managed website traffic experience tailor-made to your needs, multiple handpicked traffic sources, excellent support, 100% Google Analytics detection, 100% Real and Unique visitors, best rates on the market and to top it all – we make sure that you get the results you need.