You’ve chosen your theme, selected the layout that is perfect for you, and your online store is ready to open its doors. But, no matter how much effort you’ve put into the design and content of your site, it can all go to waste without good marketing.

It takes a lot of work to create an online store, so why limit your potential customers? It’s vital to drive traffic towards your online store, so here’s a guide to help you gain, and retain a wider customer base.

Tips

1.Tailor Your Site For SEO

Search Engine Optimisation is a make or break aspect for many online stores. Since search engines like Google are often the first port of call for customers, it’s important that your site appears when customers are searching for your products.

There are several ways to increase your SEO rankings. For one, reviewing the keywords that you use on your site is vital for a long-term SEO strategy. The best practice is to use keywords and phrases that customers often use in relation to your products/content. A fantastic way to track popular terminology is with Google Trends and Google’s Keyword Tool.

SEO guide for startups in under 10 minutes from Google Webmaster Tool

2. Create Unique Content

Just because your site is an online store, doesn’t mean you have to limit your content to product descriptions. A great way to attract unique visitors to your website is to provide anything from style guides to tips for beginners. Providing informative, interesting or even humorous content rounds out the appeal of your site while creating an invaluable increase to your site traffic.

Perhaps the ideal thing about creating content is the lack of limitation. Content doesn’t just have to mean blogs – podcasts, videos, and press releases all play an important part in crafting a unique site.

3. Utilise Social Media

It’s almost becoming a cliché to cite social media as an integral part of marketing, but the impact of platforms like Facebook and Twitter is undeniable. The key aspect of using social media to promote your products or brand is taking into account how much or little you would like to commit.

Interacting with customers on Twitter can be a round-the-clock prospect, while creating a burgeoning following on Instagram simply requires occasional photos showing off your events/product. It’s vital to use social media platforms that suit the character and image you want your brand to be linked with.

Did you know engagement rates on Thursday and Friday are 18% higher?

Useful Resources

Google Ad words
Advertise with Google AdWords ads next to Google search results to boost website traffic and sales.

SEO MOZ
Learn about SEO and track social, brand and content marketing.

Quick Sprout
Learn more about increasing your traffic for your site.