In recent years, the rise of eCommerce has been exponential, leading many industry analysts to speculate just how long the traditional high street might survive. However, with such explosive growth in online stores, it’s becoming harder and harder for eCommerce businesses to stand out and generate new traffic to their shops.
When it comes to online retailing, one simple truth reigns supreme – no matter how great or well-designed your site might be, if you can’t generate traffic to your pages, your store won’t be bringing any tangible benefit to your firm. Still, in a world where there are now more web pages than there are people, finding and attracting new clients is trickier than ever.
If you run an online store, read on for some proven ways to extend the reach of your business and generate new leads.
eCommerce 101: Engage in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the highly involved and detailed process of pushing websites up search engine rankings to generate more traffic. Google now accounts for around 92% of all search-generated traffic, so this is undoubtedly the main platform you should concentrate on. As mentioned, SEO is an incredibly intricate process involving a variety of complex techniques so, for the best results, you should look at enlisting the help of a professional web marketing and SEO firm.
Ramp up your exposure by working with Amazon
Amazon is one of the world’s most successful companies – and founder Jeff Bezos is frequently listed as the world’s richest man – for very good reason. Growing from just a simple online book retailer back in the mid-90’s Bezos’s vision has gone on to conquer worldwide markets. Indeed, through 2020, Amazon accounted for 51.2% of the country’s total digital sales in the US alone.
These days, having your store on Amazon is almost a prerequisite to successful online retailing and will provide your shop with a valuable extra marketing and sales channel. However, to leverage the best from the Amazon platform, you should consider using eCommerce intelligence systems which will give you a far greater and deeper understanding of how customers are using the site and finding your shop – plus will also help you strategize your SEO on the system (yes, SEO is required for Amazon too).
Hire an eCommerce specialist to perform a full audit of your sales site and customer journey
There’s a tremendous tendency among eCommerce retailers just to assume that their clients (potential and existing) have the same understanding of their products and services as they do. However, of course, quite the opposite is true, and customers largely need hand-held if they’re to find and purchase your products.
Shopping cart abandonment is a massive problem for eCommerce stores, but multiple other issues occur across even the largest and most successful online retail sites. To minimize the risk of alienating or losing potential clients, you should enlist the help of a website development company skilled in producing eCommerce sites that understand the areas where online retailers most commonly fail and lose customers.
