5 Tips to Increase Traffic to Your E-Commerce Site

When the stats begin to show your e-commerce site’s traffic dropping, you may feel like you’ve disappeared from the online selling scene entirely. You had customers and browsers before … where did they go? How can you get them back?

Here are 5 tips to help bring back – and keep – shoppers on your site.

1. Let social media bring in the visitors. You have at least one social media account, right? If not, now’s the time; it’s the easiest and cheapest way to drive traffic quickly. Set up your account and create your store’s profile, then be sure to add interesting and appropriate content regularly – product promotions, sales, and links to articles your shoppers may find interesting. To appeal to users of different social media outlets, have your accounts set to automatically cross-post between platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
2. Make full use of content marketing. Our next tip is also inexpensive, but it will cost you a bit of time. Successful content marketing requires attention to writing, design and keywords that will drive traffic to your site and to specific products. Put thought into your content; think about what your customers may like to hear from you, whether it’s about your own products or the overall industry. Having trouble coming up with ideas? Ten to fifteen minutes of focused brainstorming may yield enough content for several entries! Learn what makes a good blog entry and how to leverage your blog content for traffic and sales. Don’t just say you sell jewelry online … add relevant keywords such as silver, gemstone, handmade and other descriptors that will drive visitors to your shop.
3. Make connections with customers. Your customers can tell you why your site works – or doesn’t work. Contact them directly via email for feedback and suggestions. You can also create surveys with sites like SurveyMonkey.com, which require only a few clicks vs. written replies. Make sure you ask specific questions that are easy to answer, such as “What would make you decide to return to my store?” or “Is there anything about your shopping experience we could improve?” Also, always mention how much you truly value their input and advice.
4. Search engine optimization can make all the difference. SEO can be your site’s best friend – but if Google’s search algorithms can’t find you, SEO can quickly turn into your worst enemy. Submit a reconsideration request if you’re a victim of an SEO error, and make sure to add your URL to other popular search engines to bring in more traffic. Update your Meta descriptions to both accurately reflect your store and to attract customers. Finally, a new site map outlining your layout can go a long way toward SEO optimization.
5. Give Pay Per Click advertising a try. This option requires a commitment of both time and money, but the payoffs can be huge. First, do your homework regarding your daily and overall budget, analytics and location targeting. Then consider an online campaign on search engine-affiliated advertising networks, such as Yahoo Bing Ads and Google AdWords. Be sure to carefully consider keywords and terms, because ultimately they are what get those needed clicks; in addition, keep in mind that both popular keywords and keywords that aren’t relevant will end up costing you more.

The Bottom Line
If your stats show a downturn in traffic, don’t despair – take action instead. Following these tips, your store could not only see a return of traffic, but also an increase in sales.