First Things First: 5 Proven-and-Tested Ways to Boost Your Online Store’s Traffic

By  //  October 14, 2021

The year 2021 is looking a lot better than its predecessor, thanks to a slew of vaccines that has been making rounds lately. As businesses reopen, attracting foot traffic has once again become the center of the conversation. In a brick-and-mortar store, location and foot traffic is everything. So, pundits devise all sorts of ways to make all that happen. 

But it’s different when you have an online store. You deal with a different kind of traffic while selling your wares over the internet. In a sense, it’s basically the same. You need traffic, only this time you count how often people visit your website. 

The advantage, of course, online is you can monitor traffic far better than with your brick-and-mortar store. You can have the exact time these website visits happen, and even know what pages they go to while on your site.

The million-dollar question, therefore, for you, is how do you make those online store visits happen? It’s essential. And that’s a basic question you need to face head-on to keep traffic to your e-commerce site coming.  

Luckily, as daunting as it may seem, it’s not an impossible scenario. Many websites before you have been able to do well using tried-and-tested methodologies. Making sure you follow such proven tactics would certainly be wise on your part. Here are five essentials to get you started.  

Mind the Aesthetics

There’s a lot of back-and-forth regarding how a website should look. Right from the get-go, it should be functional. That’s a given. Without your add-to-cart buttons or your page redirects working, having a website would be counterintuitive. 

But you can’t miss the aesthetics. Indeed, your website should be eye-catching. In a way, it’s akin to having a brick-and-mortar store. One that is drab would certainly not warrant as much foot traffic as one that delights the eyes. As studies show, it takes but a mere 3 seconds for website visitors to lose their interest and turn away. A beautiful website can counter that. 

It’s important then that you do a thorough study on your target customers. Put up a customer persona and make sure your website aesthetics appeal to such a market. 

Up Social Media  

Think of social media as free advertisement. Of course, there are paid ads on Facebook and other platforms but basically having a presence there is free. 

This is where content is king. Strive to have marvelous content on your social media posts. By catering to the interests of your target crowd, you entice these people to follow you online.

Here are key takes: 

  • Post regularly. Make sure you have a regular schedule that you can follow (e.g., weekly, daily) so you create a connection with your target market. 
  • Engage. Be a living entity on social media. To show you care, you need to engage your customers. This can be done by being responsive to their comments as well as asking them questions.
  • Choose the right channel. Each social media platform commands a different market. Make sure you’re using the right social media for your target market. 

Outstanding Customer Care 

To a large degree, an online store is like a regular physical store. You need to take care of your customers. Businesses that do thrives. Those that don’t are bound to be forgotten. It’s that simple. 

Indeed, outstanding customer care breeds repeat clients. Your best promotion for your business is not your paid ads online; it is satisfied clients. So right from the get-go, mind the customer experience when shopping from your store. The more seamless such an experience is, the better for you.  

Research shows 45% of those American online shoppers are bound to abandon an online transaction if concerns and questions are not entertained properly. It’s essential then that you be proactive and prepare yourself a way to address such a situation. 

It’s also the reason why a returns management system is vital to your online sales success. For instance, an awesome returns management system in Shopify would mean your Shopify clients are more comfortable shopping with you. They would feel secure you can process and refund them should there be an issue with the shipped products. 

Promos

Who wouldn’t love to get something for free? Everybody loves one. Indeed, discounts and promos can go a long way in promoting traffic to your online store. Just make sure you have all such traffic monitored so you’ll know how effective your campaign is. 

A good way for you to start is to offer free shipping. That can certainly get the client’s attention. 

E-mail Marketing

Last but not least, don’t forget about email marketing. You may not have thought about electronic direct message (EDM) as a vital tool, but it is. One survey from Epsilon Branding shows 5 % of customers online would prefer shopping from an online store that connects via e-mail. 

It’s time you start creating savvy e-mails then. It’s free yet it’s effective. That’s telling you, it definitely pays to connect.