There are a number of eCommerce marketing strategies that can be used in order to improve your website and eCommerce business. However, not all of these marketing strategies may be within your budget. Therefore, it is important to consider which of these eCommerce marketing tactics will be most effective for your business while still staying within your budget.
Still, digital eCommerce marketing has come a long way in recent years, and there are now a number of low-cost search engine and eCommerce marketing strategies that small businesses and online retailers can utilize to improve their website ranking.
Here are RevenueWings’ ten best eCommerce marketing strategies you can implement in your SEO strategy to gain more prospective customers and increase sales:
1 – Develop a Well-Planned eCommerce Marketing Plan
The first step to any successful marketing campaign is to develop a well-planned strategy. This eCommerce marketing strategy will help you determine your goals, target audience, budget, and the channels you will use to reach them.
A well-planned marketing plan should be tailored to your specific business and take into account your unique selling points. By taking the time to develop a comprehensive plan, you will be able to focus your efforts and ensure that your marketing campaigns are successful.
Goals
In your plan, define and specify what you want to achieve, which in this case is to improve your search engine rankings through marketing efforts.
Target Audience
Then, research and identify your target audience. Consider their needs, pain points, how they search for products or services like yours, and what type of content they consume. This will help you determine which digital marketing channels to use.
Once you know who your target audience is and where they “hang out” online, you can start planning your budget.
Budget
For the budget, indicate how much you can afford to spend on your digital marketing campaign monthly. Doing all of this in advance will help ensure that your eCommerce marketing strategy is successful. The search engine optimization techniques you will use will be greatly affected by your budget, so it’s important to consider this beforehand.
2 – Create High-Quality and Search Intent Optimized Content
One of the most important ranking factors for any website is the quality and relevancy of its content. In order to improve your website ranking, you need to create content that is optimized for search engines and your target audience. Effective content marketing needs high-quality content.
Nothing beats high-quality content that is tailored to the needs of the website visitors. Search intent is the key to achieving this. You need to create content that answers the questions your target audience is searching for.
Search intent is the purpose behind a user’s search query. When creating content, you need to think about why someone would be searching for that particular topic. For example, if someone is searching for “SEO tips,” they are likely looking for information on how to improve their website ranking.
On the other hand, if someone is searching for “buy SEO tools,” they are further along in the buyer’s journey and are likely looking to make a purchase. This is more common and useful for eCommerce businesses.
By understanding the search intent behind a user’s query, you can create content that is more likely to rank high in the search engines and attract targeted website visitors.
4 Types of Online Searches
Before you optimize your content with search intent, you need to understand first what kinds of searches are mainly made on search engines, especially Google.
There are four main types:
Informational – People searching for this type want to know more about a certain topic. They are in the research or awareness stage of the buyer’s journey.
Examples: How to…, What is…, Best…
Navigational – These users have a specific website in mind that they want to visit. They may include the website’s name in the search query or type in the URL directly.
Examples: Facebook, Amazon, YouTube
Transactional – Transactional searches are made when users are ready to purchase a product or service. They usually include words like “buy,” “purchase,” or “discount.”
Examples: Buy shoes, Purchase laptop, Discount code
Commercial Investigation – Also known as “product research,” these searches are made when users are trying to compare products or services before making a purchase. They usually include words like “review,” “compare,” or “best.”
Examples: Product A vs. product B, Best digital cameras, Review of product X
Now that you know the different types of searches made on search engines, you can start creating content with search intent in mind.
If you're going to make content for your eCommerce marketing strategy, it's best to utilize Transactional searches, especially in your online store content.
For your eCommerce business website, or for any website in this matter, it would be best to utilize all types of searches as you never know which type of search your target market would use to find you.
Utilizing all four types can help you reach a wider audience and potential customers.
3 – Optimize Your Website and eCommerce Business for Mobile
More and more people are using their mobile devices to search the internet. In fact, according to StatCounter, mobile devices account for over 50% of global internet usage.
This trend is only going to continue to grow, which is why it’s essential to optimize your website for mobile devices.
If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, it will be difficult for mobile users to navigate and use your site. This will lead to a high bounce rate, which will hurt your website ranking.
There are a few things you can do to optimize your website for mobile devices:
– Use a responsive design – This means your website will automatically adjust to fit any screen size.
– Use large, easy-to-read font – Mobile users should be able to read your content without having to zoom in.
– Use plenty of whitespaces – This will help break up your content and make it easier to read.
– Use strong calls-to-action – Make it easy for mobile users to take action on your website with clear and visible CTAs.
4 – Implement Google Shopping ads in eCommerce Marketing Strategy
Google ads are a great way to drive traffic to your website, especially if you’re an eCommerce business. Google Shopping ads are product ads that appear in the search results when users search for certain keywords. Utilizing these ads is part of common and effective PPC campaigns.
PPC marketing is a form of paid advertising, where you pay to have your ad displayed in the search results. When done correctly, PPC can be a very effective way to drive traffic to your website and generate leads and sales.
With that being said, these ads include an image of the product, the price, and the name of the store. They are a great way to increase website traffic and boost sales because they are highly visual and include all the information potential customers need to know before they click through to your site.
If you’re not using PPC ads such as Google Shopping, now is the time to start. They are an effective and low-cost way to drive traffic to your website and increase sales.
How to Start Using Google Shopping Ads
To start using these Google shopping campaigns, you first need to create a Google Merchant Center account. This is where you will upload your product data, such as the product image, name, price, and description.
Once you’ve created a Merchant Center account and uploaded your product data, you can then create your Google Shopping campaign in your Google Ads account.
You will need to set a budget for your campaign and choose the keywords you want to target. You can also set your bid amount, which is the amount you’re willing to pay per click.
Once your campaign is up and running, you can start tracking your results to see how well your ads are performing.
Here's how to set up a Google Merchant Center account:
- Visit the Google Merchant Center sign-up page.
- Enter your business information, including your website URL, email address, and country of sale.
- Click Continue.
- Follow the instructions to complete the sign-up process.
Additionally, once you've created your account, you can add product data to your website by creating a product feed. This is a file that contains all of the information about your products, such as the product name, price, image, and description.
You can submit your product feed to Google Merchant Center so that your products will appear in shopping results.
To create a product feed:
- Create a file with your product data.
- Upload the file to your website.
- Submit the URL of the file to Google Merchant Center.
Google will then review your products and decide whether or not to include them in shopping results.
5 – Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions in Content Marketing
Titles and descriptions are important eCommerce SEO and on-page SEO elements. They are used to give search engines an idea of what your page is about and help potential customers decide if your page is relevant to their search.
When people shop online and search on Google, they usually enter a keyword or phrase into the search bar. Therefore, it's important to use keywords throughout your website in order to rank higher in search results, especially for eCommerce brands. This is true for any type of content, campaign, or marketing technique you decide to use for eCommerce conversion rate optimization.
Make sure to use target keywords in your website's title, meta tags, and header tags. You can also use keywords in the text of your website, but be sure not to overdo it as this can result in your website being penalized for keyword stuffing.
In addition to using keywords on your website, you should also create keyword-rich titles and descriptions for your products. These will help your products appear more often in search results when people search for relevant keywords.
To create keyword-rich titles and descriptions:
- Think about the keywords people would use to search for your product – these are target keywords.
- Include these keywords in the title and description of your product.
- Be sure to use natural language and not stuff your titles and descriptions with keywords.
Don't forget Long-Tail Keywords!
It's important to also use long-tail keywords in eCommerce marketing strategies. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that people are more likely to use when they are closer to making a purchase.
For example, if you sell women's shoes, a long-tail keyword might be “black high heels size 7.” This is a more specific keyword than just “shoes” or “high heels,” and it's more likely to be used by someone who is ready to buy.
By using this in eCommerce marketing strategies, online shoppers can find your online store quickly because your ad, content, or listing will appear on the search engine results.
Here's how you can determine and find long-tail keywords:
- Think about the products you sell and the different variations of those products.
- Brainstorm different ways that people might search for these products.
- Use a keyword research tool to find more ideas for keywords.
Once you have a list of target keywords, you can start using them throughout your website to improve your chances of ranking higher in search results and attract customers.
6 – Optimize Link Building for eCommerce SEO
Link building is the process of creating links from other websites to your own. It's one of the best search engine optimization and content marketing strategies to increase the visibility of any eCommerce site and any website for that matter.
These links act as votes of confidence, telling search engines that your website is relevant and trustworthy. The more links you have, the higher your website will rank in search results.
There are many different ways to build links, but some methods are more effective than others. Here are a few link building techniques that work well for eCommerce websites:
Create high-quality content
This is one of the most effective link building techniques. By creating informative and interesting blog posts, infographics, and other types of content, you can attract links from other websites.
Reach out to bloggers, influencers, and even other eCommerce marketers
Once you have created great content, reach out to people who might be interested in linking to it. This can be done through social media, email, or even by leaving comments on other websites.
If you can get bloggers and influencers to write about your products or mention your website, you'll likely get a link back.
Submit your website to directories
Submitting your website to online directories can help you get links from high-quality websites. Make sure to only submit your website to relevant and reputable directories.
Participate in forums and online communities
You can also get links by participating in online discussions and helping people out in forums. Be sure to include a link to your website in your signature or profile so that people can find it easily.
Use Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great places to connect with potential and current customers. They've made online shopping more dynamic for both eCommerce clients and existing customers.
They are also great networks to help build brand awareness and retain many eCommerce businesses' customer base. By sharing interesting content on your account, you can attract people to your website and eCommerce store and build relationships with customers.
You can also use these platforms to run targeted ads. For example, Facebook allows you to target people based on interests, demographics, and even behaviors. This means that you can show your ads to people who are most likely to be interested in what you're selling and encourage customers to your existing or new online store.
7 – Include Email Campaigns in eCommerce Marketing Strategies
Email marketing is one of the best eCommerce marketing strategies. In fact, it's one of the best ways to reach and maintain engagements with your customers for eCommerce websites.
Email marketing allows you to send targeted messages to potential and current customers. This makes it a great way to promote new products, offer discounts, and even build relationships with customers.
To get the most out of email marketing, you need to make sure that you're sending relevant and interesting emails. Otherwise, you run the risk of annoying or even angering customers.
Send personalized emails
It's also important to segment your email list. This means that you send different emails to different groups of people. Segmenting your email list allows you to send more relevant and targeted emails, which can lead to more sales. You can include links to your product pages or eCommerce website.
This is the essence of email marketing – sending personalized emails to your existing customer base or your loyal customers. For example, you might send different emails to people who have bought products from you in the past and those who have never bought anything from you.
Personalized emails show that you know your customers and what they're interested in. They are also more likely to get opened and clicked on than generic emails.
8 – Offer Discounts and Coupons
Discounts and coupons are effective eCommerce marketing strategies because they provide an incentive for customers to buy from you. They also help you stand out from your competitors who might not be offering any discounts.
To get the most out of discounts and coupons, make sure to target them to your best potential customers. You can do this by segmenting your customer list and only sending discounts and coupons to people who are likely to buy from you.
You can also use discounts and coupons as a way to upsell customers. For example, you could offer a discount on a higher-priced product if they buy a lower-priced product from you.
Rewards and Loyalty Programs
Discounts and coupons can also be offered as part of a whole reward or loyalty system in your online store. This is a great way to keep customers coming back to your store.
A rewards program can be as simple as giving points for every purchase that a customer makes. It's a reward system you offer in exchange or as gratitude for customer loyalty and helps maintain online sales. These points can then be redeemed for discounts or coupons.
Loyalty programs are similar to rewards programs, but they often require customers to sign up for them. This means that you need to offer an incentive for customers to sign up for your loyalty program.
One way to do this is to offer a discount or coupon for signing up on your eCommerce website or online store. You can also offer exclusive deals and discounts to loyalty program members.
Referral Programs
Offering a referral program is another great way to increase sales and encourage customer loyalty. A referral program is a system where customers are given a discount or incentive for referring new customers to your eCommerce store.
This is a great way to get new customers and keep existing customers coming back to your store. You can offer a discount or coupon to customers for every new customer they refer to your store.
To get the most out of referral programs, make sure to promote them to your existing customers. You can do this through email marketing or even offering a discount for customers who refer new customers to your store.
9 – Tap into UGC and influencer marketing
User-generated content (UGC) is a form of valuable content and is a great way to show potential customers that your products are popular and loved. UGC can be in the form of product reviews, social media posts, or even videos.
The best part about UGC is that it's free. All you need to do is encourage your customers to leave reviews or post about your products on social media.
Make sure to showcase UGC on your eCommerce website or online store. This can be in the form of a customer testimonials page or a social media feed.
One way to get UGC is to work with influencers. This is when you partner with an influencer who has a large following on social media.
Influencers are people with a large following on social media or other online platforms. They can help promote your products or services to their followers, which can lead to more sales and higher search rankings.
To find influencers:
- Think about who your target customer is.
- Find people who have a large following among your target customer.
Reach out to these influencers and ask them if they're interested in working with you. If they are, provide them with information about your products or services, as well as any special offers you may have.
Influencer marketing is another great way to get your products in front of potential customers. Influencers are people with a large following on social media or other online platforms.
They can help you reach a larger audience and increase online sales. To find influencers, you can use an influencer marketing platform such as BuzzSumo or Traackr.
10 – Focus on eCommerce Website Speed
One of the foundations of eCommerce digital marketing to succeed is to have good site speed. It makes other strategies, like eCommerce content marketing, more effective.
A fast website not only provides a good user experience but can also help improve your search engine ranking. In fact, site speed is one of the ranking factors for Google.
The speed of your website is important for an effective eCommerce strategy for two reasons. First, people are more likely to leave a website that takes too long to load. Second, Google also uses site speed as a ranking factor in its search results.
To improve your website's speed:
Enable compression on your web server.
This will compress the files that make up your website so that they take up less space and can be downloaded faster.
Minimize HTTP requests.
Each time someone visits your website, their browser has to send an HTTP request to your server in order to download the files that make up your web pages. Reducing the number of files that need to be downloaded will reduce the amount of time it takes for your pages to load.
You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test your website speed and get recommendations on how to improve it.
Conclusion
eCommerce marketing is a necessary part of any eCommerce business. By following the strategies in this guide, you can improve your website's ranking and get more traffic, and leads, and increase online sales for lower costs.