When starting your eCommerce business there are a few must-haves that you need not skimp on. You may be a retail shop going online for the first time, or an eCommerce-only store, these tips will ensure you meet the expectations of your consumers.
Why are these facts so important?
They are expectations of your customers, let’s dive in.
Mobile Optimized Website
Your ecomm website must have an easy-to-navigate interface with zero confusion in terms of navigation that operates well on desktop and mobile. Make products and categories easy to find.
When you create an easy to search and easy to navigate website, users stay longer and find what they need with ease.
Always test your website on mobile, do not let it become cluttered and become degraded on mobile.
The better your website layout, and the cleared funnel you have, the easier it becomes to identify user experience issues on site, and the quicker you can improve your conversion rate.
The key pages in an eCommerce website you should focus on and audit are in this order:
- Home > Product Category > Product Page > Cart > Checkout
Original Content
Creating original compelling content is absolutely essential to being successful in eCommerce!
Many businesses use default copy from manufacturers. This copy is not original or unique to the search engine or the user
Guess why this is not good?
#1 – If you are a new website, the search engine knows it’s duplicate.
#2 – It is likely not telling a story, which does not connect with your visitor’s specific reason for needing your product
Original content is a great way to differentiate your brand, and a powerful way to start getting ranked and indexed in the search engine results page (SERP). You also have a unique opportunity to sustain ranking long term generating consistent sales.
Which pages should you start with?
- Homepage – Optimize your homepage with content and link to your top 2-3 categories within that content. Also create a long form paragraph at the bottom of the homepage below the fold! (This power tip will ensure Google indexes you homepage, and knows what you classify your business as)
- Product Categories – When users navigate from the homepage, they typically go to a category to see what class and style of products are available. Make sure your categories are optimized for their proper products so it is clear to search engines and users.
- Product Pages – On the product page, you gotta close! Be clear and straightforward about your product. Have clear content, video, and visuals as to why your product solves the customers needs.
Social Media Marketing
Ecommerce marketing on social media is a really effective instrument. It allows you to have a personal, public conversation with your industry, customers, and market. You may use social media to increase engagement and interaction, increase website traffic, and grow your consumer base.
Using various social media platforms for various objectives gives your firm a rich presence that diversifies your abilities and efforts. This will ultimately assist you in meeting the needs of your clients in a way that will help you develop your business over time.
Maintaining a consistent tone and personality for your business on social media is critical since consistency is what builds trust among your audience. Make sure your outreach efforts are coordinated by ensuring your team is on the same page with your company’s communication style in order to create and retain brand awareness and authority.
Monitoring the performance of this channel is just as vital as being present and engaged on social media.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most productive methods to communicate with your customers. Despite the fact that you must be quite cautious about the content of your emails and who is included in your outreach, email marketing has been around for a long time because it works.
Provide meaningful information in your emails to reach your target audience more successfully. Make them as personal as possible, include valuable promos, and take that opportunity to add specific and unique value.
Be transparent about your company and open up about what your company is doing, any events you’re attending, new features, or goods. You want to connect with your customers on a personal level so that you can assess their interests and keep them reading your emails.
Always keep an eye on the metrics of your email marketing efforts, as well as any other parts of your eCommerce marketing strategy.
Search Engine Optimization
I love SEO for eCommerce websites. It is insanely fun to do.
There are so many ways in which users think, use products, and search the web. The better you structure your website search and product categories the easier it will be to get sales.
With today’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) norms, it’s more crucial than ever to keep your website updated with fresh, relevant information, create a positive user experience (UX), and be as error-free value-adding as possible.
Your website’s content should be clear, dependable, and provide the public with information that is both appropriate and helpful to their needs. If you own an eCommerce business selling pet supplies, it would be wise to provide helpful blogs, tips, and resources that help pet owners nurture and take care of their animals.
When users search for something specific, using keywords in your content in a genuine way will flag your website as a matching result in search engines. Search engine optimization is one of the most cost-effective and high-return eCommerce marketing tactics available.
Pay per click (PPC)
When running a paid campaign there are 3 key things you must consider:
- Your Ad > Your deal and offer > Your landing page and copy
If you want to keep the lead’s interest, all three must be in good harmony and coordination. In order to guide the visitor through your sales funnel, the landing page has to be an extension of your ad, presenting what was promised as a reward for clicking on the ad.
It must also be tuned to ensure that keywords show towards the top of search engine results. These keywords will most certainly be used in other elements of your eCommerce marketing strategy.
Landing pages should never be overloaded with content, extra offers, or unnecessary information that distracts the user from the offer already top of mind.
Retargeting
A customer who has engaged with your site is more qualified than a new user to purchase if they engaged in a quality way.
Retargeting is the tool to use to bring highly valuable visitors back to your site.
Did someone visit for 2 minutes or more? Did they visit 5+ pages? These would be considered higher quality users compared to someone who stayed for 15 seconds or only viewed 1 page.
Create retargeting lists for multiple types of visitors and test.
Make your adverts as specific as possible to properly manage a retargeting campaign. Was the buyer seeking something specific? Make sure the adverts that are shown to them are for that specific product and link to the product’s page. It’s critical to display the information a user is looking at the moment they click on your ad, just as it is with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing.
Next Steps
If this has been helpful, I am glad! At Imprint Digital we help take this off business owners’ plates so that they can focus on their product growth, customer service, support, and more. If you prefer a collaborative approach, we do that too.
If you do the work to find the right partner you will be confident in your decision, and you will likely be working with someone who has the grit and tenacity to do what it takes to get your business results.
We would love the opportunity to earn your business as your digital agency. Please call us our reach out today!