An online presence is quintessential for any business;
hence, the rising number of e-commerce platforms. One statistical report
shows active e-commerce sites range from 12 million to 24 million globally.
Moreover, a second report showed
that over two billion people purchased goods and services online in 2020.
However, while establishing an e-commerce platform for your business is a step
in the right direction, it is not enough.
You must develop and implement digital marketing strategies
to grow your e-commerce presence sustainably. Below are actionable strategies
to improve your e-Commerce performance and accelerate the platform's return on
investment.
Create a Professional E-commerce Website
A professionally-designed e-commerce platform translates
into a positive user experience. Free, open-source e-commerce website builder
tools are available online, allowing anyone to customize an e-commerce website
for diverse business niches.
However, while free, open-source tools save money on website
construction, constructing your website as an amateur leaves room for
oversights that could negatively impact user experience. Therefore, consider hiring, or at the very
least consulting, an ecommerce website agency to create a professional e-commerce platform.
A professional e-commerce website has essential elements
that promote a positive user experience. First, professional e-commerce
platforms have a fast load time. One report showed that websites with a
2-second load time have a 9.6% bounce rate, and the bounce rate increases by 4%
to 5% with every second.
Second, a user-friendly e-commerce website is highly
navigable with exhaustive product/service categories, a functional search box,
and relevant calls-to-action (CTAs). Third, the site's appealing aesthetics
include font size, color schemes, and the balance between graphics and white
spaces. The website should look crisp and neither overwhelm nor underwhelm
visitors.
Fourth, ensure website security to keep visitor data and
payment details encrypted and safe from unauthorized parties. Professional
website builders purchase security certificates like an SSL certificate
verifying the website's security.
Lastly, the website should feature comprehensive and clear images and
product descriptions, giving the consumer an accurate sense of each product and
helping to build trust.
Invest In SEO
While investing in a professional website lays the
foundation for your e-commerce presence, the real work on your e-commerce
begins with search engine optimization (SEO). SEO refers to strategies that
help your e-commerce site rank better on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Search engines rank e-commerce platforms according to three
primary ranking factors; crawlability/discoverability, relevance, and
authoritativeness. Second, SEO features three pillars that ensure a positive
user experience, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and Technical SEO.
On-page SEO entails content marketing like blogs and product
descriptions, illustrative videos, keyword research, heading tags, and links
from the homepage to other landing pages. On the other hand, off-page SEO
entails creating backlinks from other websites to your website and helps to
establish your ecommerce site's authority. Lastly, technical SEO involves
website design elements like the site's loading speed, sitemaps, and
identifying crawl errors that could make it impossible for search engines to
rank your website.
SEO is an ongoing process because search engine bots
constantly index new pages and add fresh content to their directories.
Therefore, consider investing in a comprehensive SEO strategy that adheres to SEO
best practices. Such an SEO strategy makes your website appear organically in
your target audience's search results.
Optimize Your Website for Mobile (Responsive Design)
A responsive e-commerce website design means that your
website detects and adjusts to any screen size. Therefore, users get the same
experience on a mobile device as they would if browsing your platform on a
desktop.
According to one statistical report,
mobile devices generate 63% of organic website traffic due to convenience and
features like voice search. Therefore, having a mobile-friendly e-commerce
website will improve your e-commerce presence by increasing organic traffic.
You can optimize your e-commerce site for mobile by compressing large graphics
and minimizing pop-ups.
Amplify Your Brand's Social Media Voice
Social media plays a vital role in your ecommerce site's
presence by creating an avenue to interact with your target audience and drive
traffic to your website. According to one report,
54% of consumers use social media for product research, and 71% of social media
users are likely to purchase products based on social media referrals.
However, social media content creation takes up a lot of
time and effort, yet not all social media platforms align with your business.
Therefore, establish a target audience persona and create profiles on the
social media platform where individuals within your target niche spend most of
their time.
Second, create shareable content that will prompt your
followers, including employees, to share your posts and drive traffic to your
e-commerce site. Lastly, run a lively page, create engaging content and
encourage your followers to communicate with you; follower engagement creates
user-generated content, reducing your content creation workload.
Create Business Profile Listings In Trusted Online Directories
Besides social media, online directories are valuable assets
helping to drive organic traffic to your e-commerce site. Moreover, unlike
social media pages, online directory profiles directly affect SEO rankings,
improving your ecommerce site's visibility, especially in local searches.
Also, such directories allow you to present vital business
information concisely. Your directory profile can include your business name
and address, e-commerce site link, working hours, contact details, and a brief
business overview. Lastly, the directories allow consumers to leave reviews,
building trust in your e-commerce site via social proof.
Have a Substantial Digital Marketing Budget
Although SEO generates organic traffic, paid traffic also
helps generate new leads and increase conversion rates. Therefore, consider
running digital paid advertising campaigns on various social media platforms
and search engines to increase brand awareness and generate traffic.
Digital marketing tools like analytics software, customer
relationship management (CRM), and email marketing platforms are vital for paid
advertising campaigns. Such tools help you keep track of your ecommerce site's
performance using specified key performance indicators (KPIs) and adjust your
marketing strategy accordingly.
Besides tools, you can enlist influencers within your target
market niche to talk about your products on their online platforms. Influence
marketing strategies like guest postings, reviews, and giveaways help improve
traffic to an e-commerce website.
Conclusion:
An e-commerce site shouldn't merely exist but should complement your brand's marketing efforts by boosting brand authority, generating high-quality leads, and improving conversion rates. However, a thriving e-commerce platform requires strategic planning and meticulous implementation to create a positive end-to-end user experience. Therefore, follow the tips above to build and sustain an e-commerce presence that works for you.