Ecommerce Website Traffic: How to Increase It Organically

7 Min. Read

Increasing eCommerce website traffic is part of building your eCommerce store, no matter what you want to sell online.

But there’s no way to grow it with a set-it-and-forget-it method.

In fact, to sell and grow continuously online, you need a stream of visitors to your site that you can nurture and convert into customers.

But how do you get this stream of ecommerce website traffic?

There are two ways to approach this; either leverage paid promotions or concentrate on organic methods.  However its not a case of either / or, but rather, it is a mixture of both.

Whatever your strategy requires, organic or paid traffic, it all begins with understanding your customers with through your Google or/and Shopify customer analytics.

To help you drive organic traffic to your website, we’ve listed several tactics you can use. 

Table of Contents

How to Drive Ecommerce Website Traffic Organically

Paid traffic typically comes from users clicking on an ad they saw on Google or social media. On the other hand, organic traffic comes from content that establishes you as an authority and increases your website value.

The goal of organic traffic is to provide solutions to your audience’s problems so that they are inclined to visit your website.

And the best part?

Unlike paid promotions, organic marketing tactics possess long-term sustainability.

But how can you succeed at increasing your ecommerce website traffic organically?

Read on.

1. Leverage SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) can help your products or blog posts rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

But how can you use it to boost ecommerce website traffic?

Begin with keyword research.

Choose a reliable keyword research tool to find the keywords you need to target. Ensure you focus on buyer intent, transactional keywords, and those with high search volume and low competition.

Once done with research, add unique content to your product pages and blog while focusing on the keywords chosen. Describe each product or service in detail, including information on features, FAQs, comparisons, etc.

But why?

45% of online purchasers visit a product page during purchase, while 41% said it has the greatest influence on their purchase.

Image via Catalyst Digital

Optimizing your product description pages can, therefore, increase your ecommerce website traffic and drive conversions.

Don’t stop at that, though.

Other SEO tactics to boost your ecommerce website traffic include:

  • Organize your site architecture so that users can find products quickly.
  • Use long-tail keywords to improve chances of ranking higher.
  • Use your keyword in the URLs and titles.
  • Optimize meta descriptions.
  • Improve page loading speed.
  • Add schema markup like reviews, ratings, breadcrumbs, product availability, FAQs, etc.
  • Name images and include alt-text with your target keyword.
  • Internally link pages of your website.
  • Use calls-to-action (CTAs) that can drive your audience to act.
  • Fix your technical SEO parameters.

2. Use Social Media

Social media allows you to reach a vast section of your target audience and convince them to buy your products and services. Including it in your overall marketing plan can help you not only drive traffic to your site but also build strong relationships with your audience.

But how?

Here are some social media tactics you can leverage to grow your ecommerce website traffic:

  • Include your website link in your social media bios.
  • Optimize content for search on social media.
  • Encourage customer reviews.
  • Use relevant hashtags.
  • Interact with your audience.
  • Make customer care accessible on social media.
  • Publish user-generated videos and images.
  • Set up a social media shop on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
  • Leverage social media insights to understand the impact of your sales strategy.
  • Promote using video features like Instagram Reels, live videos, and IGTV.
  • Run social media contests and polls with links that direct to your site.
  • Join social media groups your audience frequents.

3. Utilize Email Marketing

Did you know that a majority of consumers prefer brands to contact them via email? This makes email a powerful tool to drive ecommerce website traffic.

But how can you effectively use it to drive traffic?

Start by creating a landing page to collect the email addresses of those who visit your site. Offer them a lead magnet like a discount, free resource, etc., in exchange for their email.

What’s more?

Use a lead generation tool like Poptin to create email opt-in forms at other places, for example, in the header, pop-ups, about us page, etc.

Then, once you have an email list, segment it depending on the audience interests, position in the funnel, browsing behavior, purchase behavior, etc. This way, you can send content that’s relevant to each segment.

But what kind of email content can drive ecommerce website traffic?

Transactional emails: Include complementary or related products in your transactional emails. Then ask customers to share what they purchased on social media or refer a friend to your site.

Behavior-triggered emails: Include links to products and offers based on audience behavior. Emails like cart abandonment and product suggestion emails are behavior-triggered ones. 

Promotional emails: Send emails informing your customers of discounts, limited offers, special deals, new products, etc.

After you’ve sent the emails, you should monitor your analytics. Analyze the open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), and the list growth rates. Then, use the insights to optimize your content, suggest related products, and drive more ecommerce website traffic.

4. Take Advantage of Local SEO

If your ecommerce store caters to a very specific region, it’s essential to optimize for local SEO as well. This can help you reach all those who live in that region.

Optimizing for local SEO allows you to rank for local searches where customers look for products or services near them.

If you don’t optimize for local SEO, you might miss out on all of that traffic.

And how exactly can you do that?

Here’s how:

  • Claim your brand’s Google My Business (GMB) profile.
  • Include information about your name, website, address, and phone numbers.
  • Allow users to review your products and business.
  • Create citations for your online store in local directories.
  • Earn local links.
  • Remove duplicate listings.

5. Use Show-Stopping Visuals

To drive traffic to your ecommerce website, create powerful visuals. Visuals can give your website a unique feel and this can ensure that the potential buyer will know what makes your product exceptional. Additionally, they can help you get listed in Google’s image and video search results.

And the best part?

You don’t need professionals to help you create eye-catching images or videos. You can use a smartphone to shoot them, and then edit them using editing tools to give them a professional look and feel.

But what sort of videos or images should you use to drive more website traffic?

  • Product infographics explaining primary features
  • 360-degree views
  • Cutaway and exploded product views
  • Instructional videos
  • User-generated content
  • Posters
  • Unboxing videos
  • Memes and GIFs
  • Shoppable photos on social media
  • Portraits of people using your product
  • Detailed visualizations using virtual and augmented reality
  • Video and image Stories on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc.

6. Start a Referral Program

One of the best ways of driving ecommerce website traffic and conversions is through a referral program. With referral marketing, you can give your customers incentives to refer people to your website. You can incentivize them every time someone they refer completes a purchase. It could be a freebie, a gift-card, exclusive discounts, free shipping coupons, etc.

And how can you achieve that?

  • Come up with a referral program and clearly lay out the benefits.
  • Provide your customers with links to share with their friends and family.
  • Add a share button before customers checkout or after they pay.
  • Offer incredible experiences that make your customers feel compelled to share them with their friends.
  • Provide after sales services that offer more value to them.

7. Create Quality Content

Quality content can play a big role when it comes to driving traffic to your ecommerce website. You can create a blog to answer questions your target audience has and resolve their problems. While writing your posts, it’s also important to incorporate relevant keywords as that can help your posts rank higher in the SERPs. Also, you should link to appropriate content and products as well.

However, you must ensure that your blog content isn’t too promotional. The goal of your blog should be to become an educational resource for your audience and customers.

Along with text, you should also add visuals to your blog posts. For example, you can summarize your blog posts in infographics, videos, or illustrations. This way, you cater to various audiences depending on what format of content they prefer to consume.

8. Run an Affiliate Program

With an affiliate marketing program, you can collaborate with influencers, bloggers, etc., and incentivize them to share your products with their audiences and earn a commission for each lead or conversion they drive.

And the beauty of affiliate marketing?

These programs can help you drive ecommerce website traffic without paying any money upfront. You only pay when the visitor signs up or buys from you.

Interesting, right?

But how do you run affiliate programs that can drive ecommerce website traffic?

Create a page on your ecommerce website where affiliates can apply to join your program. Then promote the program on social media and email, and vet those interested in joining.

Ensure they have high reach, influence, values that match your brand, quality content, and great engagement rates.

Then, once onboard, conduct regular reviews to find out:

  • Which affiliates drive traffic and conversions?
  • Which products are popular?
  • What type of customers are the affiliates bringing to your store?

Doing this can then tell you if the affiliates help you drive quality ecommerce website traffic and boost sales. It can also offer you insights into which products to focus on and which new ones to introduce to the program.

Ready to Drive Ecommerce Traffic Organically?

To increase your ecommerce website traffic, you can leverage SEO, social media, and email marketing. Also, you can optimize your website for local SEO and use visuals to further attract your audience.

Running an affiliate marketing or referral marketing program can also come in handy for improving your traffic.

And the best of all?

These tactics can help you connect with your customers, grow your online presence, and drive sales.

Do you have any questions about the tips to boost ecommerce website traffic mentioned above? Comment below, and we can answer them.

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Shane Barker

Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO. He is the co-founder of Attrock, a digital marketing agency. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.

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