The issue of setting up an online store nowadays does not seem to be something problematic. The pandemic influenced the faster development of the e-commerce industry and forced many entrepreneurs to open sales in the online store. However, many website owners are still wondering how to develop their online business. It is worth starting with the basics, i.e. determining the factors determining development.
What factors influence the development of the online store
The development of the website and the associated increase in ecommerce sales is the main goal of virtually every brand. To achieve this goal, the key thing is to create a comprehensive and effective strategy tailored to the character of the brand, the specificity of the industry and the needs of the target group. Knowing a few effective factors commonly used to increase the conversion and sales of your online store can prove useful in expanding your activities that embrace your business strategy.
Good website content
Content marketing is a great way not only to attract new customers, but also to build a lasting relationship and personalized communication. The content on the website should present the competences of your company in a professional but accessible way and clearly define the available offers. Interesting content, selected for the target group, combined with effective positioning significantly affect the visibility and sales of the online store. The content on the website should not be limited to descriptions of categories and individual products. When visiting the website, customers expect not only the presentation of the product range, but also the opportunity to take advantage of professional advice. Running a blog gives you the opportunity to publish valuable articles, expert opinions, guides and curiosities. A blog not only helps to increase SEO potential by building long tail phrases, but also allows you to acquire links and create a professional brand image.
SEO campaigns
One of the most effective methods of increasing sales in ecommerce is accurate SEO positioning, which results in a higher search result for the store and a greater probability that your website will be chosen by the user looking for specific services. Positioning of websites is a continuous and demanding process in which a very important element is internal linking, links to a large number of subpages and the aforementioned original descriptions of the assortment. Particularly important in this process is positioning for long-tail phrases, which are selected and changed on an ongoing basis.
SEM ads
If you are wondering how to increase sales in an online store, you should also consider SEM advertising. It is a process that combines SEO activities and paid search results (eg GoogleAds).
SEM = SEO + PPC
Such advertising campaigns also include banner, display, static, dynamic and rich-media advertising. PPC also uses the ability to display video ads on YouTube. It works on the principle of Pay Per Click, i.e. the company pays for each click on your advertisement, i.e. you only incur costs for the actual engagement of the recipient. The big advantage of increasing e-commerce sales using SEM is the fact that it is possible to control the intensity of activities. The intended goal can be achieved in a very short time or postponed to a longer period.
Social Media Campaigns
An interesting way to develop an online store are advertising campaigns in social media. At the beginning, it is worth emphasizing that social networks are the perfect place to research your target group and ‘social listening’, i.e. to analyze opinions about the brand circulating on this type of portals. Such activities allow collecting a lot of information about potential customers and learning about the strengths and weaknesses of the website and the visitor’s service. In addition, social media enables fast and personalized communication with the client and the creation of a specific community around the brand. You can popularize promotional campaigns and special offers in a much more efficient way, and engage recipients through various contests. Promotion of the store on social media should include not only sharing valuable content tailored to your recipients, creating stories or live stories, but also the use of remarketing, Marketplaces or cooperation with influencers. Social networks are not only a way to increase sales in the online store, but also the possibility of creating a positive image of the company.
Marketing automation
Marketing automation is a tool that allows you to create databases, monitor customer behavior or study how they reach the site. In addition, marketing automation also focuses on measuring the buyer’s marketing commitment in the pre-transaction and customer retention stages. This tool enables the analysis of the entire marketing life cycle of the customer, personalization of content and campaigns for this cycle and changing needs, as well as segmentation of recipients based on their reaction to the content received. It is also possible to educate the target group by means of appropriately selected Lead Nurturing programs. Similar to social media, automation allows for faster and more attractive presentation and popularization of promotions and special offers. Marketing automation influences better lead monetization, measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, greater advancement of activities related to up-selling and increasing the location of customers. All these activities help to develop the online store and increase ecommerce sales.