Do you want to increase e-commerce sales? Start by increasing traffic to your online store. But this can be easier said than done, and many store owners don’t even know where to begin.

According to State of Inbound, traffic and lead generation are the biggest challenges E-commerce stores face, and it’s only getting harder. Indeed, standing out in a sea of competition can be a struggle, especially when you’re competing with well-established retailers.

But not to worry, we are here to provide you with a list of top-notch strategies to increase e-commerce traffic to your online store and start claiming your share of the market:

1. Google AdWords

One of the quickest ways to bring in new traffic is to pay for it. The good news is you don’t need a massive budget when you use Google AdWords.

Google AdWords follows a pay-per-click advertising model to bring people to your website. Each time a person clicks your ad, you pay for it through your AdWords account. You’re in control of your budget and can set limits so you never pay more than you intended to.

Here’s how you can take advantage of this strategy:

Display your store’s products in search results

Create text or banner ads

Invest in video ads on YouTube and target your audience based on interests or demographics

Advertise your online store’s app on mobile devices

You can also use the Google AdWords platform to track your campaign performances. Use this data to tweak your campaigns and get the best ROI.

2. High Quality Content

Content remains to have the best ROI for E-commerce stores. Well-written content, like blog posts, gives you the chance to capitalize on keywords that can help your website rank better, and thus drive more traffic to your store.

Keep in mind that your store isn’t just about selling products. It’s also about promoting your brand, selling a certain lifestyle and conveying a message – and content can act as an excellent outlet for this.

Did you know that 84% of millennials reported that user-generated content influences their purchasing decisions? Consider starting a blog to publish tutorials, product reviews, news items, and other helpful information to keep people coming back to your website. Your content should be interesting and engaging and remind people what makes you different than your competitors.

When customers get content that is worth something to them, they’ll remember you for it.

3. SEO

It’s hard to talk about content without discussing Search Engine Optimizations (SEO). SEO is a highly regarded digital marketing strategy that helps websites get discovered in search results. It’s especially attractive since users find you organically instead of paying for ads.

Your content should be “search engine optimized” to maximize its reach and increase organic traffic to your store.

However, SEO isn’t an easy undertaking. There are a lot of moving parts that can affect your rankings, and you want to make sure you’re making the right decisions to move the needle in the right direction. Some basics you’ll want to focus on are:

Include keywords in your content that your customers would use to find your services

Add external links to authoritative sources to complement your content

Link internally to your products or other content to build healthy backlinking signals and help Google index your site

Add a sitemap to help search engines crawl your content

Optimize your product descriptions and images with keywords

Include keywords in your meta descriptions for each web page

Test your website’s speed

These suggestions only skim the surface of SEO, and you need to work on more SEO factors to optimize your store.

4. Guest Blogs

While you’re creating content for your own website, consider writing blog posts for other websites so you can build quality external backlinks. When guest blogging you usually link to your profile and website., this gives you a chance to backlink to specific products or web pages on your website. It also means you’re tapping into the guest website’s audience to get your name and brand out. Users can click your links and end up on your website, increasing exposure to your store.

This practice is called Guest Blogging, and it offers some benefits that you can’t get when blogging for yourself.

5. Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most effective marketing channels in the industry. Studies show that for every $1 companies spend on email, they receive $38-$44 in return.

Using email helps you stay in touch with previous customers and build new relationships with prospective ones. You can highlight new products or sales, send special offers or coupons, and even remind buyers about their abandoned cart.

Also, make sure you’re emailing customers about their shopping experience. Ask them to rate products or leave reviews to help other customers with their purchasing decisions.

6. Video Content And Social Media

Video is poised to be the next big thing for E-commerce stores, and the numbers are already showing a promising future. Social media is also tuning in to the video revolution, making it possible for brands and stores to take advantage of this growing trend.

Facebook in particular is shifting to a more video-friendly format, including the release of video ads and live video. Take a look at some game-changing facts about Facebook’s role in video:

Video is expected to account for more than 80% of all internet traffic by 2020

More than two-thirds of marketers in the U.S. are using video ads on Facebook

On Facebook, engagement rate for video content is 135% higher than that of images

Consumers say they are 4 time more likely to watch a video about a product than read about it

And that’s just Facebook!

The sooner you start applying these 6 quick and proven tactics, the longer you will enjoy the increase in traffic – and the boost in revenue that will quickly follow. And if you haven’t even started building your own website – what are you waiting for?