Whether you are the proud owner of an up-and-coming E-Commerce business, or you are currently in the process of getting started, this blog is going to be of great value to you. Here, we will discuss the best digital marketing strategies for E-Commerce websites, using SEO, Facebook, Google Ads, and email marketing. 

So, if you want to sink your teeth into some really valuable, free information that will help you take your E-Commerce business to the next level and thrive in 2021 and beyond, then this is the blog post for you. 

The Best Digital Marketing Strategy for E-Commerce Websites

In this digital age, there is a wealth of information to be found on the internet. The trouble is, as the best practices are forever on the move, and as the goalposts set by Google and the other tech giants constantly chop and change, finding up-to-date information that is relevant today, isn’t always a clear path. 

This is why we’d like to share some tried and tested strategies with you today. E-Commerce strategies that we are using right now to get our valued clients some great results in the E-Commerce field. 

Shall we?

Best SEO Strategies for E-Commerce Websites

OK, so by now, you are likely a little bit fed up with having to read up on search engine optimisation. However, like it or not, SEO still remains one of the most crucial digital marketing strategies today. 

Ecommerce SEO, refers to the process of making your online store, more visible to users in search engine results pages. There are people out there right now, actively searching for the products that you sell, which is precisely why you want to rank as highly as possible, so as to get yourself a slice of that pie. 

You can indeed obtain traffic through paid search (which we will cover shortly in Google Ads), however, SEO, is certainly less costly. That said, it just takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work to get right—and as such, there’s never a better time to get started with your SEO than today. 

Ecommerce SEO typically involves improving things like:

 

  • Optimising headlines
  • Product descriptions
  • Meta data
  • Internal linking structure 
  • Navigational structures
  • And so on…

Each and every single product that you sell online, should have its own dedicated page designed to attract traffic through search engines. Of course, it is still important that you do not neglect the non-product orientated pages on your site as well, such as:

  • The home page: You want to capture your audience’s attention the moment they arrive on your website, whilst effortlessly guiding them toward a purchase
  • About us: This page is more for aesthetics. But it goes a long way toward building customer loyalty. Tell them your story, make it exciting, and share your brand values with them. Consumers want to feel like they know their favourite brands. 
  • FAQs: A great opportunity to demonstrate your authority in your field. That, and if you want people to buy your products with confidence, and continue to do so in the future, then having an extensive FAQ that clearly and concisely anticipates and answers any questions that they might have, will make it far easier to secure their business 
    • Blogs and articles: informative content marketing with references to the various products or services that you offer on your website, can work wonders (see what we did there?)
  • And your contact page: It is no secret that many E-Commerce websites intentionally make it difficult for visitors to find their contact page. You don’t need to do the same. Certainly, if you are starting out, having to take lots of calls can be incredibly costly when it comes to time and manpower; which is why it is always worth considering outsourcing this requirement to a third-party call management service. In any case, adding a reference to your FAQ on the contact page in an attempt to placate the call before having to answer it is always a good approach.  

Is SEO for E-Commerce Websites Really That Important?

The short answer is yes. But obviously, we are going to have to go into a bit more depth. Let’s put it this way: What do consumers do when they are in need of a particular product or service? Many of them will perform Google searches. They wish to explore their options, look for comparisons, and find various reviews to help them narrow down their search. Understanding this is crucial to building your E-Commerce strategy. 

As you well know, if your website doesn’t appear in the initial SERPs (search engine results page), then you are going to be losing a critical amount of business. Certainly, your products may have space on the web, but how easy are they to find?

This is where the importance of E-Commerce SEO comes in. It provides you with a means of reaching your target audience, without having to pay for ads. And of course, once they arrive at your website, you can draw them into buying your high-quality products with intriguing and well-written copy, coupled with motivating CTA’s (calls to action). 

Remember, the important thing is that you not only optimise your website for people but for the likes of Google as well. 

Developing an E-Commerce SEO Strategy 

There’s no doubt about it; E-Commerce SEO is a huge task, particularly if you already have your website built and populated with a vast selection of products. That said, with a solid strategy in place and the right support behind you, the process can become a lot more straightforward. 

Rather than get bogged down with the big picture, you should instead focus on tackling each aspect, one at a time. You’ve heard it all before: bite-size chunks. Well, with E-Commerce SEO it rings especially true. 

Here’s what you need to consider: 

  • Which Pages Are Your Top Priority? Take a look at the back-end of your website and see which pages are currently getting the most traffic. Those are the pages that you should start with. And of course, if there is a specific product that you would like to start pushing, then prioritise and optimise for that product first. 
  • Wireframe Your Workflow: When it comes to SEO, there is a tonne of specific requirements that you will need to meet…
    – Adding optimised meta data
    – Selecting the most appropriate keywords
    – Naming all of the images that you add to your site (including alt-attributes etc.)
    – Incorporating your chosen keywords into the copy on your site, and at the appropriate frequency (i.e., product descriptions that are concise, descriptive, informative, and more importantly, not plastered with keyword spamming)
  • What Is Your Competition Doing? In order to outperform your competitors, you need to outwit them with an even better strategy. The only way that you can effectively put together an SEO strategy that will bring you greater success in the long-run, is by looking at what the very best in your field are currently doing. Learn from them and then you will be able to identify what’s required to make yours better. 
  • Continue Improving on Your Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO): CRO optimisation is crucial, so, keep dialling in those numbers and fine-tuning the conversion process. A seamless customer experience, refined sales copy, and a great offer, each goes a long way toward achieving this (although admittedly, it is an ongoing process).  

Our E-Commerce SEO Checklist 

If you really want your audience to find your products easier, then here’s a checklist of everything you need to do: 

  • Use the Right Keywords: In order to figure out which are the right keywords, first, you need to analyse the various search volumes, CPC (cost-per-click), and user intent. You need to understand precisely why different people are searching different phrases. Pick out the ones with the intention to get their hands on what you have on your shelves, and then you’ll be on the right track! 
  • Checkout Your Competitors: Again, if you want to know what you need to be doing, then you’ve got to look at the most successful E-Commerce websites in your field. Emulate that—or better yet, make it better—and you’ll soon find yourself climbing the rankings. 
  • Get Your Homepage Optimised ASAP: Revise your homepage title tag, your meta description, and the homepage content itself. You’ve got your keywords, now start filtering them into your copy as necessary, but don’t overdo it. The main purpose of your copy must be to inform and encourage a positive resolution. Keep it natural. 
  • Simply the User Experience: In other words, refine the architecture of your website so that there is a seamless and easy user experience. Try and think of the biggest technophobe that you know (let’s say Grandad for example), how easily would he be able to navigate your website?
  • Get Your Product Pages on Point: Clear and concise product names with the relevant keywords; solid image optimisation; video where possible/necessary; interactive clothing models; customer reviews; FAQ snippets; all relevant specifications (sizes/colours, etc.); and so on. You want as much information as possible, but with the simplest delivery. It’s a fine balance! 
  • Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Design: Ideally, you should design a separate version of your website for all platforms (i.e., desktop, mobile, and tablet). Yes, it adds more work, but with a responsive design that works on all platforms, you are making it easier for customers from all sources to convert into sales. 
  • Reduce Page-Load Speeds as Much as Possible: Use smaller images (without compromising on quality), remove any unnecessary plugins (and identify which might be slowing your website down which you could perhaps replace or live without). 
  • Build Backlinks for E-Commerce SEO: Keep it white-hat of course. Reach out to various blog websites that allow guest posting and so on.

Best Social Media Marketing Strategies for E-Commerce Websites

Now that we have covered E-Commerce SEO, let’s explore some of the up-to-date social media strategies that we and our clients have been adopting recently, such as Facebook E-Commerce. If you put these methods into practice, you’ll be bound to start picking up more business. It’s all about widening the net. The bigger the surface area you have covered; the more traffic you will eventually attract. But more importantly, social media is about building trust, putting a face to the name, demonstrating your authority, and sharing your products as they are being used by other, satisfied customers. Let’s take a look…

  • Take Advantage of Facebook LIVE: Facebook is changing the way that it helps E-Commerce businesses with new and more advanced features with fast producing yields. Facebook LIVE as an example, is very different to traditional Facebook posting. You can now showcase your products on a live stream and any interested parties who stop by out of curiosity can then reach out to you directly. This is great for accelerating the customer turnout process, with attractive conversions too!
  • Facebook Messenger & E-Commerce: One of the most productive combinations ever to grace the digital world, is E-Commerce and Messenger merging. By allowing E-Commerce websites to sync with messenger, Facebook has enabled you to update customers on products, prices, and ultimately bridge the gap with customer communication, offering an all-around, better user experience. 
  • Facebook Ads – Use Them: Facebook is a very user-friendly platform that offers a wide variety of budget-friendly advertising options. You can even boost multiple posts allowing you to run a number of campaigns alongside one another in order to identify which are the most effective messages that you are putting out there. 
  • Instagram’s Shoppable Posts: Whilst Facebook has long been reigning over the E-Commerce world, Instagram is now showing some excellent strides. In fact, its ground-breaking Shoppable Posts feature now allows you to link product images with a shoppable feature, thus increasing your customers and conversions. You can even feature the price of the displayed image in the post as well. 
  • Mix with Your Followers: The more followers you have, the more potential buyers you have. Thus, you should always be engaging with and talking to your customers. Once you reach a certain number of followers, you will notice your sales climb considerably—especially if you are adding direct links to your products in your stories, allowing customers to simply swipe up and enter your E-Commerce website. 
  • Instagram TV (IGTV) is Up and Coming: In IGTV you can list collections allowing all of your shoppable posts to be featured in one video. This is still in the early stages but is gaining more and more popularity. We would highly recommend keeping your eye on this feature and experimenting with it as you go to see how well your followers are responding (and indeed, how many conversions you are getting).
  • Pinterest’s “Shop the Look”: Whilst Pinterest has been on its way out for some time now, it has recently made a comeback in the E-Commerce world with a “Shop the Look” feature. A well-optimised Pinterest account harnessing this amazing feature can do incredibly well. In addition to that, they have Carousel Ads (economical and fast ‘one-click’ 5-product displays) and Product pins (featuring stock, pricing, and availability options). 
  • YouTube Ads: YouTube has been growing exponentially for many years, even more so after the launch of its new Ad feature during videos. This platform has been created for E-Commerce and other businesses allowing you to flash your products and the various offers that you have running at the moment in short and snappy videos that grab the user’s attention. With the correct ad placement and short, YouTube video strategies, you can clean up in this area! 
  • Know What Works for You: Some of these platforms mentioned above might not be suitable to your business, the products that you sell, or the audience that you are interested in going after. As such, it is important to understand what works for you. So, take a look at all of the social media platforms out there and research the demographic that use them most. Then, get to know the various advertising features that they offer so that you can get your offers under as many noses as possible. 

Best Google Ads Strategies for E-Commerce Websites

In this crazy and ever-changing world of E-Commerce paid advertising, it is important that you understand which strategies to throw at Google and those that might be a bit hit-and-miss. Luckily, we’ve taken most of the hard work out of it and will share some of our favourite tips with you. 

 

Google Search

Google search ads are among the most well-known types of ads, due to their longevity. Google ads have been around for a very long time (previously known as Adwords), and display text ads whenever someone searches for a certain collection of keywords specified by you, the advertiser. 

Google search is different from Google shopping, so it is crucial that you understand that distinction. Google search ads allow more text and copy, including a description that is designed to grab the searcher’s attention, whereas Shopping ads, on the other hand, are text only. 

Google Shopping

Google shopping ads (which are also known as Google product listing ads/PLAs) are likely a better fit for someone who is selling B2C online, such as an E-Commerce website. 

Google shopping ads tend to show up at the very top of search results, which means that you really cannot beat that type of visibility. 

Google search ads will rely on keywords to serve your ads to searchers, however, Google shopping is a little more complicated than that. Your product feed is critical when deciding on whether or not your products appear; all of the necessary information such as the product, brand, quantity, size, and colour, etc. You must carefully optimise the data feed for your Google shopping ads in order to successfully target the appropriate searches. 

You Should Use Both Google Ads and Google Shopping 

Why settle for one when you can optimise for both? Again, the bigger the net, the more fish you’ll catch. So long as you can justify your ad-spend and optimise your campaign well enough to see a sustainable return on investment, then you can really benefit from adopting both strategies at the same time. 

7 Optimisation Tips for Google Shopping Ads for E-Commerce (Google Shopping E-Commerce Strategy): 

1 – Bid Aggressively on Specific Search Phrases: Don’t waste your time and money on non-performing key phrases, so get specific and bid hard.

  • Review historic search data and find the terms that drive your revenue the most 
  • Set up three-shopping campaigns with priority levels (tier 1 being high priority key phrases, tier 2 for average to medium, and tier 3 for low search volumes with highest conversions). 
  • Build and apply your negative keywords lists (you need to know what works and what doesn’t) 

2 – Identify your best sellers and prioritise your budget: Look at your historic best sellers and then aim to bid higher on those. 

3 – Audit and optimise your product feed regularly: Your Google product data feed is absolutely crucial for succeeding with Google shopping ads and as such, you should be reviewing, updating, and refining this data as regularly as possible. 

4 – Make sure your strategy is optimised for mobile: Mobile shoppers behave differently to desktop shoppers and you should be aware of that. Optimising your strategy for mobile as well as a desktop is important. 

5 – Discover seasonal opportunities: Whether you operate within a seasoned industry or not, keep in mind the time of year and bid on products and product groups that are likely to perform better during certain months. 

6 – Allow Google to optimise (with your supervision): Take advantage of Google’s machine learning. With a healthy mix of your product feed and Google’s smart shopping options, you can streamline your shopping experience. 

7 – Adopt dynamic retargeting: You should be hot on retargeting. Yes, some people might find it annoying, however, retargeting ads to convert, and they convert extremely well. In fact, over time, they have shown to yield a highly impressive ROI. 

8 Optimisation tips for Google Search Ads for E-Commerce (E-Commerce Google Ads Strategy):

1 – Structure your Google ads well: Get granular and set up your campaigns to mimic your navigational menus. For example: if you have a category like shoes, with sub-categories containing various brands, then it would pay to have brand-specific ad groups within your Google ads account. 

2 – Boost best-sellers with deep links within text ads: Rather than lead people to individual category pages, you may wish to also consider linking to a best-sellers page. You can easily set up simple ads that link to a handful of your top-selling products. 

3 – Take an agile approach to Google ads marketing (and test for everything): Things change quickly within the world of E-Commerce, particularly where Google is concerned. So, remain agile, test regularly, and experiment with different ad variations. 

4 – Take advantage of the following extensions: 

  • Callout extensions
  • Structured snippets
  • Promotion snippets 
  • Site link extensions 

5 – Bid on part numbers and product models: While these types of search phrases might not have the highest search volumes, they almost certainly have some of the highest conversions. So, if you sell particular products that have searchable model numbers (such as Laptops for example), then bid on those search terms and snatch up those specific searchers. 

6 – Schedule, maintain, optimise: Even if your campaign is ticking over nicely with a 300% ROI, you should still keep optimising for better results. Just because something might be performing well, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be doing exceptionally. 

7 – Explore In-Market audiences: As an advertiser, you can choose to target various audience groups with your own search ads. This can offer you great flexibility when it comes to your search strategy. Consider matching with a wider audience and split-test to see which audiences tend to respond best to your product ads. 

8 – Don’t neglect dynamic search ads: If you have a wide variety of products to sell, though not a great deal of time to list every single product, then dynamic ads can be very helpful. 

Email Marketing E-Commerce Strategy 

Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is among one of the best E-Commerce advertising strategies available today. For one thing, there are billions of people all over the world who actively use an email account every single day. In addition to that, you will have access to a much broader audience (even some of the biggest technophobes know how to use access their email). This gives you a very unique opportunity to tap into new sales opportunities. 

So, are you interested in learning about the best email marketing strategies for E-Commerce? Here’s a list of the 11 email types that you should definitely be including in your email campaign today:

  • Welcome email: One chance and once chance only to make a good impression. Without a good introduction to your new subscribers, your follow-up campaigns will be a waste of time. Let them know how valued they are and how excited you are to have them join your subscription list. Talk about all of the amazing VIP privileges, discounts, and other offers they have got to look forward to!
  • Curation email: Curation emails are all about highlighting your brand’s best assets. 
  • Engagement email: Engagement emails can be used to encourage your audience to take certain actions. Whether suggesting a free trial or offering free shipping, make your emails attractive and irrespirable. 
  • Referral email: Over 74% of consumers say that word-of-mouth plays a big part in their purchasing decisions. As such, referral emails can be widely beneficial. Offer your customer’s something in return for their recommendation. If they love your products, they’ll be more than happy to claim a freebie, whilst sharing the love. 
  • Discount email: There are few methods of securing repeat business as effective as the discount email. For example: a week after having made a purchase with you, receiving a discount code might just be all the convincing they need to come back and place another order! 
  • Cart abandonment email: Just because someone has added items to their cart and then clicked off the website, it doesn’t mean that they are a lost cause. Targeting your page visitors with cart abandonment emails gives you an opportunity to address their doubts. Was it too expensive perhaps? Would a 10% discount sway them? 
  • Order confirmation email: You should always send an order confirmation email. These automated responses reinforce your brand image and let people know that you value their custom and take their order experience seriously. 
  • Upsell email: There’s no shame in an up-sell email and they can make tonnes of extra revenue as well. Has somebody just purchased a product from you? Why not send them an email with a list of other items that people have previously ordered with it? 
  • Survey email: People like to feel involved. As though their opinion matters. Certainly, many customers will never bother with a survey email, but you might just be able to get your hands on some game-changing feedback along the way. 
  • Thank you email: Share the love! Demonstrate that you are grateful for their purchase and that you’ll be looking forward to hearing from them again. 

Our Conclusion On The Best Digital Marketing Strategy for E-Commerce Websites

And there it is. Above, we have talked about a number of unmissable E-Commerce strategies that can help you take your business to the next level. We hope you have found this helpful! 

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed, feel free to contact us for a FREE strategy session. There is certainly a lot of information to digest and getting the most out of your E-Commerce advertising may require third-party assistance. 

At Content’s ME, we would be delighted to help lighten the load. Let’s get you back to focusing on sales and putting smiles on your customer’s faces, while the team at Content’s ME tackle the boring, back-end technicalities that make up an effective E-Commerce digital marketing strategy. 

Are you ready to dominate your field and gain an edge over your competitors?