Better SEO – we all want it, we all strive to earn it. Some use shady and dishonorable tactics for their ecommerce marketing activities, some use standard white-hat techniques that used to work great in the past, while some employ specialized SEO firms.
This is all great, but if you are an overworked entrepreneur that has little time at their disposal, it might mean either spending a lot of money or having no free time… for years on end.
What if we tell you that there are underused, but very effective tactics for marketing an ecommerce website that you can employ to stand out from the crowd and save a bit of time? You have probably already seen them somewhere online, but haven’t recognized them as such.
Our purpose is to encourage you to focus on them and proactively use them to increase traffic to your site – and earn more money.
1. Write guest articles
Yes, you have seen this done before and it seems so… organic, right? Well, it is. Guest articles carry their weight of candor and value because of several reasons.
The first reason is obvious – someone has accepted someone else’s guest article on their blog, which automatically adds to the value of the guest writer, especially if the host has earned their respect. The second reason is that guest articles have that organic feel to them since they represent a personal opinion or a piece of professional advice actually written by someone who is an expert in the field. And the third one is that these articles are only read if someone (i.e. readers) are interested in them!
Writing guest articles has become more common lately, but it is still an underused tactic to perform organic marketing and transfer more traffic to your ecommerce site. Big search engines have begun their crackdown on guest blogging, but that doesn’t mean that this tactic is not viable anymore.
It means that you only have to change its appearance, in accordance with your host. For example, instead of writing a plain old guest article, you can try making a joint program/offer with your partner, which both of you can host on your own site independently – and without using the “guest article” form.
However, even if you both prefer to guest write an article the old fashioned way, that only means that search engines will not bring it up as a search result. You will still get most of the value that comes with it, like generating awareness, initiating conversation about you, your expertise and offers, building relationships, and attracting high quality traffic to your ecommerce site.
2. Write testimonials for other companies
Okay, so you’ve (somehow) built your site and hosted it with big name service, such as GoDaddy or WPEngine. You got what you needed from them. Why don’t you ‘use’ them to get more SEO benefits by offering to write a testimonial?
That’s right – writing a testimonial necessarily includes the name of the author and their website, which – guess what – increases traffic. Contact your hosting service provider and offer to write a testimonial. Chances are, they will publish it on their site somewhere, especially if you say something nice about them.
Make sure that you have genuine respect, and even love for that company. Dishonest writing will be recognized by readers, as it will look cheesy, and will reduce your own worth and authority on the subject matter you are professing, even if you are the best expert around. However, honest writing will go a long way and bring traffic to your website from the most unexpected places.
3. Create infographics
With the recent ‘crackdown’ on guest blogging (largely because of spammers, of course), there is now a gap in the organic links and marketing ideas that bring traffic. All the old tricks have already been overused by everyone, some new tactics are simply inefficient, and some are actively discouraged by search engines (of course, we’re talking about guest blogging here).
However, some tactics are still buried deep under the surface of awareness, but generate a massive amount of traffic to sites. One example is the idea of using infographics. Infographics offer engaging, vibrant content that can be easily shared and attracts traffic to the website that has created and hosts it.
Why doesn’t everyone create infographics, then? Well, most of them don’t know that infographics even exist as a viable ecommerce online marketing strategy. Those that do know are aware of how difficult it is to create an infographic – if they don’t have the right tools or people. There are services on the Internet that can help you create an infographic by letting you select your own icons and graphics, type your own text, place elements etc.
This can serve as a good way to start, since you can always forward your draft or beta version of the infographic to someone that is creating them regularly and has the knowledge to make the necessary finishing touch.
And then, if you serve your infographic to the right audience at the right time, you’ll start to see increased traffic. Just make sure to include a few things. First, include an embed code or at least host the picture on your site/blog, so that people can backlink to it. Second, make note for the reader that it is forbidden for people to share the infographic without including the backlinking information. Third, make sure it looks professional, clean and compelling.
You can even make a deal with another site’s owner to share your infographic on their site or blog, with the obligatory backlinking information, of course.
4. Get involved in forums that belong to your domain
You want to show how great of an expert you are? You can write your own blog, but it will all be in vain if people don’t read it and see you as the expert you know you are. So, how about visiting forums in your field of expertise?
Find a forum in your field, register, and start writing responses and helping less knowledgeable folks with their issues. If you perform this masterfully, you will quickly gain acknowledgement of your expertise and professionalism. But, how do you attract people to your site without outright bothering (spamming) them?
You should just create a nicely crafted signature on the forum that contains (a link to) your site in it. This signature will be shown to everyone, and people who are interested to know more about you will click it – generating more traffic and increasing your revenue.
Easy, clean and unobtrusive, right?
5. Use sincere emotions
Didn’t expect this one, did you? You want to engage your visitors to make a purchase on your ecommerce site? If so, use emotions and be yourself. Too many businesses and their ecommerce websites are cold and remote. People nowadays appreciate the characters in the story. Only a few of us can appreciate a story without minding the subjects that perpetuate it.
Use stories. Explain yourself and your purpose – Is it to help others achieve something? Or to provide better quality than the competition? Whatever it is, make sure you know it and then communicate it. When people detect the underlying sincerity and drive for success, they will increase the purchase rate and rest assured that they are in the hands of a true professional.
Now, how about implementing these little tricks, eh?