An industry that has experienced the biggest transformation in recent years, mainly because of the use of the Internet, is trade. Either numerous companies are switching entirely to eCommerce, or it makes up an enormous part of their business.
As we all know, eCommerce is a very competitive and challenging field. It’s getting harder to attract users to visit your website in the ocean of the
same or similar offers and to buy products from you rather than someone else. This means that website owners and digital marketers have to work assiduously and think of different strategies to achieve desired results, i.e., drive traffic to their eCommerce website (and ultimately sell their products or services).
There are two well known options: Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Which is more critical for your eCommerce business – traffic to your website or conversions? These two strategies shouldn’t be mutually exclusive; the best way to have a successful eCommerce business is to combine these. Before going deeper, let’s review some basics.
What Is eCommerce?
For anyone just getting started in this field, eCommerce refers to acts of buying and selling products online. Some advantages of this approach include: lower costs, less physical limitations (such as floor space for customers), and increased visibility. In fact, to be successful today, a business is almost required to have a website and eCommerce capabilities.
eCommerce Strategies
CRO and SEO are separate eCommerce marketing strategies, but they are closely connected and necessary for a successful eCommerce business. If you are just getting started (and located in the UK), you might want to investigate some of these providers.
SEO – Search Engine Optimization is the strategy to increase website visibility and, subsequently, traffic by posting engaging content. CRO – Conversion Rate Optimization — a system designed to increase the number of people who will not only visit the website, but become customers.
Neither of these two strategies, if used alone, is enough to get
the results that you want. You need SEO for eCommerce website to attract people and draw attention to your eCommerce business. CRO eCommerce is
necessary because, without it, you just have people who are looking at your
products but not buying them.
How They Overlap
Some people believe that SEO and CRO are like cheese (SEO) and a mouse trap (CRO). Both of these strategies focus on users and must provide quality
content. The work of web developers in building site architecture, and developing a framework for web content creation, affect both aspects equally. Here is how you can combine them to increase your sales and make your business stand out as a leader in this field.
- Create an attractive design. Nothing makes a stronger first impression than website design. People often decide about purchasing your products based on what they learn from your content. However, an inaccessible messy design with poor navigation will turn them away. How does a customer feel while browsing through the pages of your eCommerce business. Important aspects to consider are brand awareness, impact on bounce rate, and website security.
- Always provide interesting content. If you want to draw visitors (potential customers) to your website, you need to ensure to provide the best possible content. Here are some tips to remember. Use proper keywords associated with your products or services. Use a Call to Action where appropriate. Invite your readers to do something to get a product or get more information so they can decide to purchase what you are selling. Examples of such sentences are: Call Us Today to Have Your Product Delivered Tomorrow; Want to Know More About This Fantastic Appliance? Contact Us Now!
- Create pages on social networks and integrate them into your website. It is well known that social media and eCommerce businesses work well together. The more you are advertising your product on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media, the greater your chances of making a profit. There are many approaches you can choose to increase your visibility and sales using social media. Some of them are homepage social feeds, product pages, and hashtags.
Final Take
It is no secret that eCommerce is a rapidly expanding field with a lot of competitors. This also means that both SEO and CRO are getting more complicated. Successful business requires the use of both strategies. However, finding the right way how to implement them simultaneously isn’t always straightforward.
We would like to hear from you if you are using these strategies for your eCommerce business! What are your experiences with SEO and CRO? We would also like to know your opinions, comments, or ideas if you are thinking about starting your own business.
About the author. Thomas Glare is a marketing specialist and a communication manager of various eCommerce portals. You can often see Thomas at marketing conferences. He likes to spend his free time watching British crime mystery web series.