12 techniques to increase traffic to your e-commerce site

In France alone, there are more than 207,000 online stores compared to 300,000 physical shops. E-commerce is booming; that’s nothing new and, above all, it’s not going to stop anytime soon!

But how can you cope with this competition and attract the 40 million French people who have embraced online shopping to your site?

Let’s discover 12 techniques to increase traffic to your site e-commerce!

1. List your e-commerce in an online directory

The online directories play an important role in your e-commerce SEO. They remain, time and again, an effective way to improve your visibility and increase traffic to your site.

The E-commerce Directory, Google My Business, Yellow Pages, the WebRankInfo directory, FranceSurf, Supernova… there are many platforms where you can list your shop. You can leverage their authority to boost your ranking, provided you follow these few tips:

2. Organize a promotion in the local press

Local publications and websites are always looking for interesting stories. You can use this to increase your visibility and attract highly qualified traffic.

Search for websites, newspapers, and other media with a large audience in your region. Contact them to propose a piece that brings value to the community. You can tell your story and emphasize your e-commerce’s social engagement.

For example, if your shop donates part of its profits to a local charity or takes part in an ecological initiative, use that angle to promote yourself. At the end of the article, you can offer a discount voucher to readers to encourage them to visit your online store!

We can cite the site "Va voir ailleurs", which donates 20% of its profits to associations. The e-commerce owner was able to talk about his activity in the regional newspaper Le Progrès:

3. Create region-specific campaigns

Another way to take advantage of local marketing is to create region-specific advertising campaigns. Prioritize the region where most of your visitors come from.

To identify the cities or regions where your customers are located, analyze:

Then create geo-targeted campaigns for the top locations. Depending on the channels you already use, you can launch your campaigns on Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, or Google Ads.

For this strategy to work, personalize the message by addressing the audience directly. For example, if you run your ad in Paris, the message could start "Exclusively for Paris residents" or "dear Parisians…"

Another strategy: you can localize the content you publish on your blog. For example, if you sell clothing, you could write an article like: "10 comfortable trousers to ride the Paris metro in style."

4. Write blog posts about top-selling items

43% of an online store's traffic comes from organic search. Use this to boost visits to your e-commerce!

How? By creating coherent, useful content that answers your consumers' needs. To do this, focus on your most popular products, then create content around those items.

Several formats are available to you (don't hesitate to alternate them!):

In addition to promoting your best-sellers in these articles, also suggest alternatives in case your stock runs out.

5. Turn your Instagram feed into an e-commerce store

Instagram is 21 million users, every month, in France! 69% of internet users aged 15 to 24 use this social network.

What if you took advantage of this success to increase traffic to your e-commerce site? There are apps that turn your Instagram feed into an online shop. If a product appeals to one of your followers, they are redirected to your online store to make the purchase. An effective strategy to boost sales!

How does it work? Platforms like Like2Buy, Snapppt or Like2Have.it embed a link in your bio that mirrors your Instagram feed. For each photo you need to tag the product(s) shown with a link to the product page. This allows users to quickly navigate to the pages of the items that interest them.

Here is an example with the Alex and Ani website:

6. Post your e-commerce on Reddit or on forums in general

Reddit may not be the first platform you think of for promoting your e-commerce. Yet it brings together forums and groups that form a qualified niche to attract traffic to your site.

Passionate consumers gather there to discuss, ask questions and share advice. Use it to promote your products. How?

For this strategy to be effective, you must join channels that discuss topics related to your industry. It will be all the more effective if you are in a niche market that brings together passionate people.

7. Build Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp lists

Messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are an excellent alternative to emails and SMS.

Especially since these platforms generate a substantial open rate: from 70 to 90% for Facebook Messenger. Furthermore, a Messenger user generates 4 to 5 times more revenue than a subscriber to your mailing list!

As for WhatsApp, deliverability approaches 100% and the open rate is 70%, as explained in our guide on WhatsApp marketing.

To build a subscriber list and encourage dialogue via these messaging apps, here are some best practices to follow:

For example, jeweler Gemmyo encourages visitors to its e-commerce site to ask questions via WhatsApp. This allows them to collect users' personal information and add it to their lead-nurturing list.

8. Rely on Pinterest's rich pins

Pinterest influences the purchasing decisions of 53% French people. 58% of users discover a new product or brand on the platform. If you want to increase traffic to your e‑commerce store, this is the social network to invest in!

One option to use in particular: the rich pins They automatically extract information from your website to add to your posts. This lets users see product details and encourages them to visit your online store.

Your e‑commerce site can benefit from two main types of rich pins:

But that's not all! Pinterest also lets you upload your product catalog so users can browse your full range of items. A powerful feature for driving visits to your site from the social network.

Here is, for example, the Pinterest catalog of the brand Le Slip Français:

9. Take advantage of Outreach Marketing opportunities

For increase traffic on your e-commerce site, you need the help of experts and influencers in your industry. That’s where Outreach Marketing comes in!

You build relationships with bloggers, websites and others influencers so they promote your products and your e-commerce site in general.

You can try several strategies:

10. Collaborate with an influencer

There are many techniques in influencer marketing. For example, you can:

11. Fix broken links on your store

Broken links remain common on an e-commerce site. They usually stem from an expired promo code, invalid affiliate links, unavailable products, etc.

Besides harming your customers’ experience, they reduce long-term traffic. Remember these links are indexed by Google. So if a user lands on an error page, they will immediately leave the site.

Regularly run audits to detect and repair broken links. You can also:

12. Take advantage of podcasting

The podcasts help you attract new traffic. Few e-commerce stores produce their own show, so it’s a way to stand out and attract consumers.

Podcasts accompany everyday life; they are listened to at the gym, on the bus, or during a lunchtime walk. However, unlike a blog post or a social media update, there is no clickable call to action while listening.

To generate traffic, you therefore need to use other techniques:

For example, Fnac launched its cultural media called "L'Éclaireur Fnac". Among the formats offered are numerous podcasts:

Conclusion

All that's left is to test these 12 techniques to improve traffic to your e-commerce site and boost your sales!

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