How to Increase Website Traffic to Your Online Store

Are you looking for the best ways to increase website traffic to your online store?

One of the most crucial aspects of running a successful eCommerce business is driving consistent and relevant traffic to your website. If you’re unsure where to start, don’t worry.

The right WordPress strategies and tools make building, managing, and optimizing your online store significantly easier.

🔎 In this article, I’ll cover:

Why Drive Traffic to Your eCommerce Site?

Having a beautifully designed online store stocked with amazing products is great. But only if people are visiting it. That’s where the significance of site traffic comes into play.

Increased traffic can increase visibility in search engines, social platforms, and other online spaces. This exposure can contribute to greater brand recognition and recall, making your online store a destination for potential customers.

Boosting site traffic can also lead to higher conversions. Whether making a purchase, signing up for newsletters, or engaging with your content, more traffic leads to more opportunities to turn visitors into paying customers.

As your traffic grows, you’ll gain access to valuable data about your audience’s behavior and preferences. This data can be used to refine your marketing strategies and tailor your offerings to better suit your target demographic.

There are several ways to increase website traffic, including free (organic) and paid options. Tactics include everything from crafting content and product listings to running targeted digital ads.

10+ Best Ways to Increase Website Traffic

Ready to get started? Below, I’ll go through some of the best ways to increase website traffic to your online store in WordPress.

While this post is targeted primarily to WordPress users, most tips and best practices are relevant even for other eCommerce platforms.

1. Focus on Site Speed & Performance

Focusing on your website speed and performance is an essential aspect of driving traffic to your eCommerce website due to its significant influence on user experience, search engine rankings, and overall online success.

Visitors expect websites to load quickly and provide a smooth browsing experience. A slow-loading site frustrates users, leading to higher abandonment rates.

Search engines, particularly Google, consider website speed as a ranking factor. Google search algorithms reward websites with a great user experience, including fast loading times.

Websites that load quickly are more likely to rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for users to find your site. Learning how to increase website traffic organically can improve your rankings. Users are more likely to click on websites that appear on the first page of search results.

There are a few things that can help enhance the performance of your site.

Choose a Reliable WordPress Host

One of the best ways to ensure a solid performance on your website is to choose a quality web host.

If you’re running an eCommerce site with WordPress, I recommend SiteGround’s Managed EDD Hosting plans. They include everything you need to start and manage an online store with ease.

There are a wide range of hosting options to choose from. The best solution depends on the type of eCommerce site you have, your budget, and what specific tools and features you need.

🔎 Learn more about the best WordPress hosting plans for eCommerce.

Use Quality eCommerce Tools

The themes and plugins you use on your eCommerce site can affect both its user experience and its performance. The goal should be quality over quantity. In other words, focus on selecting high-quality, reliable tools that can help you address a handful of things rather than multiple ones.

For instance, if you’re selling digital products and need an eCommerce solution, the best plugin is Easy Digital Downloads (EDD).

You can also streamline the design and usability of your online store by installing one of the EDD-specific WordPress themes, like Vendd or Themedd.

Using eCommerce templates can help you build more engaging and effective landing and product pages. Solutions like Easy Digital Downloads also help ensure a smooth checkout process.

Test Your Site Performance/Score

If you want to test the current performance of your site, use a tool such as Google PageSpeed Insights.

Simply enter your site URL and select Analyze. On the results page, the tool grades your site and provides specific recommendations and suggestions for how to improve it.

Install a Performance Plugin

If you need to further enhance the performance of your WordPress site, I recommend a plugin like Perfmattrs.

Using a plugin like this can help you identify issues with your site that may be hurting its speed or performance. In addition to database cleanup, this robust tool can assist with a wide range of other WordPress site speed optimization tasks.

Optimize Your Images

To improve WordPress site speed and prevent slow loading times, optimize your images. There are a few ways to do this.

Always use the proper image file format to reduce loading times. There are also WordPress plugins to help with this.

For instance, you can use image optimization plugins like Smush or EWWW Image Optimizer.

These tools automatically compress image file sizes without hurting their quality. You can also use them to convert images to WebP format during optimization.

2. Optimize for Organic SEO

If you want to increase website traffic organically, you need a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. In a nutshell, this is the process and solutions employed to ensure your online store is search engine-friendly. There are a handful of ways to do this, and free SEO tools to help.

Conduct Keyword Research

Utilizing tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs can greatly enhance and increase website traffic by optimizing your content for search engines. These tools enable you to conduct comprehensive keyword research, identifying high-volume and relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for.

Additionally, they provide insights into your competitors’ strategies. This makes it easier to identify gaps and opportunities to create website content that stands out.

A free tool you can use to analyze the SEO strategy of any website is the All in One SEO Analyzer Chrome extension.

In just a single click, you get tons of on-page SEO details.

This includes internal links, keywords, nofollow links, schema settings, and more. Learn more about how to use it.

Create High-Quality Content

One of the best ways to boost traffic and attract customers to your eCommerce store is through content marketing. Valuable content not only attracts visitors, but it also encourages them to spend more time on your site.

Regularly update your website with compelling posts, product descriptions, and landing pages. There are so many different types of content you can create and share to engage your target audience and position your online business as a trustworthy source.

I also recommend periodically going back to refresh outdated content.

Visual content is highly engaging and can help your content stand out. Incorporate infographics, videos, and high-quality images into your blog posts and social media content.

If you need help brainstorming topics to write about, check online forums and social platforms to see what issues, questions, or concerns users have regarding your industry/offerings. Crafting content to address these pain points and provide solutions can be effective.

When creating your content, focus on your specific niche to create more targeted and relevant content.

A well-organized content calendar is essential for maintaining a consistent publishing schedule. Outline your topics, keywords, and publishing dates to ensure you create content that aligns with your goals.

Consider using tools like Asana, CoSchedule, or Trello to manage your content calendar and collaborate with team members.

Focus on Technical SEO

Beyond the basics, dive deeper into technical SEO to optimize your website for search engines. This includes factors like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and image optimization.

Create an XML sitemap and submit it to search engines to help them crawl and index your website’s content more efficiently.

You can also implement schema markup to provide search engines with additional context about your content. This can result in rich snippets appearing in search results, making your site more visually appealing and increasing click-through rates.

Tools like AIOSEO and Google Structured Data Testing Tool can help you create and test your schema markup.

Install an SEO Plugin

Installing a paid or free SEO plugin can help optimize your web pages and posts, product landing pages, meta-tags, alt text, and meta descriptions.

One of the most powerful tools is AIOSEO.

The AIOSEO (All in One SEO) plugin is a perfect way to optimize your site content, particularly eCommerce sites, and boost organic search traffic and visitors. It helps enhance on-page SEO elements, providing guidance on content optimization and improving the readability of your content.

Plus, it can help streamline your technical SEO efforts. Features like automated meta tag generation, XML sitemaps, and schema markup ensure content is optimized for search engines.

Build Backlinks

Another way to help generate web traffic to your online store is through link building. Backlinks are inbound links from other websites to your website.

They play a crucial role in improving your website’s visibility and search engine rankings. By building high-quality backlinks, you can increase your website’s authority and attract more organic traffic. This can be difficult, and it does take time.

But connecting with other bloggers in your niche and finding guest posting opportunities can be an excellent digital marketing strategy. Collaborate with industry influencers and bloggers to publish guest posts with backlinks to your site.

3. Leverage Social Media

Social media marketing can be an incredibly effective (and affordable!) tactic for increasing website traffic. You can use social channels to run ad campaigns, promote new products, share posts and other content, etc.

It’s also smart to encourage customers to share and promote your products on social media. Encourage social sharing by adding social sharing buttons to your content. Social signals (likes, shares, comments) can impact search engine rankings and help your content reach a wider audience.

If you’re a digital seller, the EDD Social Discounts extension lets you offer users exclusive discounts for sharing or liking your products on social networks:

The ideal platforms depend on the type of business you have and your target customers. From TikTok to LinkedIn, each channel has certain techniques and best practices to leverage for optimal performance.

In any case, you can actively join in on social conversations to position your brand as a credible and authoritative source. Using relevant hashtags and keywords helps your target audience find your social media posts, which can lead them to your website.

To automate and simplify your posts, use a social scheduling solution like Click Social.

It makes it incredibly easy to schedule your posts for numerous accounts.

If you haven’t already, consider creating a Google business profile. If you have a physical location, a Google business profile can help with local SEO and make it easier for your target audience to find you.

4. Use Influencer Marketing

Another way social media can come in handy in growing brand awareness and increasing your conversion rate is through influencer marketing. Collaborating with influencers can help you expand your reach and get your products and promotions in front of audiences likely to be interested in them.

Partner with influencers in your niche to tap into their existing audience and increase traffic to your store. Influencers can provide authentic reviews and endorsements that resonate with their followers.

You can search for and contact influencers organically. Alternatively, there are dedicated tools for discovering influencers, such as Upfluence.

You could also check out these free influencer marketing tools recommended by WordPress.

Reach out to influencers and establish a genuine connection before proposing a collaboration. Provide them with valuable products or services in exchange for their promotion.

Be sure to track your results. Measure the impact of your influencer marketing campaigns to assess their effectiveness and identify successful partnerships.

5. Run Viral Giveaways/Contests

One of the most effective ways to grab people’s attention is to offer something for free. Organize and run online contests and giveaways to create excitement around your brand.

These events can help foster a sense of community. Perhaps more importantly, running a giveaway or contest on your WordPress website or social media platforms can boost traffic.

You can use a plugin such as RafflePress.

This is also an excellent way to build out your email list. You can create sign-up and opt-in forms from giveaway participants that give them a chance to win in exchange for their email address.

6. Start an Affiliate or Referral Program

Another method to increase website traffic in WordPress is to start a referral or affiliate marketing program.

By partnering with affiliates who promote your products or services, you can reach a wider audience and generate additional revenue.

These programs encourage your existing customers and users to refer friends, family, or colleagues to your online store. Affiliates are incentivized to promote your brand through commissions or other rewards, making them highly motivated.

WordPress offers various plugins for starting referral and affiliate marketing programs.

Integrate with a tool such as AffiliateWP to easily track referrals, manage rewards/payouts, and automate the entire process.

For instance, you can easily provide the necessary tools and resources for affiliates to promote your brand.

You can also recruit quality affiliates and provide ongoing support to help maximize their efforts.

💡 Learn how to start an affiliate program in WordPress.

7. Use Email Campaigns

In addition to content marketing, email marketing remains an effective way to bring repeat traffic to your online store.

Email campaigns make it easy to directly communicate with your subscribers and engage them in ways that can drive traffic and conversions for your online store.

Start by building a high-quality email list. Collect email addresses from website visitors, social followers, and other sources. OptinMonster is an excellent tool for creating newsletter sign-up and opt-in forms.

Some additional tips for successful email marketing campaigns, include:

• Segment your list. Divide your email list into segments based on demographics, interests, or behavior to send targeted campaigns.
• Create engaging content. Develop compelling email content that provides value to your subscribers and encourages them to click through to your website.
• Test and optimize. Experiment with different subject lines, email designs, and call-to-actions to find what works best for your audience.
• Track results. Measure the effectiveness of your email campaigns to identify areas for improvement and optimize your strategy.

Easy Digital Downloads integrates with a handful of popular platforms like Mailchimp, AWeber, and ConvertKit.

To help build your email list and boost subscribers, make it easy for visitors and users to sign up.

8. Send Push Notifications

Push notifications are short, attention-grabbing messages delivered to users’ devices. These notifications provide a direct way to communicate with your audience. You can use them to deliver important updates, promotions, announcements, and content in real time.

When used effectively, push notifications can greatly enhance user engagement and drive traffic to your website. One of the best tools you can use to create and automate these notifications is PushEngage.

This user-friendly solution lets you customize the CTA, add your own test and images, and schedule the delivery timing and duration of each one. It’s a great method for small businesses to use to boost click-through rates (CTR) and increase website traffic and conversions.

9. Track & Monitor Website Analytics

Tracking and monitoring site analytics is essential to increase website traffic. It provides valuable insights into user behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns.

Understand which pages are most visited, how users navigate your site, and where they drop off to identify areas for improvement.

The MonsterInsights plugin for Google Analytics in WordPress offers a user-friendly solution to this task.

It seamlessly integrates with your WordPress site, enabling you to access comprehensive analytics directly from your dashboard.

With MonsterInsights, you can make data-driven decisions, refine your strategies, and enhance user experience, ultimately driving more targeted and relevant traffic to your website.

10. Consider Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

If you’re comfortable with paying for Google ads in the search results, you might consider investing in Pay-Per-Click (PPC) strategies.

This digital advertising model involves paying a fee each time your ad is clicked. These ads appear on search engines, social media platforms, and other websites. They provide a powerful way to drive targeted paid traffic to your website.

You can reach a highly specific audience by targeting keywords, demographics, interests, and geographic locations. This precise targeting ensures that your ads are shown to users who are most likely to be interested in your products or services:

Plus, PPC ads offer immediate visibility, putting your website at the top of search results or in prominent positions on social media feeds.

Pricing can vary. But, if it’s in your budget, allocating spend to PPC campaigns and optimizing ad performance can attract qualified paid traffic, generate leads, and increase the chances of conversions.

Another strategy is to Implement retargeting to reach visitors who have shown interest in your website but haven’t made a purchase. Use tools like Google Ads or Facebook Pixel to track site visitors and display targeted ads to them.

FAQs About How to Increase Website Traffic

Let’s wrap up with some frequently asked questions regarding the best strategies to increase website traffic in WordPress.

Increase Website Traffic in WordPress

Driving substantial traffic to your online store is an ongoing process that requires dedication and strategy. Leveraging the power of WordPress, Easy Digital Downloads, and various marketing techniques helps enhance your store’s visibility, engagement, and ultimately, your bottom line.

Remember, the key lies in consistency, quality content, and a deep understanding of your target audience’s needs and preferences. Start implementing these strategies today and watch your eCommerce site traffic flourish.

Want even more ways to help boost conversions? Check out 11+ Best Lead Generation Plugins for WordPress.

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