How To Drive Traffic To Your Shopify Store? (13 Strategies)

Starting an ecommerce store has proven to be a lucrative business model in today’s tech world. A big reason why launching an ecommerce website is a popular option for entrepreneurs (or aspiring entrepreneurs) is because it’s relatively easy to setup. This is especially the case if you build it using a platform such as Shopify. You can have an ecommerce website up and running fairly quickly.

However, there is one problem that many online entrepreneurs come across when running an ecommerce business, which is: How to drive more targeted traffic to their Shopify store?

When it comes to driving more traffic to your Shopify store, there are a few factors to keep in mind such as your niche, competitors, product value, website functionalities etc.

Overall, it’s important to understand that finding the best method for driving traffic to your ecommerce website will come down to trial and error. Every Shopify store is unique and different. Just because one traffic method works well for one website, does not mean it will be a success for another.

In saying this, many people still do not know where to start when it comes to bringing in more visitors to their website. It does require creativity, consistency and a willingness to learn various marketing strategies. In this post, we will uncover 13 actionable methods to drive more traffic to your Shopify store.

Let’s get started!

How To Drive Traffic To Your Shopify Website

#1: Guest Posting

When it comes to learning how to drive traffic to your Shopify store, your approach does not have to be overcomplicated. In fact you can start by simply guest posting on other websites. A guest post is when you publish a blog article on another website within your general niche. This can be a great way to help drive additional traffic to your Shopify website by linking from your guest post back to your website. You also get an SEO benefit here from building a quality backlink on another website. The most effective way to benefit from this strategy is by going after websites that have proven traffic, large audiences and a strong domain authority.

#2: Search Engine Optimization

One of the more traditional strategies you can use to bring traffic into your Shopify store is through search engine optimization. Also known as SEO, this strategy works by enhancing the relevancy and position of your website in online search results pages. The idea is that the more relevant and highly positioned your website is, the higher the chances of receiving organic clicks, visitors and conversions are. As far as how to implement this strategy, you will want to focus on on-page (meta tags, copy optimization, internal linking) and off-page SEO (external link building). Give Google some time to recognize the SEO improvements made on your website. This definitely needs to be a long-term strategy with consistent effort, but the outcome is worth it (free targeted traffic from the search engines).

#3: Blogging

Quality content is the structural foundation of a website. It provides valuable information, can help you rank for keyword phrases, can increase the time visitors stay on your website, and so much more. This is where blogging plays a significant role in bringing traffic to a website. However, keep in mind that your blogging style should be informational and engaging to gain a person’s attention and trust. You also need to publish consistent content to see the best results (without sacrificing quality). Know that blogging can take some time to start generating a consistent flow of traffic but it’s definitely worth it. Every ecommerce website should utilize a blog as it can also help direct a client towards a particular product or category of products.

Confused about how long your blog posts should be? Here’s a helpful article that I wrote on what’s the ideal length of a blog post.

#4: Influencer Marketing

As one of the new strategies to arise from digital marketing, influencer marketing has already become one of the most effective methods to promote a website. This stems from the fact that it takes advantage of the endless supply of active social media members. The way it works is by promoting a brand or product through the personal brand of a social media influencer. This strategy has been shown to add trust and legitimacy to the promotion because there is a person behind it. As for how your website can benefit from this strategy, look for influencers that sell or promote products that are within your niche.

#5: Social Media Interaction

Speaking of social media, virtually all platforms are powerful enough to work on their own. However, the key to driving traffic via social media is to be active and consistent on the platform you are using. If your website brand can build a following on a social media platform, having an established presence and strong interaction with your followers will increase trust with clients in the long run. Then, when a client wants to make a purchase, they will feel more inclined to do so because of the relationship and comfortability you have built with them over time.

#6: Paid Advertisements

Having discussed various ways to drive organic traffic to your website, it’s worth mentioning that using paid advertisements can work great as well. In some ways, paid advertisements are an advantage over other strategies because you are able to generate almost instant traffic to your Shopify store once your campaign is live and running. Just make sure to set a strong budget limit within your paid advertising campaign to not overspend on ads.

#7: Rebranding (If Necessary)

In some cases, the reason a Shopify store can’t bring in any clients is that there isn’t a strong brand behind it. A brand is what allows a client to find some sort of relatable characteristic that makes them feel inclined to choose your brand over another. Surprisingly, it’s usually simpler brands and designs that bring in the best traffic. That said, consider switching or remodeling your brand to make it more attractive to clients in your niche. However, only do so if you’ve tried other strategies ahead of it. Forcing a brand change can seem desperate to clients.

#8: Giveaways & Reward Programs

Once again, driving traffic to your Shopify website doesn’t have to be that difficult. One of the best examples of this can be seen by offering giveaways and reward programs. This strategy provides a heavy stream of short-time traffic to your site that can be used to meet any goal your website has. Just make sure to have a plan to sustain clients as many will leave as soon as there are no giveaways or rewards available.

#9: Mobile-Friendly Website

With more and more people making purchases online from their mobile devices today than ever before, it’s crucially important that your website is both mobile friendly and optimized. Mobile use is a trend that will continue to rise with the evolving technology, so this is definitely an area worth focusing on. You want your visitors to have the best possible experience when they visit your website and if you’re Shopify store is not mobile friendly, you will have a much harder time building your ecommerce business.

#10: Target Marketing

Target marketing is a general strategy that is implemented by analyzing the analytics platform of your website. What this strategy does is give you specific data on where your visitors are coming from, their demographics, and how they interact with your site. This allows you to drive traffic by creating web pages and funnels that meet the needs and requirements of the visitors your website receives.

#11: Branding As A Solution (Not Another Option)

When it comes to branding your shop, one of the mistakes many online entrepreneurs make is branding as another option as opposed to a solution. This mistake allows your website to fit in with competitors in your niche, however, it prevents it from standing out. Needless to say, brand your shop by answering the questions and pain points of clients in your niche. This will naturally increase the amount of qualified traffic your website receives.

#12: Email Marketing

Email marketing is another proven yet overlooked strategy for driving traffic to an ecommerce website. What makes this tactic unique is that it is one of the more personal ways to market. Email copy is structured in a way that sounds conversational instead of persuasive. For this reason, this allows your shop to send emails that direct clients back towards your website without sounding promotional or needy.

If you’re looking for an excellent email marketing software, be sure to check out my ConvertKit review here!

#13: Retargeting/Remarketing

Last but not least, retargeting and remarketing efforts are the last-ditch effort to bring traffic back to your Shopify store. The way these two strategies work is by focusing on clients who have interacted with your website but left before making a conversion. These clients give your store a unique opportunity to provide special return discounts and offer as a way to persuade them to convert on your site.

How are you currently driving traffic to your Shopify store?

Are you seeing success with any of the strategies mentioned above?