They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
But not so when it comes to running an online store.
Where countless eCommerce sites vie for the same audience, the ultimate challenge lies in being visibly present and attracting customers.
Successful online brands have long decoded this. As a result, today, they enjoy increased brand awareness.
But are just captivating product descriptions helping them to make the cut? No.
Agreed. Product descriptions (not talking about those unappealing and generic factory specifications filling the space!) are hands down a vital element of any eCommerce website. For ready-to-purchase customers who don’t need excessive nurturing, well-written product descriptions work just great.
But what about those seeking to understand benefits beyond technical mambo jumbo? What about those comparing it to similar products? And what about those research-oriented ones who want to make sure they’re shopping smart?
All these are best addressed with an engaging, in-depth business blog, not just concise product pages.
Just as international air freight is a conduit for global trade, blogs connect online brands with their target audience. Just as air freight enables the efficient exchange of goods, blogs facilitate the seamless exchange of valuable insights, fostering growth for eCommerce businesses on a global scale.
You miss out on valuable traffic and potential customers by lacking a business blog that talks about solving a specific problem. Even if you may initially attract some visitors with specific queries, once they realize you can’t provide the answers they seek, they’ll swiftly move on to find a brand that can. And when they return ready to make a purchase, guess who they’ll remember as the one who disappointed them in the past?
But simply understanding that blogging can boost your eCommerce business is just scratching the surface.
Hence, in this blog, we’ll give you all the information you need to develop a powerful blog content strategy to boost your eCommerce business.
If you still question the value of investing in a blog, let’s first explore a few compelling reasons why it can be highly advantageous for an eCommerce business.
Top Reasons Why Do You Need a Dedicated Blog on Your eCommerce Site?
- Blogs that deliver the answers shoppers seek nurture leads and boost sales.
- Consistently publishing blogs infuses your brand with a distinct personality, setting it apart from others in the market.
- It’s a more cost-effective alternative to paid advertising.
- High-quality blogs with excellent SEO attract search engine spiders to your website.
- Done right, it can quickly propel you forward as a trusted source of information.
- It helps your eCommerce site rank for industry-related keywords, guiding traffic to it.
- An active blog is an excellent opportunity to establish internal links that direct traffic to your homepage, category pages, and product listings.
- It instills confidence in potential customers, empowering them to make confident purchasing decisions.
- If readers find a blog piece valuable, they will likely share it on their social media platforms, extending its reach and amplifying its impact.
Blogging Secrets Unveiled: 5 Tips to Skyrocket Your Ecommerce Traffic
1. Know Very Well What to Blog About
Blogging can be highly effective in boosting sales of your online shop. Yet, remember that the key lies in selecting the right eCommerce blog topics. The idea is to create blog posts that are fun to read and provide tremendous value to the reader without being all salesy.
You aim to provide valuable information while gently guiding site visitors toward products or services that address their needs. Take a moment to understand what truly benefits your audience and the areas where you excel.
When brainstorming blog topics, they generally fall into three categories: Discovery, Intent, or Expertise.
Let’s understand this with the example of Blume- a skincare retailer focused on clean, gentle ingredients.
Discovery: Focus on what people search for on Google or social media. This type of content should be informative and educational.
Intent: Target those who are ready to make a purchase but need their questions answered. Create product-focused content that confidently promotes your offerings.
Expertise: Leverage your industry knowledge and unique perspective. This content is perfect for social sharing, boosting brand recognition, and even catching the attention of new features.
Here are a few different topic ideas that might help you get started:
- Seasonal trends or special events
- Buying or gifting guides
- How-to’s, product demonstrations, and tutorials
- Helpful advice on products and tools (not just your own!)
- Social or environmental cause
- Interviews with customers, vendors, and employees
We can’t help but bring up keyword research while discussing blog topics.
If you’ve done your keyword research right, you probably have a list of long-tail keywords to target in your blogs. These keywords are like golden opportunities to use strategically to attract more readers and improve search engine rankings.
Finally, there are the People Also Ask, Google Suggest, and Google Trends to find queries that your target audience is interested in. These are incredibly helpful tools (and free, too!) to generate blog topics and increase the chances of your blog posts appearing in Google search results.
Pro tip: AI tools like ChatGPT can be your ultimate brainstorming tool to generate endless blog ideas and detailed outlines at your fingertips.
2. Showcase the Brand’s Human Side
In a world saturated with sales-heavy approaches, it’s time for brands to break free from robotic ads.
By infusing your blogs with a human touch, you showcase your authenticity and establish authority in your industry. It’s a powerful tool to develop genuine connections with your audience. Through this authentic engagement, brands can differentiate themselves and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Humanizing your eCommerce business through blogging is all about:
- Offering valuable insights, answering common questions, and addressing the concerns of your readers.
- Educating your audience by being a source of both entertainment and enlightenment.
- Developing a brand voice that is fun, caring, and engaging.
- Serving the kind of content your audience actually wants to consume.
- Collaborating with the key influencers in your domain.
- Injecting your blogs with occasional doses of humor.
- Going above and beyond to demonstrate that your business is more than just turning a profit.
Take, for example, Dossier, the fragrance brand that blends luxury, affordability, and ethical values into captivating scents. As you explore their luxe website, you’ll discover a blog that skillfully weaves engaging stories about fragrances, adding stunning notes to your olfactory experience.
3. Add Email Opt-In, Product Recommendations When Needed
To supercharge your eCommerce blog, consider incorporating two essential elements:
- Email Opt-in
- Personalized product recommendations
Adding an email opt-in form strategically placed within your blog can effortlessly grow your subscriber base. Going beyond direct product promotion, it should enable you to share valuable updates, promotions, and exclusive content.
You can also enhance your customer experience by incorporating enticing email opt-ins that offer a percentage off their orders. While you may incur a little upfront cost, capturing their email address allows for future promotions and multiple orders.
This strategic approach increases initial conversions and cultivates long-term customer relationships, leading to sustained business growth.
Some creative places to put email opt-ins in your blog and get impressive sign-up rates are:
- Under the blog headline
- In a custom sidebar
- In the main navigation menu
- Above the blog footer
- On the 404 error page
Additionally, integrating product recommendations powered by AI technology can revolutionize the shopping experience on your blog. You can present personalized product suggestions by leveraging customer data and preferences, guiding visitors toward relevant and enticing offerings.
Finally, when you publish an article, you should add internal links to your new article from older articles and maximize its impact.
4. Leverage Blogger Collaborations
When it comes to skyrocketing your content’s reach, don’t underestimate the art of stroking some egos. It’s as simple as weaving in information or links to relevant businesses or bloggers within your blog post.
But why stop there? Take it further by contacting specific bloggers or companies who perfectly align with your post’s theme and inviting them to contribute a quote.
When your article shines a spotlight on their incredible achievements, they’re inclined to go the extra mile to promote your post across their vast social networks.
5. Promote, Promote, and Promote
Congratulations on successfully setting up a blog for your eCommerce website. Now it’s time to drive traffic and gain visibility for your masterpiece.
Here’s how to achieve it:
- Leverage social media: Share your article across all your social media channels to create buzz and reach a wider audience.
- Engage your email list: Send the article to your subscribers, offering them exclusive access to your valuable content.
- Tap into relevant communities: Share your content in relevant online communities and forums, such as niche-specific Reddit forums, to attract interested readers.
- Build relationships with other bloggers: Reach out to fellow bloggers and website owners to encourage them to link to your article, enhancing your search engine optimization through link building.
While these are effective strategies, there’s much more to explore, such as reaching out to other blog owners, engaging in guest blogging, and link-building. In fact, as you delve deeper into the blogging world and strive for search traffic, mastering the art of link-building will become an invaluable skill.
Wrapping Up
In the ever-competitive world of eCommerce, blogging is a powerful tool to drive traffic like never before. By implementing the strategies discussed here, you can create a strong blog content strategy. It will help you captivate your audience, establish your brand’s authority, and fuel your business growth.
Remember, the key lies in selecting the right eCommerce blog topics that provide value. Humanizing your blogs sets you apart from the sales-heavy approaches of your competitors. By capturing email addresses and providing tailored suggestions, you create opportunities for ongoing engagement and increased conversions. Additionally, blogger collaborations and strategic promotion efforts can amplify your brand’s impact.
As you kickstart your blogging journey, watch analytics, listen to your audience’s feedback, and adapt your approach accordingly.
Now armed with these insights, it’s time to start crafting scroll-stopping blog posts and unlock the true potential of your online store. Happy blogging!