14 Ways From Semalt To Increase Sales In The Online Store



Online business is growing more and more every year. New online stores are being created, and those that have been in existence for some time are transferring some of their business to the web, seeing it as an opportunity to reach new customers. The Internet and Google have replaced the advertising newspapers that used to encourage purchases by phone. Today, it is difficult to imagine shopping without the Internet. 62% of Internet users buy online, and this percentage is constantly increasing.

The advantage of an online business is that you don't need to rent and renovate an expensive space, because you only need your own place to run such a business. You don't even need to invest in storage, just get familiar with the term 'dropshipping'. All you need is an idea and some work, and you'll learn how to increase sales in your store from this article.

So, let's start with the first tip which is competitive analysis!

1. Do a competitive analysis of your niche

If you want to increase the sales in your online store, you must know the winning strategies of those who are ahead. Indeed, the analysis of the competition is very important; as positioning does not exist in a vacuum. So to prepare an effective plan for further optimization of the website, you need to take a look at the competing websites (this is very important, for example, in the case of keywords).

To do this safely and quickly, you will need a powerful SEO tool such as the Dedicated SEO Dashboard. Indeed, this SEO tool is the most used by SEO experts, thanks to its ability to perform several tasks to improve organic and paid search. It has several features, one of which is the analysis of the Google search program.

This competitive analysis feature of the DSD allows you to know:
  • Who are your main competitors in the right niche?
  • What are their keywords that attract more traffic?
  • What are their organic or paid promotion strategies?
In addition, you can use this DSD feature to find out the position of each top page of your site and the keywords they are ranked for.


2. Conduct an in-depth audit of your site

An SEO audit is a process that aims to thoroughly analyze a website in terms of its optimization in search results. It allows the evaluation of many key aspects of its functioning. Thanks to such an analysis, it is possible to draw conclusions for the future regarding the positioning of your online store.

This type of audit is often the first thing an SEO agency does after the competitive analysis. As a result, an SEO audit allows you to be able to take a closer look at aspects such as the:
  • Optimization of the website's code
  • Use of alt attributes
  • Key phrases
  • Link profile
  • Site structure and navigation
  • Division into sub-pages, etc...
To perform such an audit, you can use the Dedicated SEO Dashboard. Because one of the competitive advantages of this tool is that you can perform a complete analysis of the site.

In addition to allowing you to examine the aspects listed above, the SEO Dedicated Dashboard also allows you to examine:
  • the loading speed of the site; 
  • the verification of plagiarism (i.e. the uniqueness of each content of the site).
However, performing an SEO audit alone does not bring tangible benefits. On the other hand, real results are obtained by following the guidelines obtained accordingly. Adapting to the suggestions obtained during this analysis can considerably improve the position of a website. Such an improvement in position can, therefore, result in more traffic to a given page, which in turn also increases sales or other important indicators for a given type of business.

3. Increase your traffic

Do you want to make more profit with the store? First of all, increase your traffic. Valuable traffic in the store is always an extra chance for conversion. You can get traffic in several ways. It can be website visits resulting from:
  • good positioning;
  • popularity on YouTube or TikTok;
  • actively running a fanpage;
  • interesting blog;
  • Google Ads campaigns;
  • and even word of mouth.
Remember that it is difficult to buy without entering the website, so first of all, increase traffic.

4. Combine organic and paid activities


Google positioning and ads differ significantly on many levels, so it's worth doing them together for overall effect. Google Ads allows for almost immediate reaction in terms of campaigns, great user segmentation and control over the activity.

Sometimes, in the "launch" of the campaign, we may be limited by the industry or the content of the page we want to promote, which then block the campaign.

However, when it comes to positioning, the time to wait for results depends on the competitiveness of the industry and it can range from a few weeks to several years for the most popular and general phrases. In the long run, however, the money invested in SEO will not evaporate, but will be visible in the optimization or content, and the website itself will be visible on the most important phrases.

Therefore, we need to determine what part of our advertising campaign should focus on getting organic traffic and what traffic will be most beneficial from the "paid" channel.

5. Take care of the user experience (UX)

Do you have traffic to your website, but your Google Analytics conversion rate is zero? It's time to take care of the UX.

UX stands for User Experience, referring to the overall user experience when using our website, which includes, for example, colours, and availability of navigation elements or intuitiveness.

Why is this so important?

Simply put, the user experience will decide whether users will contribute to the conversion rate or the bounce rate, i.e. whether they will make a purchase or run away from you. We instinctively judge the new person we meet in an instant and the same goes for the website, where the first 5 seconds are decisive.

6. Take care of the website structure



It is best to think about the proper structure of the website at the store design stage. However, it is never too late to change for the better. The proper structure of subpages, categories, and products is crucial not only in terms of positioning but also in terms of the user experience I discussed in the previous point.

If your potential customer finds the product page, but however, hesitates and wants to check out, for example, similar products in the same category, but isn't able to reach them - he / she will leave the page as soon as he / she finds them elsewhere.

7. Be a good advisor

Do you want the user to make a purchase? Put yourself in his / her shoes and help him / her! You are the specialist and you know your product best. Many customers hesitate between several products and leave the store looking for answers.

Prevent this from happening and make sure that on your website the users can find complete answers to their questions. Product comparisons, rankings or guides are something you can give of yourself, thus increasing the chances of a potential purchase and showing yourself as an expert.

8. Optimize the search engine in the store



A search engine in a visible place is not only a must-have for any self-respecting online store, but also a source of information and a tool we can use to optimize the store.

For starters, it's a good idea to track user searches. You will then get a picture of the most popular inquiries, thanks to which you will find out which products are worth offering to the customer, for example in the "Recommended products" module.

The next step is to optimize the search engine in terms of the user experience. Let the search engine suggest the results itself before hitting enter. When a user arrives at a search results page, make sure that it is pleasing to the eye and that you can find not only products, but also related blog entries, for example.

9. Write about the product



You probably already know that the website should have useful and unique content. If your store lacks category descriptions and the product descriptions are 100% from the manufacturer's website, it will not only be a kick in the pants in terms of positioning, but it will also give a potential customer the impression that your store is just another online creation that he / she should not follow. No positive impressions for the buyer. Therefore, make sure that the category descriptions and the products themselves are unique, interesting and add informational value that can be useful in the buying process.

You can collectively write articles about the most important products, create rankings and guides. Through such measures, you have a chance to gain new users and be placed higher in Google rankings.

10. Let yourself be rated



Adding a product rating is an opportunity that many stores waste. By leaving the review option enabled and encouraging the user to do so (for example, by adding discount codes for post-purchase shipping reviews), you increase the chances of subsequent users making purchases. It's very simple and works on several levels.

The completed review, included in the AggregateRating microdata, is a chance for the subpage to show up in the search results as an extended result, which greatly increases the chances of increasing CTR.

Secondly, if a user notices that your product has received positive reviews, they are definitely more likely to make a purchase, even if they can buy the exact same product from competitors.

Finally, ratings give you the hope that your reviews, along with your domain name, will be added to Google.

11. Reduce the likelihood of abandoned carts

No, we're not talking about plastic baskets scattered at the checkout of a well-known supermarket brand. Abandoned carts are a term that refers to users who added items to a cart with the intent to make a purchase, and then left the store.

The usual reasons for this are:
  • a user-unfriendly login form;
  • higher prices than the competition (when purchasing multiple products);
  • no preferred delivery option;
  • high courier costs.
While changing product prices in-store may be too drastic a solution, adding one of the popular delivery options, such as package lockers, should not be a problem for most stores. Especially during a coronavirus pandemic, it is of great importance to emphasize the ability to contact package pickup from a package locker.

If you have contact with the user who abandoned the cart (and previously logged into the store), simply send an email with a reminder that they did not finalize the purchase and a list of items they intended to purchase. After such a reminder, up to 60% of customers may return to your store.

12. Adding gifts



Who among us doesn't like to receive corporate gifts? And it's not about the value or usefulness of the gift. It's simply about getting something for free. The best part is that the gift effect is more effective than a discount, even though it may cost you, the store owner, a lot less.

13. Send newsletters

The newsletter is a great way to communicate with the customers and inform them of what is happening in the store. A good mailing will make the customer not stop at a one-time purchase, but keep coming back to your website.

You can use, for example, the FreshMail program to create a free newsletter, while the database of recipients can be created from e-mail addresses left by users, if they have accepted and are willing to receive periodic messages.

14. Operate seasonally

If you have such an opportunity, operate seasonally. Dividing time into seasons, months or years gives you a great opportunity to gain traffic. I think this can be best seen in the apparel industry, where periods of increased advertising are associated with the introduction of new collections and seasonal discounts.

However, there are many industries that should be promoted with a calendar in hand - air conditioning maintenance, tire replacement, garden planning and design. Ask yourself if you can also reinforce promotion based on the season.

Many ideas, one goal

The above 14 points are just an introduction to what you can do to increase sales in your online store. We are aware that each of these ideas can still be a separate article.

If you have come here looking for inspiration, we hope we have managed to give you some useful ideas. Most of the above solutions can be easily introduced in the most popular online stores.

On the other hand, if you need much more advanced advice, for managing your online store in terms of visibility, you can contact us directly. One of our SEO experts will answer all your concerns through a free consultation by appointment.