10 Steps To Drive Targeted Traffic To Your New Online Store

Have you just started an online store, but you’re not getting much traffic? Take a deep breath and don’t panic. What you’re experiencing is perfectly normal.

Gaining visibility online requires ongoing effort, such as optimising your content for relevant keywords and getting quality backlinks. Plus, it’s a gradual process, as it takes time for search engines to discover, index, and rank your site.

What you do outside of your website to drive targeted traffic matters, too.

For example, you’ll want to be proactive on social media, engage with your followers, and build a community around your brand.

Not sure where to start? Here’s how to get more eyes on your products and boost conversions without breaking the bank.

Get More Traffic and Sales in 10 Steps

Launching an online shop is much easier than it used to be. All you need is a business idea and access to a free online store builder, which includes free website templates and robust eCommerce tools. The hard part is getting people to visit and buy from your store.

Depending on your niche, you may be competing against hundreds, if not thousands, of other eCommerce businesses.

Some are well-established and rank in Google’s top 10 results or have huge advertising budgets. Just think of Amazon, which recorded over 256 million U.S. visitors in June 2024.

As a small business, you may not be able to outrank these industry giants in search engines, but you can still get steady traffic and sales.

The key is to niche down, reach the right audience, and deliver seamless shopping experiences. You’ll also need a search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy tailored to your industry and marketing goals.

Without further ado, take these steps to drive targeted traffic to your new site.

1. Find an eCommerce Niche

Narrowing your niche down can give you a competitive edge and reduce marketing costs.

With this approach, you’ll get your store in front of customers searching for specific products that may not be widely available.

Plus, you can target long-tail keywords with high search volume and low competition, which may result in higher search engine rankings. The better your site ranks, the more people will see it in search results.

Let’s say you want to sell pet food. This market has huge potential, but if you try to sell everything to everyone, you’ll end up competing against popular stores like PetSmart, Chewy, and Petco.

With that in mind, look for underserved or emerging niches like:

• Working dog food
• Organic pet food
• Breed-specific pet food
• Hypoallergenic pet food
• Raw treats

Better yet, choose a sub-niche, such as organic food for exotic pets or dog food for rare or less common breeds. Try to identify and fill a gap in the market to set your business apart.

2. Optimise for Organic Search

Optimise your online store for search engines to get organic (unpaid) traffic and outrank your competition. This process can also improve your website’s performance, leading to a better user experience and higher engagement.

For starters, try these SEO strategies to make your site faster, more responsive, and easier to navigate:

• Compress large files: High-resolution product photos, videos, and other large files can slow down your website, affecting the user experience. That’s why you should either compress them with apps like TinyPNG and VEED or use a content delivery network (CDN).
• Add alt text: Alternative (alt) text is a brief description of an image. If, say, you have a photo of a gym bag, the alt text could be, “waterproof gym bag,” “black gym bag,” or something similar. This snippet tells search engines what the image is about and enables screen readers to describe its content. Therefore, it can boost your SEO and improve accessibility for people with visual impairments.
• Create original content: Publish product guides, tutorials, infographics, and other types of content that resonate with your audience. It’s an opportunity to enhance the user experience and improve your rankings for the keywords you’re targeting.
• Use keywords strategically: Optimise each page for one primary keyword and several secondary keywords. Incorporate your main keyword in the page title, meta tags, URLs, image alt text, and throughout the copy.
• Build a strong backlink profile:  Get backlinks from authoritative websites, such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, and CNET. These links act as votes of confidence, telling search engines that your content is valuable and relevant. They can also help you reach a wider audience and drive targeted traffic to your online store.
• Interlink your pages: Add internal links to relevant products, blog posts, and other pages on your website. For instance, a blog post about winter sports could link to product pages featuring ski jackets, snow boots, or thermal underwear. This strategy can increase website traffic and help visitors discover more of your content and products.
• Keep your navigation simple: Make sure every page on your site is no more than three clicks away from the homepage. Use clear, descriptive labels for categories and subcategories and add breadcrumbs to guide customers through your website.

Also, use tools like Semrush, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs to conduct regular SEO audits. This allows you to identify and address issues that can hamper website performance, such as duplicate content, slow-loading pages, and broken links.

Remember to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) when optimising your pages.

This set of practices will ensure your content is accessible to everyone, including consumers with disabilities. As a result, it can help you expand your reach and keep visitors longer on your site.

3. Start a Blog to Grow Your Audience

When you’re a startup, your product pages generate very little traffic because most consumers are not familiar with your brand. That’s where a blog can help.

By publishing content regularly, you can get more traffic and grow your audience. It’s also an opportunity to inform, educate, and nurture prospects so they move further down the sales funnel.

Blogging will boost your SEO efforts, too. With every post you publish, you can target relevant keywords and show Google that your site provides value.

Let’s assume you sell high-protein snacks for people with active lifestyles, such as athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. You could blog about the role of dietary protein, how this nutrient benefits athletes, and related topics like:

• High-protein recipes
• Protein-rich foods for vegans
• Types of dietary protein
• Protein requirements for different age groups and lifestyles
• Complete vs. incomplete proteins

And more.

Link to your product pages and other internal pages where appropriate. Also, add external links to credible sources, such as peer-reviewed journals.

4. Be Active on Social Media

Share quality content on social media to build your audience and nurture existing customers. Encourage your followers to ask questions, leave comments, and engage with your brand.

However, this doesn’t mean you should join every platform out there. Instead, focus on the social networks where your audience hangs out.

For example, B2C clothing brands do well on visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. But if you sell B2B products, such as accounting software or raw materials, you’ll get better results with Xing or LinkedIn.

Facebook can be a good choice for most businesses, depending on the content they share. The same goes for YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit.

5. Leverage Referral Marketing

Referral marketing is all about encouraging customers to recommend your products or services to others. If done right, it can increase sales, organic traffic, and brand awareness.

Satisfied customers will naturally recommend your business to their friends and social media contacts.

However, some buyers may need an extra push to spread the word about your products. That’s why you should incentivise them with:

• Discounts or freebies
• Tiered rewards
• Gift cards
• Bonus points
• Branded swag
• Access to member-only sales

You could also offer two-way discounts. The referral will get a discount on their next purchase, while the referred customer will earn a discount on their first order.

6. Build Strategic Partnerships

Social media influencers, affiliate marketers, and bloggers can act as referrals, too. Another option is to partner with non-competing businesses in your niche to help each other grow.

Let’s say you run an online sports apparel store. Team up with personal trainers, sports equipment retailers, gyms, or supplement brands, and then promote each other’s products or services. Since they have a similar audience as you, their customers may be interested in what you offer.

Influencer marketing involves higher costs, but you should still look into it.

Consider reaching out to micro-influencers rather than celebrities or other public figures. While it’s true they have a smaller reach, they often target niche audiences with specific interests, such as vintage home decor or vegan cooking.

7. Tap into the Power of Email Marketing

Start building an email list so you can send personalised communications to prospects and customers.

Email marketing allows you to connect with your audience on a personal level and build lasting relationships. If done right, it can drive targeted traffic to your eCommerce store and boost customer loyalty.

For example, you can create a welcome email series for new subscribers. First, thank them for signing up. After that, introduce them to your business and products and share helpful resources that address their pain points.

It’s also a good idea to offer subscriber-only discounts, freebies, or access to exclusive content, such as a live demo of your product. This marketing strategy can help you get prospects’ attention and build awareness around your brand without coming off as salesy.

8. Personalise the Customer Experience

According to a McKinsey survey, 71% of buyers expect personalised experiences from the companies they engage with.

Most respondents said they want relevant product and service recommendations, targeted promotions, and marketing messages tailored to their needs. They also expect brands to deliver seamless shopping experiences in-store and online.

Personalisation can improve customer satisfaction, leading to brand recognition and repeat purchases. Satisfied customers are likely to recommend your products to their family and friends, which may increase organic traffic and sales.

With that in mind, personalise your website content, ad copy, email messages, and product offerings.

For instance, you could implement dynamic content, which changes based on the user’s browsing history, purchase behaviour, or demographics. Another strategy is to send special offers to your subscribers on their birthdays or other special occasions.

These personal touches can make them feel valued and, in some cases, re-engage them with your brand.

9. Encourage and Share User-Generated Content

Encourage your customers to leave reviews and testimonials, create product videos, and share their experience with your brand on social media. That’s what user-generated content (UGC) is about.

Let’s say a female customer purchases a wool scarf from your brand. If she takes a selfie while wearing the scarf and then shares it on Instagram, her followers may visit your site and, hopefully, place an order.

The selfie acts as social proof, helping you build trust with potential buyers. The same goes for product reviews and other types of UGC.

Consider incentivising your customers to share content about your brand. For example, you could provide a 10% discount on their next purchase if they post a photo or video featuring your product on social media and tag your brand.

10. Drive Targeted Traffic with Q&A Websites

Quora, Reddit, Answers.com, and other Q&A websites cover nearly every topic and industry one could think of. If, say, a consumer needs help choosing a down jacket, they may ask for recommendations on Reddit.

What you should do is join the platforms that are most popular with your target audience and engage in conversations.

Post and ask questions, share expert insights, and link to or mention your products when appropriate. Be genuine and deliver value with every interaction.

Also, take note of the questions your potential customers have—and try to answer them on your blog. Returning to the above example, you could publish a guide on what to look for in a down jacket.

Level Up Your eCommerce Business

Starting an online store can be a great initiative, but without traffic, even the best products go unnoticed. The last thing you want is to invest time and money in a business that doesn’t generate profits.

That’s why you need to plan things out and take a holistic approach to marketing. From SEO and content creation to social media branding, every detail matters. Think long-term, start small, and adapt as you grow.

Better yet, team up with a marketing agency to free up your time and resources. Our experts can optimise your website for users and search engines and create a seamless shopping experience across all channels.

Reach out today to discuss your needs and see how we can help! We’ll get back to you within one business day.

Written by Uzair Kharawala

Founder of SF Digital Studios, a Google Premier Partner agency. Uzair has been helping businesses grow with Google Ads since 2002 and teaches it every week on YouTube.