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A hand writing a URL with a shopping cart on a glass board to represent marketing an e-commerce business.

How to Market Your E-Commerce Business

Selling goods and services online can present a company with a slew of unique challenges. Not only will your company need to compete with other businesses from all over the world to attract traffic, but there will also be the difficult task of turning those visitors into paying customers. For those that are ready to make their own e-commerce site as successful as possible, it is important to understand the ins and outs of online marketing and when it may be time to turn to the professionals.

Understanding Optimization

After purchasing a domain name and getting a website online, the next step is optimizing the website. Optimizing a website will make it more attractive to search engines in order of ranking and improve the conversion rate for traffic. This begins with a closer look at how fast the pages load, setting up a proper hierarchy within the website, and checking that all media sources are correctly filed. Website owners should also dedicate a small portion of time to weaving keywords and phrases into their websites in an understandable and useful manner. Finally, all pages should direct visitors to purchasing or contact information.

A Closer Look at Social Media

Many business owners underestimate the power social media has to create an memorable online presence. Much like optimizing the web, this will promote visibility of the products and services both for the search engines and potential customers. Social media management can be as advanced or simplistic as one would like, but all the basics should be covered including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and unique options such as a YouTube channel or Pinterest page. There are a variety of programs that can be used to update every account with a single click. Social media should be updated at least a few times a week.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is the new buzzword in the industry and is based on the strategy of providing potential customers with valuable information. While blogs can be a single component of content marketing, this information is geared more towards establishing a company as a leading authority in whatever industry they are in. This could include everything from infographics to how-to videos to white pages, each of which can leave a lasting impression on clients.

Do I Need a Digital Marketing Agency?

These few steps are only the basis of a good online marketing campaign, but it often takes a little extra work to make one’s website standout. In order to decide if a marketing agency is required, business owners need to take a close look at the time and money they are willing to invest into their e-commerce sites and their levels of expertise. When regular updates, blogs, graphic design, and social media management becomes overwhelming, it may be time to take a closer look at what a specialist can do to improve your business.

Last Updated: June 16, 2015