10 Website Marketing Strategies That Drive Results in 2024 - Shopify (2024)

Whether you’re generating buzz on social media channels or courting an influencer’s endorsem*nt, all roads lead back to your ecommerce website—the ultimate destination for your brand. A viral TikTok video or a podcaster’s mention might grab attention, but it’s your website that turns a fleeting interest into customer engagement and sales. It’s where all the various forms of internet marketing converge.

Once prospective customers arrive, your website should offer the value they seek and the solutions they need. Here’s how to use website marketing strategies to turn your site into a destination for visitors to browse, bookmark, and buy.

What is website marketing?

Website marketing is the process of promoting a website to attract visitors and boost its visibility online. It involves search engine optimization (SEO) to improve search rankings, influencer marketing to expand reach, content marketing to engage and inform, and a social media marketing strategy to build community and interaction. The aim is to draw in people interested in your product or service and create more leads and sales.

How to create a website marketing plan

1. Define your target audience
2. Set clear objectives
3. Assess your current efforts
4. Develop your value proposition
5. Choose tactics and tools

A website marketing plan lays the groundwork for attracting potential customers and increasing website traffic. Here are five steps to follow:

1. Define your target audience

To craft an effective website marketing strategy, pinpoint your target audience. Consider factors like age, location, interests, and online behavior to create a detailed profile.

Understanding your audience helps you tailor your web marketing efforts to the people most likely to become your customers. For instance, as a business targeting outdoor enthusiasts, you might focus your marketing efforts on content marketing around outdoor activities and Instagram advertising that relies on stunning nature photos to draw visitors to your website.

2. Set clear objectives

Your objectives will guide your website marketing strategy. Whether it’s increasing website traffic by 20%, generating 100 new leads per month, or increasing sales for a specific product line, your goals should be specific and measurable. These objectives will help you assess the success of your digital marketing activities and make any adjustments.

3. Assess your current efforts

Assess where you stand in terms of website traffic, conversion rates, user engagement metrics, and search engine rankings to help refine your website marketing strategy. Research your competitors’ online presence to set traffic benchmarks, find gaps you could fill, and research strategies they’ve overlooked that might benefit your own approach.

For instance, if competitors neglect local SEO practices, optimizing your site for neighborhood search queries could attract more area-specific visitors to your site.

4. Develop your value proposition

Your value proposition makes you stand out in a crowded market and is a key element of your website marketing strategy. Define what makes your website and offerings unique to potential customers—from exceptional 24/7 customer service to innovative products and engaging content about those products. Ensure this message is clear, compelling, and delivered consistently across all your digital marketing platforms to connect with your target audience.

5. Choose tactics and tools

Selecting the right tactics and tools is critical for successfully implementing your website marketing strategy. This might involve SEO tactics to improve organic search rankings, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive targeted website traffic, or content marketing to engage and inform your audience.

Additionally, choose the right software tools to put your ideas into action. For instance, consider Google Analytics for tracking website traffic and customer behavior and customer relationship management (CRM) software to handle leads and customer interactions.

Website marketing tips

• Implement SEO best practices
• Execute a content marketing strategy
• Deploy paid advertising on social and search
• Use email marketing tactics
• Strengthen your social media marketing approach
• Capitalize on PR and press
• Leverage influencer marketing
• Encourage reviews
• Forge effective brand partnerships
• Drive growth with affiliate marketing

Website marketing often requires a blend of strategies to reach and engage with your target audience. Consider integrating several of these tactics into your overall website marketing strategy:

Implement SEO best practices

Adopt SEO best practices to improve your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) across various search engines. SEO best practices generally fall into two buckets: content and technical. For the content aspect of your SEO plan, use keyword research tools like Ahrefs to find what your target audience is searching for and infuse high-traffic keywords naturally into the content across your site.

Prioritize technical SEO by improving page loading speeds, site navigation, and mobile responsiveness. Regularly audit your site with search engine marketing tools, like Semrush, to maintain and improve your SEO standing.

Execute a content marketing strategy

Develop a content marketing plan that goes beyond a basic blog post and experiment with downloadable templates, informative podcasts, and captivating videos. Each format serves different audience preferences but they all serve the goals of establishing your brand’s authority, building trust, and encouraging engagement.

For instance, an ecommerce site selling biodegradable kitchenware might create videos on zero-waste recipes and guides on the products' environmental benefits, boosting website engagement and attracting eco-conscious shoppers.

Deploy paid advertising on social and search

Incorporate paid advertising into your web marketing strategy to attract more site visitors. Launch search ads through Google Ads for keyword-specific reach on search engines and create targeted campaigns on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to connect with specific demographics.

A company selling organic skin care products could bid on keywords such as “organic facial cream” and “natural skin-care solutions” for Google Ads and initiate an Instagram campaign using before and after photos of customers using its products. Allocate budgets based on performance metrics to optimize reach and cost-effectiveness.

Use email marketing tactics

Incorporate email marketing into your digital marketing strategy to maintain engagement with your online business’s audience. Collect subscriber sign-ups with compelling offers, segment your audience for tailored communications, and automate email marketing campaigns for timely messages about abandoned carts or product review requests. Track email marketing metrics, like open and click-through rates, to fine tune your emails.

Strengthen your social media marketing approach

Build your social media marketing off of your target market’s preferences, focusing on social media platforms where your customers spend time—whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn. You might use Instagram for visual storytelling or leverage TikTok’s viral potential to reach a younger demographic. Interact authentically with your audience across these networks and use social media analytics tools, like Agorapulse and Brandwatch, to inform your social content strategy.

Capitalize on PR and press

Build a robust public relations strategy by crafting compelling stories about your brand’s milestones and initiatives. Forge connections with journalists in your industry, provide them with valuable insights, and distribute press releases to announce key achievements or product launches. Effective PR can secure media coverage, increase brand recognition, and drive traffic to your website from reputable sources.

Leverage influencer marketing

Partner with niche influencers in your target market who can promote your online business or brick-and-mortar store through their social media pages. Collaborate on sponsored content, product reviews, and endorsem*nts to tap into their audience’s trust, amplifying your reach in the process. You can give content creators free products in the hopes of getting a review or pay influencers to tout your products. Either way, it can spur interest in your brand, build trust, and bring more visitors to your website.

Encourage reviews

Soliciting online reviews and engaging with them can boost your search visibility and credibility, leading more potential customers to visit your website. Prompt customers to leave reviews online by integrating requests into post-purchase follow-up emails and order confirmation pages. Encourage them with discounts or loyalty points in return for their feedback. Simplify the process with direct links to your Google My Business or Yelp profiles, and actively engage with the reviews to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Forge effective brand partnerships

Cultivate relationships with complementary businesses to create offerings that benefit both customer bases. Joint promotional events or bundled products can introduce your brand to new audiences and keep existing customers engaged.

A local health food store might team up with a boutique fitness studio to offer discounted meal plans and memberships as a bundle, exposing each business to the other’s customers and attracting more visitors to both websites. These alliances can diversify your online marketing tactics and add credibility, fostering trust and interest among a wider online community and potentially lead to increased traffic and sales.

Drive growth with affiliate marketing

Establish an affiliate marketing program to incentivize content creators and publishers to promote your products. Offer competitive commission rates and provide affiliates with marketing materials and tracking tools.

For instance, an online bookstore could set up an affiliate program that offers a commission on every sale a book reviewer or literary blogger makes through their referral links. This strategy creates a network of partners who extend your reach and drive sales, effectively turning them into a commission-based sales force.