Traffic is the lifeblood of an online store. No visitors, no customers. But the goal isn’t more visitors, it’s more of the right visitors: people who are likely to buy, and who you can serve well once they arrive.

This guide covers the most reliable ways to drive traffic to an ecommerce website, grouped by channel, from search and content to email, partnerships, marketplaces, and measurement. You don’t need to do everything. Pick the few that fit your products, audience, and budget, and do them well.

If you only have time for five

• Fix the technical basics: mobile experience, page speed, HTTPS, and a submitted sitemap
• Optimize your product and category pages for the searches your customers make
• List your products for free in Google Merchant Center
• Start collecting email addresses, and email your list regularly
• Publish one type of content you can sustain, such as buying guides or how-tos

Search: get found by shoppers who are already looking

Do keyword research

Keyword research tells you what customers actually type. Tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google’s free Keyword Planner show search volume and competition, and Google Search Console shows what you already rank for. For ecommerce, look at three kinds of terms: product terms (“waterproof hiking boots”), category terms, and questions (“how to waterproof boots”).

Target long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases, such as “women’s waterproof hiking boots size 9.” They have less competition, so they’re easier to rank for, and the searcher usually knows what they want, so they’re more likely to buy. They also suit new stores that can’t yet compete for broad terms.

Optimize product and category pages

Your product and category pages are your most valuable search landing pages. Give each a unique title and meta description that include the main keyword and read well to a shopper, a clear heading structure, original product descriptions, descriptive image file names and alt text, and links to related products and categories. Titles and descriptions don’t just help rankings. They decide whether someone clicks your result, so write them for people.

Add structured data (schema markup)

Structured data is code that tells search engines what’s on a page, such as a product’s price, availability, and reviews. Adding Product and review markup can make you eligible for richer search results that show price, stock status, and ratings, which tend to attract more clicks. Test your markup with Google’s Rich Results Test. Note that Google now limits FAQ rich results to a small set of authoritative sites, so don’t rely on FAQ markup for added visibility.

Write for conversational and voice searches

People increasingly search by asking full questions, whether by voice or by typing into a search engine or an AI assistant. Answer those questions directly: add concise question-and-answer sections to category pages and guides, use natural language, and put the short answer first, followed by detail. Clear, well-structured answers help in traditional results and in AI-generated answers alike.

Get the technical foundations right

• Mobile experience: Google predominantly uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking, so make sure your site works well on phones.
• Page speed: Slow pages lose visitors. Compress images, use a content delivery network (CDN), choose fast hosting, and check Google’s Core Web Vitals in Search Console.
• HTTPS: Secure your site with an SSL certificate. It protects customers’ data and browsers flag sites without it as not secure. Many hosts include it.
• Sitemap: Create an XML sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console, so search engines can find and index your pages.

Use Google Search Console to find topics

Search Console is free. It shows which queries bring people to your site, which pages earn impressions but few clicks, and which pages have technical problems. Use it to find content gaps and to improve pages that almost rank.

Build internal links

Links between your own pages help shoppers move from guides to products, and help search engines understand your site. Link from blog posts and guides to the relevant products and categories, and from product pages to related items.

Content: attract and educate buyers

Start a blog or guide library

A blog lets you rank for the questions customers ask before they buy. For ecommerce, the strongest formats are buying guides, comparisons, how-tos, and “best for” lists. Link from each post to the most relevant product or category pages so readers can act.

Update old content

Refreshing your best older posts is often faster than writing new ones. Update facts and examples, remove outdated information, add questions and answers, and improve internal links. Search engines can pick up the changes, and readers get better pages.

Create something worth linking to

An original study, a free tool, a calculator, or a genuinely in-depth guide earns links and shares in a way ordinary posts don’t. A cleaning-supplies seller might offer a seasonal cleaning calendar, for example. Evergreen resources keep earning traffic long after you publish them.

Make video

Video suits products that benefit from demonstration. Publish on YouTube, use your target keywords in titles and descriptions, link back to your site in the description, and embed videos on relevant pages. Short clips also work well on TikTok, Instagram, and your own product pages.

Offer free education

Free courses, webinars, and training attract highly targeted visitors because they solve a specific problem. Ask for an email address to access the content, so you can continue the conversation. The best ones teach something concrete, such as how to choose, use, or care for what you sell. If you’re not comfortable presenting live, pre-recorded sessions work just as well.

Be a guest on podcasts, or start your own

Guest appearances put you in front of an engaged, relevant audience and usually earn a link in the show notes. Starting your own podcast takes more commitment, but builds a loyal audience over time. Look for shows in your niche and pitch a specific, useful topic.

Use customer reviews and user-generated content

Reviews, photos, and videos from customers build trust and give search engines fresh, relevant content. Ask for reviews after purchase, feature customer photos, and respond to comments and questions on your own pages. See our guide to delighting your customers for ideas.

Paid: buy traffic you can measure

Run Google Ads

With Google Ads, you can target specific keywords and audiences, and you pay when someone clicks. Shopping ads, which show your product image, price, and store, are especially effective for ecommerce. Set a budget, track revenue per click, and pause what doesn’t pay back.

List your products free in Google Merchant Center

Google lets merchants list products for free in Search and the Shopping tab through Merchant Center. You need an accurate product feed with titles, prices, availability, and images. Keeping that feed in sync with your real stock matters, because shoppers who click through to an out-of-stock product don’t come back. See our listings management solution.

Retarget visitors

Retargeting ads show your products to people who’ve already visited your site, reminding them of what they looked at. They’re especially useful for shoppers who added something to their cart but didn’t buy. Run them on Google and social platforms.

Social and community: meet customers where they talk

Share content on social media

Post content from your site, including guides, videos, and product launches, on the platforms where your customers spend time, and engage with replies and comments. Link back to your site in your bio and posts. Social commerce is growing fast: according to eMarketer, TikTok Shop made up nearly 20% of U.S. social commerce in 2025. See our guide to TikTok social selling.

Run contests and giveaways

Contests can bring many new visitors quickly. Keep the entry mechanic simple, link to your website in the rules, promote the contest across your channels, and follow each platform’s rules for promotions. Think about the audience you attract: a prize that appeals to your target customers brings better visitors than a generic one.

Take part in communities

Answer questions on Reddit, Quora, and niche forums, and publish on platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn, to reach people who are looking for help. The rule is value first. Most communities remove self-promotion, so read each community’s rules, answer helpfully, and link to your site only where it genuinely adds something. Many of these links won’t pass search ranking value, but they build visibility and send relevant visitors.

Collaborate with creators and influencers

Partnering with creators puts your products in front of audiences that already trust them. Micro and mid-tier creators often give a better return than very large accounts. Offer them discount codes, affiliate links, or products to review so you can track the traffic they send.

Email and SMS: turn visitors into repeat visitors

Collect email addresses

An email list is an audience you own. Collect addresses with a sign-up form on your home page and in your footer, and offer something in return: a discount, a buying guide, early access, or a free resource.

Send newsletters and automated emails

Newsletters that link to new products, guides, and offers bring people back to your site. Automated emails, including welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, and back-in-stock alerts, drive some of the most valuable traffic you’ll get. Keep emails mobile-friendly and write subject lines that earn the open.

Add SMS carefully

Text messages get quick attention, but they’re also more intrusive. Get clear opt-in consent, follow the rules in each market you sell in, and use SMS for useful messages such as order updates and time-sensitive offers.

Partnerships and PR: borrow other people’s audiences

Start an affiliate program

Affiliates promote your products on their sites and social accounts and earn a commission on the sales they generate. You only pay for results, which makes affiliate marketing a low-risk way to expand your reach.

Start a referral program

A referral program rewards customers who send friends your way, for example with a discount on their next order. Make sharing easy with a link or code, and make the reward something your customers value.

Partner with complementary brands

Collaborating with brands that sell to a similar audience, without competing, lets you reach each other’s customers. A seller of eco-friendly home goods might team up with an organic food company. Run joint campaigns, giveaways, or co-branded products.

Earn links with guest posts and digital PR

Links from respected, relevant sites bring referral traffic and help your search rankings. Earn them with guest posts on high-quality industry sites, original data that journalists want to cite, expert quotes, and press coverage. An online PR firm can help if you have the budget. Avoid buying links or swapping them at scale, which breaks Google’s spam policies and can hurt your rankings.

Speak, host, and sponsor events

Speaking at events or giving webinars builds your reputation, and sponsoring relevant industry events puts your name in front of a captive audience. Choose events your customers actually attend, and follow up with a clear next step to your site.

Interview industry experts

Publishing interviews or expert roundups gives readers valuable insight and gives the experts a reason to share the page with their audiences. A roundup of five to seven experts on one question takes them less time than a full interview, so it’s easier to get a yes.

Get listed on review sites

Review platforms such as Trustpilot and G2 put you in front of shoppers who are researching purchases, and a strong rating builds trust. Encourage customers to leave reviews, and respond to them, good and bad.

Marketplaces and local: reach shoppers where they already are

Sell on marketplaces

Marketplaces bring ready-made traffic of shoppers who are searching to buy. Selling on several channels is now the norm: in Linnworks’ State of Commerce Ops 2026 report, the average mid-market retailer sold on more than four marketplaces or channels. Marketplace sales can also introduce shoppers to your own brand. See our guide to ecommerce website vs. marketplace.

Use local SEO if you have a physical presence

If you also run a store, showroom, or pickup point, claim your Google Business Profile, keep your name, address, phone number, and hours accurate, add photos, and respond to reviews. Note that Google only offers Business Profiles to businesses that meet customers in person, either at a location or by visiting them. Online-only stores aren’t eligible, so focus on the other tactics in this guide. Where you are eligible, add consistent listings on relevant directories, such as Yelp and industry directories.

Use offline marketing

Print ads, direct mail, radio, and TV can still send people to your site, especially for brands with a local or niche audience. Use a memorable web address, a QR code, or a unique discount code in each piece so you can see which ones work.

Measure and convert: make every visit count

Track what works

Use Google Analytics and Search Console to see which channels, pages, and campaigns bring visitors, and which of them buy. Tag your campaign links with UTM parameters, and judge each channel by revenue, not just visits.

Test and improve conversion

More traffic only helps if visitors buy. Test page titles, product pages, calls to action, and checkout steps, changing one thing at a time. A clean, professional design, clear product information, and a fast, simple checkout all help. Use a dedicated testing tool, since Google Optimize no longer exists.

Be ready for the traffic

Success creates its own problem: a spike in visitors can empty your shelves. If you oversell, you lose sales and trust, and you can hurt your standing on marketplaces. Keep stock accurate across every channel, hold safety stock for your best sellers, and make sure your listings and inventory stay in sync. See our guides to the safety stock formula and TikTok Shop inventory management, and our ecommerce tech stack guide for the tools that keep it all connected.

Final thoughts

Driving traffic takes work and patience. Start with the technical basics and your product pages, add one or two channels that suit your customers, measure the results, and build from there. The right traffic compounds: it brings customers who buy, review, and come back.

When the visitors arrive, make sure your operations can keep up. Request a demo to see how Linnworks keeps your inventory, listings, and orders accurate across every channel you sell on.

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