Commerce-focused publishers spend a great deal of time creating content — and rightfully so. High-quality content is the primary vehicle for delivering value to your audience and solidifying your reputation as a trusted resource. But even the best commerce content won’t generate a consistent, reliable revenue stream if no one sees it.
The more traffic you can generate, the more revenue opportunities you create. That’s why this next stage is focused on increasing the number of readers who see your commerce content.
7 ideas to drive more traffic
Attracting site visitors is a universal challenge for publishers — and it’s even more critical when you’re focused on generating revenue through commerce content. Fortunately there are plenty of tactics that can help to ensure your commerce content gets the views you need to generate revenue.
Here are seven traffic-boosting ideas, starting with the most common:
- Optimize for search
The typical shopping journey begins by typing “best [product category]” into Google, so it’s critical that your content appears prominently in those search results. Start by identifying the keywords that readers use to find your featured products and including them frequently in your commerce content. Then apply SEO best practices to optimize your content and improve your ranking for those key search terms. Our quick guide to keyword strategy can help.
- Cross-promote on all available channels
While search is an important tool for driving traffic, relying on Google algorithms is inherently limiting so take advantage of traffic opportunities that give you more control. Feature your commerce content in other owned channels, like email newsletters, social media, and more. Include cross-links whenever you publish content on a related topic. Another tip: showcase commerce content on your homepage and article pages to give it a better chance of being found. - Analyze top-performing content
Content that ranks the best in search doesn’t always drive the most revenue. That’s because clicks and purchases often come from content with a real sense of urgency and a strong call to action, which are often related to product announcements and limited-time deals. Search engines, on the other hand, tend to favor “evergreen” content like holiday shopping guides and “best of” roundups. Take the time to understand which content pieces are your best source of revenue and find ways to replicate that success — rather than just improving your search results.
- Experiment with placement
One unexpected variable you might test is placement of commerce content. By publishing commerce content adjacent to editorial content on your homepage, article pages, and newsletters, you increase the chances of driving high-quality, high-converting traffic to your commerce content. Showcasing commerce and editorial content side-by-side can also help to build greater affinity for affiliate content and create a stickier audience without detracting from the reader experience.
- Stay active on social media
Establishing a consistent presence on social media can help you reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your commerce content. The key is understanding the channels where your target audience is most active, whether that’s Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook and creating engaging social posts that push them to your commerce content.
- Deliver something unique and original
Readers are more likely to visit your site — and keep coming back — when they find unique content that isn’t available anywhere else. So your commerce content should always be original, engaging, and authentic.
- Keep it fresh
Fresh content is important to satisfy both search engines and human visitors. Search engines place more value on new content versus old and readers won’t return to your site if there’s nothing new to explore. Repurposing or reworking your existing commerce content is a great way to publish something new without reinventing the wheel.
Once you have the basics of affiliation, content, and traffic in place, it’s time to start optimizing your commerce content performance. Next, we’ll dig into the data, tools, and reporting that can help to maximize your revenue potential.
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Missed our previous Commerce Content Journey blogs?
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