Everyone knows what the biggest e-commerce websites in the world are – Amazon, Alibaba, EBay and so on. These websites are so big that they need no advertisement or any other kind of marketing. They are entities that exist in and of themselves. They have grown to such an extent that they cannot fail.
For those who are still fighting for their way under the sun, becoming more visible online is the crucial part of the journey and a step that they cannot afford to mess up.
Purely Numbers Game
Before we get into the more “big picture” reasons as to why ecommerce blogs have to feature great content, let’s talk numbers. More precisely, let’s talk about your ecommerce website visibility and how great content factors here.
First of all, a blog filled with great content means more internal links on your website. Furthermore, having great content increases the chances of other people linking to your content, thus boosting your entire ecommerce website in the search engines. These days, social media shares also play into ranking your website in search engines and a truly viral blog post can do insanely good things for a website and a business. Thanks to great content on your own blog, you will also increase your chances of convincing other people to guest blog on their websites and bring even more traffic to your site.
In short, great content will make your website visible on a purely numbers level.
It Makes your More than a Store
We live in an age of the empowered consumers and such consumers need their ecommerce website to be more than just another list of products, prices and shipping options. A blog can go a long way towards turning an ecommerce website into more than a store.
For example, it can make it a source of knowledge. It is far more likely than not that you will have plenty of insights in your industry and your blog can be the perfect platform for you to share this knowledge with your existing and potential customers. For instance, if you are selling tools, you can share some ideas for new projects or ways in which your customers will be able to best repair stuff around their home.
In a fashion similar to this, you can turn your blog into a help section for your customers. You can invite your customers to ask you questions about your industry and/or the things you offer on your website and you can then provide them with helpful advice.
A great blog can also become a community where your customers will contribute content themselves and feel like they are part of something bigger. The famous clothing brand Burberry has done this with their Art of the Trench section of the website. This is where their customers post their own photos wearing their famous trench coats. It goes without saying that this does incredible stuff for brand loyalty and much more.
Instead of the Closing Word
Instead of a conclusion, we will leave you with a few don’ts when ecommerce blogs are in question. Don’t make your blog content promotional. There is no need for that. Your blog is there to inform and entertain. Don’t forget about video and audio content. GoPro has done wonders with video content. Learn from them.
Finally, don’t forget to have fun. If you have fun, your readers and customers will too.
AUTHOR: James D. Burbank has spent more than half of his life in marketing. He runs a business blog called BizzMarkBlog with a few friends of his.
