How to Drive Traffic to Shopify Store for Free in 2024?

For any eCommerce business, it is vital to drive highly converting traffic to your website. If you have well-developed a store with high-quality products, low prices, and attractive features, it will be unprofitable if there are few people visiting your site.

Drawing in a large number of customers to your Shopify store can be a challenging endeavor. So, how to drive traffic to Shopify store with no cost? Thankfully, there are several methods available to drive traffic to your Shopify store. In this guide, BSS Commerce Shopify has outlined 6 highly effective, proven ways to assist you in increasing traffic to your Shopify store.

Let’s get started!

Types of Traffic Sources for Shopify Stores

How to drive traffic to Shopify store for free? Understanding the different types of traffic sources that come to your store is key. It allows you to target the right audience and implement the right marketing strategies. In this guide, BSS Commerce Shopify will break down what each traffic source means, its benefits and how to use it to reach your target audience and turn them into customers:

• Organic traffic: Organic traffic is traffic from search engines when users find your Shopify store through search queries. This is free traffic and is a direct result of your store being in search engine results. So, optimizing your store for search engines (SEO) is crucial to get organic traffic.
• Paid traffic: Online advertising generates paid traffic, including pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, display ads and social media ads. Merchants pay for each click or impression; this targeted advertising approach is to reach specific audience.
• Referral traffic: Referral traffic is when someone clicks on a link to your Shopify store from another website. This includes links from social media, blogs or other websites. By partnering, participating in influencer marketing or having a consistent social media presence you can increase referral traffic.
• Social media traffic: Social media traffic is when someone clicks on links to your Shopify store that have been shared on different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. If you have a successful social media marketing strategy you can get a lot of traffic from these channels.
• Direct traffic: Direct traffic is when someone types your website URL directly into their browser. This can happen if customers have visited your site before, bookmarked it or are already familiar with your brand and go straight to your online store.
• Email marketing traffic: Email marketing traffic is when users click on links in promotional emails, newsletters or personalized marketing messages. A good email marketing strategy can bring users to your Shopify store for exclusive deals, new product releases or relevant content.
• Affiliate traffic: Affiliate traffic is when you collaborate with affiliates or influencers who promote your products or services. When visitors click on affiliate links and make a purchase it contributes to the increase in affiliate traffic. Using affiliate marketing programs can effectively harness the power of influencers to drive traffic to your website.
• Campaign or promotional traffic: Targeted marketing campaigns generate campaign or promotional traffic, which includes special promotions, sales events and exclusive offers. By creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity users are motivated to visit your Shopify store during these campaign periods.

So, know your traffic sources to your Shopify store and you will know how to drive traffic to Shopify store. By expanding your traffic channels and adjusting your strategy you can have a whole approach to get specific audience and turn them into customers.

Main Reasons & Solutions for Low Traffic in Shopify Store

Numerous factors can contribute to low traffic on a website. Some prevalent reasons for this issue are:

#1. Poor website design

Having a website that is user-friendly and easy to navigate will help you retain visitors. Outdated design can make your store seem untrustworthy in today’s competitive landscape. In short, a bad user experience (UX) caused by poor design drives visitors away, leading to low traffic.

Solutions:

• Make sure your website has an attractive design with a simple layout.
• Streamline navigation for quick access to key pages.
• Add prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons to direct users towards specific actions.

#2. Low-quality content

Search engines like Google prioritize well-written, informative content. Thin, generic descriptions or poorly optimized product pages won’t rank well in search results, making it hard for potential customers to find you.

Solutions:

• Craft high quality, informative, and relevant content for your website.
• Deliver valuable content that aligns with your target audience.
• Keep your website content fresh, informative, and relevant to attract visitors.

#3. Lack of SEO strategies and backlinks

Search engines use SEO signals to know what your store sells and who it’s for. Without proper keyword targeting, page optimization and site structure your store may not show up in search results at all, limiting your reach. And backlinks are basically votes of confidence from other websites. When high quality, relevant websites link to your store it tells search engines your content is valuable and trustworthy. No backlinks means your store is new or lacks authority and it’s harder to rank.

Solution:

• Keyword research for each page.
• Optimize meta tags, headings and content with keywords.
• Get backlinks from authority sites.
• Get backlinks through guest blogging and partnerships.
• Create content that attracts backlinks.
• Track and disavow bad or spam backlinks.

#4. Failure to reach the intended audience

Not targeting the right customer can kill your marketing. If you’re targeting the wrong demographics, interests or needs your message won’t resonate and won’t attract the right kind of visitors.

Solutions:

• Define your ideal customer and their wants.
• Customize content and marketing to their needs.
• Use analytics to see what they like.

#5. Technical issues

No one likes to wait for a website to load… If your want to know how to get more traffic to Shopify store, for instance, loads slowly because of issues such as big pictures, bulky codes, or too many visitors to your server, then visitors will get irritated and leave your store before getting a chance to view the products you are selling. Or, links do not work and some functions do not operate as they should, which is irritating to the user.

Solutions:

• Perform routine website audits to optimize speed and performance.
• Repair any broken links and verify the functionality of all website components.
• Use tools for monitoring website health and promptly resolving any issues.

#6. Algorithms change

How to bring traffic to Shopify store? Search engine algorithms are always changing and such changes do make a large difference when it comes to the traffic on the website. Not updating themselves regularly with such new changes may lead to a decline in traffic to that website.

Solutions:

• Keep up to date by reading SEO blogs and industry news on algorithm changes.
• Make sure your content is up to date with SEO best practice and algorithm friendly.
• Don’t rely on organic traffic alone, diversify your traffic sources.
• Make decisions based on data by adjusting your strategy based on performance.
• Do technical SEO audits regularly to check your site meets algorithm requirements.

Read more: Top 15+ Best Shopify SEO Apps To Boost Ranking & Traffic

#7. Lack of social media engagement

Social media works on the posts that grab users attention and make people react. Interacting with your friends, tagging them, using hashtags and at mentions makes your posts seen by more people without asking for more traffic. Without engagement your posts won’t be seen by potential customers and this will reduce the number of people visiting your store.

Solutions:

• Be present on major social media platforms.
• Share content and engage with your audience.
• Use social media ads.

Knowing the root cause of low website traffic is key to solving it. So by knowing the reasons you are not getting traffic, you can create a plan to show your Shopify store and get more audience.

In the next section BSS Commerce Shopify will show you 6 proven ways to drive traffic to Shopify Store for free. Scroll down to see and find solution for your problem.

How to Drive Traffic to Shopify Store for Free – 6 Proven Ways

Here are 6 proven ways to improve low traffic and boost traffic to your Shopify store:

Way 1. Optimize a Shopify Store for Organic Search
Way 2. Execute Paid Advertising Campaigns
Way 3. Attract Customers Through Content Marketing
Way 4. Contact with Influencer Marketing
Way 5. Create Contests & Giveaways
Way 6. Email Marketing

Now, let’s delve into each way:

1. How to get traffic to Shopify store? – Optimize your Store for Organic Search

There are some key strategies to optimize your Shopify store for organic search and attract more visitors through organic traffic. It includes:

Establishing affiliate marketing collaborations

Without a doubt, influencer marketing is among the most successful strategies for driving traffic to the Shopify store. To form a partnership with an influencer, it is necessary to provide them with an upfront payment or determine a suitable percentage that benefits both parties financially. The arrangement should be advantageous for both parties to create a mutually beneficial relationship.

Build an Instagram account

Having an Instagram account can benefit your dropshipping store, regardless of your advertising budget. With over one billion active monthly users, Instagram offers access to a large pool of potential customers. You can create a free Instagram account and convert it into a business profile to access valuable data at no additional cost.

To produce high quality content, you can apply the 80/20 rule. This means ensuring that 80% of your posts are engaging, inspiring, or helpful to your audience, while using the remaining 20% to promote your brand and products. Consistency is key, so aim to upload content multiple times a week and establish a repeatable content schedule.

Hence, to succeed on Instagram without spending money, you need two things: a substantial following and compelling content, as well as active customer engagement.

Going after online communities

• Facebook groups

Facebook groups provide an excellent opportunity to connect with your target audience and boost traffic to your online store. These groups serve as a platform for individuals to interact and share common interests, making it possible for you to create a group tailored to your specific niche.

To begin, join relevant Facebook groups related to your product or service, and then start sharing high-quality content. Engage with other members and request reviews for your products or store.

• Reddit

Reddit is an ideal platform for driving organic traffic to your Shopify store. With its explosive growth in recent years, especially after the redesign, Reddit now boasts over 150,000 communities covering a wide range of subjects. When using Reddit, it’s important to avoid direct sales pitches and instead focus on sharing valuable content related to your niche.

Another approach is discovering subreddits dedicated to item exchanges. Subreddits like r/Ineedit or R/Iwant serve as ideal platforms for showcasing your merchandise. These particular subreddits attract a large number of users, so if your product catches the attention of Redditors, they are likely to explore your online store.

2. How to drive traffic to Shopify store? – Execute Paid Advertising Campaigns

Using paid social media ads across multiple platforms will allow you to create a targeted ad that will speak to potential shoppers who will engage and buy. This is a fast and easy way to reach your desired audience and drive traffic to your Shopify store.

Before you launch your paid ad campaign define where your target customer is. Once you know where to find them on social media, demographics, interests, search habits, location and purchasing patterns you can allocate your budget. Here are some platforms to run paid ads on:

• Instagram Ads: 1.2 billion users by 2023 according to Statista, Instagram is a great platform for businesses to reach customers. Instagram itself has been focusing on shopping features so it’s a great place to showcase products. By creating a business account you can connect with your audience through photos, videos, stories and even shoppable carousel ads.

• Google Ads: Google Ads has various campaign types from search ads for targeted keyword searches to display ads on websites, video ads on YouTube and even product focused Google Shopping ads.
• Facebook Ads: With Facebook’s massive user base of 2.93 billion monthly active users (according to Statista) businesses can reach a wide audience and drive traffic to their online store. Facebook Ads has powerful targeting options so you can target your ideal customer based on demographics like age, location, interests and even online behaviour.

3. How to increase traffic to Shopify store? – Attract Customers Through Content Marketing

You need to create great content to get people to your website to stand out from the competition and have an online presence. From blog posts to videos there are many ways to connect with your target market and expand your reach.

And content marketing goes beyond traditional advertising by creating meaningful relationships with customers. You can use Google Keyword Planner to find trending topics and keywords that your audience is talking about. This strategic approach allows you to optimize your content for search engines and get more customers to your website to drive traffic and conversions.

4. How to bring traffic to Shopify store? – Contact with Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is an effective strategy to showcase your store to more people, get more traffic to your Shopify store and sales from the trust influencers have with their audience.

Choosing the right influencer who aligns with your brand’s values and campaign objectives is crucial to establishing a budget. Here are some tips to maximize the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns:

• Define suitable influencers who align with your brand.
• Ensure they possess a significant level of engagement on their content.
• Offer appropriate compensation to the influencers for their work.
• Allow them the freedom to develop their own content strategy.

You may concern: What is Ghost Commerce and How Does It Work?

5. How to get traffic to Shopify store? – Create Contests & Giveaways

Running contests and giveaways can significantly increase traffic to your Shopify store. Providing enticing prizes and rewards in exchange for participation is a proven method to grow your email list, enhance social media engagement, and drive more visitors to your online store. In addition, offering participants exclusive discounts or coupon codes while they are on your website can help increase conversions effectively.

For example:

• Design a Product Contest. A phone case company could run a “Design Our Next Case” contest. Hold a contest where customers design a new product or variation of an existing one. The winning design could be produced and sold in your store, with a portion of the proceeds going to the winner.
• Milestone Giveaway: Celebrate reaching a follower milestone on social media by giving away a product or bundle. This incentivizes new followers and boosts engagement.

6. How to drive traffic to Shopify store for free? – Email Marketing

Email marketing has proven to be a highly efficient marketing channel, and expanding your email list can drive more traffic to your online Shopify store. Furthermore, crafting engaging emails can leave a lasting impact on customers post-purchase, fostering a positive relationship with your business. This approach not only enhances brand recognition but also encourages customers to further explore your offerings.

Bonus tips: Don’t blast generic emails to everyone. Segment your email list based on demographics, purchase history, browsing behavior, or interests. This allows for targeted messaging and personalized offers, leading to higher engagement and click-through rates.

For example: Segment customers who haven’t purchased in a while and send them a win-back campaign with exclusive discounts or abandoned cart reminders.

Explore: 10+ Best Email Marketing Shopify Apps – Free & Paid [Latest Update]

Ending Words

To sum up, increasing traffic to your Shopify store is a complex and varied approach that combines both free and paid methods strategically. Using these proven techniques effectively will help establish a strong foundation for attracting and retaining a wide range of customers.

The integration of these strategies not only enhances the visibility of your store but also cultivates valuable relationships with your audience. Hence, continuously adapt and improve, regularly analyzing analytics to fine-tune your tactics.

So, the query “How to drive traffic to Shopify store?” is carefully explained. Hope that these suggestions provided by BSS Commerce Shopify are beneficial for you in boosting traffic to your Shopify store.