25 tips for explosive online store growth

Editor's note: This article was written for the Czech market. Sklik is the ad platform of Seznam.cz (the Czech search engine) and Heureka and Zboží.cz are Czech comparison shopping engines – the same principles apply to Microsoft Ads, Google Shopping, Idealo or Ceneo in other European markets.

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Online stores keep repeating the same mistakes that cost them orders. Is this the case for you too?

I have compiled the most common mistakes, resulting in 25 practical tips for skyrocketing your online store's growth. You can implement most of them yourself and quickly. And you will notice the difference in your revenue.

If you get stuck, just let me know.

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I have divided the tips into 3 sections: the first covers Google Analytics, the second Google Ads, and the third contains general tips.

8 tips for Google Analytics

TIP #1. Track on-site search

Track what customers are searching for directly on your online store. This will give you ideas for products that are in demand.

For example, if you have a lot of searches for "soccer ball" on your online store but you don't sell them, consider stocking them. That is, if they fit your product range.

Where can you find on-site search data?

1. Google Analytics
2. Admin
3. View settings
4. Site search tracking
5. Query parameter -> "string"

The string parameter uses Shoptet. If you are using Eshop-rychle, use the “q=” parameter instead of “string”.

You can find your online store's search queries here:

1. Google Analytics
2. Behavior
3. Site Search

TIP #2. Activate Enhanced Ecommerce

Purchase-related data is among the most important, as sales are the primary goal of an online store. Activating this feature gives you new options for filtering shopper behavior and products sold. You will see:

• visits that viewed a product
• visits that added a product to the cart
• cart abandonment
• product grouping by site categories
• cart-to-detail view rate
• buy-to-detail view rate

How do I enable e-commerce?

1. Google Analytics
2. Admin
3. E-commerce settings
4. Enable Enhanced E-commerce reporting

If you are using an off-the-shelf solution, you only need to enable it in Google Analytics. Otherwise, you also need to enrich your conversion code. For gtag.js, the English guide is here.

TIP #3. Consolidate Heureka into a single line

Do you see Heureka and its subdomains listed on multiple lines in your traffic sources? I recommend adding a filter to combine them into one.

How do I set up a filter?

1. Google Analytics
2. Admin
3. Filters
4. +ADD FILTER

Configure as shown in the screenshot:

In campaign source enter: ^.+\.heureka\.cz$

TIP #4. Collect remarketing data

Even if you have the Google Ads remarketing tag installed on your online store, enable this option to create audiences directly in Google Analytics. You will gain more precise targeting options.

Where to enable data collection?

1. Google Analytics
2. Admin
3. Data collection
4. Data collection
5. Turn on

TIP #5. Import costs into GA

You can use scripts to automatically send costs from Sklik, Facebook, Heureka, Zboží, Favi, Glami, Biano, and others to Google Analytics. This process is more complex. The script for Sklik and Facebook is free; others cost €40. You can find the script and instructions here.

TIP #6. Create a ROAS metric in Google Analytics

You will see how individual channels are performing immediately, without having to open the advertising system or wait for a report.

How to set up a calculated metric?

1. Google Analytics
2. Admin
3. Calculated metrics

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To view the ROAS metric, create a "Custom Report" by following the tip below.

TIP #7. Create a Custom Report

Once you have created the ROAS metric and imported your costs into Google Analytics, you need to create a Custom Report. You can configure it according to your goals and preferences. This will give you a single table with all your channels and your most important metrics. Mine looks like this:

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Where to set up a Custom Report?

1. Google Analytics
2. Customization
3. + New Custom Report

TIP #8. Exclude fbclid and gci parameters

Facebook and Glami use their own tracking parameters. In Google Analytics (Behavior -> Site Content) this causes a single URL (i.e., one product) to be split into several rows. See the screenshot below. As a result, the data ends up needlessly split and hard to read.

Where to exclude these parameters?

1. Google Analytics
2. Admin
3. Data collection settings
4. Exclude URL query parameters

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Note: After you set this up, historical data will not be updated retroactively.

9 tips for Google Ads

TIP #9. Activate free Google Shopping listings

Google has expanded shopping search results with free listings in Google Shopping — essentially organic search within Google Shopping. Show your products to potential customers for free.

How to activate them?

1. Google Merchant Center
2. Growth
3. Manage programs
4. Advertise your products for free on Google's platforms
5. Activate

According to Google support, you'll only be able to check whether you're showing up in the fall, once enough data has been collected. Once that happens, a new Merchant Center -> Overview chart called Performance (free listings) will appear.

TIP #10. Measure conversion value in Google Ads

Without a conversion code, you're advertising blind. You don't know which products generate profit and which are just burning through your budget. That's why measuring conversion value is a priority.

If you're using an off-the-shelf platform, there are guides you can find in the help center or blog of that online store platform. It's nothing complicated.

If you have a custom-built online store, contact your web developer right away and hold off on launching ads for now.

If you're already measuring conversions in Google Analytics, nothing is easier than linking it to Google Ads and importing the conversion code from there. If you need help, reach out.

TIP #11. Enable auto-tagging

How does Google Analytics know that a conversion came from this campaign, ad group, keyword, or ad? Through UTM parameters added to the URL. You don't need to know exactly what a UTM parameter is, but make sure this option is switched on. Otherwise, measuring campaign performance is practically impossible.

How to enable auto-tagging in Google Ads?

1. Google Ads
2. Settings
3. Account settings
4. Auto-tagging

How to enable auto-tagging in Microsoft Ads?

1. Microsoft Ads
2. Tools
3. Automatic URL tagging

TIP #12. Link Google Ads with Google Analytics and import metrics

Linking them enriches both systems with useful metrics. In Google Analytics you'll see things like campaigns and search queries. Google Ads will receive:

• Avg. session duration
• Bounce rate
• % new visits

How to link them?

1. Google Ads
2. Settings & billing
3. Linked accounts
4. Google Analytics
5. Link | Import site metrics

TIP #13. Check your negative keywords

It's possible that a previous manager accidentally excluded something you actually stock. Or maybe you've added new products that aren't showing up because of negative keywords.

For example, say you manage an online store selling running shoes. You check your search terms and see you're also showing up for "house shoes." So you exclude the word "house." Some time later you decide to add house shoes to your footwear range too. And there's the problem: for the search term "house," your ads won't show at all.

Where can you check your negative keywords?

1. Google Ads
2. Select a campaign
3. Keywords
4. Negative keywords

TIP #14. Check your automated rules

If a freelancer, agency, or employee who no longer works with you used to manage your PPC campaigns, it's worth checking whether they set up any automated rules.

You could make a change, only to have a rule silently revert it back to its original value without you knowing.

It takes at most a minute and can save you a lot of headaches.

Where can you find automated rules?

1. Google Ads
2. Tools
3. Rules

TIP #15. Exclude mobile apps

Display ads often show up inside mobile apps. These, however, rarely deliver the performance you want. That's why excluding them is common practice.

How to exclude mobile apps?

1. Google Ads
2. Placements
3. Excluded
4. Exclude placements
5. Add more placements
6. Enter "mobileappcategory::69500"
7. Add 1 placement
8. Save

TIP #16. Add the PNO (ad cost ratio) metric to Google Ads

If you optimize Google Ads yourself, make it easier on yourself by adding the PNO metric.

How to add the PNO metric?

1. Google Ads
2. Columns
3. Modify columns
4. Custom columns
5. +Custom column
6. Fill it in as shown in the screenshot

TIP #17. Send the correct parameters for Smart Shopping campaigns

This type of campaign relies on neural networks and machine learning. But if you "train" it on bad data (parameters), it won't perform at 100%.

Make sure you're sending the correct parameters for Smart Shopping campaigns, including dynamic remarketing. You can check this using the Google Chrome extension Tag Assistant.

How to check that you're sending the correct parameters?

1. Your online store
2. Activate Google Tag Assistant
3. Refresh the page
4. Google Tag Assistant
5. Google Ads remarketing Tag
6. Request

Then click through your online store and watch whether, for these parameters,

• event,
• ecomm_prodid,
• ecomm_totalvalue,
• ecomm_pagetype,

the values on the right-hand side change and match the data you're actually looking at.

If you're using an off-the-shelf platform like Shoptet, you don't need to worry about this tip. Just make sure the remarketing code is added in your admin panel.

Where to check the remarketing code?

1. Shoptet admin
2. Integrations
3. Google
4. Ads
5. Your "AW-CONVERSION_ID"

7 general tips

TIP #18. Show customer reviews and build trust

According to Invesp research, 90% of customers prefer reading online reviews before visiting a store or using a service. 88% of people said they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Customer references and reviews often influence buyers more than perfectly written product descriptions. Make sure you're actively collecting and sharing them.

TIP #19. Feature your TOP products on the homepage

Your bestsellers, your highest-margin items, but also the products you want to clear out of your warehouse. All of these belong on your online store's homepage.

How to add products to the homepage?

1. Admin Shoptet
2. Products
3. Homepage
4. Add

TIP #20. Check your page load speed

When a customer has to wait too long for your online store to load, they lose patience. So they leave without buying anything.

Source: www.section.io

Run a test and find out what you or your web developer need to work on.  

TIP #21. Regularly check Facebook groups and websites for inspiration

E-commerce is a highly competitive environment. That's why you should follow the Facebook groups for your online store platform.

• Shoptet Forum
• Online store-rychle Forum
• Upgates Forum

It's even more important to keep an eye on the biggest Czech online stores, which have the resources and data to test what works and what doesn't.

• What does their homepage look like?
• What about their product pages?
• What about the checkout process?

Get inspired, but don't copy. These big online stores may have different goals and a different target audience.

TIP #22. Facebook tagging for Google Analytics

If you add tags in advance, when evaluating your ads you'll be able to trace which Facebook campaign and ad set a user came from.

How to add tags in Facebook?

1. Facebook ad account
2. Campaign
3. Ads
4. Edit
5. URL parameters
6. Enter: utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{adset.name}}

TIP #23. Check that your logos are set up correctly in ad platforms

Also check the size. Does your logo fill the entire space allotted to it?

Where to check logos on Heureka?

1. Heureka
2. Settings
3. Online store information
4. Online store logo

Where can I check logos in Microsoft Ads and Google Shopping?

1. https://admin.firmy.cz/
2. Profile
3. Edit
4. Logo

Where can I check logos in Google Merchant Center?

1. Google Merchant Center
2. Settings
3. Business information
4. Branding

TIP #24. Install tracking codes even if you aren't advertising yet

Machine learning and neural networks are becoming dramatically more important. Google and Facebook advertising systems rely on them. For these technologies to work as effectively as possible, they need accurate data and as much of it as possible.

Therefore, install tracking codes even for systems you aren't using yet but plan to use in the future.

What not to miss:

• Google Analytics + enhanced ecommerce
• Google Ads Remarketing code
• Google Ads Conversion tracking
• Facebook pixel

TIP #25. Advertise for free on Glami

Glami offers a free mode that allows you to advertise without needing to top up credit. Don't expect miracles, but at least you will see if there is demand for your fashion products. If so, I recommend testing the priority (paid) mode as well.

Summary

In 2019, e-commerce grew by 15%, and this year the trend is even more pronounced. Even so, theshare of e-commerce in total retail turnover is only 13%" (APEK.cz).

I believe the tips above will help you grab a slice of the pie for your online store.

Get in touch if you need help with anything from this article. I’d be happy to help you find a solution.

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