Starting a new eCommerce business is a costly affair. Expenditures on buying a domain name, shoring up the inventory, and running ads on social media platforms to attract traffic to the website add up to blow a hole in the pocket of most new website owners.
That means that by the time you have launched your business and begin the search for tools that could give it an edge over its competitors, your budget might already have nosedived. Though being nearly out-of-money isn’t the only reason why you should go for free tools.
Once you start using these tools, you’d get access to their communities of users. Comprising of developers and other storeowners like you, these groups are an invaluable source of information on how to get started with the tool and make the most out of it.
Read on to know more about the best free tools for your ecommerce business.
Website Optimization Tools
Have you ever heard a website owner stating that they don’t need a fully optimized website? Neither do we. That’s why we recommend that you try these free website optimization tools.
#1: Compressor.io
- What it does: Reduce the size of images
- Why it’s important: Decrease your page’s loading time
All of us are aware that page speed is a significant ranking factor in Google’s algorithm. What most of us don’t realize is that images have a substantial effect on the loading time of a webpage. Put simply, if you aren’t using compressed pictures on your website, you might be giving Google the excuse to downgrade its ranking.
#2: GTmetrix
- What it does: Analyzes website
- Why it’s important: Enhance your page’s speed
Do you use fully compressed images but your site is still taking ages to load? Then you might want to use GTmetrix without any further delay. It’s an analysis tool that pinpoints those parts of your website that are having a drag on its speed. It also gives you tips using which anyone with a little technical knowledge can address the problem areas.
#3: Google-Mobile Friendly Test
- What it does: Self-explanatory!
- Why it’s important: Enhance your page’s ranking
According to Statista, mobile phones accounted for more than 52% of web traffic in the last quarter of 2019. Google has been aware of this trend for years and has forced webpage owners to make their sites mobile-friendly. Those who don’t toe the line and refuse to optimize their website for mobile users are penalized by Google and see their organic traffic numbers shrink.
#4: Responsinator
- What it does: Shows how your site appears on different mobile devices
- Why it’s important: Improves user experience
As much as we’d hate to admit it, having a mobile-friendly webpage is no guarantee that users will like the interface. You might have to tailor your webpage according to different mobile devices (Android, iPhone, iPad, etc.,) to woo potential customers. Responsinator lets you achieve that objective by showing how your online store appears in landscape and portrait mode.
#5: Moz Open Site Explorer
- What it does: Search engine optimization
- Why it’s important: Increase your page’s search engine ranking
One of the most popular free SEO tools, Open Site Explorer lets you analyze your competitors, discover keywords, and search potential link-building opportunities. You can also use it to identify damaging links on your website which may hurt its search engine rankings.
Analytics
Would you mind if you know more about the visitors to your online store? Then check out these tools.
#6: Bitly
- What it does: Creates shortened links, gives link-specific statistics
- Why it’s important: Makes links more share-able
While the referral traffic from social media platforms to websites is still modest when compared with the one Google sends to webpages, you should ignore it at your own peril. A store that is well-known on social media is more likely to develop a strong brand following. Bitly also provides analytics on where your URL was shared, who shared it, and how many clicks it earned.
#7: Conversific
- What it does: Provides user-specific data
- Why it’s important: Helps increase sales
Provided you own a Shopify or WooCommerce store, you can think of Conversific as a potential gold-mine of user data. It helps you find marketing channels with the highest conversion rate, identifies your store’s recurring customers, and pinpoints product descriptions that may be harming the sales of a product.
#8: UsabilityHub
- What it does: Test your website’s layout
- Why it’s important: Helps increase conversions
UsabilityHub is similar to Conversific in the sense that it helps drive conversions. Both are different when it comes to the method they use to achieve that goal. This free tool, for instance, doesn’t provide you with user data. It just shows your site’s layout to its database of thousands of users to gauge their response to the same. As a result, you can use it to create website designs that would increase conversions.
Conclusion
Whether your ecommerce business has already started giving profits or it’s still in the take-off phase, you could use these best free tools to drive traffic to your website, increase its ranking in Google and drive up conversions. Use them to turn your venture into a success story.