Now In Store Academy

eCommerce marketing tips for online stores

A practical playbook for online store owners, from the Now In Store Academy newsletter. Build trust, sharpen your branding, master SEO and keyword research, tune your Facebook ads with A/B testing, and make your store faster, so more visitors turn into customers.

17 actionable tips
Trust · Branding · SEO · Ads · Speed
For Shopify & every store
Trust

Show your trust badges

Reassure visitors their data and payment details are safe so they feel confident to buy.

SEO

Optimize keywords

Research the terms shoppers actually type and study competitors to rank higher in search.

Speed

Compress your images

Uncompressed photos can weigh 10–15× more and slow your store on mobile.

A/B test your ads
Track in Analytics
The playbook

17 tips, grouped by what they fix

Each tip is a short, practical lesson from the Now In Store Academy. Start anywhere, or work through them in order.

1

Don't forget your trust badges

Visitors share personal and credit-card details only when they feel safe. Display trust badges to reassure them your store is secure.

2

Does your brand have a great logo?

A great logo is appropriate, memorable and recognizable. Choose your fonts and colors carefully so customers identify your brand at a glance.

3

Optimize your product images

One of the most common mistakes is uploading raw, uncompressed photos. They can weigh 10–15× more, so compress images to a few hundred KB.

4

Tell us a little about yourself

An About page that tells your story helps new visitors connect with the people behind your store and builds the trust that drives sales.

5

Install free SEO monitoring tools

SEO is the art of optimizing your site so it ranks for the keywords shoppers search. Set up the free tools that track your progress.

6

Study competitors' keyword strategy

See which keywords your competitors target and rank for, then find the terms and gaps you can win in search results.

7

Study competitors' backlink strategy

Backlinks are a major ranking signal. Learn where competitors earn their links so you can build a stronger profile of your own.

8

Track SEO with Google Analytics

Measure organic traffic, behavior and conversions so you know which SEO efforts are actually moving the needle.

9

Track SEO with Search Console

Google Search Console shows the queries, impressions and clicks bringing visitors to your store, and flags indexing issues.

10

Facebook posts checklist

A simple checklist for posts that earn engagement, so your Facebook content works harder for your store.

11

Is your online store fast enough?

Over half of online traffic is mobile, where connections vary. A faster store keeps shoppers from bouncing before they buy.

12

Online store trust checklist

New visitors don't know your business yet. Use a checklist of technical signals, like a custom domain and SSL, to establish trust.

13

Compare two marketing campaigns correctly

Learn how to compare campaigns fairly so you draw the right conclusions and invest in what truly performs.

14

Boost your Facebook likes

Practical tactics to grow your Facebook audience and turn followers into engaged, repeat customers.

15

Improve Facebook ads with A/B testing

Test one variable at a time, headlines, images, audiences, to steadily lower cost and lift results.

16

Monitor your Facebook like campaign

Keep an eye on the metrics that matter so you can adjust spend and keep your campaign efficient.

17

Branding & marketing reading list

A curated list of books and resources to deepen your branding and marketing knowledge over time.

Build trust & brand

  • Trust badges & SSL.
    Show security badges, use a custom domain and SSL so visitors feel safe sharing payment details.
  • A memorable logo.
    Make it appropriate, recognizable and simple, with fonts and colors that fit your brand.
  • An honest About page.
    Tell your story so new visitors connect with the people behind the store.
  • Polished product images.
    Compress photos to a few hundred KB so pages load fast and look professional.

Grow traffic & convert

  • Keyword-driven SEO.
    Research the terms shoppers search and study competitor keywords and backlinks.
  • Measure everything.
    Use Google Analytics and Search Console to track organic traffic and fix issues.
  • Smarter Facebook ads.
    A/B test posts and ads, then monitor campaigns to lower cost and lift results.
  • A faster store.
    Speed matters most on mobile, where over half of traffic now comes from.
Where to start

Turn tips into a routine

You don't have to do everything at once. A simple loop keeps your store improving week after week.

1

Audit the basics

Check trust signals, your logo, About page and image weights. Fix the quick wins that build confidence and speed first.

2

Grow & measure

Set up Analytics and Search Console, research keywords, study competitors, and watch what your changes do to traffic.

3

Test & refine

Run A/B tests on Facebook ads and posts, compare campaigns the right way, and keep what performs.

FAQ

Questions store owners ask

Why do trust badges matter for an online store? +
As an online store you need to inspire trust before customers will share personal and credit-card details. Displaying trust badges, alongside a custom domain and SSL, reassures visitors that your website is secure and helps convert them into customers.
How much should my product images weigh? +
A product image shouldn't weigh more than a few hundred KB. Uncompressed images can be 10 to 15 times larger than their compressed version, which slows your store, especially on mobile, and can cost you sales.
What exactly is SEO? +
SEO is the art of optimizing different aspects of your website so that when people type specific keywords into a search engine like Google or Bing, your store appears at the top of the results. Common strategies include keyword optimization, quality content and earning backlinks.
How do I track my SEO progress? +
Use the free tools built for it. Google Analytics shows organic traffic, behavior and conversions, while Google Search Console reveals the queries, impressions and clicks bringing visitors to your store and flags indexing issues.
Why does store speed matter so much? +
More than 50% of online traffic now comes from mobile phones, where internet speed varies greatly by location. A slow store causes shoppers to leave before they buy, so optimizing speed, starting with your images, directly affects conversions.
How should I improve my Facebook ads? +
Use A/B testing: change one variable at a time, such as the headline, image or audience, and compare results fairly. Monitor your campaigns so you can adjust spend, lower cost per result and keep what performs.

Put your best products front and center

Great marketing deserves great-looking catalogs. Create printable PDF catalogs, line sheets and order sheets from your store with Now In Store, and start your free trial today.

Start free trial Install on Shopify