An online store isn’t just a website - it’s a marketplace designed to remotely sell products with minimal costs while boosting overall business sales. In the U.S., online retail accounts for more than 50% of total retail turnover, and in Ukraine, this percentage continues to grow due to global trends. While exact figures are not yet available, it's clear that both the number of online stores and customers is on the rise.
Common misconceptions about online stores
Many people think setting up an online store is simple: no need for an office, many employees, or even a warehouse. However, serious development involves far more complexity than expected. Finding products and setting up logistics is just one part of the process. The second, and more challenging, part is finding customers. Without them, nothing else matters. The only way to attract customers is through a well-planned strategy targeting potential buyers - this is where promotion comes in.
Steps for promoting an online store: from "A" to "Z"
Let’s assume you've already created your online store. What’s next? Let’s break it down step by step, from creation to successful operation.
We've successfully promoted over 50 online stores in Ukraine, including brands like Parad Obuvi (footwear), Indiano Natural (women’s clothing), M-service (phone parts), Shoploft (lighting), N&B Light (lighting), Les Sad (gardening equipment), EDP (perfume), and more. We've worked with stores ranging from 500 to 400,000 products in their catalog.
If you already have an online store, you can watch our video about current promotion trends in 2025:
If you are just starting out, we recommend reading this article about strategic promotion of an online store from launch to achieving profitability and scaling. We go through the important blocks from “A” to “Z”.
➊ Basic SEO optimization
Start with thorough internal optimization, from product categories to individual product pages. This ensures correct indexing in search engines, resulting in visibility for low-frequency keywords that often convert well. Don’t skimp on this step—your site’s indexing and strategic growth depend on it.
We’re not just talking about SEF URLs, H1-H6 tags, or sitemaps—these should already be included in any well-developed website. If you’re unsure, consider conducting a SEO audit to identify any issues that may hinder indexing.
➋ Analytics
Growth requires understanding which efforts are paying off. Not every process you initiate will be profitable from the start. That’s why you need clear metrics to know where you're headed and why.
👉 Google Tag Manager
👉 Google Analytics
👉 Data Layer implementation
Properly setting up data transmission (from product page views to orders) is essential, especially for launching campaigns that use artificial intelligence. Without data, AI-powered campaigns simply won’t work.
Don’t forget about usability analytics, traffic sources, and conversion tracking. Every decision should be based on facts and insights, not luck. Analytics can reveal many insights when used correctly, such as e-commerce performance, multi-channel funnels, and custom reports. Without data, investment and growth become nearly impossible.
For more information on analytics for online stores, watch our video.
➌ Google Ads
Currently, 60-70% of online store sales come from Google Shopping, i.e., product ads.
Why is it so successful?
👉 Users see products and prices directly in search results.
👉 You’re only charged for clicks, not impressions.
👉 Users browse products first, then visit your site to take action.
Shopping campaigns are constantly evolving, incorporating AI and machine learning elements, which have proven highly effective.
Search ads remain essential for online store promotion, but with new priorities:
👉 Brand campaigns to defend branded searches.
👉 Category campaigns to ensure full visibility and maximize search potential.
The overarching goal of Google Ads for online stores is to capture market share and attract customers. From there, it's crucial to:
👉 Optimize your service (logistics, product range, quality).
👉 Encourage repeat purchases.
Often, profitability comes from repeat customers, as the cost of acquiring new ones continues to rise due to increasing competition. This is why analytics plays such a key role. If you manage your investments wisely, success will follow. However, if you operate with a “here and now” mindset, your business might not survive for long.
Additionally, you can watch a video on how to launch an ad in Google Shopping and pass moderation in Merchant Center. We recommend watching it!
➍ Social media marketing
Once you’ve achieved profitable sales through paid ads, you’ll naturally seek new growth opportunities, and SMM is one of them.
There are two key approaches for online stores in social media:
👉 Classic SMM with targeting and posting.
👉 Product ads that generate orders directly from your online store.
Yes, SMM in the classic style allows you to be heard by your customers, highlights a specific segment of the target audience that may be interested in your products, but in the end, you will start counting money, not likes, views and coverage. That is why we have identified a separate direction of product advertising in social networks.
Product advertising on Facebook, Instagram will cover many hard points:
👉 Setting up Facebook Business Manager;
👉 All synchronizations;
👉 Implementing Facebook Pixel with value events and product IDs;
👉 Developing a product feed;
👉 Opening a Facebook store;
👉 + many nuances and innovations.
Having many years of experience in this area, we can say for sure that this will bring real orders to the online store.
But, despite the attractiveness of product advertising, one should not forget about one of the strategic tasks of SMM for an online store - to cultivate "love, and then buy", which allows you to do classic SMM. As a result, we again come to the conclusion that an integrated approach is the most effective.
➎ External SEO promotion
Once your store is generating sales and has potential for growth, it makes sense to invest in long-term scaling through external SEO. This involves article marketing—writing and publishing articles on external platforms with links back to your site. The goal is to maximize free commercial traffic and grow strategically.
Google’s data shows that 67% of clicks go to paid ads, with the remaining clicks going to organic results. Our agency’s analysis matches this ratio - 70 / 30%. You might wonder why go through all the effort for just 30% of the traffic? The long-term benefits include brand visibility, additional traffic, and most importantly, customer trust.
How long until you see results?
It depends on many factors. Some stores see immediate profits, while others take up to a year to gain traction. On average, businesses break even within 6 to 12 months, though we’ve had cases where profitability came after just 2 months. If you’re not profitable after a year, it’s time to re-evaluate everything: pricing, products, promotion, and analytics. In some cases, bringing in an external expert for an unbiased assessment can make a big difference.
Pricing for online store promotion
Expect to invest at least 10,000 UAH per month for online store promotion, regardless of which company you choose. This pricing is driven by market competition. It’s crucial to choose a company that matches your level of need and has proven experience in this field.
To get started with professional online store promotion, contact us by phone, email, or leave a request on our website.
For projects that scale their trade to other countries or within the countries of the European Union, we have ready-made solutions for international promotion of online stores, which we talk about in this video:
For more information, please contact the agency or leave a request on our website.
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