One easy way to build traffic to your new site (without having one)


Etsy and other big platforms drive traffic to their sellers. To successfully replace a platform, you need to be able to entice customers to use your website. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait until your new website is completely done to start building your customer base!

Follow these 3 steps:

Step 1: Buy your domain from a reputable company. I use Porkbun, but there are many solid options.

Step 2: Setup URL forwarding so that your domain points to your Etsy shop (or whatever platform you use). This means when someone goes to yourwebsite.com, it will automatically bring that person to your Etsy shop.

Step 3: Update your marketing to use the new domain. You were already going to be posting on social media, so this allows you to build up brand recognition in multiple ways. They’ll recognize your art and your name.

When you’re ready to launch your own independent site, you can then change where your domain points so that it brings your customers to your new site. The marketing remains the same since you were already using that same domain. Easy!


I hope you found this one helpful! Today I'm introducing my final furry coworker, Frodo.

I'll see you in two weeks for the next tip.

Have a great day!
Ed

Ed, Cagebreakers Creative

Using 10 years of design experience to help handmade businesses build websites into business assets.

Read more from Ed, Cagebreakers Creative
Anthropomorphized email, website, and social media competitors stand on a winner's podium. Email is 1st place, website is 2nd place, social media is 3rd place.

I’ve written before about the dangers of relying on only one platform. Social media can drive traffic to your new site, but what happens when the algorithm updates and this one makes it just a little bit harder to reach your audience? Or maybe this is the one where they decide to make you pay to reach them at all? An email list will help you avoid feeling the strain when other platforms fall short. It’s built independently of your shop and social media and can even follow you between...

A cartoon of a frazzled looking person in front of a wall of papers linked together with orange lines.

I’ve gotta be honest: It doesn't feel great posting about anything light right now, considering the state of the world. I’ve gone back and forth on this and ultimately decided on: Say something and help how I can. I’ve donated to several organizations to help Minnesota and I ask that if you can, find one that calls to you and donate as well. I picked the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and some of the GoFundMe-of-the-Day's, but there is a vetted list on Stand with Minnesota with...

A black and white cartoon of a person with a hammer raised to strike on the edge of a wireframe website. The person says, "Just in case." A Coming Soon sign hangs over the website.

In the earlier days of the internet, you’d have your own website. It was usually less flashy (and involved more Flash). You’d own your site and the way you interacted with your customers. Then social media came along. Facebook, in particular, was really appealing to businesses. Everyone was on there. Like all the time. (It seems surreal to think about it now, but I remember chomping at the bit to get my college email so I could finally sign up. It was still college-only at the time.) And it...