We wrotea lotof articles in 2015. So many in fact that newcomers to the blog might not even know where to begin! So to help them get up to speed (and give experienced business owners a quick refresher) I pulled some reports, pored through the numbers, and put together this list of 2015's most popular articles.
Top 10 Articles in 2015
Below, you'll find great places to find stock photos, in-depth tutorials on sourcing products from overseas, and even full walkthroughs on building a successful online business. Everything you need to start 2016 with a bang.
Let's make like Drake by starting from the bottom.
10.5 Brand Strategies to Uniquely Position Your Ecommerce Business Above the Competition
Have you ever wondered why people refer to facial tissue as Kleenex? The answer is great branding, and Tucker's article will teach you all about it. While you may not achieve Kleenex-levels of success (at least right away), having a smart brand strategy can help your business stand out and keep your customers coming back for more. In this post, you'll:
- Learn how to discover your unique selling proposition and use it to your advantage.
- Find three simple tips for taking your branding to the next level - today.
- Discover five ways to differentiate your brand experience, plus five examples to show you how.
Read5 Brand Strategies to Uniquely Position Your Ecommerce Business Above the Competition.
9.7 Inspiring Ecommerce Call to Action Examples and Why They Work
They may not look like much, but call-to-actions can significantly affect landing page clickthroughs, email signups, and even sales for your business. Learning all about them should be a huge priority for you in 2016. In this post, you’ll:
- Learn how to create a strong, compelling call-to-action that gets clicks.
- Find out how button color can help (or hurt) the amount of clicks you’ll get.
- Discover 7 helpful examples that you can steal for your next campaign.
Read7 Inspiring Ecommerce Call to Action Examples and Why They Work.
8.How to Make Your First 10 Sales
这篇文章由理查德·列出了一些最效率ective ways to land your first ten sales. It’s perfect for new entrepreneurs or business owners, but definitely worth checking out even if those first ten sales are a few years behind you. In this post, you’ll:
- Learn some of the most simple, straightforward ways to earn sales with a new business.
- Find out how Facebook, Instagram, and other marketplaces can be used to earn sales.
- Discover some quick-wins for getting your new venture in the public eye.
ReadHow to Make Your First 10 Sales.
7.How I Built an Online T-Shirt Business and Made $1,248.90 in 3 Weeks
Tucker takes the 7th place spot with his full walkthrough on building a business. No stranger to building successful online stores, Tucker spent a month putting together a t-shirt business catered to dog-owners and documented the entire process. In his post, you’ll:
- Learn how to find passionate communities and design products they’ll love.
- Find out how to design, mock up, and actually sell a t-shirt from start to finish.
- Discover helpful strategies for marketing your business and using social outreach.
ReadHow I Built an Online T-Shirt Business and Made $1,248.90 in 3 Weeks.
6.You Can Now Sell on Pinterest with Buyable Pins and Shopify
One of the many new sales channels announced in 2015, Buyable Pins definitely made a big splash with our merchants. To sum them up, Buyable Pins make it easy for millions of users to buy products from Shopify stores directly on Pinterest. In this post, you’ll:
- Learn how to set up your own Buyable Pins and start earning sales directly on Pinterest.
- Find out the benefits of selling on Pinterest and why it makes sense to start.
- Discover a handy infographic that shows just how much store traffic Pinterest drives.
ReadYou Can Now Sell on Pinterest with Buyable Pins and Shopify.
5.How We Built an Ecommerce Business from Scratch and Generated $922.16 in Revenue in 3 Days
Have you ever wondered how seasoned entrepreneurs start a brand new business? This case study covers every single aspect of launching a profitable online venture, from picking the right product all the way to marketing and fulfilling the orders. Written by four ecommerce pros, you’ll:
- Learn common mistakes new entrepreneurs make and the best ways to avoid them.
- Find out what really goes into building a successful online business from day one.
- Discover tips, tricks, and secrets that only seasoned entrepreneurs can teach you.
ReadHow We Built an Ecommerce Business from Scratch and Generated $922.16 in Revenue in 3 Days.
4.Alibaba 101: How to Safely Source Products from the World's Biggest Supplier Directory
Coming in fourth is Richard’s massive guide to sourcing products from Alibaba — the world’s biggest supplier directory. If you’ve been considering a bulk order of products from overseas, this post is a great resource for learning how to get it done. In it, you’ll:
- Learn what Alibaba is, and the pros/cons of sourcing your products from them.
- Find out how to safeguard yourself from fraud and ensure a safe transaction.
- Discover a free sample email for requesting pricing and other important information.
ReadAlibaba 101: How to Safely Source Products from the World's Biggest Supplier Directory.
3.22 Awesome T-Shirt Templates and Mockups for Your Clothing Line
When it comes to starting a t-shirt store, there are plenty of apps that make selling shirts and fulfilling orders a snap. But before all that, you’ll need to get your designs on models and samples shirts for product shots. In this post, you’ll:
- Learn where to find free professional mockups to use for your apparel business.
- Find countless high-quality templates to use with your own custom t-shirt designs.
- Discover 22 sites offering free templates and why each one is worth checking out.
Read22 Awesome T-Shirt Templates and Mockups for Your Clothing Line.
2.22 Awesome Websites with Stunning Free Stock Images
In second place is Tucker’s awesome post on free attention-grabbing stock imagery for your store. No matter what you’re selling, this huge list of free stock image sites will help you find attractive, high-quality photos to enhance the look of your store, banners, emails, and more. In it, you’ll:
- Learn how to get magazine-quality photography without spending a single dime.
- Find a list of free stock image websites and why each one is worth checking out.
- Discover great photos you can download and start using for your business today.
Read22 Awesome Websites with Stunning Free Stock Images.
1.5 Easy to Use Online Logo Makers to Design Your Brand
Coming in at #1 is Tucker’s post on logo makers. Our very own wunderkind explains why a logo is important, provides a few tips on how to make yours stand out, and even shares some common pitfalls to avoid. It’s easy to read, simple to follow, and definitely deserving of 2015’s most-viewed article. In it, you’ll:
- Learn common design traits shared by the world’s most popular brands.
- Find out the five “musts” of designing an effective brand logo.
- Discover ten online logo generators that can do a lot of the hard work for you.
Read5 Easy to Use Online Logo Makers to Design Your Brand.
Bonus: Blogger's Choice
当它来到了前十,我让这些数字做the talking. But with so many great articles posted this year, it felt wrong to just stop there. To help round out this year’s best-of, I asked each of our full-time bloggers to contribute a few words about their favorite article of 2015.
Corey's pick:How to Find Time to Build Your Ecommerce Empire While Working a 9 to 5
"Time is a resource many people don't have, so an article that shows you how to make the most of it is really valuable."- Corey Ferreira
Tucker's pick:5 Things All Entrepreneurs Learn the Hard Way (But You Don't Have To)
"Save time, money, and energy by learning from the mistakes of others.”- Tucker Schreiber
Jordan's pick:6 Ways You Can Make Your Website More Trustworthy
"Tucker’s article on trustworthiness is full of hard-hitting, practical advice that business owners can implement quickly.” - Jordan Simas (yours truly)
Casandra's pick:如何开始一个商OB欧宝娱乐APP业吗ness Before You Graduate (10 Kidpreneurs to Inspire You)
"Inspiring kick in the butt. If these kids can build a business, anyone can. You just have to do the work.” -Casandra Campbell
Braveen's pick:7 Automated Email Campaigns That Win Customers and Keep Them Coming Back
“John not only covers everything you need to execute an automated email marketing campaign, but also provides links to helpful tools, apps and templates.” -Braveen Kumar
Now it's your turn
Use the comment section below to share links to your favorite ecommerce marketing posts from around the web —even if they're not from Shopify. We'll use your picks to help decide what to post about in 2016. Thanks for reading, and have a great 2016!
About The Author
Jordan Simas is a copywriter, all you can eat sushi lover, and content creator at Shopify.