Top 71 Blogs eCommerce Retailers Must-Read to Grow Online Sales

Getting information online about eCommerce is like trying to take a sip of water from a fire hydrant. It’s impossible to control the flow. You’ll end up drenched with far more than you need. A search for any subject related to eCommerce can yield you millions of results.

Which are relevant? If you want to increase your eCommerce skillsets, how do you know which blogs are the best to follow?

Many eCommerce blogs provide valuable information. But, does what you read and learn to make you money? Those are blogs you want to follow. Start with these 71 top eCommerce blogs.

eCommerce Business Blogs

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel if you’re just starting an eCommerce site. The value of reading eCommerce business blogs is learning how others did it. You can read about their failures and sidestep them. You can learn about their successes and duplicate them. Here are ten blogs that give you actionable advice.

1. A Better Lemonade Stand

Richard Lazazzera started his blog as an online eCommerce incubator. He writes about his experiences as an entrepreneur. It’s his way of sharing his knowledge. Richard bases his authority on the time he spent working at Shopify.

2. eCommerceFuel

Andrew Youdrian founded this website. It’s a forum for online store owners to share their knowledge. His blog is free for anyone to read. There’s even more valuable information on his podcasts. What makes eCommerceFuel a powerful resource is an access to the private labels. These contributors run eCommerce websites with 6- and 7-figure revenue streams.

3. eCommerce Times

This website has the look and feel of an online newspaper. While many blogs are heavy on opinion, the content on eCommerce Times stays neutral. Sign up for specific feeds, so you can get just the information that matters to you most.

4. channeladvisor

You’ve come to the right website if you want ways to increase the visibility of your online store. A staff of writers contributes to the blog. There are guest posts from industry experts, too. Subjects range from reviews of eCommerce technology to strategic studies.

5. Practical eCommerce

Advice on strategy is great. Practical ways to apply it is even better. That’s what this blog-powered website is all about. The front page of the website is a running list of the latest blog posts. Each article is a thoughtful capsule of information. You’ll read about a key component of what makes an eCommerce site successful.

6. NERD Marketing

Drew Sanocki writes this blog, and he keeps a focus on tactics. He’ll tell you about what’s worked for him and the companies he advises. Drew has the credentials to back up his advice. He has an M.B.A. from Stanford and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard. His collection of eCommerce companies generated over $100 million in 2015.

7. GetEleastic

Alana Thorburn-Watt curates the content on this website. It’s one of the top 10 marketing blogs in Canada. The blog is one of the 15 entrepreneur blogs worth reading, according to the Wall Street Journal. Elasticpath sponsors the website. It provides enterprise eCommerce software to the world’s leading brands.

8. Groove

The staff of a top digital advertising agency writes this blog. You’ll get their insight on how they design eCommerce websites for clients. Make this site a list of resources if inbound marketing is a specific interest.

9. Internet Retailer

You may be familiar with the magazine by the same name. This is their online home. The monthly magazine was started in 1999, and its website is updated daily. The broad range of eCommerce subjects is distilled down to segments in a navigation bar across the top of the main page.

10. Bootstrapping eCommerce

Shabbir Nooruddin blogs about his experience running an eCommerce website on a small budget. He writes about his mistakes, and he shares what he’s learned so that others can avoid those mistakes. Shabbir has a collection of tutorials that take you step by step through some of his experiences.

eCommerce Software Platforms Blogs

The software behind an eCommerce website is your engine and your moneymaker. How are others using these major eCommerce software packages? What were some of the obstacles they uncovered? What has their paired with it to optimize revenue?

The relationship you create with your software provider is only the first step. Reading eCommerce software provider blogs can arm you with the rest of the information. It’s a good way to understand what’s available.

11. BigCommerce

Members of this leading eCommerce platform contribute to a collection of articles. Posts are usually about using the BigCommerce software for online stores. Most of the information is for and about websites that use the software. There are still plenty of things to learn. Check out the Success Stories posts for inspiration.

12. Shopify

This is the blog of one of the biggest names in eCommerce software. The website sorts information by media type, as well as category. This makes it easy to find podcasts and videos if you’re in the mode for multimedia.

13. Volusion

There are over 1,500 posts to read on this website. The contributors to provide a balanced range of articles. There’s value for small business owners and entrepreneurs. This also is the place to look for upcoming webinars. As you might expect, much of the content promotes the eCommerce software maker’s product.

14. LemonStand

This blog sticks to useful articles about how to use web design to enhance the user experience. The contributors offer advice that’s easy to follow. They include examples of what’s been proven to work. Articles aren’t categorized or indexed. There’s a handy search bar at the top to help you find subjects.

15. Ecwid

The software isn’t a complete solution, and the company prefers it that way. They focus on being what they call an “add-on store builder.” The Ecwid blog contributors share advice and tips on all aspects of running an online store.

Conversion Optimization Blogs

There are important reasons why you should increase your online store’s conversion rate. This group of blogs helps you to understand the purpose. Optimization gets you more of the right kinds of customers. It helps you better know what they want from your online store.

Conversion optimization is almost free compared to search engine advertising. A 10% increase in your conversion rate can make the difference between profit and loss.

16. ConversionXL

Peep Laja uses his sales experience to blog about the business of getting more customers. His promise is to deliver information so good that you won’t have to look for much else on the subject. You’ll appreciate his content if you’re a fan of bullet points and graphs.

17. WiderFunnel

This digital agency keeps its focus on conversion rate optimization. The blog is where they post, and boast, about their successes. A tile map on the right side of the main page breaks out the list of subjects covered in their blog posts. All posts share the conversion rate optimization theme.

18. Conversion Sciences

Brian Massey and Joel Harvey blog about helping online stores increase their conversion rates. They back articles with research statistics and data. Brian and Joel are active speakers. Many of their presentations are available on the website as webinars or podcasts.

19. Conversion Rate Experts

Ben Jesson and Karl Blanks have worked on conversion rate optimization since 2006. They’ve consulted with companies such as eBay, BMW, AT&T, and Hilton Hotels. Their professional services might be out of your budget. This blog offers free and useful advice and information.

20. Bryan Eisenberg

Brothers Bryan and Jeffery Eisenberg wrote Always Be Testing, as well as other bestsellers. They write their own posts. Sometimes, the articles are long and cover several subjects. Other times, they’re short write-ups about new product or service they want to recommend.

21. VWO

Paras Chopra and Sparsh Gupta write about conversion rate optimization. They also blog about using their Visual Website Optimizer software. They invite guest bloggers to cover subjects outside of their expertise. The website offers articles and webinars. Use the category navigation on the right side of the main page to make fast work of finding what you need.

22. Optimizely

The Optimizely software runs website and mobile A/B testing for your online store. The blog is about Optimizely, but there’s ample information about how to approach testing. A collection of case studies shows you how some of their bigger clients have used A/B testing to increase conversion.

23. SiteTuners

Tim Ash is one of the pioneers of conversion rate optimization. He wrote the bestselling Landing Page Optimization Book, and he speaks at industry conferences worldwide. Tim and his company maintain this blog as a place to share insights and discoveries. You’ll find posts going all the way back to 2006.

Pay-per-Click (PPC) Blogs

Organic search can take a while to show results. Pay-per-click (PPC) can generate immediate results. You only pay when an interested person clicks, and you set a budget so you can control costs.

But, there are still things to watch out for if you’re just starting out. You need a solid strategy. Even though it’s a contentious subject, bloggers love to write about it. You can learn and benefit from what they have to say.

24. PPC Hero

Hanapin Marketing specializes in PPC. They publish this blog to share news about their clients. The agency’s account managers write each post. Subjects cover news of the industry, as well as case studies and tutorials. The Resources category keeps up-to-date information about search engines PPC best practices.

25. Inside AdWords

This is Google’s official blog for news, tips, and information about AdWords. Your first stop on this website should be to download their best practices guide. You can also subscribe to Google’s monthly newsletter. It’s a good way to stay current with official tips, checklists, and video guides.

26. PPCChat

It’s all about social media today, and this blog is proof. Here’s where you’ll find transcripts of weekly Twitter chats. They happen Tuesdays at 12 PM EST, and the topic is about all things PPC. Follow-ups and updates get posted to Twitter using the #PPCChat hashtag.

27. Acquisio

Acquisio provides programmatic marketing solutions for agencies and small businesses. The company uses its software to help websites get better campaign results. Some areas of their blog promote Acquisio. Other articles offer general PPC advice and techniques. You don’t have to be an Acquisio customer to find value here.

28. WordStream

This company’s software helps you take the guesswork out of PPC keyword selection. Staff members and guest writers contribute articles. Read about PPC best practices, keywords, and conversion rate optimization. The site also has a free Google Adwords performance grader. It can analyze the efficiency of your account.

29. Clix

This is the blog of a digital agency that manages PPC campaigns. Members of the company collect and share news about the top search engines. You’ll find tips on where trends might take PPC advertising next. Weekly roundups highlight blog posts worth reading from other sites.

30. Bing Ads

The second most popular search engine on the planet maintains a blog. Yes, it’s mostly about how to get better search engine rankings on Bing. But there are also many general articles about SEO, SEM, and PPC. Use the pull-down menu to find specific topics. You can filter articles to find PPC tips that are useful for any search engine advertising.

31. Certified Knowledge

Brad Geddes runs this blog as a way to educate people about PPC best practices and principles. Some of the content is available only to premium members. There’s also a private forum you can preview with a free trial. The rest of the blog is available to everyone. Find latest PPC articles and information listed by date on the main page.

32. Moz

Moz has a suite of software products for search marketing and analytics. The staff writes about PPC and posts articles on their blog. Use the pull-down menu at the top on the right side to find specific articles. The latest posts about PPC are on the main page.

Web Analytics Blogs

The only way to make something better is to study its impact. That’s what web analytics does for you. Data you collect gives you insight on who’s visiting your website. It tells you what’s grabbing their attention.

The analysis helps you identify which things will have the biggest impact on sales. That’s important to know. Less than .01% of your customers will bother to contact you if they dislike or have a problem with your website.

33. Analytics NINJA

Yehoshua Coren started this blog to bring Internet marketing analytics to a wider audience. It was the right timing. The world was ready to build millions of eCommerce sites. The articles on the website cover technical subjects in natural ways.

34. AnalyticsPros

This blog has an almost exclusive focus on Google Analytics. Members of the company post articles. Caleb Whitmore founded it in 2009. If you want to update yourself, use the Analytics Roundup direct link on the main page. The focus on Google Analytics makes that particular category link most valuable.

35. Kissmetrics

Are you wondering how you’re supposed to turn all those analytics numbers into insights? What do they mean? This blog is a good start. There are 18 article categories. Some of the articles are only about the Kissmetrics analytics software. Most of the content is general, and it’s meant to be helpful to readers at any level of understanding. If it’s complex, the article will break it down for you.

36. Analytics Talk

Justin Cutroni publishes this blog to share his experience as Google’s analytics advocate. He seldom moves off the subject of Google Analytics. There’s much to know about this popular product. Justin sorts his posts into categories that you’ll find on the right side of his main page.

37. Annielytics

Annie Cushing is not afraid to tell you that she thinks data should be sexy. What she means by that is she wants to help you find opportunities in your data that help you to make improvements. Annie’s posts are short. She breaks down complicated subjects. You can understand her approach to analytics even if you’re a beginner.

38. LunaMetrics

This consultancy collects their advice and information in the form of blog posts. Almost every sentence has the word “Google” in it. What would you expect? The company is a Google Analytics Certified Partner and Premium Reseller. Popular posts and all-time favorites by readers get listed in the right column on the main page.

39. Occams Razor

Avinash Kaushik has been writing this blog since 2006. He’s a bestselling author and the cofounder of Market Motive. Avinash keeps it personal. He shares information, and then he gives you his perspective. It’s an enjoyable to learn more about analytics, and feel as if someone is talking just to you.

40. Google Analytics Solutions

It’s the official blog for the Google product with the same name. It’s where you can go to find out what Google has in store for the software as they continue to develop it. There are seven main article categories. You’ll find them at the top of the main page on the right side. You’re encouraged to use the search field to find specific information.

41. Online Behavior

Analytics data underscores behavior. Do you know and understand that behavior? This website seeks to help online store owners understand how their customers behave. You’ll find articles, guides, and an entertaining collection of cartoons. Daniel Waisberg and guest bloggers help you understand targeting and segmentation, usability, and optimization.

42. Web Analytics World

The staff contributing to this blog has given it the distinction of a SAP top 10 blogs for analytics. Web analytics should be straightforward. It’s all about statistics. But the bloggers here believe there’s too much hype. They make it their job to keep articles free of jargon.

Social Media Blogs

Search engine marketing is no longer the optimal way to promote your eCommerce website. Today it’s all about social media. Search engine optimization (SEO) is still important.

Social media amplifies SEO. It adds context. Even more important, it allows people to make or receive personal recommendations. Search engines need content to rank. Social media is a way to get your customers to create content for you.

43. Social Media Examiner

This website boasts more than 450,000 subscribers. It’s a deep and useful resource if you want to know how to use social media. Find out how to connect with your eCommerce customers. There are daily posts to the website, as well as daily and weekly podcasts.

44. Peg Fitzpatrick

Peg started this blog as a way to collect the information she shares as a speaker, trainer, and author. Peg works with Guy Kawasaki on social media marketing strategy. She also has 1.2 million followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube. Start here if it’s our first visit.

45. Rebekah Radice

This award-winning blogger is a digital marketing specialist, speaker, and author. Her articles give advice on how to manage digital and inbound marketing while you try to run a business. Rebekah likes to create cheat sheets and lists. Start with her suggested must-read posts to get a taste of her website.

46. Mari Smith

Mari is often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook.” Forbes lists her as a social media power influencer. Mari only blogs about Facebook. But, the social media site has 1.6 billion active users. There’s a lot to say about Facebook. There’s a category navigation guide on the main page. It will help you get to your burning Facebook question. Mari likely has an answer.

47. Jenn’s Trends

Jenn Herman has become a recognized expert in Instagram marketing. Her blog has won many social media awards. Here’s the think about Jenn’s posts. They’re not short. She won’t apologize for that. Jenn believes you deserved clear, detailed information about Instagram marketing.

48. Boom Social

Kim Garst and her team serve up generous helpings of free advice and information. Head here to learn more about traffic, engagement, conversion, and content. All posts give tips on how to use social media to promote your website.

49. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a company that helps businesses communicate with their customers. They count Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram among their clients. The blog is a collection of material both about Sprout Social, and social media in general. Don’t let the navigation bar at the top of the main page fool you. Each of the three most important subjects pulls down to reveal deeper sub-categories.

50. SocialMouths

What does it take to be successful online? That’s what Francisco Rosales writes about on his blog. His articles touch on blogging, social media, web traffic, marketing, and conversion. Francisco writes the posts himself, and he sprinkles personal observations with honest humor.

51. Pamorama

Her content is syndicated via Yahoo and Mediabistro. Forbes ranked her #24 on its list of top 50 media power influencers. Pam Dyer uses her blog to help readers optimize their brands and engage users with social media. She categorizes her articles with a word cloud at the bottom of the main page.

52. RazorSocial

Ian Cleary is a proud Irishman and blogger. He writes to help others use social media to promote their websites. Sites such as the Huffington Post often pick up his most favorite blog posts. Ian sticks to four main subjects. They’re content marketing, social media, analytics, and marketing automation. The links are at the top of his main page.

Email Marketing Blogs

Email marketing is one of the best tools you have to increase sales. You can personalize the message and the offer. You can segment users based on target behavior. You can even test marketing offers to see which ones get the best response.

Email marketing targets customers. It’s cost effective and measurable. You get these benefits only if you do it right. Read how others do it.

53. Constant Contact

This blog is run by one of the most popular email marketing companies in the world. The articles fall into three areas. Marketing Advice provides you with a general overview of email marketing trends. The Resource Library category helps you find any article, guide or video on the website. Check the Seminars & Training category for online and local seminars.

54. Remarkety

The three founders of the Remarkety data-driven marketing software platform run this blog. Many of the posts focus on the company’s software. There are enough articles on the general theory of email marketing to make it worth your while. Start with the listing of the most popular posts. It’s on the upper right side of the main page.

55. Campaign Monitor

150,000 companies use this email marketing software to send over a billion monthly emails. The company’s blog is a repository of tips from them, and from their customers. Start with the How To category in the top navigation.

56. Vertical Response

This software company uses their blog to help customers improve email marketing campaigns. Infographics and tutorials turn complex ideas into useful tools. Category-driven navigation on the right side of the homepage makes it easy to find any topic.

57. MailChimp

More than 10 million people use this software to design and send 600 million emails every day. The blog features articles about how to get the best results from MailChimp. It’s easy to extract the email marketing advice from the articles to use with other software.

SEO Blogs

It’s a fact of life. Google is how people search. 60% of clicks go to the first result. You’ll compete with over a million other websites for the remaining 40% of those clicks. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) increases your ranking in search results. If you don’t do it, your competitors will.

Unlike other types of marketing efforts, SEO has a permanent effect. Once you get a top ranking, it’s difficult for another eCommerce website to take it away.

58. The Official Blog of Google

One way to increase your search engine ranking is to add content relevant to your website. Google follows its advice with this blog. It offers insights into Google products, technology, and the culture of the company. You’ll learn more about Google, and it’s a good example of how to find subjects to write about for your blog.

59. Search Engine Land

Mat McGee and a team of writers add new content daily to this blog-driven website. Articles touch on all disciplines. They focus on tips, tactics, and strategies to run successful marketing programs. Switch between the most popular, or the latest posts on the main page. The right column on the main page highlights white papers, webcasts, and research reports.

60. The Moz Blog

The developers of this SEO software offer advice, research, and how-to guides. It’s a judicious mix of self-promotion for Moz products, and general practical information. There are over 350 pages of blog posts. Use the pull-down navigation at the top of the main page on the right side to find what you need.

61. Search Engine Journal

Loren Baker founded this website for SEO professionals. Together with executive editor Kelsey Jones and staff, they spotlight important trends and personalities. You can learn and network with experts from Google, LinkedIn, and Disney. Articles date all the way back to 2003.

62. Search Engine Watch

This is a good place to start if you’re new to SEO. The articles here make no assumptions about your level of knowledge. You’ll find dictionaries of key terms and acronyms. Many “explainer” articles help you understand how SEO works.

Content Marketing Blogs

More content on your site means more time spent there. More content also gives you higher visibility in search engines. The more visitors you get, the more referral traffic you’ll generate.

All this leads to an improved brand reputation. All it takes is a willingness to share your insights with website visitors. It’s cost-effective marketing. Here are some bloggers who love to share what’s worked for them.

63. Content Marketing Institute

Joe Pulizzi and his staff of writers share information about successful content marketing. The company behind the blog publishes magazines and annual content marketing events. If you’re new to content marketing, the blog offers a list of valuable how-to guides. They’re collected in an area on the right side of the main page. Start with this one.

64. Copyblogger

Brian Clark uses his blog to teach you how to create what he calls “killer online content.” He’s got a strong opinion, and he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind. Brian wants to help you avoid “bland corporate crap created to fill up a company web page.” He teaches you how to attract attention, drive traffic, and build a business.

65. Quicksprout

Forbes Magazine says Neil Patel is on of the industry’s top 10 marketers. Entrepreneur Magazine says Neil has one of the 100 most brilliant companies in the world. He advises companies like Amazon, GM, and Viacom. Somehow, he still has time to write this blog. And, yes, he writes most of the posts himself.

66. Copy Hackers

Joanna Wiebe and Lance Jones combine copywriting and conversion rate optimization skills. The result is a blog that teaches you how to write more persuasive, believable and usable copy. If you follow their advice, you can boost your website and email conversion rates.

67. HubSpot

This inbound marketing software maker helps websites convert leads and increase revenue. Over 15,000 companies use HubSpot for their social media, email, SEO, and marketing automation. A team of writers contributes daily articles to three main categories. Each breaks down a list of specific topics.

Blogs About Blogging

There are many ways to drive traffic to your eCommerce site. Blogging is the most efficient. Each time you add a new blog post, you’ve increased the indexed content on your website.

Social media exposure is just as important as search engine discovery. Blog posts are content that people can share on social networks. A blog establishes authority. You may not see immediate results from a blog. But the results compound over time.

68. ProBlogger

Most of the posts on this website are by founder Darren Rowse. Darren isn’t afraid to delve into what makes his blog posts work or fail. Many of his articles are how-to pieces. They take complicated subjects and break them down to basic elements. It’s simple and practical advice. You can use to duplicate Darren’s success on your website.

69. SmartBlogger

Jon Morrow started this blog in 2012. Today it has an audience of over 100,000 email subscribers. Jon thinks you shouldn’t be impressed by those statistics. In fact, he believes that traffic is irrelevant unless it generates revenue for you. Articles are short and easy to understand. Start here to get the most out of this blog.

70. BloggingTips

Zac Johnson currently runs this blog. He and a team of writers believe that blogging can do more than generating revenue for your website. They also think blogging can change your life. Zac and his team enjoy interviewing other bloggers. They’ve collected these articles in a single category.

71. Daily Blog Tips

This website is a blog about professional blogging, for professional bloggers. Don’t let this scare you away if you’re just starting. In fact, it’s a wise place to learn the basics. Mark Zeni and a small team of writers offer daily tips on how to blog to support your business.

Staying on Top of Change

The pace of innovation moves at breakneck speed. Changes in the eCommerce industry happen fast. It doesn’t take long for your knowledge base to be outdated. There’s an easy way to prevent that from happening.

Cultivate the habit of staying current. Pay a regular visit to some of the blogs you’ve read about here. Or, make it easy on yourself. Have these bloggers send their content directly to you. They all have subscription and RSS feed options.