Build a Better Ecommerce Site With These Tips

By  //  May 9, 2023

The global eCommerce market is huge. According to one report, it was $16.6 trillion in 2022. It is only expected to keep growing. More people are shopping online, and more products are available for online shopping.

While much of the $16.6 trillion goes to industry giants like Amazon, there is still a lot of space for smaller businesses. It is also easier than ever to start an eCommerce business. However, much of your success will depend on the quality of your website.

What can you do to build a better eCommerce website? This post will provide various tips to help small businesses build effective eCommerce websites.

Pick the Right Platform

One of the first steps is to select the eCommerce platform or website builder you want to use. What makes these platforms good is that they allow people with limited technical skills to build websites that are functional and attractive. They also come with a bunch of features that allow users to customize the websites to meet their needs. Shopify is a popular choice because it focuses on eCommerce. Options like WordPress, BigCommerce, and Wix are also popular. Create an outline of your priorities and what you need, and then review the different platforms to find the right one.

Find a Good Domain Name

The domain name for your website can also make a big difference. You should try to pick a domain name that aligns with your brand in some way. For example, it could be something about the types of products your company sells. It could also be the name of your business. Beyond the domain name fitting your business, you also want to choose something memorable. It should also be easy to type. Long, complicated names are easy for visitors to mess up when they are typing.

Make it Easy to Navigate

You want users to land on your site and instantly know how to find products and different pages. One way to ease navigation is to have useful menus at the top of the screen. For example, you could list different product categories people can click on. There could also be dropdown menus to get more specific. Your site should also have a search feature so visitors can easily search for specific products. Another tip is to keep the design clean and simple. If you try to add too many elements or features, it can make the pages confusing.

Create Good Product Listings

Once visitors find the product pages they want, you need the listing to help finish the sale. That means you should pay attention to creating quality product pages. To start, have good descriptions that provide useful information to shoppers. You might even want to make the description scannable so people can find information easily. Along with that, you should include high-quality images of products. Think of the different angles that might be relevant and get all shots you need. Video clips can also be useful for some products.

Consider Shipping Options

Shipping is an important point for setting up an online store. You’ll need a way to get the products delivered to your customers. You might even have shipping integrations that can work with your eCommerce website. One obvious option is to use the US Postal Service. However, there are several carriers to consider. UPS and FedEx are also popular. You’ll need to consider the needs of your business and find shipping options that work for you. You should also make sure to include information about shipping costs and delivery times on your product pages.

Attract Traffic

Your website isn’t going to get a lot of traffic just sitting there. If you want to have success, you’ll need to make efforts to attract traffic to your eCommerce site. Search engine optimization will be at the core of your efforts to get more traffic. Do keyword research and develop strategies for using those keywords on your site. You can also use various link-building strategies to get more traffic. PPC ads can be another way to direct more visitors to your website.

Know Your APIs

One of the best things about eCommerce platforms is that you do not have to build everything yourself. With APIs, you have various features you can add to your site that allow it to connect with and use resources from other programs or services on the web. Most platforms have extensive libraries of APIs you can use to enhance your site and add features. You can also find public API sites that offer various APIs for free. You can find APIs for the shopping cart feature, search box, catalog builders, parcel tracking, SEO, and more.

Don’t Forget Mobile

Your eCommerce site should expect to get about as many customers on mobile as it does from the desktop. That means you need a site that performs well on both platforms. If the site doesn’t adapt well for mobile users, you won’t win them as customers. One of the first tips is to select a responsive design for your website. You should be able to find responsive templates online. Your eCommerce platform should also have features to make the site perform well on mobile and desktop. Along with that, consider how you place and use text. You should also make sure buttons are big enough to tap and use on mobile screens.

Payment Processing

Customers will also need a way to pay for the products they buy. You can consider options like credit cards and online payment systems like PayPal. Some eCommerce platforms come with built-in payment processing.

There are also payment processing APIs that can expand options. You can even find APIs that enable cryptocurrency payments if you want to offer that feature. However, there are two key concerns you need to consider with all payment processing services: security and fees.

Marketing Strategies

Marketing is another key concern for having success with an eCommerce website. Practices like SEO can do a lot to help you build organic traffic. You should also consider building a presence on popular social media platforms. Ads in search engines can also offer a lot of value for eCommerce businesses. Email marketing can be another way to connect with consumers and promote your business. Depending on your brand, budget and abilities, there is a lot you can do for eCommerce marketing.

Test Everything

Review and test your website before launching. Test the performance of every page to make sure they load fast and look good. Make sure every button works and performs the correct function. You should also test the site for both desktop and mobile. Once you know everything works, it is time to launch the site.

As a final tip, keep an eye on how things run after the launch. You might get feedback from visitors or see analytics results that you don’t expect. Even with all the testing, there can still be post-launch issues. Be ready to adjust and adapt if you need to.