A Step-by-step Guide to building your presence on the web!
Research says that sales in online stores are expected to reach 22% of global retail sales by 2023, compared to 14.1% in 2019, making now the perfect time to take your business online.
Finally getting on board with the idea of building your own eCommerce website? We’ve got your back! While website building comes with its own sets of challenges, we’ve narrowed the process down to a step-by-step guide! Read on.
- Find a Suitable Website Hosting Platform
Before you get started on building an eCommerce platform, here’s an important question to ask yourself – when you go online shopping, what are the things that you like/dislike about an online shopping site?
Remember, the entire point of building an eCommerce website is driving sales. Therefore, make sure that the website hosting platform you go for is user-friendly, has an attractive interface and allows you to get a step closer to your audience.
- Before you decide on buying a website hosting platform, it is important that you gather your team’s expectations of what you need from the website platform. An excellent eCommerce platform needs to make the best possible online store for your brick-and-mortar shop.
- It is important to choose a hosting platform that can have a positive impact on your search rankings and is mobile-friendly since more and more users use mobile platforms to shop online.
- Ensure that your website hosting platform is SEO Friendly – meaning that it allows you to:
- Allows you to add a blog to your site.
- Enable you to use a personalized domain name.
- Allow your customers to drop reviews.
Plushvie-recommended Platforms for Small Businesses: Woocommerce, Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, OpenCart
- Purchase a Domain Name
Do you have an existing domain name? Transfer it to your online store builder. If you still have to decide on the name, make sure that you keep the following in mind:
- Keep it short: Shorter names are easier to remember
- Avoid common/generic names: Common names are easier to forget. What’s more, a common name can get confusing and may drive your customers to a business with the same name as you.
- Avoid creative spellings: Make sure that your domain name is easier to spell and pronounce.
- Match your Platform Design with your Offering Theme
Customise your website design to a theme that matches your offering. Themes do what words can’t! Does your homepage reflect your business’ vision?
A homepage not only acts as your first impression to all your customers but also allows you to communicate with them via designs and themes.
For instance, If your website is selling toys, your design should look fun and colourful.
And if your website is trading gadgets, the theme of your design should look modern and techy.
Spotify’s Homepage gives a beautiful glimpse into its offering. With a vibrant colour scheme and catchy word phrases, it feels inviting and gives a website visitor an exact view of what it offers.
- Add your Products
Product pages are among the most critical pages on your site, as they show your customers what you have to sell. Take the time to ensure you display your new products in their best light by including optimized product descriptions, eye-catching images, and easy-to-navigate categories.
- When adding Product Descriptions, make sure you add the product’s basic details, who it is for and where & when it can be used.
- Add high-resolution product images and ensure that they are all the same size.
- You can also choose to sort your offerings into product categories to help buyers navigate through what they want to buy.
- Set up a Payment Gateway
The right payment method is essential for closing a sale. If the method is too complicated or not trusted, your customer could abandon their cart and not return. Make sure it also meets your payment processing needs.
A payment gateway integration is a secure method that encrypts and transmits credit card data to your payment processor. As it’s an essential part of your eCommerce site, make sure you research and understand what you’re getting from your payment integration.
- Last, but not least…
Set up your payment gateway? Great! But you’re not done yet. In order to make sure that your eCommerce website is fool-proof, perform the following final checks:
- Does item checkout work?
- Are the website’s functions working?
- Does the website work smoothly on the mobile interface?
- How does the website work on different browser interfaces?
- Set up your website’s settings.
A good eCommerce site is more than just a place to sell products. It’s where a business can create an experience that strengthens its brand, draws in new customers, and converts casual shoppers into loyal ambassadors. Choosing the right eCommerce platform and having a marketing strategy to create a successful online store can give you a headstart in being an eCommerce success.
