What You Need Before You Make An Ecommerce Site

We live in an increasingly online world, and a well-designed, user-friendly ecommerce site can have a dramatic effect on your business. They can improve sales, help spread awareness of your brand, and stay ahead of your competition. They can foster loyalty too; if you’re offering reduced prices for regular customers or providing some other kind of reward scheme, you’re more likely to see return visitors.

Before you set one up though, you’ll need to sort out a couple of things. It can be tempting to rush in and develop an online presence as quickly as possible, but it’s best to have a clearly-defined strategy in place first. We’ve already looked at our top tips for a great ecommerce site, but here are a few other things to consider. 

What Platform Are You Going To Use?

As ecommerce sites become more widespread, so do the number of available platforms. How do you choose between Squarespace, Shopify, Wix or any of the other ones out there? Look at factors like pricing, the level of customisation and customer support, and how many products you can list. What’s perfect for a business that sells carpentry tools might not work for a takeaway, but if you take some time to check out the market, you’ll find a decent one. 

Do You Have A Secure Payment System?

Nothing can sink the reputation of a business quite like its online systems being hacked. If scammers breach your systems and empty your customers’ bank accounts, they’ll never trust you again, even if they do get all their money back. There are many different payment processing systems out there, so do some research and invest in one you can rely on.

Do You Have A Strong SEO Strategy In Place?

You could have the most intuitive, safe and convenient ecommerce site possible, but if it doesn’t show up in the search engines, it might as well not exist. You’ll need an effective SEO strategy for online shoppers to find you. This means optimising your website for Google, Ecosia, and the other search engines, and ensuring your products are listed in suitable places. Make sure any online business profiles you might have are up to date and include as much high-quality content on your site as you can.

How Can Social Media Help?

Outside of your own website, you can also boost your ecommerce platform via your social media accounts. Posting on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and others can help you reach a wider audience than simply relying on your website. Regularly posting status updates about your available products will keep you in the public eye and can drive traffic to your ecommerce site.

Can You Improve Your Customer Service?

Lastly, think about how capable your customer service is. If you can respond to queries quickly, efficiently and accurately, you’ll build trust with your audience. This extends to resolving complaints as well. All businesses receive complaints, but if you can handle them quickly and fairly, it’ll be a huge benefit. After all, if your ecommerce site is strong but your staff lack knowledge and are short-tempered or rude, your customers won’t come back. 

Once you’ve got these foundations in place, you’ll be well on your way to creating an exceptional ecommerce website. And if you want some help, you’ve come to the right place. Visit our dedicated web design hub to learn more, and use our simple online form to get the best price for a great ecommerce website that will transform your business.