Once an ecommerce web design solution chosen, you must set up the website. Here are some essential tips to succeed when setting up your e-commerce site:
– Provide secure payments by credit card and also by check.
PayPal can be a temporary solution to launch an ecommerce site, but soon you will have to consider offering payment by “classic” Credit Cards.
– Owning a domain name in .com.au or .net.au, but not exotic extension (.org.au, .info …) or weird redirections.
– Propose a real shop and not a blog: it is recommended to add a blog to a shop to improve SEO organic rankings, but you want to make sure to distinguish between the two areas (a blog is not an e-commerce site). Such a service should be included in your ecommerce web design packages and pricing.
It is highly advisable to do some promo through your blog (banner advertising, infomercial …).
– Make sure your general conditions (delivery, returns, method of payment accepted, guarantees …) are easily found by your users, all with the least possible misspellings.
– A pro design is crucial: avoid the websites made by the cousin who hack every night on his PC and call himself a professional … make sure you hire someone familiar with ecommerce design best practices.
– Offer professional photos and make sure you banish photos taken in a hurry with your old digital 2 Mega pixels in the kitchen of your apartment.
Take special care to make them with a plain background, with good cutting (not cut heads, clipping missed …), good brightness. If you are partnering up with ecommerce website design companies, they usually provide these kind of services.
You have to offer several pictures from different angles …
– Display a visible phone number and hire a call centre to respond quickly. Of course the person must know a minimum the products (training, FAQ …).
– Be clear when it comes to your prices or rates (for shipping costs indicate in the basket, and possibly indicate that they are offered or decreasing according to the quantity).
Everything has to be balanced according to the ecommerce website design cost but it is recommended to get it right from the beginning.
Step 2: Finding the right suppliers.
This is not an easy game if you do not fully know your industry …
I still wonder about my choice of suppliers, products … and costs.
Indeed in all professions there are unscrupulous suppliers (price increase at the last minute, delivery times too long, minimum shipping costs very high …) which is not very pleasant because in the end it is your image which will be spoiled when a customer will be disappointed …
My advice will be to be always looking for new suppliers, but when you find a good supplier do not let him go!
Preferred suppliers are those that have a good product track record (mini stocks, exhausted products …), which keeps you informed at the right time (promo …) …
And on your side it is recommended to request a meeting / assessment at least every 6 months (or year) to renegotiate rates, get gifts …
Step 3: Make your shop known.
The choice of the domain name and the site name is of course essential: it must be remembered, with strong brand signals… and if possible, contain the keywords of sales to improve SEO rankings.
But creating an ecommerce site begins even before the launch of the site …
Indeed, it is advised to “prepare for the launch” of your ecommerce website by creating first a thematic blog as part of the SEO campaign, and also to recruit your first prospects …
Step 4: Develop a strong e-marketing strategy
There is of course done by offering rates / products / great offers in your shop (introductory offers, special promo … to regularly rotate through advertising banners and images), set up a newsletter, coupon alerts, launch a program Loyalty and sponsorship …
But that’s not all: you have to bring your customers to your site … The first thing to do is to make your website easily found by search engines: set the URL rewriting (product name in the address product page), do not use frames for the structure of pages, use the flash as little as possible, optimize your pages (keywords, long descriptions …) …
If you do not have a big budget, it is advisable to set up partnerships with sites dealing with the same subject as you (but not competitors!) And to offer link exchanges and / or content.
Good luck for all your exciting adventures in the world of e-commerce!