What Makes an Ecommerce Website Successful ?
A generation ago, when people were just starting to buy things online, eCommerce websites looked pretty much the same. They had a home page with links to general categories or special offers, and then an endless list of product pages that featured prices and descriptions.
But today’s successful eCommerce sites are nothing like their predecessors. Instead, they feature blog posts on trends in fashion or inspirational quotes; offer videos of how products work; provide digital magazines filled with stories about new products; encourage customers to share feedback through social media; use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques like keyword targeting and backlinking campaigns to make it easy for prospective buyers to find them using Google searches-and that’s only the beginning!
The world is online, so eCommerce sites have to be online as well. Being an expert at SEO is a must, but there are other things that today’s successful eCommerce sites do that not all site owners understand quite as well.
What Makes an Ecommerce Website Successful?
To create a successful eCommerce website, certain elements should help guide you in the right direction.
Is your eCommerce website optimized for mobile devices?
If not then it’s time to get on that ASAP. It’s been reported that more than half of all online shopping is done via mobile device.
Platforms like Shopify and Square Space are completely mobile friendly so it’s not hard to have a site that works on every size screen. For a customized platform like Woocommerce, it requires you to hire a developer to make your shop’s theme responsive.
The next step is to optimize your images for mobile devices.
Studies show that 53% of people will abandon an eCommerce site that doesn’t work on their phone or tablet.
Is your website user-friendly? Is it easy to find what you’re looking for? Are there too many glitches, too much waiting time, etc.? Think about the last time someone tried to navigate through your site. Did they come away happy or frustrated? Would they recommend your site to others? If not, you may want to rethink how you are displaying your products and services.
People are impatient these days – even more so online!
How are you helping shoppers find what they are looking for?
If potential customers have too difficult of a time finding products they might just leave instead of trying to figure out how to make their way through your site, which will likely result in lost revenue.
No one wants that! You want people to feel welcomed and excited when browsing through your store if you hope they’ll purchase something at some point during their visit.
Showing products in order of popularity or using filters are great ways to enhance searchability on your site.
Does your eCommerce website have fast load times?
When it comes to speeding up your website, there are a number of things you can do in order to help improve load times and better the user experience.
And in case you didn’t know, this is super important when it comes to conversions – if people have a hard time navigating around then they’re probably going to leave and look for another site that’s able to meet their needs.
Is your eCommerce website secure?
If you don’t take the necessary precautions when it comes to securing your site then you could be putting people in danger, which is never good.
Online shopping is dangerous and exposed to hackers everywhere, so you have to make sure your site is protected.
IP authentication is a great first step. It prevents non-authorized devices from accessing the network and ensures that only authorized users are given access – which means cybercriminals can’t gain access through your site or stop them from using it if they do somehow manage to get past all of your other security measures.
Is there a stellar return policy?
So what if someone buys something and they hate it…are they stuck with it or will you make things right in the end? Furthermore, are they able to figure this out on their own or do you need to go above and beyond when informing them about your policies before they’re even ready to buy anything?
Having a strong return/exchange policy can deter potential customers from purchasing something, but then again having one that’s too lenient may create more work for your company (returns/exchanges take time and effort to process, after all).
How to Increasing Traffic for Your Shop
Take a look at this list of the most important strategies for increasing your eCommerce website’s traffic and making sure that it can compete with the others in its niche:
Hire a great web designer and developer
This is the most important step in creating an eCommerce website that’s easy to navigate and looks great on any device.
If you’re not a good web designer or aren’t well-versed in coding then hire one! Designing and developing a custom platform for your store will guarantee that it works smoothly across all devices and that it is secure.
You don’t want to mess with things you’re not familiar with while trying to create a new site, even if it’s just the design/UX of your eCommerce website that needs work.
Think about creating a blog or digital magazine
Your eCommerce site isn’t going to get a whole lot of visitors if you don’t have a blog or digital magazine.
That’s because it gives people a reason to return to your website and something interesting to read while they’re there.
But more importantly, you can use this space as a way to connect with potential customers by giving them helpful tips, sharing industry news that may affect your business, etc.
Write engaging content on social media channels
This is another step you should consider taking if you want people to visit your eCommerce website so they can see what other awesome products or deals you have.
You should be posting things related to your niche on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook (in addition to Instagram and other social media sites) regularly in order to get more eyes on your website.
However you choose to do it, you’ve got to spread the word through social media somehow, or else people won’t know that your site exists!
Are there any good SEO practices?
You should definitely incorporate some great SEO practices into your eCommerce website if you want it to stand out and gain traffic from search engines.
Some things you can do are: set up Google Analytics so you can track performance, add lots of links back to your site for people who use their phones while they’re browsing other sites online, focus on creating high-quality content instead of just focusing on keyword density, etc.
Remember that these are just the fundamentals of what makes an eCommerce website successful, so there’s plenty more you may want to consider adding depending on your business.
For example, if you sell clothing or luxury items then maybe investing in Adobe Creative Suite or hiring a videographer is something you should look into. Or if you run some sort of wholesale site then maybe having some sort of web mapping on your site will be beneficial to your visitors (and help increase sales).
However, you decide to go about it, keep all of this information in mind as well as the fact that every piece of advice related to increasing traffic for your eCommerce site can be easily found online at the click of a button! Be sure not to copy and paste anything from the internet.
Conclusion
In order to have a successful eCommerce website, many factors need to be considered. Responsiveness is crucial as most people now access the internet via mobile devices as opposed to personal computers.
The site needs to be simple in design which allows consumers an easy time navigating through products with clear CTA (call-to-action). The layout should also follow best practices for SEO which will generate traffic by search engine results.
Creating a blog or digital magazine increases return visits and provide helpful tips that may encourage more users to purchase something on one’s store; however, it should not take up too much of an eCommerce site‘s focus as selling goods is the primary purpose behind creating such platform.