Steps for building an online store
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The main goal of an ecommerce site is to increase the chances of generating revenue for your business by offering users a way to purchase your product via a payment gateway directly from your website. |
Customers do not have to walk into your store to purchase, they can now go to your site and purchase online. Creating an online store for your business means that you can extend your reach farther than just your physical store or shop.
Setting up an online store can be very confusing, so here are 5 easy steps to creating a successful ecommerce site:
- Build your website with ecommerce in mind
Begin by analyzing other online purchasing websites to give you an idea of how you would like your site to look like. Analyse aspects such as navigation, how to layout your products and also consider the ecommerce software you will use to build website (choosing a reliable system that allows you more control and maintain it yourself through the login administration panel).
Choosing the right ecommerce software is essential. There are many free and paid solutions available and deciding which one is the best can be a nightmare. You need to first identify what your needs are, compare that to other ecommerce websites and then choose a software solution that fits your needs and can deliver or produce exactly what you are after. One important thing to remember is too also choose a tool that will be easy for you to manage. If it is confusing, it may not help you at all. If you are working with a web development company, make sure that you communicate your needs so that they understand and can implement it into a suitable tool. Do not take the first suggestion your development company suggest, first make sure that it is the right tool for the job. - Web hosting
Select a web hosting service that provides enough disk space and bandwidth to host your website and ecommerce software. Make sure you consider the option to allow you to upgrade your hosting plan, should you need more space and bandwidth.
Make sure that you choose a hosting option that caters for the technical aspects of your website and that of your ecommerce software. Make sure they are compatible with each other and that the hosting provider is up to date with the latest versions in server environment software and applications. (Note that some Hosting Providers even offer ecommerce tools included in their hosting options) - Showcase your products
List all your products using easily accessible variables, for example:
- product name
- product category
- product size/function
- price
- sale items
- Accept online payments
Experts state that the easiest solution for accepting online payments is to integrate your ecommerce software with the PayPal shopping cart (enabling you to accept online payments without purchasing a merchant account payment gateway or separate shopping cart).
Technical support is also essential in this stage to provide steady feedback and help with urgent issues. - Promote your new site
Once the ecommerce site has been built, you must test its functionality (processes, errors, feedback buttons and order tracking), and if satisfied you may now launch it.
In order to generate any sales, you must drive ‘relevant’ traffic to the site, for example, through:
- Search engine optimisation
- Pay per click marketing
- Submit website to online directories and search engines
- Video/ Social media marketing
- Press releases
- Blogging
- Newsletter
It is also important at this stage to monitor site statistics which shows you how many visitors come to your site, where they come from, and how they navigate the site.
Make sure that the client may be able to find what they are looking for with ease according to the specific variables.
Providing clear categories for your products is essential as this will allow users to find something much faster, so eliminating possibility of frustration to the users. Also try and offer other ways for users to find what they are looking for.
There you go, we hope that these basic guidelines will get you thinking before you start your project.
