So you wanted to run your own business but you don’t know how to get started?
Luckily, you no longer need to put up shop just to start a business these days. The innovations in technology allow us to start an online store.
That said, here are six steps you need to keep in mind when building your e-commerce website:
1. Purchase a Domain Name
This is the first step to building your online business. This is easy if you already have an existing brick-and-mortar store, as all you need to do is ensure that your e-commerce site’s domain name matches your business name.
On the other hand, keep your domain name short so it’s easy to remember. It should match the niche where your business belongs, as it can help you drive in relevant traffic to your online store.
Lastly, aim for a .com domain. That’s because it is so common, Internet users tend to type it on their browsers automatically.
Keep in mind that the domain you will choose and purchase can have an impact on how you can scale your online business. Not to mention that you will pay for it and you’ll have to use it for at least a year.
2. Choose an Ecommerce Platform
Of course, your online store won’t go live online if you don’t have a reliable web host and e-commerce platform.
There are popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce. You can even use WordPress, which powers 30% of the websites worldwide, to start an online store.
Nonetheless, WPhost Managed WordPress Hosting NZ advises to make sure that your e-commerce platform has the following:
- It suits your business needs
- It’s user-friendly
- It’s SEO friendly
Another thing to keep in mind is that your web host should be reliable. Meaning it has at least 99% uptime, with 24/7 customer and technical support, scalable, and affordable.
This is to ensure that your e-commerce site is up almost all of the time, so you can keep on receiving orders even while you sleep.
3. Decide on Pricing and Set-Up Payments
There are three important aspects that you need to keep in mind when building an e-commerce business:
- How will you price your products
- How your customers can pay you
- How can you transfer those payments to your bank account
There are various factors to consider when pricing the products that you sell online. This includes the cost of creating your product, your desired profit margin, operational costs (web hosting and payment charges), taxes and fees, the on-going pricing in the market, and more.
Meanwhile, it’s important that you have multiple payment channels available. That’s because customers from all over the world have varied preferred online payment methods. Pick the payment gateway that can offer you the best flexibility and can make it easy for you to transfer your earnings to your bank account.
4. Design Your Store and Add Products
Designing your e-commerce store will not just dictate how it will look. It’s also how you can brand your business online. It can even determine how your site will look and feel among your online customers.
Depending on your content management system and e-commerce platform, you can opt to use and customize a free e-commerce theme. Or hire a web designer and developer to design your online business from scratch.
Whatever e-commerce web design option you pick, what’s important is that it can provide a great online shopping experience for your customers. Otherwise, you will have more bounce rates and abandoned carts than sales.
5. Create Your Product Pages
According to Neil Patel, your product pages can have an impact on whether your website visitor will turn into a paying customer or not. In fact, it’s one integral part of your business that you can control.
Here are some quick tips on how you can have a top-quality product page:
- Pick the Right Product Name. Make sure that your product names are instinctive, easy to remember, and can immediately communicate its benefit.
- Make Your Product Name SEO-Friendly. Depending on your niche, there are best practices that you should follow, as well as prohibited words that you should keep in mind (i.e. “Free Shipping”). The rule of thumb is to put the most important information first.
- Write a Compelling Product Description. Your product description is your one to two paragraph copy that describes what your product is all about, as well as the benefits that it can provide.
- Use High-Quality Product Photos. A picture can say a thousand words, especially in e-commerce. Hence, you shouldn’t skimp on uploading high-quality product photos.
6. Look After SEO and Analytics
Now that your e-commerce website is up and running, the next thing you need to do is to leverage search engine optimization (SEO) and learn to use web analytics.
The former allows your online business and products to be visible on the search results. The latter allows you to make an informed decision on what can be improved on your site.
Doing so allows you to generate and increase your business revenue.