To stand out and attract the attention of online shoppers these days, selling excellent products is no longer sufficient. A website that is optimized to draw in and convert visitors is necessary for successful eCommerce sellers. That covers everything, from following SEO best practices to make sure your website can be found, to persuading your audience to buy with persuasive copywriting.
Here’s a guide on how to build an eCommerce website from scratch on making your store stand out
1. Decide The Product You Want to Sell
You must have noticed the existence of numerous eCommerce websites selling a variety of goods while browsing the web. Some websites specialize in selling a particular line of goods or services, such as clothing, trip arrangements, fashion accessories, etc. Additionally, some additional eCommerce websites offer a variety of products for sale, including mobile phones, laptops, home appliances, books, CDs, handy cameras, sports equipment, and more. The latter is similar to a massive department store that offers everything under one roof.
Therefore, choosing the good or service you want to sell on your website is crucial at the outset. Estimating the regional demand is crucial while choosing the trade commodity. Irrespective matter whether they are online or offline, customers will always prefer to purchase goods from a local seller. In the event of incorrect or defective shipments, the local provider would always guarantee quicker deliveries, simpler payment arrangements, and earlier replacements.
2. Choose Your Business Model
You can select the business plan for your eCommerce company based on your needs as the owner. You have two options for selling: either you can just do it through your website or you can also list your goods on online stores like eBay, Amazon, Flipkart, etc. On both sites, you can simultaneously sell your goods.
3. Choose A Branded Business Name, Logo And Domain Name
The next step would be to select a business name and register a domain after deciding on your product line and business model. A company name ought to be memorable to your target market and pertinent to your products. A domain provides an identification and facilitates recognition by online customers. Nevertheless, obtaining a shared domain might be preferable for businesses with minimal funding.
Sharing a domain with an established name makes it easier to reach out to your target buyers. As the business grows, it would be wise to have a dedicated domain as it helps in search engine optimization and easier recognition.
4. Choose Your Content Management System
A content management system serves as the cornerstone of every website (CMS). Open-source platforms like WordPress and beginner-friendly all-in-one website builders like Shopify or Squarespace are just a few of the many content management systems available. Which is best for you and your online business will depend on your financial situation, level of experience, and particular e-commerce requirements.
5. Create An Account Or Get Web Hosting
If you chose WordPress as your CMS, creating an account is the next step after making your decision. The next step is to purchase a web hosting plan if you intend to use WordPress to develop your e-commerce site. The best web hosting companies offer one-click WordPress installation, a free domain name registration, and an SSL certificate. These features eliminate the need to manually link your domain and hosting to WordPress.
Use the provider’s website to sign up for an account if you’re using a website builder like Shopify, Squarespace, Square Online, or Wix. If your selected CMS permits it, register your domain name using it to save having to manually configure it.
Use a domain name registrar to register your domain if your selected CMS does not allow you to do so. See our post on the top domain name registrars for assistance in making your decision.
6. Select An E-commerce Theme Or Template
Themes are pre-built themes that give your website a unified appearance and feel. Whether you choose to build your e-commerce website with WordPress, Shopify, Wix, or another platform, you will have a wide selection of prebuilt templates and themes to pick from on all subscription platforms.
Remember that although while most platforms offer free templates, some also provide paid or premium layouts. For instance, both Shopify and WordPress have paid themes. The advantage is that many of them provide more distinctive designs, which can assist companies that desire a certain look to spend less time designing their preferred theme.
7. Customize Your Site And Build Out Web Pages
This is where you will build up pages from your homepage to your refunds and return policy page, update your header and footer, and set up your site’s navigation
8. Designing Your eCommerce Store
Your eCommerce website serves as your store, thus it must be made easy for customers to use. You should provide information on your marketable goods and services on your website. Your website should have information to help potential customers decide, such as images, descriptions, prices, user reviews, and ratings. So that customers are never mislead, you must make sure that your website flawlessly shows your offerings. Your website and web pages must be visually appealing because they serve as online consumers’ first impressions of your brand.
9. Set Up The Payment Gateway
Customers need to have a variety of payment alternatives while doing business online. Tools to automatically set up these features for your website are provided by eStore builders. Payments should be made by the customer using a credit card, debit card, online wallet, net banking, COD, etc.
10. Secure Your Website By Installing SSL Certificate
One must make sure that their connection is secured by a Secured Security Layer for all websites that conduct online data transfers (SSL). The SSL certificate increases customer trust while maintaining the security of your website. These days, even Google advises every website to have an SSL certificate.
11. Select Your Shipping Partner
As soon as you begin selling goods via your eCommerce website, you must use courier services to deliver those goods to your customers. The best choice is to use a service like Shiprocket, which aggregates eCommerce logistics. They offer you a variety of courier agency choices to ship your product for the most affordable shipping rates so that you can receive the highest possible profit value for your share.
12. Optimize Your Listings For Search Engines
All businesses need search engine optimization (SEO), but ecommerce websites especially need it. Search accounts for 39% of all e-commerce traffic worldwide. Since your company operates online, one of the best ways to attract new customers is to optimize your page so that users can find it when they search for keywords associated with your goods.
The first step for SEO is keyword research. The goal of keyword research is figuring out what words your target audience uses to search for products like yours on search engines. You want keywords that have a high search volume but aren’t impossible to rank for.