Friday 25 May 2012

Creating An E-Commerce Website




The world of e-commerce is the fastest growing retail environment today and this shows no sign of slowing. More and more companies are realising the benefits of conducting their business online. Whilst trading on a global scale over the internet brings previously unheard-of opportunities for even start-up companies, this does also mean a huge amount of competition. If you are setting up your own e-commerce business it is vital that you get your website right, as this represents the public face of your company.

Here are some things to bear in mind when your website is being constructed:

Design: Your website should not be over-cluttered with unnecessary information or graphics. Rather, it should be bold and simple, and designed to present your products in the best possible way. If you are a small start-up company you probably won’t have a full-time designer on board, so the best thing to do is hire an e-commerce web design company. They will be able to work with you to create a website design to suit your business and one that will appeal to your target audience.

Ease Of Use: But it is not enough for your website to look right. Another job of an e-commerce web design company is to put it together in such a way that it is easy for customers to navigate. The point of your website, after all, is to convert visitors into paying customers and they will lose interest if they can’t find the products they are looking for. Work with your web designer to ensure the links are as simple and integrated as possible.

Bringing In Visitors: Of course, in order to get those sales you have to attract visitors to your website. Online marketing methods such as email marketing and pay-per-click can work very well in driving traffic to your site. It also pays to bring in an SEO consultant to boost your search engine rankings. Otherwise, no matter how elegantly laid out your website is, clients will not be aware of your existence and will buy the products they need from one of your many competitors. You can’t afford to let this happen.

Security: Many people are still wary of buying online because of the fear of credit card fraud. You should ensure, therefore that your website has an easy, efficient and safe payment processing system. An https checkout page means that the site is protected and PayPal is the secure payment method of choice, so make sure you offer this. The majority of people who purchase online will feel reassured if they are able to buy through PayPal.

No comments:

Post a Comment