The covid-19 pandemic brought about many changes in the world’s socio economic aspect. While the suffering of humankind amplified, the economic changes compensated for it. Online shopping has seen a massive hike in sales and revenues during the transition of 2019 and 2020. With the pandemic breaking in and imposing lockdowns, people limited their regular walks to supermarkets and resorted to online shopping. Since then, it has become a habit to order stuff online for many people around the globe.
With the growth in the number of online shoppers, many online businesses flourish while some yield to competition. Experts anticipate an increase in eCommerce businesses from 14% to a whopping 22.3%. Moreover, they expect online sales to touch $6.5 trillion by 2023.
Astounding but true. Hence, if you are planning to set up a brick-and-mortar, it’s time for you to rethink. The biggest strength of an online store is its reach. An online store allows you to generate increased sales by reaching potential customers from around the world. With the use of proper tools and resources, your eCommerce business can gain popularity in no time.
But, there is a crowd of beginners out there who are new to the technicalities of web building and SEO tools. So, it is not important to be a technical person to know how to create a website that sells products.
Tips to Build a Successful E-Commerce Site
Here are some important tips to build a successful e-Commerce site-
1. The uniqueness of the Product
It’s evident that you know exactly what you will be selling if you plan to create an online store. But, knowing that you are selling the best quality product is not enough to survive the tough competition. Nowadays, every digital entrepreneur is coming up with products that are excellent in quality as well as unique. The term ‘ideal’ means that the product must be something that makes a place in the heart and mind of the audience to create sustainability.
There are many online competitors with a huge customer base. Creating a space there with a considerably small online presence. In this scenario, it would take forever for you to sell something that is already being sold on competitive sites.
Therefore, you need to tick off three boxes to know whether the product you are selling online is earning you enough money. Firstly, you must go with a niche that creates more sales. Secondly, coming up with a unique and impressive product range is important. Finally, keep updated on the online demand for the product in question so that it creates more sales and it sustains the business.
Keywords to Find a Niche
A keyword is a word or phrase that people type in an internet search to find a particular result. Keywords are essential to finding a perfect niche for your online store.
Keyword research is a technique in which you get analytics and demographics of a certain keyword to know whether and how they are popular in terms of monthly searches. Depending on that, a keyword gets its ranking. For example, the number of daily searches shows how popular a certain keyword is.
Then, you can convert that into a product for higher sales.
The easiest way to do keyword research is through an online keyword research tool such as Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, or Ahrefs.
Suppose you are planning to make an online store for selling flowers, and you want to know the services you must include. With the help of a keyword research tool, you will clearly know how many monthly searches there are for the term ‘flower bouquets for birthdays’ or ‘flower delivery for an anniversary.
Now comparing the two numbers, you’ll get to know which one you should focus on. Similarly, you can search using a long-tail keyword in which you can put the location of your target audience. It will help you decide where your maximum audience is from.
This will also give you clarity about the secondary keyword or product of choice as well as the primary. For example, if the keyword ‘flower bouquets for birthdays’ gets 55% more monthly searches and ‘flower delivery for anniversary’ gets 45%, that doesn’t mean that you should discard the latter. Instead, it will mean that it has less popularity in comparison to the former.
More about Keywords
There is more to keyword research. Another thing is keyword difficulty.
This is basically a format for scores given against your keyword-by-keyword research tools. Your target is to keep the keyword difficulty score as low as possible. A lower difficulty means there is less competition in the keyword.
To put it simply, when there is more competition on a certain keyword, you have fewer chances to rank with that keyword, as the other big competitor websites are already using those to rank. As a new online presence, you may not do much about it.
A lower keyword difficulty score ensures higher SEO ranking resulting in more sales.
With that, your search for ideal products to sell on your new online store ends.
2. Supply of Your Stock
There are mainly two options for supplying your stock. These are- buying from a supplier, storing and reselling, or drop shipping.
The first option is beneficial for examining the stock’s quality before stocking it, checking if the stock is ethically sourced and improving the rapport with the supplier. This doesn’t apply to retailers who make their products for selling online.
The only con of this choice is that you will need a considerable cash amount to invest in purchasing the goods. Supposedly, if the business is unsuccessful, the money you invested in products will never sell-off. It also involves storing costs which can sometimes be huge.
Making smart and firm decisions while deciding on products to stock is very important to run a successful business.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is best for retailers looking for a small-scale online business.Before asking how to sell online, you must gather more information on this one.
Dropshipping works in the following way-
First, you take an order from the client, send the details to the supplier, and then they are the one who delivers it to the client.
It is a very popular method among new small-scale online businesses. It is a hassle-free way to deliver the goods you sell. Fynd Platform is the best eCommerce platform for drop shipping.
The biggest advantage of dropshipping is that there is no need for prior investments. The biggest con is no chance of supervising the products that are going for shipping. Another con would be you’ll only get to sell products with huge market value and popularity.
You must take care of the unethical activities of dropshipping companies. Some of them have bad track records, which can adversely affect your online business. Some of them have ill-made products with bad quality, which you don’t get to see.
In the end, it must be true that the Fynd Platform is far better than any other eCommerce platform for drop shipping. The wide range of apps and tools makes it a fair opportunity to compete with the biggest competitors in the market.
3. Choosing the Online Store Builder
The next step after identifying your niche and market, sourcing your stocks, and dropshipping providers, it’s time for another most important thing. That is the takeoff of your online store- the right online store builder.
You can do two things here: one, get help from an agency that does all the technical stuff for you to make the eStore, and two, use an eCommerce platform like Fynd Platform to create the online store yourself.
If you hire an agency to set up an online store, ensure the developer gives you access to a content management system or a CMS. A content management system allows you to get complete access to edit and manage your site completely. Additionally, it enables you to manage your store’s inventory all by yourself.
Simply put, it means you don’t have to pay the developer regularly to update the inventory or the content after your store is live. However, the basic maintenance fees will continue to go to the developer from your plan. This includes updating or including a website’s plugins, themes, or overall back-end support.
Another option is creating your online store using an online store builder. The popular choices of an online store builder are Fynd Platform, Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace, and Wix.
How to Build an Online Store for your Business
Now, the question is how to build an online store? The process of building an online store starts with selecting a theme for the store first. You have the power to customize them according to your target audience, the general idea of the products on sale, branding, etc. After that, you can add the products for selling, a payment processing program like PayPal, and launch your store.
Fynd Platform is comparatively easier in terms of features, accessibility, and ease of use. Although it needs experience and uses continually to get a hold of the platform, it is mostly popular for its beginner-friendly approach.
To know which online store builder is good for you, you need to go through the following discussions-
Shopify
With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive range of features, Shopify provides an ideal solution for entrepreneurs looking to establish a strong online presence. Through various built-in marketing tools and integrations, Shopify enables users to optimize their store for search engines, run targeted advertising campaigns, and leverage social media channels to reach a broader audience. Moreover, Shopify’s extensive app store offers a wide array of add-ons and plugins designed to enhance SEO, improve conversion rates, and drive more sales. Click for source to receive expert assistance to further enhance your Shopify store’s traffic and sales.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is an all-in-one platform that offers a cost-efficient plan for beginners with a variety of eCommerce features. These features are unique in terms of availability with other eCommerce platforms. It comes with a range of strong SEO features that helps you rank your online store.
Squarespace
The templates of a Squarespace online store theme are their strength. It also has extremely flexible customization opportunities. Adding or removing texts, features, templates, images, and pages along with blog posts is what Squarespace does for you.
The eCommerce features are in the developing stage right now, but they are improving well. The major drawback is the number of options, but if you have fewer complex choices payment-wise, it is great for you.
Wix
Mostly known as a simple website builder, Wix has many comprehensive eCommerce features.
Also, the prices are lesser compared to the other eCommerce store builders.
If you are just dipping your toes in the online business world and have fairly less expectations, Wix can be your choice.
4. Design Your E-commerce Website
One of the many things that makes an online business grow to become successful is its design. An e-Commerce site with great design and easy accessibility has the power to attract more shoppers and, eventually, more sales. The design works as a magnet when one is in a well-designed web space; it works as a first impression. The ease of use allows the users to come back again, aiding the revenue.
Make sure you have the following features in the design of your website before you make a site online–
Ease of use ‒ Ease of use is one of a website’s most important but underrated features. While everyone pays attention to the look and feel of an online store, ease of use makes the user spend more time on a certain page or page.
Organization of structure ‒ A site with good and easy navigation makes a lasting impression on a user. It helps the user to find categories and information on the site easily and comprehensively.
Readability‒ Readability may not seem relevant to an eCommerce site’s basic purpose. But some texts describe the products which need to have proper alignment and give a great reading experience.
Aesthetic design ‒ The simplicity and minimalism of the design make it easier for the audience to stay longer on the page rather than cluttered pages. The visual aesthetics of an online store has the power to create a lasting impression on the buyer while giving the brand identity.
Loading Speed ‒ Optimizing the loading speed of a webpage is crucial in terms of gaining more leads and sales. A site that keeps lagging immediately loses interest. Keep checking if the elements of the page synchronize well with the theme, which will increase the page load speed.
The elements of a webpage also play an important role in successfully making the website stand out. The following elements have the power to grow leads and sales of an eCommerce site that increases revenue-
The homepage is the first thing your potential customers will see once they land on your webpage. It must contain all the essential information about your brand in brief. Make sure to keep the description crisp so that you don’t bore your audience with a long note. It should describe your brand and what makes it unique. Also, a note about why the audience would choose your brand must be there. The homepage should have a menu or link to the other pages of your website.
Category‒ Categorizing your products makes it simpler for the user to go through the products through filtering. The category menu helps make the browsing experience great. It also helps the site stay organized for the sake of more sales. Categories help the users get a glance at the products and choose what they should go for.
Product Page‒ A product page is the description for each product. It has multiple options like wishlisting, adding to cart, product information, description, ingredients (if necessary), how to use, cautions, etc. Each product page must have review options.
Search‒ No matter what category your business falls into, your eCommerce site must have a search option. It allows the users to get easy access to the product they are looking for. Nowadays, everyone knows the value of time. So, a missing search bar on a website can make the users click back in no time. Additionally, a filtering option and a search bar will make it even easier for users to find a particular product.
Login Page ‒ A login and signup page ensures you get users that keep coming back. It helps with email marketing as well. A login and sign-up page can be a separate page or it can get a place on any of the pages, including the homepage. Just make sure the users don’t have issues locating and accessing it.
Shopping Cart ‒ A shopping cart is a must in any online store. It must display the products up for buying, their prices, discount percentage, shipping info, and much more. Adding related products can help in cross-selling more of your products. A field should be put in the pin codes for calculating delivery charges. Also, there must be a field to put coupon codes or promo codes for discounts.
Checkout‒ This page, mostly powered by the payment getaway system, is where your customers get redirected when they click ‘checkout’. It is basically where they get to enter their payment information. Make sure this page is secure so that the website doesn’t leak any data of the user to a third party.
Order Confirmation ‒ This is where your customers get gratification for placing an order with you. This page should have the option to cancel or edit the order.
FAQ ‒ One of the most underrated pages, FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions, is where the users seek help in case of any issue. The questions must involve returns, exchanges, and shipping
Contact Page ‒ This page offers additional help to your customers and helps them with the helpline numbers and customer support emails. If you have a physical store, you can also add the address.
5. SEO Optimization for Your Online Store
After you have finalized the product, marketing, and design, it is time to make it visible to the search engines. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is crucial for the success of any eCommerce project.
You can take help from any keyword research tools like Ahrefs, Semrush to search for exactly what kind of searches people have performed for a similar type of product, and make sure that your site includes all of those keywords in all the right places. Those are- page titles, product descriptions, headings, meta descriptions, and URLs
Furthermore, ensure that even a visually impaired customer can access your online store. With added SEO benefits, this will help potential customers with disabilities access your eCommerce site.
The online store builders themselves can give you a lot of assistance with SEO. If you are unsure about hiring an SEO expert or cannot do it yourself, opt for online eCommerce store builders.
6. Blogging as a Traffic and Lead Magnet
Adding a blog to your eCommerce website is a great way to turn traffic into potential sales. Blogs are the more personal and one-to-one way to share thoughts and solve queries. A topic relevant to them of your online store or categories of the products sold can act as a lead magnet that eventually turns into sales.
This is professionally known as ‘inbound marketing. It is currently a great way to get more sales and you must consider it for the growth of your business. You can hire the best inbound marketing agency or write yourself some keyword-rich, high-quality, and SEO-enabled blog posts about your business. Cross-linking or inbound and outbound links can help you get more sales through the blog post.
The two major purposes of this are- to show off your area of expertise so that the audience knows your strengths and grasps the topic. Secondly, it maximizes the chance of appearing in searches.
7. Digital Marketing for Promoting your Brand
If you have a considerable amount of budget for promoting your brand, which is necessary, then go for hiring an agency that does digital marketing. Alternatively, you can hire a Google Ads expert who makes attractive digital ads that, in turn, gets you more leads and sales.
Google Ads
Google Ads includes the identification of relevant search phrases that display the ads for your online business. This will also ensure your business appears in the organic Google search.
Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are rather easier for a beginner. These are extremely comprehensive, and anyone can create an online ad with Facebook.
Facebook is a smaller space compared to Google, so it is easier to get leads from Facebook. Upon entering the necessary information, Facebook displays your ads to people that match your preferred audience.
Apart from these, you can advertise your eCommerce site by creating email newsletters and email marketing campaigns that will get you a considerable number of sales.
Conclusion
If you are fresher, all of the above might appear as a shock or a heavy responsibility. However, getting accustomed to all these takes just a bit of time. Once you get familiar, it will be easier than you can imagine. All of these are proven to be beneficial for established as well as new businesses. So, don’t lose your enthusiasm.
