ECOMMERCE WEBSITE DESIGN

Creating your eCommerce plan

Know what products you are going to sell

The first step is to decide what you’re going to sell. You can sell an individual product, a range of products or even a service. Researching the product, you intend to sell is critical for success.

Know your target market

Research the market to get an understanding on the popularity and relevance of your product. Using free online tools such as; Google AdWords and Keyword Tool will allow you to get an insight on how many people search for the your product and / or services each month.

Understanding who your target audience is and their needs is pivotal in the success of your product. Finding the problems in your competitors and portraying your product as the solution will ensure that you have distinctively differentiated yourself from the competitor’s business. Ensuring your eCommerce website addresses itself as a solution will enhance your message and increase your chance of purchase.

Things You Need to Set Up

The second step in ensuring you have a successful eCommerce website is deciding on your daily operations. Research, careful planning and evaluating will be key here so take your time with this one.

Decide on a domain name

Your domain name should be a reflection of your eCommerce store name. Something that is easy to spell and remember while avoiding unnecessary symbols and numbers so that your visitors and potential buyers are able to access your store is key for a struggle and hassle free business.

As part of your eCommerce website, you can choose to manage your own web hosting or choose an option whereby your website design company manages your hosting on your behalf.

Managing hosting on your own is pocket friendly and generally a lot more flexible however this does come with some with down side, most cloud based eCommerce web solution providers such as Neto, Shopify and Bigcommerce require the site to be hosted by them. With a Woocommerce website you'll be able to host the site yourself.

It’s in the best interest of your business to avoid cheap hosting as this can often insinuate shared servers that result in slow website speeds and can negatively impact on your SEO (your website’s ability to rank organically in search results such as Google, Yahoo and Bing).

Decide on the type of eCommerce platform

There are many factors to consider when deciding on what type of eCommerce platform you want your business to grow from as many platforms are limited to upscale with you as your business grows.

Here at Swift Productions we work with the top 4 eCommerce platforms such as; Neto, Shopify, Bigcommerce and Woocommerce. These platforms are great as they are beginner- user friendly for those who are just starting out and for established businesses who are looking to further advance. Additionally, these platforms allow you to grow your audience as they can be connected with leading online marketplaces including; eBay, Amazon, Catch and various Social Media Platforms.

Payments

It is important to consider which payment avenue your business will take as it facilitates the initial reason as to why you opened your store!

A simple, intuitive and most of all secure payment system will instil trust in your brand and encourage shoppers to come back. There is an array of options for receiving payments including, eWay, Apple pay, Google pay, Zip Money, Zip Pay, Afterpay and PayPal. PayPal is considered to be the most secure payment option which consumers genuinely opt for. This payment option is also inclusive in all of our eCommerce platforms.

Shipping

When it comes to shipping there are an array of options to choose from which will depend on various factors including: The location from which you will be posting your products, your desired order turn-over, shipping fees, free shipping, flat rates and returns. All of these options and factors should be considered before launching your online store. eCommerce has built in default choices to consider for your shipping companies, otherwise there are Australian Post, Star track and other private courier companies to choose from.

Your Website Details

Web design and Development

When you think about your website design it’s important to understand that it stands as your store front. Having an aesthetically pleasing design is imperative to catch the attention of your buyer although the flow of your eCommerce design is pivotal in turning over conversions. Ensure that your store policies and contact details are easily visible. Highlight your strengths such as a longer returns policy or free express shipping to entice customers to purchase.

While designing your new website we envision to work closely with our clients both professionally and exceptionally to meet and exceed all expectations. We want to ensure that our clients websites can be crawled by google accurately and if there is a recommendation being made by external parties or by Swift Productions themselves we promise to communicate before any of these changes have been implemented ensuring only the best for our clients.

Ensure your site is secured with a SSL certificate

Obtaining a SSL (Secure sockets layer) certificate is critical for the security of your online store as it used to encrypt parts of your website that collects personal information and data from your website users. The SSL prevents scammers, fraudsters and third party websites from accessing your customer’s personal information, particularly bank cards. SSL’s are essential for any eCommerce business.

With all our website hosting accounts we offer a SSL certificate free, if however you are hosting your own website we recommended you to ensure you have a SSL certificate installed. We encourage you to do your research on which SSL certification you want to obtain as the prices range from $49 – $300 annually.

Get the word out

Time to start advertising

By now your website should be up and running. Policies should be in place, shipping and product information should be up and your product catalogue should be loaded. The final step in launching your website is to go public and spread the word! You’ll need to kick start your online marketing through various platforms to promote your store. When trying to promote your eCommerce store get creative and try new ways to advertise. Encourage visitors to opt-in to your latest news and promotions and facilitate a discount code or voucher for signing up. Send reminders to past and future buyers about up coming sales and remind shoppers that the items they’ve been looking at are still available for purchasing.

As well as search engine optimisation (SEO), Google AdWords and other more traditional forms of digital marketing, with eCommerce you have so many opportunities to get creative with your on-site marketing too.

Other functionality such as product reviews, social media such as an Instagram feed showcasing how buyers are using your products, and integrations into the Facebook marketplace are just some of the amazing ways to take your eCommerce marketing to the next level and help your business grow!