Guidelines for eCommerce Website in 2022

The recent pandemic has accentuated the importance of eCommerce web development services in facilitating shopping from anywhere around the globe. Customers believe that eCommerce has minimized the hassle that once accompanied shopping. On the other hand, companies prefer setting up an online store because it offers plenty of benefits at a low investment.

How To Develop an eCommerce website

CHOOSE A DOMAIN NAME

Think of a domain name as an address that links the audience to the company. It represents a brand’s digital presence at a global level to invite traffic from all around the world. While it represents the brand and depicts its business operations, a well-thought domain name also adds to the company’s credibility. The approach to deciding on a domain name is multifold. It should be creative, memorable, and similar to the company’s name. The latter strategy not only improves brand awareness but also reinforces it amongst the myriad of other companies. Businesses can rely on a domain name generator platform to derive useful ideas. If their desired name is available, all they need to do is purchase it.

PICK THE RIGHT HOSTING PLAN AND A HOSTING PROVIDER

Web hosting is required to establish and run a site and to make it accessible to the public.

Just like any other type of website, eCommerce depends on web hosting to be set up and rendered functional.  However, the decision of choosing a hosting plan and its provider can make or break a company. An unfit plan will negatively influence business operations and lead to a significant drop in sales and other opportunities. Therefore, what may seem cost-effective in the beginning end up causing more financial damage.

An efficient web hosting plan limits neither the website nor the company’s operations. The scalable plan does not hinder the growth of a company and hence continues to bring in new opportunities. However, considering the following aspects of a hosting plan can deliver optimum results,

• Bandwidth: is the amount of data that a website can deliver to its visitor at a specific time. If possible, choose a hosting provider that provides unlimited bandwidth for greater results.
• Storage: An eCommerce website should be capable of accomodating sufficient context to offer a seamless user experience.
• Speed: Low-speed results in high bounce rates and slow website traffic which can be disastrous to a business, especially fresh startups. Therefore, it is feasible to choose a hosting provider that offers optimum page load times for better conversion.
• Security: An eCommerce website that lacks security leads to a variety of disadvantages, that vary in severity. From data leaks to legal lawsuits, a company may face sufficient losses by a breach of security. A hosting service that offers access management, SSL certification, multiple layers of firewall, automated backups, and updates that guarantee protection.
• Customer support: Apart from offering a library of resources, an ideal hosting provider should provide round-the-clock assistance to ensure the site’s continuous performance.

OPT FOR THE RIGHT E-COMMERCE PLATFORM

An eCommerce platform is the same as a website builder. Various online store builders including Shopify and Woo Commerce offer numerous website designs and tools to optimize user experience. However, before picking an eCommerce platform, entrepreneurs should take into consideration its cost, features, and feasibility. The right platform will not deliver an archetypal website but will ensure its scalability and flexibility too.

DEVELOP PRIMARY WEBSITE PAGES

With the hosting provider and eCommerce platform picked, it is now time to focus on what the audience would experience. A site’s interface plays a crucial role in converting visitors into loyal customers. It includes,

Homepage:

A homepage is the flagbearer of the first impression that a user experiences when they enter a website. A visually appealing page requires only three seconds to load, retains the customer, and persuades them to make the next move.

About Us:

This section introduces the visitor to the brand’s narrative. It speaks of the motivation that fueled the establishment of the website and what it intends to achieve in the longer run.

Contact Us:

The section contributes heavily to a company’s credibility. On the other hand, it increases customer loyalty by making it easy to approach the company. When customers directly communicate to get their queries answered, they’re more likely to return to the shop in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions:

FAQs are a quick way to answer the most sought questions. From shipping and delivery details to refund policy, it ensures a hassle-free shopping experience.

Call to action (CTA):

A straightforward CTA along with uninterrupted navigation acts as an integral part of an eCommerce site. Designed as text, images, buttons, CTA directs customers to make the desired activity such as proceeding to check out or signing up for a newsletter. Furthermore, vividly appealing CTAs have also been proven to amplify page conversion rates.

AIM FOR A USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN

The primary goal of an eCommerce website is to drive revenue from its sales. However, to maintain the sale rate, a website should captivate the audience and convert them into loyal leads. User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) play a significant role to manifest these benefits. While the former optimizes the site’s ability to handle traffic influx the latter appeals to people with visual appearance. Despite being different in their approach, the two design elements significantly augment a site’s functionality. While a responsive design attracts customers, it is the loading speed that retains them. Moreover, one of the prerequisites for impeccable Google ranking is fast loading speed. Furthermore, an SSL certification and a mobile-friendly web design are some features that take the website to another level of performance.

What Are The Features of an eCommerce website?

Several features set apart an eCommerce website from others in the league. A website should be stable to prevent glitches that ruin the user’s shopping experience and damage the company’s reputation. Speed is another factor that contributes significantly to retaining the user and improving ROI.

Since more than half of a website’s traffic comes from mobile phones, a site must be mobile-friendly. Features such as progressive web apps enhance mobile loading pages and other aspects of user activity. Furthermore, a highly-interactive web template also promotes user retention; as it compels them to stay and navigate further. Studies have shown that 42% of visitors exit a website with poor functionality.

Also Read: Web Design Company in Amravati

Amongst various website features, the checkout page is unarguable, the most beneficial. However, seven out of every ten customers have reported leaving a cart unabandoned with a slow checkout process, rendering the entire shopping process useless. Since a large fraction of buying decisions are impulsive, lengthy checkouts, drastically influence the user’s motivation to buy and they end up leaving the site.

Lastly, transparent brand awareness pages also play a feasible role in developing a high-quality website. From terms and policy to the size guide, return policy, and FAQS – these sections add to the brand’s credibility and user’s trust

CONCLUSION:

Since an eCommerce website offers tremendous benefits to retail businesses, its setup on the world wide web needs diligent attention. However, to facilitate an immaculate shopping experience and ROI, an eCommerce website should be based on the said guidelines. Therefore, brands today, are relying on the best digital agency to cater to a global audience and that too, round-the-clock.