Modern technology enables us to buy anything we wish for in a matter of seconds, with just a few clicks. Nearly anything we can think of is becoming available in an eCommerce store.
A visually appealing website design that is easy to navigate is a key part of any successful eCommerce business strategy. Utilizing a white label web design company can be especially beneficial in achieving this goal, as they can help develop a high-quality and optimized site. Moreover, your eCommerce business needs to maintain a healthy relationship with shoppers, thus constant enhancement of the website performance is one of the top priorities of a solid strategy.
Let’s dive into the most important aspects of what it takes to build a strong eCommerce website that results in satisfied and loyal customers.
7 Steps To Create a Killer eCommerce Website Design
From in-depth research to practical optimization of website visuals and SEO, here are the seven steps for developing a top-notch eCommerce store.
Step 1: Research and Planning
Every success story starts with thorough research, goal-setting, and careful planning. This is why answering key questions related to your business is the first step in developing a new eCommerce website.
This phase requires gaining deeper insights related to your target audience. Define who your customers are and create a user persona to understand better who your website is talking to.
Consider the demographic aspects of your target group, their personal preferences, as well as the pain points that lead them to visit your website and find the solution.
If you have been in business for a while and already have an email list of your customers, include them in the research. With tools such as HubSpot surveys, you can easily gather customer feedback and insights and tailor your website to meet their needs and top their expectations.
Furthermore, in this phase, doing a comprehensive Google competitor analysis is a good practice. Scan their websites for good practices and look for a way to turn their weaknesses into your strengths.
For example, if you notice that a customer of your main competitor complains in a review about the limited payment options they allow in their online shop, consider involving alternative payment systems on your site and offer it as an added value over your rivals.
Step 2: Choose the Right Platform
Choosing the right CRM and website-building tools to develop your site is crucial for establishing a web design that is compelling to your target group.
Among many different platforms for eCommerce sites, it is quite challenging to decide which option suits you best. Competitor analysis comes in handy when you need to choose the platform that aligns with your business needs and allows for future expansion.
For a new eCommerce business, the initial site you build should be a good balance between the budget you are investing in and the quality you deliver to kick off the sales. As your business grows, you might want to consider eCommerce re-platforming to a more scalable and secure solution.
Unless you are dropship, the internal organization of your product is particularly important when you are scaling your business and growing your eCommerce store. Prepare your retail system to keep track of what’s in stock and where each product is, enabling your team to prepare for shipping promptly and prevent your customers from waiting.
Step 3: Design the Ultimate User Experience
The basis of any eCommerce business is an appealing and responsive website. Test the site and learn about your customers' scrolling and search habits, if they are happy with the website navigation and product selection, and analyze how they behave in your online store. You can easily do so by employing a UX research tool.
With clear metrics that pinpoint the specific aspects of the website the customers are struggling with, you can continuously improve user experience and overall customer satisfaction.
Moreover, make sure to invest in quality communication with your customers. Be attentive. Answer their questions and address their concerns promptly and with care.
Use the newest technology to your advantage. Consider integrating AI chatbots as a way to improve customer relationships. AI chatbots can further improve the user experience by delivering personalized product recommendations, assisting with purchases, and pointing to the FAQ section.
Furthermore, make sure to create a smooth and responsive design. Your customers engage in online shopping from different devices, so mobile-friendly websites have a good advantage. Ensure your eCommerce site is fully responsive.
Step 4: Let Your Customers Participate
Building brand loyalty starts with your first customers, and then builds up when you start receiving positive feedback and public reviews. Other customers' experience influences purchasing decisions a lot, and it can make all the difference for your eCommerce store.
User-generated content takes a part of the most effective sales strategy for established brands, but it is exceptionally useful for an emerging new store yet unknown to the larger market. By featuring your most loyal shoppers and interacting with them, you can boost conversions–and it all starts on social media.
Integrating a social media feed into your website allows you to showcase user-generated content collected across Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and other platforms. By showing real video testimonials, product photos, and customer reviews, you can leverage user-generated content to engage new customers and promote social proof.
Step 5: Simplify the Checkout Process
Practicality is one of the main reasons why shoppers love to shop in an online store. Thus, it is your job to ensure every part of the journey on your eCommerce website runs smoothly.
The checkout process is the critical stage in the sales funnel. Many charts are abandoned because this phase was either complicated or took way too long. Even if you operate using invoices, it helps to simplify the process with esignatures and automated email follow ups.
Here are some practical ways you can optimize the checkout process:
- Allow guests to make a purchase. Enable your customers to buy your products without making an account.
- Highlight the CTA buttons. As the key element of your sales funnel, CTA buttons need to be compelling and always visible to the users.
- Expand the payment options. A variety of payment methods will ensure the checkout is adapted to a large number of customers. Including PayPal, Revolut, Apple Pay, and crypto payments, will satisfy a broader market and reduce cart abandonment.
Step 6: Ensure Website Security and Privacy
When your entire business is located online, cyber resilience, website security and privacy are crucial. When it comes to designing an eCommerce website, investing in security protocols is required not only to protect your company but for the customers to feel safe when visiting and making a purchase.
Here are four key security and data protection methods you must consider:
- SSL certificate. It enables you to encrypt the data transmitted between your website and the browser of your customers, securing the site and their personal information.
- Implementing VPN. VPN ensures data encryption and privacy protection during online transactions, providing a secure shopping experience for your customers.
- PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. When you process credit card information, your site needs to meet PCI data security standard requirements in order to prevent security breaches like debit card fraud.
- Clear privacy policy and GDPR compliance. Transparency of how you process the data of your online shoppers goes without saying, alongside complying with relevant data protection regulations. Moreover, using a Next DNS Alternative can further enhance security by blocking malicious websites and providing customizable privacy filters for a safer online browsing experience.
The bottom line is–your customers have to know they are safe when interacting with your brand, especially if that interaction is financial. Trust is a crucial factor in online business success, and these four methods listed here can significantly contribute to building and maintaining that trust.
Step 7: Invest in SEO
Having a beautifully designed website is not enough; it must be discoverable in search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a way of supporting your efforts in building a strong and customer-friendly site, by making sure it won’t go unnoticed.
Engaging and original content has always been the most prominent way to attract customers and make sure that search engines will organically promote your brand. When the information you share is useful and interesting to the audience, you are on the right track to becoming Google’s favorite.
Some of the best SEO practices include performing keyword research and naturally including set keywords into your website copy, titles, and product descriptions. On top of that, make sure your website content is complete by double-checking if the meta description is added, and relevant tags to images and videos.
Mobile optimization plays a big role in ensuring a solid SEO. Responsive design and mobile-friendly content improve the user experience and contribute to the ultimate website that is ready for search engine optimization.
To Wrap Up
Creating a new eCommerce website is a serious endeavor and requires careful planning for it to result in a successful outcome. Rome wasn't built in a day, so your website development trajectory is a process of trying and failing until you make it perfect.
Analyzing competitor websites and following market trends is only the first step. The key to the success of an eCommerce store is regular two-way communication with your target audience. Perform regular customer satisfaction surveys, read and respond to reviews, and use customer feedback to improve your products and services.
Finally, keep your site clean and secure. Easy navigation through product categories and smooth checkout are what ensure an overall pleasant customer experience and increases the chances of converting new purchasers into returning customers.