3 Steps to Building an Awesome, Scalable eCommerce Website

In this current world climate riddled with COVID-19 shut downs, social distancing mandates, and skyrocketing consumer online shopping, it’s obvious that an eCommerce website is a sales channel that you should be leveraging. 💻

Whether or not you have a dedicated website, I am dedicated to seeing small business owners succeed during this trying time. Here are 3 simple tips to either help give you a running start with a new site or provide fresh ideas to increase your current site’s effectiveness.

1. Pick your platform.

Thankfully, there are so many great companies that make it easy to build an eCommerce website. Not a coder? No problem! Don’t know a developer (or have a budget for one)? No worries! With sites like Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix, you can be up and running in no time. My personal favorite is Shopify, and that’s the platform we build websites for retailers on. A few reasons I love it:

• • Their customer support is amazing– even for the absolute eCommerce beginner. Live chat, email option, and even jump on the phone.
  • They have awesome Themes that make your website functionality user-friendly. The paid Themes are better than the free ones, mostly because they have more options for Navigation, Product Filtering and Marketing.
  • Easy to customize. After you pick your Theme, you can still add your brand colors, fonts and custom pages.
  • Easier to scale. Because Shopify has access to over 3,000 apps, it makes it easier to grow and scale your eCommerce website using apps. One of my favorites is ReConvert which allows you to upsell, cross sell, optimize thank you pages and more.

2. Start simply.

It’s easy to get stuck in the weeds with details (like uploading tons of product info, deciding on the best pictures, adding SEO rich copy, or choosing a Theme). If you’re just starting with a new website, keep it simple. Your eCommerce website will evolve over time. You’ll learn how customers navigate your website, what they’re buying, and become more comfortable with your platform to know what your next traffic and sales-driving steps are. I recommend starting with just 20-50 products. And when choosing a Theme, I recommend picking one you can grow into that has a multi-level sidebar menu for product filtering. It will make it easier for customers to shop your inventory (unless you sell 10 or less products).

3. Build with marketing in mind.

Once you launch your website, you still need to spend time (and often money) marketing and advertising your eCommerce website. Look for functionality that allows you to:

• • Collect an email address and first name from website visitors
  • Add your Facebook Pixel for remarketing Facebook and Instagram Ads
  • Install apps that can upsell, cross sell, or gather reviews from customers
  • Add loyalty possibilities so you can send special promotions or discounts to your top customers and/or feature them on your social media

Marketing and advertising your eCommerce website are of the utmost importance to your success, otherwise you’ll have a site that simply sits there producing anxiety because no one is buying from you.

Good luck to all of you endeavoring with online selling right now and, in case you missed it up top, my team and I can build you a Shopify website of your own! Click here to join the waitlist or email us at  [email protected] with any of your questions. We’re happy to help! 😁

Want to know more about other social media marketing strategies that will surely help you during this COVID-19 pandemic? Be an Insider!

Comments

comments