In a world of templates and plug-ins, creating an online store doesn’t have to be technically difficult. Creating an eCommerce site that maximises your sales opportunities is a little more challenging.
There are literally dozens of possible tweaks and improvements that could make your e-commerce site perform better. But before getting into the fine-tuning it’s a good idea to make sure you’re playing the right instrument.
There are three fundamental things that you have to get right in any eCommerce business. These are:
- Building your experience around your customers
- Content and images
- Simplifying the buying process
Know Your Customers
Your ideal customer has product features and benefits they prefer. They’ll have ways of searching for the products they want to buy. And they’ll have must-have answers to some critical questions.
A one-size-fits-all eCommerce site won’t take any of that into account. Understand what your customers want from an online buying experience and then give it to them.
Knowing your customers will help you get your SEO right. The easy approach is to do some basic research on popular search phrases and use the most common ones for page titles, headings and product descriptions.
Effective SEO for eCommerce is more nuanced than that. You have to try to interpret intent. Is somebody looking for general information about a product or actively looking to buy?
Simplifying your site with a clear URL and internal linking structure will not only help search engines, it’ll also make it easier for users to find their way around.
Content and Images
Pictures sell. Good pictures that let somebody clearly see the product (ideally in use) will sell more. Product descriptions can be bland and functional or they can be crafted to build desire and overcome potential purchase barriers.
This is where we see some of the biggest differences between so-so sites and ones that perform.
Keep It Simple
We humans are strange and complex creatures. You can’t always predict how people will behave. But one thing we all favour is simplicity.
This is evolutionary. Thinking takes a lot of effort. So we try to save it for when it’s really needed. Making an online purchase generally isn’t one of those occasions.
Every choice or decision people have to make in the buying process will knock out potential sales. Refine, test and refine your product selection and checkout process until it’s as effortless as you can make it. And then refine, test and refine some more.
If you want to step-up your eCommerce performance you need to think beyond out-of-the box templates and plug-ins. Expertise and experience really do count. Come and talk to us, or visit our resource centre to find out more.
