How to Start and Successfully Build Your eCommerce site?
Consumer nature changes over time to adapt to modern technology and the digital age. The usage of the internet and rapid technological advancement is growing popular. As a result, Everyone with internet access can buy products and service easily from eCommerce site now. The number of consumers that go online to find a local business is increasing day by day.
Being able to walk through countless products without leaving your comfort zone or while waiting in line or on transport, makes eCommerce a truly convenient way to shop in a modern way. If you want consumers to choose your company, you need to have a professionally designed, eye-catching, sales-increasing, and brand-differentiating eCommerce site.
When you shop online, seamlessly check out and then conveniently have your desired products shipped directly to your doorstep, you might think the process isn’t that complicated. But in reality, the process is pretty detailed and time-consuming. Below are the tips and tricks that will not only ensure you take the quickest and most professional route to get your site up and running. It will help you to ensure your marketing’s future success.
One Year SEO Strategy
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a specified process. You are optimizing your website & contents with your targeted keywords. The main goal of SEO is to rank in the search result, such as Google. But optimizing your site ultimately means creating the best possible result for your target keyword. Starting an eCommerce store from scratch is a pretty challenging and intricate process.
It can be really frustrating to have this functioning site and business model that you have worked so hard on but couldn’t generate organic traffic. So you can kick off your SEO strategy early, a year prior to site launch, while simultaneously building your website. You needed this time anyway for development, so why not make the most of it and kill two birds with one stone.
Here is a list of steps you can take to get started and successfully build your eCommerce site:
Purchase a domain name
The first thing you need to do is choose a fabulous, memorable business name that no one else is using. You need to choose a domain name that is easy to say, spell, and relates to your business. Make sure whatever you choose fits your niche.
eCommerce website hosting platform
Designing & Developing a quality eCommerce website is one of the biggest challenges for you. It may be the biggest expensive portion in your business operation. Selecting a popular eCommerce platform can save both your time and money. I will recommend Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce. These are familiar among web devs. Also, these are easy to integrate with plugins, payment processing, a big volunteer community, etc.
Find a web developer
If you want to launch your site in a relatively short time span and in a professional manner you need to hire a web developer who excellence in the skills you require. To find a web developer first you need to determine your project’s requirements.
Launching an eCommerce site is much more complicated than developing a simple website. You should ask a prospective company about previous experience with eCommerce development. You should also check their portfolio and references to get more ideas about their experiences.
Business license and permits
Even if your business is an only online business you still need certain business licenses and permits. You will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to open your business bank account and taxes. You can contact a local attorney to assist you in the creation of your business. It may cost you some money but will save you from significant headache and expense in the future.
If you will be making taxable sales, you will need to obtain Seller’s Permit or Vendor’s License with the appropriate state agency. In order to work with vendors, you will need this. Even for nonprofit organizations check the paperwork that’s needed. This is not a step that can be skipped or overlooked.
Promote your eCommerce business
We have already talked about a one year SEO strategy that will help you to develop your business. Social media platforms are a great platform to advertise your business too. As soon as you decide to start your business you should take your site to live, even before listing any of your products.
Just a functioning eCommerce site with an “About Us” and “Contact” page will do. You can also publish a blog that tackles common challenges that people have in your niche. Email marketing has a higher rate against other marketing channels when it comes to conversation. Launching your website early without many details will definitely have more effects on your sales than launching a perfect website.
Personalized outreach
You can take a step to publish a press release about your eCommerce site. It is important to research reports and editors so when you pitch them a story idea, the email doesn’t get buried in their inbox or deleted unread. A press release in local media can help to spread out the word about your business running.
You should also have a good relationship with suppliers or vendors. The vendors are the people who dictate sales and promotions. They know the most about the product you are selling. You should let them know that you are a team and they will appreciate it and will think of you anytime they have a special deal, promotion, or even a marketing idea. Keeping a good relationship with them will maintain the supply to keep up with the demand of your customers.
Get a payment gateway for your eCommerce site
A payment gateway is a service provider that provides payment authorization. You will need to implement a payment gateway in your eCommerce website to have the opportunity to obtain payments directly from your customers. If you want to accept credit cards, recurring billing, and mobile payment, a gateway like authorize.net or 2Checkout.com provides great options.
It is not an easy process so make sure you research well and try when you are prepared. But before applying for payment gateway, you need to set up a secure checkout process on your website that should include Privacy Policy and Return Policy. You should also figure out your shipping and delivery methods and a customer service phone number that works and an email address. This process can take a while so don’t wait until the last minute to start this process.
Google shopping and Facebook Product Catalog
Google shopping campaign presents an array of products that have each complemented with an image and a price when consumers search a product on Google. In the final stage of development, you can set your Google Shopping Campaign to ensure your product images populate when customers search for relevant keywords.
Facebook has become an influential marketing channel for business. Facebook offers retailers to automatically promote their product catalogue on Facebook displaying the right product to the relevant consumer.
Order packaging and shipping
One of the toughest challenges in building an eCommerce business is managing shipping and fulfilment for your products. Before you launch your website, you need to figure out how to store and ship your inventory. You will have to determine storage to make arrangements with your vendors. While packing a product for shipping; check the type of the product you are shipping, select the most appropriate packaging material to protect your products, protect your parcel with a good seal, and don’t forget to put a level on it.
Some businesses keep free shipping as a sales increasing strategy. With the right partner, shipping can be manageable, affordable, and fast. The right eCommerce shipping strategy for your business will depend on your audience, budget, margins, products, and a variety of other factors.
Conclusions
The future of eCommerce is bright. But starting an eCommerce business is hard work and demands many steps and decisions that need to come together at the right time. It is challenging but exciting as well. Online shopping used to be posh people’s things. But now it’s a necessity for everyone. A fruitful eCommerce business must have to be exceptional, unique, and more productive than your comparative to succeed. No matter what business you decide to start, make sure you research all the necessary information.
// This article was written by Maliha Khanam. Featured Image made from Freepik & Post Images collected from Unsplash.