How to Build an E-commerce Website That Drives Sales

E-commerce websites have come a long way since Amazon launched its pioneering platform in 1995. With the ever-increasing shift towards online shopping, it has become essential for businesses to establish a strong online presence. If you’re considering building a successful online store, this guide from our digital marketing and web development agency in Melbourne will provide you with insights on what sets e-commerce website designs apart from other sites, the essential steps to build one, how to choose the right hosting provider, how to optimise your SEO strategy, and how to ensure both short-term and long-term success for your online store.

What’s Happening in the World of E-commerce in Australia?

The Aussie e-commerce market is on track to reach US$37.65 billion in revenue by 2023, with a projected annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 9.78%. This growth is expected to lead to a market volume of US$54.68 billion by 2027.

According to the Australian e-commerce report for 2023, convenience continues to drive online purchases for 67% of consumers. Rising living costs have also led to increased focus on discounts, loyalty programs, and price comparisons to mitigate unexpected price hikes.

In the 12 months to June 2023, Australians spent $53.29 billion on online retail. In July 2023, 20.6 million Australians aged 14+ engaged with retail websites or apps, spending an average of 351 minutes each during the month. Nearly all online Australians visit retail websites or apps each month and 59% shop online every 2-3 weeks, maintaining their shopping frequency over the past year.

Half of online shoppers buy groceries online at least once a month, consistent with 2022. 73% purchase non-grocery retail products online monthly, unchanged since 2022. The most popular online purchases in the last 12 months include clothing, shoes, and fashion (71%), groceries (59%), meals and takeaways (55%), and personal care and beauty products (52%).

Choose a Domain Name

Your domain name is the digital address of your e-commerce website, and it plays a crucial role in your online branding and accessibility. When selecting a domain name, consider the following:

• Matching Your Business Name: If possible, choose a domain name that matches your business name. Consistency in branding helps customers recognise and trust your online presence.
• Use of Acronyms or Abbreviations: In some cases, businesses use acronyms or abbreviations derived from their name as the domain name. This can be an effective way to create a memorable and unique web address, as well as working with your SEO strategy.
• Selecting the Right Extension: While “.com.au” is the most popular domain extension in Australia, it may be challenging to secure due to high demand. Consider alternative extensions like “.net,” “.org,” or newer options that are more available but still relevant to your business.
• Memorability: Your domain name should be easy to remember and share with others. Complex or lengthy domain names can deter potential customers from visiting your site.
• Registration: You can purchase a domain name from a domain name registrar, which reserves the domain under your business name, preventing others from using it.
• Consider Multiple Extensions: To ensure customers find your site, consider purchasing multiple extensions of your domain name, like .net, .org, or .bis.

Get a Hosting Provider

A reliable hosting provider is essential for your e-commerce website’s performance. Hosting providers offer the space and bandwidth necessary for your site to function effectively. Key considerations when selecting a hosting provider include:

• Bandwidth: Adequate bandwidth is crucial for seamless navigation, video content streaming, and image viewing. It ensures a positive user experience and is essential for handling high volumes of visitors.
• Storage Space: E-commerce sites often require substantial storage space for product images and videos. Choose a hosting provider that offers sufficient storage and scalability to accommodate your growing business needs.
• Database Speed: A fast database is essential for quick retrieval of product information. A slow database can lead to delayed page loading and loss of visitor interest, and slow page speeds dramatically impact your SEO.
• SSL Encryption and Cybersecurity: Ensure your hosting provider offers SSL encryption and other cybersecurity features to protect your website and customer data during transactions. An SSL certificate is a vital security feature that safeguards sensitive information.
• Uptime: High uptime is critical to prevent potential sales loss due to website downtime. Inquire about the provider’s uptime guarantees and ask if there are specific periods of potential downtime.
• Automatic Backups: Regular automatic backups are essential for data recovery in case of unexpected events. This ensures business continuity and minimises disruption.

Study the Competition

To create a successful e-commerce website, it’s essential to research and analyse your competitors’ online stores. This research helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, enabling you to provide a superior shopping experience. Consider the following steps:

• Identify Competitors: Make a list of your key competitors in your industry or niche.
• Analyse Their Websites: Carefully examine their websites to understand their layout, product presentation, and user experience.
• Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Determine what aspects of their websites are effective and what areas could be improved.
• Differentiate Your Store: Use this analysis to find opportunities to offer more value and create a unique selling proposition for your e-commerce site. One great way to do this is through video marketing, which is incredibly effective and affordable for small businesses – and video marketing is great for SEO too!

Create a Wireframe

A wireframe is a visual representation of your website’s layout and structure – basically a mock-up. It helps determine the site’s user-friendliness and layout, which directly impacts the customer experience. This is also very important for page experience, one of the Google algorithm’s key SEO ranking factors. Whether you create a low, medium, or high-fidelity wireframe, it will be the foundation of your e-commerce website’s design.

Upload Your Products

Your e-commerce website’s success relies on showcasing your products effectively. High-quality images and detailed descriptions are essential to engage potential customers and support your SEO strategy to make sure customers find your products first when they search on Google. Follow these tips for uploading products:

• High-Quality Images: Ensure each product is accompanied by high-resolution images that provide a clear view from various angles.
• Uniform Image Sizes: Maintain consistency by using uniform image sizes for a polished and professional look.
• Detailed Descriptions: Provide informative and compelling product descriptions using relevant keywords, including features, benefits, and specifications.

Implement Payment Services

A robust payment system is vital for enabling seamless transactions on your e-commerce site. Consider the following factors when choosing a payment service:

• Integration Options: Your payment solution should integrate with your business’s bank account, online payment providers like PayPal, and mobile payment solutions.
• Payment Methods: Offer a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, bank transfers, and potentially cryptocurrencies, to accommodate different customer preferences.
• Transaction Fees: Be aware of transaction fees associated with your chosen payment service, as they can impact your product pricing.
• E-commerce Platform Compatibility: Ensure the payment service is compatible with your chosen e-commerce platform.

Test, Refine, and Publish Your Site

Before launching your e-commerce website, thorough testing is crucial to ensure it functions correctly. Test links, buttons, forms, and other elements to identify and rectify any issues. Once you’ve refined your site, you can confidently publish it for the world to see.

How E-commerce Websites Differ

E-commerce websites have distinct characteristics that set them apart from other types of websites. The primary focus of e-commerce sites is to facilitate and encourage online purchases. Key differentiating features include:

• Mobile-Friendly Design: E-commerce sites prioritise mobile-friendly design to enable easy and convenient shopping on mobile devices.
• Product Showcase: They typically feature a marketplace of product images and descriptions, supporting detailed product pages.
• Shopping Cart: E-commerce sites include a shopping cart feature, allowing customers to add and remove products as they shop.
• Personalisation: Customers love a personalised online shopping experience! You can achieve this with custom landing pages, personalised email campaigns, dynamic shopping product recommendations, and personalised discounts.
• Action Tracking: These sites track customer actions and enable remarketing to those who haven’t completed the checkout process.
• Customer Support: E-commerce sites often provide customer support to enhance the shopping experience and engage with customers.

Tips for Creating a User-Friendly E-commerce Website

Building a user-friendly e-commerce website is essential for attracting and retaining customers. Here are some tips to ensure your site is customer-centric:

• Customer Reviews: Include customer reviews for products and your business to instil trust and confidence in potential buyers. Add these reviews to your Google Business Page.
• Search Function: Implement a search function to allow visitors to find products, services, or articles of interest easily.
• Navigation Bar: Design an intuitive navigation bar to help customers move seamlessly between different sections of your website.
• Mini Cart Pop-ups: Use mini cart pop-ups to display the contents of the shopping cart without redirecting customers to a separate page, providing a seamless shopping experience.
• Blogging: Create a blog with relevant content to attract organic traffic through SEO. Incorporate keywords related to your products and business to improve search engine visibility.
• Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure that your website is responsive and mobile-friendly to accommodate customers shopping on their smartphones and tablets.
• By implementing these features, you can create a user-friendly e-commerce website that not only provides a great shopping experience but also boosts your sales and customer engagement.

Building an e-commerce website that drives sales requires careful planning and execution. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can establish a strong online presence, select the right hosting provider, study your competition, create a user-friendly design, upload your products effectively, implement a reliable payment service, and thoroughly test your site before publication. Keep in mind the unique characteristics of e-commerce websites and prioritise customer experience to achieve long-term success in the competitive world of online retail.

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