E-COMMERCE WEBSITE DESIGN
E-Commerce Web Design
A professionally designed website can add value to any business. E-commerce businesses, however, are reliant on their web design in order to attract and retain customers.
User’s will form their first impressions based on the look of a website, but have no fear. If they aren’t impressed with the initial appearance, redemption can be made.
It’s hard to fit everyone’s preferences, but a user-friendly website can save the day. Neglecting user-friendliness in e-commerce web design is the biggest mistake any online business can make.
Your website should entice consumers to stay and look around. People make decisions based on their immediate thoughts. Websites that are difficult for users to navigate will consistently fail to retain visitors.
By giving consumers an easy-to-use site that is still both digestible and engaging, you ensure a pleasant user experience. People don’t want to suffer through using a slow website that is already hard to navigate.
Since online only businesses lack a physical location, their website must act as a storefront. Consumers expect to have a pleasant experience virtually just as much as they do in-store. The success of an e-commerce business is dependent on their website and requires a professional touch in order to thrive.
There are a number of factors that go into e-commerce web design. Someone well-versed in the craft will possess the necessary skills to create an online store that feels authentic and provides a pleasant experience for every visitor.
Here at 11 Marketing + Design, we know the ins and outs of e-commerce web design and have an arsenal of knowledge about all the latest SEO techniques. We work with a variety of e-commerce website hosting platforms designed to best suit the specific markets of our clients.
Web Design for Online Stores
GIVE A GOOD IMPRESSION
First impressions matter, and for websites, users’ decide what they think about a website the second they view it.
Research has shown just how important first impressions can be. A study published by ResearchGate showed 94% of participants made judgments about a business based on the design and layout of their website.
E-commerce websites that impress consumers and woo them with ease and convenience are the ones that thrive. New online businesses are popping up everyday, and in order to compete, they must have optimally functioning websites.
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
Unless you are the only one in your area offering a particular product, competition will always be present. You need to be able to stick out and show consumers that you are the best at what you do. This first step in doing this is to provide a pleasant user experience on your website to show them you are capable of meeting, and even exceeding, their needs.
E-commerce web design that keeps the end user in mind is the best way to retain website visitors and guide them to the checkout with baskets full of items.
The overall look of the website will be up against everyone’s personal judgments and preferences. As long as the design of your website isn’t scaring people away, the only other thing to focus on is user-friendliness and SEO.
A website built using all the best SEO practices will easily stand out to users since it will be found in higher rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs.)
User-friendliness is key
Almost every aspect of web design focuses on the user experience and it’s not hard to understand why. Your website should serve as a guide and be as fluid in navigation as possible, so that you can lead visitors where they need to go. Consumers want to be pointed in the right direction. Utilize this by including links between your web pages and easy to find buttons.
With consumers using their mobile devices to make online purchases at such a high rate, user-friendliness is not only the standard, it is expected. Screen sizes of different proportions have given rise to the challenge of designing websites that can accommodate access through a smartphone and other Internet accessible technology. Responsive web design is used to do this.
Responsive design is a necessity in today’s world of web design. When consumers have pleasant interactions with your website, more will want to check you out to see what you’re about. More engagement means more customers.
Stay true to your brand
People want to see authenticity from the brands they buy from. Businesses that put more of a personality and likeness behind their brands are the ones that have the highest amount of consumer engagement. Consumer engagement is important because it helps to build your credibility among target markets and expand your customer base by doing so.
Consistency is another way to build your reputation. When you put out graphics that are in line with the design of your e-commerce website, it helps tie together your social media presence with the user-experience provided by your site.
Using the same color palette across both your e-commerce web design and the graphics you include in your social media design will help to pull things in. Your logo should also be designed using these same colors. It helps keep your brand’s visual image consistent making it more recognizable and increasing brand recall among consumers.
be easy to find
Just like a brick-and-mortar store should, e-commerce businesses need to invest in SEO. In fact, because they exist solely on the Internet, online stores have even more of a reason to work on improving their ranking on SERPs.
You can’t sell a product without first attracting people who want to buy that product. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the simplest way to reach consumers looking to buy what you sell.
Google is where most people turn to when they’re looking for something. By using advanced SEO strategies to improve your ranking on SERPs, you can reach your target market straight on.
There is no aspect of web design that SEO can’t be incorporated into. Whether its building the structure, laying out the format, or writing content, there are ways to optimize your website in order to expand your reach.
Are you ready to start selling online?
We have a lot of experience with building online shops, online courses, and other subscription-based sites. If you need help with your next online store idea, feel free to reach out and we can help you along this journey.
What are the benefits of E-Commerce?
When you have a store customers must travel to, you might not see the need in e-commerce for your business, but there are so many ways your business can benefit from this practice.
Customers love convenience and giving them an alternative way to shop is a great way to accommodate them. They can easily browse your store and decide what they want to buy. Then, they have the option to either buy it online or pick it up in-store.
Business owners have also been able to lower their costs through the use of e-commerce. Because it requires no physical storefront, there are no rent obligations. Since everything such as browsing, billing, and check out are done through the website, there is also no need for employees to run every aspect.
Quick and convenient
Digging through shelves and fighting crowds of people is not a preferred way of shopping. A lot of people dread going out to stores to buy things and want to have the option to buy it online.
Accommodating customers is the best way to increase customer satisfaction. With an online store, consumers no longer have to drive all the way to where you are located to see what you have and buy what they like. When you give people an easy way to get what they want, there is a higher likelihood they will return and even recommend you to others.
You can cultivate a better reputation by offering your products to customers online and eliminate any locational limitations that keep you from reaching a wider audience.
Sell to More People
By putting products up for sale through an e-commerce website, a much larger audience can be reached.
Business owners who only market and sell to those in their local market are severely missing out on heaps of sales opportunities, and putting a limit on how successful they could be.
Broadening your reach by turning your website into an e-commerce store is a great way to pull in new customers and increase profits.
Less cost and more profit
There aren’t many ethical ways to reduce spending, and firing needed employees is never a good business move. When finding ways to cut costs, you might not consider e-commerce as an option. Opening an online store in addition to your physical location can generate more revenue without requiring a large budget.
Brick-and-mortar stores and rental spaces cost money. Hiring a professional web designer to handle your e-commerce web design is one of the only costs that goes into running an online store aside from hosting, payment processing, inventory, and domain name.
Multiple people are not required in order to keep the store up and running so there is no physical maintenance, employees to pay, or housing costs required.
SEO for E-commerce Web Design
Constant updates in the algorithms of search engines and boundless industry lingo can make mastering SEO an endless pain, but it is nevertheless an crucial aspect of running an online business. There are plenty of solutions that can be used to maximize your SEO efforts and make your online store more discoverable.
Including relevant keywords in your product descriptions and other content written on your site will help to rank you on SERPs of people looking for what you sell. Another way to increase your SEO efforts is to collaborate with outside sources, like bloggers, who can include links to your website in any of their posts related to your work.
Shopify Websites
For many of our e-commerce projects, 11 Marketing + Design uses a program called Shopify to help us build websites dedicated to e-commerce. This platform gives businesses a simple and convenient way to carry out transactions, market and ship products, and engage with customers.
The multifaceted nature of Shopify makes it one of the best platforms to host an e-commerce website. With the use of an online editor, Shopify allows users to build different pages on a site and customize them with ease while providing a productive way to incorporate relevant, local language. Finding the perfect site to host your online store can be a hassle, but Shopify acts as a one-stop-shop for all your e-commerce needs.
With marketing tools built into its program, Shopify is a cost-efficient solution to manage and launch a start-up. It gives business owners a way to customize and edit URLs, meta descriptions, and page titles, and includes features to redirect, hide and publish certain webpages. It also allows you to link your social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter which increases opportunities for consumer engagement.
We understand what goes into creating a successful e-commerce website at 11 Marketing + Design. Call us today for professional e-commerce web design for your business.
