There has never been a better time to consider launching your online store. Rumour has it that eCommerce sales are expected to make up 17.5% of retail sales worldwide in 2021.

Whether you want to make a hobby a money-making sideline, or you’re ready to get serious about your new business, starting up your online store can be made easy if you follow a few key steps. Take a look to find out the best way to create an online store.

  1. Choose a scalable CMS or web building platform

    2. Finding the ideal web building platform is the difference between hiring a pro and managing it all yourself. Web building sites like WordPress, Shopify, and Wix, offer an easy-to-use service to get you started with your online store. You can add features with apps and plugins, connecting your social media accounts to boost visibility even further. You can get creative and choose from various themes to create a unique and attractive site to suit your business.

  2. Use SEO to attract visitors and keep relevant

    3. Use powerful search engine optimization (SEO) techniques through regular, fresh content to attract potential customers, encouraging more traffic flow to your site. Incorporate a blog section to communicate this new, relevant content. Weave in keywords and links to other notable sites to help climb up the rankings. Publish at least one blog every month to let Google know that you’re still active, and keep your business in the game.

  3. Make navigation user-friendly

    4. Although you may want to stand out from the crowd and get all creative with your new site, let’s remember that we humans are creatures of habit. Making your site simple to use and predictable will help you keep visitors and convert them into buyers. Embrace predictability, like making it easy for users to get from one page to another, to avoid potential confusion. However, be careful not to overdo minimalism and jump on the trend of ‘too much white space’ as this has the opposite effect and makes simple navigation quite tricky.

    As humans, we also love patterns, so sticking to the same theme, design, and structure for each page will help users ‘make sense’ of your site and keep them engaged.

  4. Think about the buyer journey and create content for all levels

    5. To attract buyers, you have to think like a buyer. Considering their journey as they navigate through your online store is vital in creating an excellent website. Ensuring you include the relevant information that will offer a solution to your buyers’ problem will help convert sales and build revenue.

    Considering the four levels of the buyer journey—attract, convert, close, and delight—will help you map out your site’s content. It’s not enough to just attract users; the aim is to keep them.

  5. Create a consistent business language

    6. It’s all about connecting with your audience, right? So, what better way to do this than creating a business language that suits your brand’s voice and expresses your business’ core values.

    Consider framing your identity in terms of your business to ensure that your brand translates directly to the customer. But lose the idea that you must dress up to create this ‘brand persona’ and focus more on your business’s authenticity and how you want to translate that. If you’re in any doubt, you can always speak to the experts to help develop your business language.

Start your online store today

Creating your own website can seem like a mammoth task, but follow these steps, and you’ll give your online store the best start.

Want to ensure strong efficiency and high-quality performance of your site? Jdp will fully assess your virtual environment for you and handcraft a solution to ensure your website is optimized to attract more visitors and lead them smoothly through the buying process.

Get a free consultation today.