7 eCommerce Web Development Tips That Will Boost Startups Growth
Due to digital business transformation, the eCommerce industry is now how consumers shop. In fact, an eCommerce store is arguably more important than a physical store.
However, businesses new to creating engaging online shopping experiences need experts to steer them in the right direction. Owners of startups or companies without employees like to do as much as they can personally or use freelancers. One mistake to avoid is attempting to use just one person’s skills to do everything your site requires to thrive.
Set your new site up to succeed by engaging the right skills for specific tasks. For example, don’t expect your web developer to create winning digital and social media marketing campaigns – use a digital marketer. Similarly, you’d be wasting money getting your digital marketer to manage your SEO – it’s complex and requires an SEO professional to do the job right the first time.
Failing to get your site ranked on the first page by search engines will add more pressure on you to pull in site visitors that will convert to customers. You can do this with paid advertising, but if this is the only strategy you have to grow your site traffic, it’s going to be expensive for your startup, and if the visitors don’t convert to customers, your business will fail.
Site traffic bounces off a page quickly because it offers an unintuitive and chaotic layout. Your eCommerce website needs to provide a friendly interface to attract more traffic to your online store, and this is where UX/UI designers and web developers are required.
eCommerce Site Features
One way to get your small business operating proficiently is to select the right eCommerce development company that can build a market-ready website. For example, an eCommerce store developed by experienced developers will possess all the features that make it perform as required by customers, including:
- Page speed
- Security
- User-friendly navigation
- Site search
- Site and footer navigation
- API integrations
- Blog
- Chatbot
- Product videos
- Multilingual support
eCommerce Web Development Startup Growth Tips
All new and mature websites need to be modern in design for the desktop and mobile-first. Your site relies on Google indexing, so it can end up in keyword searches. Google uses the mobile version of your site content. Make sure your SEO professional sets up your Google Search Engine Console, so you can view your site performance and tweak design and content. Also, consider using the AMP for faster page loading on mobile. Google loves it, and you can too for content pages like blog posts.
Platform and Theme Selection
Choosing the right platform for your business is essential as it forms the foundation of your business. Every eCommerce development platform has its own features; hence choose the platform that best meets your project needs. Some popular eCommerce platforms are Shopify, Magento, and PrestaShop.
Once you have chosen the platform, the theme is the next important thing to consider. You must ensure that the theme is visually appealing, customizable, responsive, compatible with all browsers, and loads quickly.
When you hire web developers to build your eCommerce store, they can assist you in making an informed decision. Besides selecting the right platform and theme, they can customize and create a unique website based on business value.
Enhanced Shopping Experience
Another vital thing to consider is offering an enhanced shopping experience to the users. Customers who visit your website expect a smooth process with a painless sales transaction. Offer detailed information on the home page regarding shipping costs, return policies, etc. Plus, your customer support needs to be available via a chatbot. You can use a SaaS provider and get the best app you can afford to ensure your visitors follow through with purchases. Less cart abandonment results in more sales and revenue.
Partner with a proficient eCommerce website development company so your startup site gets all the bells and whistles for an enhanced shopping experience. Features to add for enhanced customer engagement include:
- Chatbot or LiveChat
- Add-to-cart
- Wishlist
- Fast-tracked checkout
- Multiple payment methods, e.g., credit card, PNBL, PayPal, crypto
- Free delivery options
Personalize Your Customers’ Experience
Another reason to hire experienced web development experts is they can recommend and customize your website, so it provides personalized UX (user experience). Online shoppers know they need to opt in and supply personalized data so your site and marketing can target their needs. Ensure your site has the appropriate data and privacy policies, e.g., GDPR. Analyzing the target audience and anticipating users’ expectations, they integrate the proper UI to provide an engaging user experience, including blog content.
Highly Optimized Website
Your site must use proper SEO strategies to rank higher in search engines to reach more targeted audiences. Additionally, the website should offer better performance and fast loading for the best user experience. Slow loading sites may annoy your users, and they may leave your site.
Make sure your eCommerce website development team has optimized your site. You can do your own tests using free Page Speed testing sites. Google has one and other free tools for analyzing your site performance and ensuring your site developers do all they can to ensure your site is optimized for speed.
Security: Critical for Trust and Data Safety
Website security is critical for trust. Users and customers will return to your site and continue making purchases when they trust the security of your systems, apps, and payment gateways. HTTPS is compulsory for all sites – without it, try ranking well with Google!
Other considerations that prove your business is IS security focused. Get PCI DSS certified for your credit card transactions, and if you’re accepting or will soon accept cryptocurrency payments get CCSS certified.
Make sure your customers’ logins use multifactor authentication and strong passwords. There are many other ways you can show your business is security-minded, including writing articles on user security tips or inviting guest contributors to share their knowledge on keeping their data and identity safe online.
Social Media Integrations
Social media can offer incredible benefits. Just like posting blogs and sending out newsletters, social media is a fantastic eCommerce tool for gaining greater reach. It can help you influence shoppers with your product and services. You can also encourage referrals, as getting information through a trusted source can bring more traffic.
An eCommerce website development company can link your store to social media platforms. You can get benefits of social media by product sharing on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. However, remember you will need social media marketing and a digital marketing expert to get your campaigns working for lead generation.
Emerging Technologies Integration
With more competition, the need to provide fast, accurate service is paramount. Automation in marketing, AI in Chatbots, and AR or VR in product presentations are just some areas where emerging tech is proving indispensable. Users want to benefit from the latest technologies, and eCommerce website development companies can incorporate apps and systems that use AI, machine learning, AR/VR, etc.
Final Thoughts
As an eCommerce startup, competition is tough. There are approximately 24 million eCommerce sites all hustling for page one results in keyword searches.
Use your startup funding to create a site with everything it needs to attract and retain customers. The DIY approach has some startup owners busy working on tasks better left to the experts. Doing everything yourself may have worked a few decades ago, but now it will surely see your business fail; therefore, choose website professionals to create and manage your biggest asset – your eCommerce site.
This article was originally published Here
