Running an E-commerce shop is the dream of many people, gone are the days where you had to invest a lot of money to start selling online. All what you need is a great idea and few hundred dollars (euro or pounds and the list can go on and on). Running an e-store is not much different from running an offline business, keys to success are patience, determination and having a great plan on place.
So, here are 10 steps to launch a successful E-commerce shop:
1. Decide what you are going to sell.
This is probably the most important decision towards your success. Get involved in something you are really passionate about and be as specialized as possible. Although it sounds good to sell a wide range of products, nevertheless, you will ultimately realize that such tasks require big financial investment and most importantly gets harder to build a strong brand. Be known for something specific and focus all your efforts on that. For example, if you decide to sell t-shirts, do not sell pants and accessories; build a brand that is known only for great t-shirts.
2. Register a domain name.
This is another crucial step towards building a successful e-store. Although it is good to have a domain with at least one keyword in it, for example Funkytshirts.com, do not get disappointed if you cannot get one, be unique, creative and get a memorable domain name instead.
3. Select a reliable web host.
I do not say the cheapest because you always get what you pay, so, look for web hosts specializing in E-commerce and have good reputation. Make sure it supports your shopping cart platform you are planning to use and offers fast turn around support.
4. Get a great shopping cart.
A great idea needs to be accompanied by great technology and backed system, so in this case make sure you do your research on which shopping cart platform to use for your e-store. There are many available, some are free (which I do not suggest) and some are not. Do not try to save on this because your entire operation depends on it. Some issues to consider before selecting a shopping cart are:
- How many products can I sell?
- Can I offer discounts?
- Can I issue coupons?
- Can I have full access of my customers’ data?
- Can I pull out a customer’s profile at any time?
- Can allow customers to make a purchase without signing up?
- Can I offer free shipping options?
- Are social media buttons allowed?
- Can customers review my products?
- And many more…
5. Get a professional web and logo design for your shop.
Whether you like it or not, a good-looking design will have a positive impact on your business performance. Web visitors tend to trust more websites with professional looking logos and design. You do not need to spend a lot on this, go to one of many freelance marketplaces and find a designer. Make sure it is not heavy with graphics; it is clean and easy to navigate and matches your brand identity
6. Get an SSL certificate.
Securing some pages of your e-store is essential; it makes your site trustworthy and reduces the chances of shopping card abandonment.
7. Get a payment gateway.
An e-store without accepting payments online is not a business. So, get a payment gateway that is supported by your shopping cart platform. Do not forget that you must be able to accept PayPal payments together with credit cards, as a great number of web users are using it.
8. Optimize your e-store for search engines.
Add your keywords to your page title and main page content, at least once for every 150 words. Do not use generic words as your chances or ranking high on Google search results are few. Instead, focus on targeted keywords, for example, t-shirts for funky people. Avoid single keywords and focus instead of long tail words (3-5)
9. Claim your social media usernames.
You do not have any excuse on that, you ought to have presence on all major social media in order to push great content such as reviews, photos, testimonials, organize contests and offer product promotions. Social media channels are a great way to keep in contact with your customers and create brand ambassadors.
10. Get a blog.
Why? Blogging is still very much underestimated by many businesses and the reason being is that they simply do not know how to use it. Blog can be a great source of traffic as well as a great search engine-marketing vehicle. For example, if you sell t-shirts use your blog to show people how to create their own designs, how to chose quality t-shirts, present cool designs, ask people to take photo with your t-shirts and post them on the blog, organize contests for the best t-shirt, tell them how to take care of the t-shirts and many more.
Last but not least, have fun, be creative, passionate and always listen to your customers.
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