8 tips for e-commerce startups when developing a website

Planning to start your own e-commerce website? E-commerce websites are the potential and profitable method of drawing sales across the country or globe. It is similar to having a physical store in a market with the only difference that it is available on the internet, more so in a global sense.

An e-commerce store can practically sell to anyone who requires your services or products. Going with the data, in the US, the average e-commerce revenue per online shopper was found to be $1,804, which is the largest when compared to average shopper expenditure of the other countries.

An e-commerce website will only add to the capability of your offline business but only if you do it strategically. You can reach out to experts to help you with the development of an e-commerce store or can even do it yourself.

Whether you choose one way or the other, you need to create a checklist for all the essentials that are required while designing, developing, or implementing the website.

Here is the essential checklist that will ensure you the best e-commerce web development:

#1: Translation of business needs

A clear business goal generally ranks above all the other factors of e-commerce development. An e-commerce website is nothing but the representation of your business goals.

Only a clearly defined e-commerce business has the ability to sell products and services with great ease. Remember to mark off this point before you even proceed!

#2: Competitive analysis

Competition always comes with an e-commerce website, no matter what your business domain may be. It is necessary to analyse the business competition and know what’s already being offered on the internet. If you can contribute more to what’s already being offered then you will definitely win the show.

#3: Domain name and hosting

Coming to the technical aspects, an e-commerce website is hardly possible without its unique domain name, which signifies the name of the website, and hosting, which makes the website live on the internet.

You must book a unique yet catchy domain name for your website and sufficient hosting space for the source codes and files. This is the first technical step that you need to accomplish.

Does having a logo really help? This is a question that most e-commerce startups ask. Always remember that a brand is identified through its logo especially in this digital age when the exposure is immense. A well-crafted logo creates a separate identity for your business and it is proven to set you apart when your brand becomes more popular.

#5: Creative web interface

The user interface is always a crucial one when you are just starting out with the e-commerce. Visitors must stay, that’s important for your business and only a creative interface will be able to do that effectively. You would require hiring professional graphic designers for this task, as they will help you with the creative implementation.

#6: Cross-browser compatibility

Don’t you want your users to operate your website on every browser? Visitors may come to your website from any browser, be it Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer.

Your website must be compatible with every browser in order to retain maximum possible traffic. For this, you should ensure cross-browser compatibility.

#7: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

How well can a website work if it doesn’t attract the right traffic? A website is nothing without frequent traffic and it only comes with the visibility.

Organic viability (promoted by SEO) is essential enough in helping you extract the right amount of traffic for your website. Incorporating SEO will help you optimise your website for greater visibility and hence should be included in your list.

#8: Website security

Security is a feature that pays off well in the future and it must be kept as a priority. All your hard work will go vain if your website can be easily hacked or attacked upon.

Make sure that the server you choose is secure enough to keep your data. You may also hire professional e-commerce web development services to accomplish this step for you.

Mike Smith
Mike Smith
Executive Editor at Best in Australia. Mike has spent over a decade covering news related to business leaders and entrepreneurs around Australia and across the world. You can contact Mike here.
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