Wednesday, June 11, 2014

5 Steps to eCommerce Website Greatness

If your business is ready to build an ecommerce website, then there are a few steps to take in order to achieve greatness. 
 

1. Have a plan to drive traffic
Just because you build it doesn't mean they will come. When you build an ecommerce website, you need a clear and strategic plan to drive traffic to it. This also means you will need a part of your budget dedicated to marketing. Whether you outsource or do your marketing internally, you need to have a cohesive plan to promote the site and business.

2. Listen to feedback
Listening to your customers is important. In order to drive heavy business to your website, you need to be sensitive and open to the thoughts and ideas of those that shop there. If they find something difficult, cumbersome, or excellent, learn from those comments and make changes accordingly when you build an ecommerce website.

3. Stay focused
If your site tries to do too much, then it looses the attention of customers. Stay focused on your original products or services. Don't try to be all things to your customer. There is always time to develop and grow your company in new areas, but when launching a website, stay true to your roots and promote what you are already good at doing.

4.Be customer-centric
Remember your audience when you build an ecommerce website. The point is to provide your target market with a tool that unites them with your products and services. If the site isn't created with them in mind, you will lose customers to those companies that are customer-centric. Be sure your site is clear, professional, easy to use, and can be viewed on various devices.

5. Run periodic audits
There is no way to know how you are doing, unless you build metrics into your system in order to measure success. Know what areas get clicks, how long viewers stayed there, what channels encouraged sharing of your site, and how much business is increasing through your website. By running periodic audits, you will know what works and what doesn't, so you don't waste your time and money on areas of poor performance.

If you would like to learn more about how to build an ecommerce website in the Dallas, Texas, area, click here!

5 Signs Your Website Isn't Working

A web development company can help if you've recently done an audit of your marketing department and realized that your website hasn't been getting you new business lately. It is time to take a look at what is causing the problem. Websites are necessary tools for any business today. They are the first place customers want to go to learn about you and your services or products. With a quick look into what you have and don't have, you can get your site back up and running, working hard for you.
1. There is not enough traffic
One of the first ways you know your website is failing you is if you see there is no traffic going to it. There could be a number of reasons, but a web development company can help you gain traffic, through inbound links, social media, content strategies, or other means. If your site isn't getting traffic, it isn't doing it's job.

2. The viewers don't purchase
If your site has traffic, but no one makes a purchase, there could be a problem with who you are attracting to your site. The content on your site should be geared towards those that are in your target market and ready to purchase. Otherwise, your efforts are wasted. There should also be a clear call to action to let those that are ready know exactly what to do for the next step.

3. There is too much content
Today's customer doesn't want their time wasted. They don't want to sift through sensational fluff or to have to drill down five clicks to find what they need. Your content should be clear, easy to read, and be focused on the customer. There should also be good-quality graphics, but not so many that they are distracting.

4. It's on the sixth page of a search
One of the most obvious ways to know that your website is not providing a return on your investment is if you do a search and your site is not listed on the first page of results. A web development company can work with you to optimize your site, so you have premium placement. Customers don't want to dig to find you. Help them by working on your SEO and improving your search result listing.

5. It can't be viewed on a mobile device
These days, many people look for a business or product while on their phone or tablet. If you your website isn't easily viewed on a device, then customers will become frustrated and simply go elsewhere for their needs. A web development company has experience creating a website design that can be viewed and used in any environment.

If you would like to learn more about a web development company in the Dallas, Texas, area, visit Creative Options.