How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website
How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website: An eCommerce website is a platform that allows you to sell your products or services online. However, even with its worldwide popularity, it proves to be a very competitive field because your rival is no more than a click or website away. Regardless, if you are looking to sell your products online, gain customers, attract attention, and boost sales, here are a few golden tips on creating the best eCommerce website:
The Basics of eCommerce
Think of it this way: An eCommerce website is a play with actors performing its scenes. However, the main actors in an eCommerce are:
- The Customers – The people who buy the products.
- The Payment Gateway – A part of the program that handles payment transactions.
- The Website Owner (You) – The party that sells the products and gets paid.
- The eCommerce Application – The software program used on the website that sells things.
- The Merchant/Business Bank Account (Your) – The bank account in which the money is deposited.
How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website: The Buying Process of an eCommerce Website
The main buying process of an eCommerce website happens as follows:
- Customer browses catalogue and adds product(s) to the basket.
- The eCommerce application contacts a payment gateway.
- Payment gateway provides payment details and secure customer shipping entry form.
- Customer enters his/her payment and shipping information securely.
- Payment gateway contacts the website owner’s merchant bank account.
- The customer is notified regarding successful or failed payment by the eCommerce application.
- The website owner is notified by the Commerce application regarding purchase.
- The product is shipped to the customer.
Of course, there is a lot more detail that goes on in each step. However, the purpose of the outline was to give you a general idea on how the buying process of an eCommerce website is.
Where Do You Start – How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website
How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website: Choose a Domain name and Register Your Site
Decide what products you will be selling and understand your target niche. Once that is done, choose a good domain name, which represents your company in the online world. The domain will give users an idea of what your business is and the products it offers.
However, make sure to search the internet to know which names are already in use. Now, it’s time to establish your business online. This way, you will make it easier for people to find you. Register your website with search engines like Yahoo, Google, or Ask.com, in order to get a chance to be ranked in the SEO results.
How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website: Find a Web Host and Designer
Congratulations! You now have your own website. However, in order to transform it into an eCommerce website, you will have to find a website hosting company that offers eCommerce solutions along with a website builder. Keep in mind that it’s best to select a company that specializes primarily in eCommerce website and has a secure and integrated shopping cart, such as Magento.
How to Create a Successful eCommerce Website: Open an Online Payment Account
The next step of how to create a successful eCommerce website is to open an online payment account and add it to the eCommerce website. You can also offer cash-on-delivery services or the usual credit and debit card payments. Once that is done, it’s time to upload your products and begin selling them on your website. However, make sure to create appropriate categories and descriptions for your products.
If you need help with how to create a successful eCommerce website or any step, you can consider acquiring the services of Finestshops, which is a managed eCommerce hosting company that provides the best solutions and hosting for Magento: rapid setup in Rackspace Cloud, hundreds of professional Magento designs, pro-active store performance monitoring, nightly managed backups to a remote location and unlimited technical support for your Magento store. Finestshops also offers X-cart, Pinnacle Cart and Prestashop based e-commerce solutions.
