As good as any eCommerce website might be, chances are it can always be just a little bit better. Don’t be afraid to review your website every so often to see if there is anything that might need to be improved. Utilize analytics and gain valuable insight from user feedback, and don’t forget to check out what the competition is doing. Spend a few minutes on a competitors website and ask yourself the following questions:
How does their website look? Does it appear professional and modern?
Are the pages laid out in an aesthetically pleasing manner? Can you find links to the information you want easily?
Do the pages take a long time to load? Is navigation easy or frustrating?
These are just some of the questions you should be asking, and you should also ask them while browsing through your own website. Today’s Internet user is typically not the patient sort. They want information quickly, and they don’t want to have to search too hard for it.
Unless your company sells products or services in an extremely small niche market, then visitors to your website know that if they can’t find what they’re looking for on your site, they can probably find it somewhere else. Here are five easy ways to make your eCommerce website better and avoid losing business to the competition.
1. Does Your Website Stand Out From the Competition?
Chances are you do have a fair bit of competition. So a bit of originality in your eCommerce website can go a long way towards attracting and keeping visitors, and turning those visitors into customers. Too many eCommerce websites rely upon website templates which can look nice, but also begin to look like every other website. Professional website designers can create a website that stands out from the competition, and also reflects your corporate colors and branding. You might also just consider making some changes to your already existing website in order to improve the layout, flow and style.
2. Is Product Information Readily Available and Complete?
As stated earlier, visitors to your website are looking for information on products and services. They require that information in order to make an informed decision as to whether to make a purchase from your eCommerce website. If they cannot find that information, they will look for it on a competitors website. Be sure to include all necessary and relevant information about the products for sale on your website. Including the features and benefits of a product are especially important: customers want to know what a product will do for them. This is your chance to convince them that they need this product. Additional information that can be included in order to further maximize the sales potential are customer reviews and frequently asked questions.
3. Can A Purchase Be Completed Easily and Quickly?
Customers don’t want to have to navigate through several pages in order to complete a purchase. Are there any steps in your website’s purchasing process that can be shortened or eliminated altogether? Typically, customers should have no more than two pages to click through before finalizing the order. Many customers also turn away from a purchase if they are required to register an account. Offer customers the option to register or purchase without registering. You can entice them to choose the option to register by offering a discount on a future purchase or a coupon for a particular product.
4. Do Pages Load Quickly?
A large portion of Internet users still utilize dial-up service providers or other networks which may not be as fast as cable or fiber-optic high-speed Internet services. A website that is image-heavy or utilizes Flash animation or videos may load much slower if not properly optimized for the web. If you aren’t sure of how to optimize images for the web by properly cropping images and uploading them at the correct resolution, then it would be best to consult with a website designer. An agency experienced in website design will also be able to layout images in a manner that serves to make your website appear more professional and serves to enhance the user experience.
5. How Can Customers Contact You?
Some eCommerce websites make it very difficult for customers to even find contact information the website. Customer service is very important, and a website lacking in contact information is a website that will be losing customers. It is best to include phone number(s) and email addresses to contact customer service, or a contact/question form that customers can fill out. A toll-free number is also a wise choice.You should also include information as to your operating hours regarding answering phones calls, and estimated wait times for email responses.
You might also be interested in reading How To Attract Customers to Your eCommerce Website and Five Things That Can Make People Leave Your Website and NEVER Come Back
For more information on eCommerce Website Optimization, call us at 1-800-978-3417 or Contact Active Web Group and let us help you!
