5 Things To Consider When Designing An eCommerce Store
If you’re a web designer or someone with development experience, then you’ve probably come across eCommerce websites before. They aren’t quite the same as standard websites – for a number of reasons – and really have to be treated differently. A professional web designer will offer the following advice;
For example, you have to think about things like product portrayal, payment integrations, and consumer trust. With this in mind, I’ve put together this list of the top five things to consider when you’re designing an eCommerce store. They include:
- Make Sure That You Choose The Right Platform
Arguably the most important thing to think about when you’re designing an eCommerce store is the platform that you’re going to run it on. There are a range of choices out there, but some of the most popular include:
WordPress – If you want to build a self-hosted eCommerce store then you should consider using WordPress in conjunction with a plugin like WooCommerce.
Shopify – Alternatively, you might choose to use a dedicated eCommerce website builder which is both beginner friendly, feature rich and quick to setup. The issue with Shopify is that you really only rent the ecommerce site.
Weebly/Wix – Finally, website builders like Weebly and Wix, among others, are a good choice for those who want to build a website with basic store features although these aren’t very good for SEO.
- Make Sure That Your Store Is Secure
When you’re designing your eCommerce store one of the most important things to think about is security. You need to make sure that you’ve got both SSL and HTTPS integrations to allow your customers to input personal data with confidence.
- Consider eCommerce Plugins
If you’re building your online store with a platform that allows you to integrate plugins, then you should definitely consider doing so. There are a lot of different eCommerce plugins out there, and most of them can be used to effectively add new features to your store, increasing your productivity and income in most cases.
- Design Your Checkout Carefully
When you’re designing your checkout make sure that you pay special attention to the user experience. A lot of people will simply abandon their cart if the checkout process is slow or complicated, and almost a quarter of your customers will abandon their cart if they’re forced to create an account. Keeping this in mind, try and create a smooth transaction process with the option of a guest checkout if possible.
- Place At Least Some Focus On SEO
Just because you’re building an eCommerce store as opposed to a traditional website doesn’t mean that you should ignore SEO. In fact, I’d argue that SEO is almost more important when it comes to online stores, because it allows you to draw organic traffic away from your competitors.
Final Word
There are a lot of things to consider when you’re building a new eCommerce store. Make sure that you take your overall design into account, especially with respect to the platform that you’re going to build your store on. Similarly, make sure that your store is secure on all fronts, use plugins, consider adding a guest checkout, and place at least a bit of focus on SEO.
Good luck and I hope you are successful with your new store!
