When a small business goes up against big e-commerce operations, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Large e-tailers have large marketing budgets, large web development teams, large inventories, and large buying power.
One way to level the playing field is to incorporate best practices for e-commerce on your website. By doing this, you give visitors a positive user experience and all the functionality they need to make a purchase. In addition, maximally effective website design enhances your image as a competent, efficient, and customer-focused business — three branding elements sure to be critically important to any prospective customer.
The challenge of website design for e-commerce: A great number of design and technical elements that go into it. Visitors to your site have certain needs and expectations. Leave too many out, and you’re likely to send those visitors off to competitive websites — where they will ultimately make their purchase.
The infographic below, E-commerce Home Page Features to Boost Conversions, is a terrific starting point for small e-commerce companies that are ready to improve their website’s revenue-generating power, either through incremental changes over time or undertaking a comprehensive redesign project. The infographic is also important reading for any e-commerce startup in need of a blueprint for building a website from scratch.
The infographic has two features that make it especially useful.
First, it focuses entirely on the home page. Home page features and design differ somewhat from interior pages, and because most of your traffic and branding communication occurs on the home page, it’s supremely important to get that page right.
Second, the infographic includes several techniques that enhance SEO, which is important for bringing traffic to your website (particularly the home page). Even if you do not have a full-blown SEO campaign underway, it pays to incorporate best practices for SEO into the home page design. Doing so will reduce the cost of your SEO campaign when the time comes, and in the meantime, you’ll make your home page easier for Google to crawl, index, and rank your site for relevant searches.
For all the details, please continue reading below.
Brad Shorr is Director of Content Strategy at Straight North, a Chicago-based Internet marketing company that specializes in SEO. With decades of marketing, sales and management experience, Shorr has written for leading online publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur and American Marketing Association.
Provided by Straight North
E-tailers stock photo by one photo/Shutterstock
