How To Build Your Ecommerce Store’s Online Presence
It’s great that you’ve set up your e-commerce store, but that’s just the first step to success – here’s the next one: you’ve got to build an online presence that gets people to visit (and buy from) your site. This might sound like it’s going to be a long and difficult struggle, and it will certainly have its challenges, but you’re not alone, and there are plenty of things you can do to make it happen – remember, every successful online store has had to work this out, and now you can too. With that in mind, read on to find out how to build your e-commerce store’s online presence so you can start the right way.
Build A Strong Brand Identity
Before anything else, you need a strong, solid brand identity, which basically means you’ve got to come up with your store’s own personality and then use that to set yourself apart from your competitors (it’s also useful because it’s going to help people remember you). Your logo colors, fonts, and overall style have to be the same across your website, social media, and marketing materials as well, otherwise you’re going to undo the hard work you put in creating the brand identity in the first place.
But it’s not just about how things look – your brand’s voice (how you communicate) has to show what you’re all about so that also has to have a tone. It can be anything from professional and serious to quirky and fun, but whatever it is, your audience must know and understand it, and you need to stick with it.
Optimize Your Website For SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) might sound technical (and it can be, which is why there are experts you can ask for help), but it’s also crucial for getting your store found online, so it can’t be ignored. Basically, SEO is all about making sure your site shows up when people search for the same products you’re selling, and that involves a few SEO basics being put in place.
For one thing, you’ll have to learn about keywords, and that involves doing research to discover what your customers are searching for. Then you can use those keywords in your product descriptions, titles, and blog posts, for example. Plus, you’ll need fresh, engaging content to boost your SEO. Regularly post blogs, guides, videos, and so on that answer questions, give advice, and sell your products (not in an obvious way, of course). Another great tip for SEO is ensuring your site is mobile-friendly because search engines love that – it shows you care for your customers. Plus, more people will want to spend time on your site using their devices, and the more time they’re there, the more likely they’ll buy something.
Make The Checkout A Simple Process
A great online presence isn’t just about attracting visitors – it’s also about converting them into customers. A clunky or confusing checkout process can make people decide they can’t be bothered to go through all the hoops, and they’ll click away to find what they want somewhere else (somewhere with a far easier checkout process, in other words).
One thing that will help is having an advanced payment processing SDK, which can make a huge difference. Including an SDK (software development kit) with valuable features like giving people various payment options and secure payments means the checkout process becomes much more accessible, so there’s less chance of lost sales. Plus, when you offer so much and give people a choice, they’ll find it easier to shop with you, which means they may return when they need something else.
Use Customer Reviews And Testimonials
You can tell people that your products are amazing and your customer service is perfect, but will they actually believe you? People are – quite rightly – suspicious of new online stores, and they want to be sure that they’re going to get what they pay for and that they’re going to be treated well. With so much choice, those customers are more likely to opt for a site that can prove that – and customer reviews and testimonials are the best way to do it.
Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on your site and social media platforms. Then, use those reviews on your website and advertising to show new customers that you can be trusted and that other people have had success using your site. That could be the ideal way to persuade someone to click the buy button and become your latest customer.