If you’ve decided to monetise your blog or create a brand new online retail operation, you’ll want to create a user-friendly website. The best ecommerce shops are both eye-catching and easy to follow, while providing a secure shopping experience. You’ll want to make sure that your website shows off your products or services to their best advantage, in an online environment that visitors will want to return to in the future. To get started, you can keep the following web design tips in mind.
Choose an Appealing Theme
The first order of business when setting up a new ecommerce site should be to choose a template or theme that best represents your brand. It’s helpful to enlist the help of a local New York or Atlanta web design business, depending on where you are located, to target your core demographic. Consumers in New York may have different preferences to those in the South, for example. Choosing one or two bold colours or a minimalist black and white theme will help make your products stand out. You don’t want to overload your website with bulky banner advertising, flash animation, or a jumble of products on the landing page. If you are in need of inspiration, it’s helpful to not only browse through web designers’ portfolios but look at the websites of your top competitors to see which techniques are working for them.
Sort Products into Categories
As you plot your ecommerce strategy, you’ll want to put your customers first. How can you set up your website to make your products easy to find? When a new visitor arrives at your page, will he or she know what you sell? A common layout is to position your products in a sidebar on the main page, along with the use of a drop down menu on the main menu bar. Grouping products into logical categories and offering a search box can also make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for. These can easily be integrated into your site design.
Create a One-Stop Shopping Cart
One of the most important aspects of web design for any ecommerce shop is the checkout area. An easy way to lose sales is to create a checkout page that requires users to sign in or create an account, for example. Streamlining the checkout process and giving new users the option to make a purchase as a guest can make it more user-friendly. Online shoppers want options, and they don’t want to feel forced into giving up their personal information. Strive for a one-page checkout process to make this as stress-free as possible.
Highlight Security
Finally, security is important for any ecommerce shop. You can discuss your website security options with your Atlanta, New York, or Houston web design team to find out if there are options specific to your location. Generally, you’ll want to implement a SSL or Secure Sockets Layer for added security. You can place a SSL certificate on your website, which will make customers feel safer placing an order.
By keeping these tips in mind and testing your website for glitches, you’ll create a more user-friendly experience that visitors will want to keep returning to.
