Every start-up that wants to take the roadway to a successful online existence and every experienced player in the market that decides to establish its gripping digital footprint rapidly through an E-commerce website will need to ensure that the right groundwork has been executed before taking flight.
Each E-commerce website will have a unique theme which may relate to the nature of the business or that of its target customers’ needs. Here are the five vital checkpoints to ensure a smooth launch of your E-commerce website.
- First Customer Impressions Matter the Most
An E-commerce website will have customers browsing around and leaving within a brief period if the content does not capture their interest. The best strategy would be to put the right mix of impressive words and images/graphical representation to keep the customers engaged. Creating an element of curiosity or surprise with limited navigation and clicks would do the trick. The following elements should be prioritized in order to make an impression,
- High-resolution and visually impressive Company Logo
- Multi-browser and Multi-device compatibility
- Website search option on all pages
- Call to Action features that will help in improving sales
- Highlight any Free products/services
Do you want to make your e-com site compatible with the latest e-com standards? This article explains how to make every important section of your website compatible with the latest E-commerce standards and make the pages discoverable and impressive.
- Minimum Load Time
Every web landing page has a load time associated with it. The ideal time is 3 to 5 seconds after which if the page fails to load all its elements that may include images, graphics, and words, the visitor may close the page or leave your website in order to look for alternative websites. This is called bounce rate and is measured as a critical parameter by search engines to monitor the quality of an E-commerce website. There are many ways to reduce page load time, but these basic steps will ensure better speed:
- Using compressed images and fewer graphics
- Ensuring that the text content loads quickly as the images load up on the background
- Test your website on computer devices, mobile phones, and tablets to get an idea of the load time delays and fix them
The network connectivity and speed do play pivotal roles in loading pages on the customers’ devices, but if the website has a poor load speed then the business may lose its customers sooner than later.
- Business Value Enhancing Elements
Including additional content like media pages and blogs is beneficialin increasing customer engagement and also making the search engine rank your website higher than competing websites. The SEO ranking of your website is crucial for a higher ranking on the results page (SERP) since it influences the visibility of your website. Blogs and media pages provide additional information, have additional SEO keywords, and have better chances of being discovered on search engines. This information may include:
- Latest company or competitor information, events, product features etc.
- A webcast, podcast, or radio page
- Real-life customer experiences or reviews about your business
- Interactive pages for better customer engagement
- Instant Customer Connection
Before you launch your website, you need to ensure that your interface has a quick connect feature with which customers can instantly gain information about your business. Customers look for immediate responses to their queries and a cumbersome or delayed process will lead to customer bounces. Some of the features that ensure instant responses or answers are:
- FAQ Page where readily available responses to the most common questions are posted by the business
- Live Chat Session
- Social Media connection links
- 24/7 Helpline number/email ID/customer support
- Instant Contact Forms
- Instant Messaging Services of the business like Whatsapp
- Customer Retention Strategy
The best way to ensure continuous business progress is to retain old customers while enthusing new customers to stay with your website rather than moving on. A number of website elements and business services can help substantiate this strategy.
- Send Exclusive offers/products email
- Provide Guest Checkout options
- Offer free shipping and other exclusive services
- Highlight the customer’s savings on your site
- Offer better cash back options or account credits
The most important part is to make the customer feel comfortable with their browsing or buying experience on your website and make them come back for more.
Conclusion
The ultimate aim of every E-commerce business is to capture the potential customers’ interest on their interface and convert it into an economic asset. The above-mentioned pointers have proven to be fruitful for many online businesses.
