How To Create a Professional Website for Your eCommerce Business
Having a professional website is crucial for the success of any eCommerce business.
A well-designed and user-friendly website not only enhances the credibility of your brand, it also provides a seamless shopping experience for your customers.
If you’re looking to create a professional website for your eCommerce business, this article will guide you through the process.
From understanding the basics to implementing essential features, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s dive in!
Understanding eCommerce Websites
First, let’s cover some basics.
What Is an eCommerce Website?
An eCommerce website is an online platform that allows you to sell your products or services directly to customers over the internet.
It provides functions such as product listings, shopping carts, and secure payment gateways to enable people to buy directly from the website.
Benefits of Having an eCommerce Website
Having an eCommerce website offers numerous advantages for your business.
For starters, it enables you to reach a global audience and operate 24/7.
It also reduces the overheads associated with physical stores. You know, things like rent, deposit, maintenance, staff salaries and bills.
Additionally, an eCommerce website provides valuable customer insights and allows for targeted marketing campaigns.
Think about it. Can you offer a special discount to your walk-in customers between the ages of 25 and 30 who use a certain make of mobile device?
With an online store, you can do just that!
Earning Potential of eCommerce Businesses
The earning potential of eCommerce businesses is immense.
With the immense popularity of online shopping, businesses have the opportunity to tap into a vast customer base and generate substantial revenue.
Nearly 25% of retail purchases are expected to take place online by 2026.
However, you need a well-executed website and effective marketing strategies to maximize profitability.
Statistics Showcasing the Growth of eCommerce
Reports suggest a significant upward trend in eCommerce sales.
Global eCommerce sales are projected to reach trillions of dollars in the coming years.
This growth is fueled by factors such as convenience, accessibility, and evolving consumer behavior.
Why WordPress for eCommerce?
We could go on about why we prefer WordPress, especially for eCommerce. But we won’t.
- More than 43% of global websites are powered by WordPress
- WordPress has a nearly 61% market share in the CMS market
- Nearly 22% of WordPress websites use WooCommerce, the eCommerce plugin
WordPress is a versatile content management system (CMS) that powers a significant portion of websites on the internet.
It offers a user-friendly interface, extensive customization options and a wide range of plugins and themes.
That makes it an ideal choice for eCommerce businesses.
WooCommerce, the most popular eCommerce WordPress plugin, is free, open-source and can be easily downloaded and run on any quality web host.
While it may have a slight learning curve, once you get a hang of it, the customization and features of the combination of WordPress and WooCommerce are unmatched.
Advantages of Using WordPress
Using WordPress for your eCommerce website brings several advantages.
Here are some of the top reasons why you should consider using WordPress for your eCommerce website:
User-friendly Interface
WordPress comes with a simple, yet highly intuitive dashboard that allows you to manage and update your online store effortlessly.
Fully Customizable and Flexible
When you create an eCommerce website using WordPress, you have complete control over every element of your store.
The flexibility and customization are unmatched compared to any other platform on the market.
SEO Friendly
WordPress is SEO-friendly and comes with inbuilt settings that make your web page and product pages appear in search.
To further optimize your website, there are several free WordPress SEO plugins that you can always install. We’ll cover those later.
Analytics and Reporting
The WooCommerce dashboard provides in-depth insights into the performance of your store.
From product management to tracking orders and sales, all your reports are right there!
Multiple Payment and Shipping Options
Another advantage of using WordPress is the many options you have when it comes to integrating payment gateways and shipping providers.
From Paypal and Stripe to local service providers, the WordPress ecosystem has plenty of options.
We could go on and on.
Those are just a few of the many reasons to choose WordPress as the platform for your eCommerce website.
Bottom line, go ahead with WordPress!
Step 1: Setting up WordPress
Now that we’ve narrowed down the platform, let’s set it up.
Unless you’re setting WordPress up on your local computer, you’ll need to purchase a domain and hosting.
There are hundreds of options, including Dreamhost, Bluehost, and SiteGround.
Most hosting companies offer managed WordPress hosting that makes setting up WordPress pretty straightforward.
Once you sign up for an account with your preferred host, you’ll be guided through some straightforward steps.
Complete all the steps and before you know it, WordPress would be set up on your domain!
If you notice your homepage looking like the above image, you know your setup is complete.
Once WordPress is installed, it’s essential you configure specific settings.
Settings like setting up permalinks, enabling SSL certificates for secure transactions, and configuring general site settings such as language, time zone, and site title.
All these will be under Settings > General and Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard.
Step 2: Selecting a Theme
Next up is selecting a WordPress theme.
WordPress offers a wide array of themes specifically designed for eCommerce websites.
Be it themes meant specifically for your favorite page builders such as Elementor, Spectra, or any other page builder, there are hundreds of themes to choose from.
Themes provide pre-built layouts, product and checkout page templates, and customization options tailored to showcase your products.
Here are a few prerequisites that you should consider while selecting your theme:
- Deep integrations with WooCommerce
- Fully customizable and flexible
- Compatibility with plugins
- Loads fast
- Mobile responsive
- SEO friendly
- Offers seamless navigation
Astra is a hugely popular theme that has been installed on close to 2 million websites. The theme loads in under 0.5 seconds and is built for performance.
Just what an eCommerce website needs!
Step 3: Essential Plugins for eCommerce
To transform your standalone WordPress website into a full-fledged online store, you’ll need to install WooCommerce.
WooCommerce is the leading eCommerce plugin for WordPress.
It provides features such as product management, shopping cart functionality, secure payment gateways, and a lot more.
It’s open source and can be easily downloaded and installed on your WordPress site.
There is some setup required but WooCommerce has a smart installation wizard that walks you through the entire process.
Here are a few more plugins that you can consider installing:
Yoast SEO
WordPress is already SEO-friendly but if you’re looking at further optimizing your site, you’d probably want to install a WordPress SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO.
The plugin is packed with features that help you in improving your site’s visibility and drive organic traffic.
WPForms
Want to create contact forms, feedback forms, and other interactive elements to engage with your customers? If so, consider installing WPForms.
The drag-and-drop form builder lets you create forms effortlessly.
Security plugin
Utilizing a security plugin adds an extra layer of protection to your eCommerce website, safeguarding it against potential threats.
There are several security plugins that you can consider, such as Wordfence, All-In-One Security (AIOS), Sucuri, and others. We strongly recommend installing one.
Step 4: Create User-Friendly Navigation
You’d probably agree that creating a user-friendly navigation system is crucial for any website, especially an eCommerce website.
It means they can find what they are looking for quickly, which is essential for conversion.
Intuitive navigation enhances the user experience and encourages customers to explore your website further.
It forms part of good website design.
Design a clear and organized menu structure that categorizes your products or services logically.
Use descriptive labels and hierarchical menus to simplify the browsing experience.
You should also consider adding a search bar on pages for quick product searches.
Step 5: Building Product Pages
Visual appeal plays a vital role in attracting customers and driving conversions.
Design your product pages with high-quality product images, appealing layouts, and clear calls to action.
Use consistent branding elements to maintain a professional look throughout your website.
Also, craft compelling and informative product descriptions that highlight the unique features, benefits, and value propositions of products.
Use persuasive language and storytelling techniques to engage your potential customers and inspire them into making a purchase.
Finally, what’s an eCommerce store without high-quality images?
We want to see what we’re buying after all.
High-quality product images are crucial for any eCommerce website.
However, it might slow down your website. Using an image CDN (Content Delivery Network) can help address this issue.
Try to display multiple images from different angles, use zoom functionality for detailed views, and consider incorporating videos to provide a comprehensive visual representation of your products.
Consider using Flexclip Ai video editor to make fancy product videos for your business.
Step 6: Implement Payment Gateways
Payment gateways are essential for processing online transactions securely.
Popular payment gateways include PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, and Braintree.
The good news is that WordPress makes it easy for you to integrate payment gateways with your online store.
For instance, the Stripe Payment Forms plugin by WP Simple Pay enables you to create customizable payment forms and securely process payments through Stripe.
While we did mention this earlier, it’s worth repeating the importance of implementing SSL certificates for your eCommerce website.
Implement SSL certificates to encrypt sensitive customer information, use strong passwords, regularly update plugins and themes, and monitor your website for any suspicious activities.
Step 7: Shopping Cart and Checkout Process
A seamless shopping cart experience is crucial for reducing cart abandonment rates.
Did you know that a lengthy and confusing checkout process ranks high on the list of reasons for cart abandonment?
Optimize your shopping cart design by including prominent call-to-action buttons, displaying clear pricing information, and offering features like saved carts and wishlists.
Also, streamline the checkout process to minimize friction and increase conversion rates.
Enable guest checkout, provide multiple payment options, and minimize the number of form fields to be filled.
You’ll probably also want to display trust signals such as security badges and money-back guarantees to build customer confidence.
Cart abandonment is a common challenge for any eCommerce store.
You can reduce cart abandonment rates by sending cart recovery emails, offering incentives like free shipping or discounts, and optimizing the loading speed of your checkout pages.
Step 8: Adding Essential eCommerce Functionality
When you consider purchasing a product online, we’re guessing you’d probably want to look at some customer reviews and how well the product is rated.
At least we do!
Customer reviews and ratings provide social proof and build trust among potential buyers.
Integrate a review system that allows customers to leave feedback and ratings.
Display these reviews prominently to positively influence purchase decisions.
Additionally, you should also make it easy for customers to find a product.
For this, consider implementing a robust product search functionality or filtering options based on categories, price range, and other relevant attributes.
If you’re looking to incorporate reviews into your WooCommerce store, there’s a wide array of plugins available to assist you.
If you prefer a specialized WooCommerce plugin that can enhance your website with various features, including a customer review system, you might want to consider giving ShopLentor a try.
The easier you make it to find something, the more likely a customer is to purchase.
Finally, we recommend enabling social sharing buttons on product pages to encourage customers to share their favorite products.
This amplifies your reach and can drive additional traffic and potential customers to your store.
Step 9: Optimizing for SEO
Search engine optimization is essential for improving your website’s visibility in search engine results.
By optimizing product and category pages for relevant keywords, you can attract organic traffic and increase the chances of conversions.
Optimize by incorporating targeted keywords in meta tags, headings, and product descriptions.
Write unique and informative content, optimize image alt tags, and ensure fast page loading speeds.
Additionally, focus on building high-quality backlinks to enhance your website’s authority.
Consider using WordPress SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math that simplify the optimization process.
These plugins provide guidance on keyword usage, content readability, and other SEO best practices.
Step 10: Mobile Responsiveness
With the increasing use of mobile devices for online shopping, it’s crucial to ensure your eCommerce website is mobile responsive.
Responsive design ensures your website adapts to different screen sizes and provides a seamless experience for all users.
While most WordPress themes are responsive, we recommend optimizing your store for all kinds of mobile devices.
When designing for mobile, prioritize simplicity, legibility, and intuitive navigation.
Optimize images and minimize unnecessary elements that could slow down page loading.
Test your website on various mobile devices and browsers to ensure consistent functionality and user experience.
Step 11: Performance and Speed Optimization
Did you know that for every additional second that your online store takes to load, the conversion rate decreases by 0.3%?
The recommended page speed for an eCommerce site by Google is just two seconds.
Focus on optimizing website performance to provide a smooth and fast browsing experience for customers.
Optimize your website’s performance by implementing caching, compressing images without compromising quality, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs) for faster content delivery.
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTMetrix to monitor website performance.
To increase the website’s traffic, we would recommend you embed Google Reviews on website now and leverage the embedding process efficiently.
Implement caching mechanisms like browser caching and server-side caching to store temporary copies of your website’s pages, reducing load times for returning visitors.
You can also compress images using tools like JPEG Optimizer or plugins like Smush to reduce file sizes without significant loss of quality.
This improves page load speed and overall website performance.
Step 12: Security and SSL Certificates
Website security is crucial to protect sensitive customer information and prevent unauthorized access.
Implement security measures such as using secure hosting, performing regular backups, using strong passwords, and reputable security plugins to safeguard your eCommerce website.
We mentioned this before and it’s well worth mentioning it again.
Implement SSL!
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate encrypts data exchanged between a customer’s browser and your website, ensuring secure transactions.
Install an SSL certificate to enable HTTPS for your eCommerce website, displaying the padlock symbol and building trust among customers.
Step 13: Analytics and Tracking
Tracking website visitors and conversions is essential for understanding the effectiveness of your eCommerce website and marketing efforts.
By tracking visitor behavior, you can gain valuable insights into how users interact with your site and identify areas for improvement.
Tracking conversions allows you to measure the success of your marketing campaigns and optimize your website to drive more conversions.
To track visitors and conversions, one of the most popular tools available is Google Analytics.
Google Analytics provides in-depth analysis and reporting that enable you to gain a comprehensive understanding of your website’s performance.
You need to make sure that
you can use this tool in real-time and get instant results of any update in your positioning.
For this, Spectrum Internet is the right call.
To integrate Google Analytics into your WordPress website, you’ll need to first sign up for an account.
Follow the instructions provided to set up your account and obtain the tracking code.
Then, install and activate a Google Analytics plugin, such as Site Kit by Google.
Once Google Analytics is successfully integrated with your WordPress eCommerce website, you’ll have access to a wealth of data and insights that can help you make informed decisions.
You can use what you learn to improve your website performance, enhance the user experience, and boost conversions.
Step 14: Maintaining and Updating Your eCommerce Website
Regular maintenance and updates are crucial for the smooth functioning and security of your eCommerce website.
Here’s why:
Security
Regular updates ensure that your website is protected against vulnerabilities and security threats.
By keeping your plugins, themes, and WordPress core up to date, you minimize the risk of potential security breaches.
Performance
Updates often include performance enhancements, bug fixes, and optimization improvements.
These updates help optimize your website’s speed, responsiveness, and overall performance.
Compatibility
Updates ensure that your website remains compatible with the latest versions of plugins, themes, and other essential components.
By staying up to date, you avoid compatibility issues that may arise when using outdated software.
New Features and Functionality
Updates often introduce new features and functionality that can enhance your eCommerce website’s capabilities.
By keeping your website updated, you can take advantage of these new features to improve user engagement and conversion rates.
Backing Up the Website and Performing Updates
Before performing any updates or maintenance tasks on your eCommerce store, it’s crucial to back it up.
Backups act as a safety net, allowing you to restore your store to a previous working state if anything goes wrong during the update process.
To back up your website, you can use a WordPress backup plugin, such as UpdraftPlus.
When performing updates, follow these best practices:
Update WordPress Core
Regularly check for WordPress updates and apply them promptly. This ensures that you have the latest security patches, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
Update Themes and Plugins
Keep your themes and plugins up to date to benefit from new features and security enhancements.
Before updating, ensure that the themes and plugins you use are compatible with the latest version of WordPress.
Test Updates on a Staging Site
For major updates or changes, it’s advisable to test them on a staging site before implementing them on your live website.
This allows you to identify any issues or conflicts that may arise and resolve them before going live.
Monitor for Conflicts and Issues
After updating, carefully monitor your website for any compatibility issues or conflicts that may arise.
Test different features, functionalities, and plugins to ensure everything is working correctly.
Regularly review and optimize
Perform regular reviews of your website’s performance, security, and user experience. Optimize your website based on the insights gained from analytics and user feedback.
By following these practices, you can maintain a secure and up-to-date eCommerce website that provides a seamless experience for your customers.
Wrapping Up
Creating a professional website for your eCommerce business requires careful planning, attention to detail, and the use of effective tools and techniques.
By understanding the fundamentals of eCommerce websites, and following everything we covered in this article, you can establish a strong online presence and drive the success of your eCommerce business.
A professional eCommerce website not only attracts customers but also provides them with a positive and seamless shopping experience.
It builds trust, enhances brand reputation, and ultimately leads to increased conversions and business growth.
About Author:
Author name – Sujay Pawar
Author bio – Sujay is the CEO and Co-Founder of Brainstorm Force, the company behind Astra. He’s passionate about the online space and writes articles to help entrepreneurs and freelancers succeed online. A father, a Youtube addict, and the brain behind numerous world-class products, you can connect with him on Twitter. @sujaypawar.
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