What are the Do’s and Don’ts of Ecommerce Websites?

ecommerce websites
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Last updated on October 17th, 2023 at 04:19 pm

Ecommerce websites are becoming an increasingly important part of our online lives. The convenience and speed at which you can get products from your favorite brands is just one of the reasons why. But with all the bells and whistles we have available to us today, there are many ways ecommerce websites can go wrong. Here are some tips for making sure your website works well:

Do make your ecommerce website mobile-friendly

If your ecommerce site is not mobile-friendly, you could be losing a lot of money in lost sales. According to statistics from Oberlo, 6 out of 10 online shoppers say that the access of shopping on mobile plays a big role in brand selection.

In order to make your ecommerce website more mobile friendly:

  • Test the website using Google’s Search Console or a similar tool (like GTMetrix). If there are errors that prevent the site from loading on mobile devices, address these issues before making any changes.
  • Check your URLs for each type of content so that visitors can access it easily regardless of where they’re connecting from (for example, www vs m). This will also help improve SEO when links point directly to specific pages rather than generic ones like homepages.

Don’t let your website speed be slow!

website speed

Don’t allow your website to take forever to load.

As you know, speed is important for ecommerce websites. It’s a top priority for users and search engines alike—especially with the rise of mobile devices. If you want to keep up with the fast-paced world of ecommerce, it’s crucial that your site loads quickly and properly across different devices, browsers and operating systems.

Do have high quality images

One of the most common mistakes made by new ecommerce websites is not using high quality images. This can have a negative impact on your conversion rate, which we’ll discuss in more detail later.

For products with corresponding images (for example, a pair of shoes), it’s important that you choose an image that accurately reflects what your customers will see when they receive them. This means using high resolution images and making sure the product itself is visible in the shot. If you use low-quality or blurry photos, customers may be disappointed when they receive their order and see a different product than expected!

It’s also important to make sure that all of your product photos reflect the same brand standards and style guide so people know what they’re ordering from one listing to another.

Don’t have a home page where visitors have to hunt for the products

A home page should have clear navigation. The visitor should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, and not have to hunt for the products or information they want.

The home page should display the products prominently. You do not need every single one on display, but it’s important to at least show them a good selection of your most popular products in your category. Visitors will go elsewhere if you don’t give them enough options right off the bat!

Your home page should also contain a clear call to action (CTA), which is something like “Shop Now” or “Checkout”. A CTA can even be more specific such as “Buy this pair of shoes” or “Add these two items together to get free shipping!” A good CTA tells visitors what they can do next if they’re interested in buying something from you—it’s all about enticing them into making a purchase, so make sure yours stands out above everything else on your site!

Aside from having clear CTAs throughout your site, you absolutely must list all product information clearly on each individual product page itself—not just general info about each item but specifics like size charts and colors available too! This way people will know exactly what they’re getting before committing money into actually buying anything.

online shopping ecommerceDo put your contact information in the footer of every page

  • It’s important to make sure your contact information is visible.

Add an email address, phone number and physical address in the footer as well. This way, the contact details are visible from every page. You can even include business hours if you’re not open 24/7, but this is not required. It’s important that you keep track of what information you have on each page so that you don’t repeat yourself or leave out anything important!

Don’t make shopping carts hard to use

A lot of people will be shopping from your website, it’s important to make it easy for them to find their shopping carts.

There are two main ways to do this:

  • Give shoppers the option of adding items directly into their cart by clicking on a “Add to Cart” button on every product page. This should also be done for any item that has multiple options, e.g., size or color choices.
  • Put a “View Shopping Cart” or similar link somewhere where shoppers can find it easily when they’re browsing around your site (e.g., on each page).

Do monitor your site for errors and broken links

As you build your site, make sure to monitor it for errors and broken links. A number of tools can help you keep track of this, including Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) and Screaming Frog. These tools will alert you when there are problems with your site so you can take action to fix them before they affect user experience.

For instance, if a user clicks on a link that leads them to an error page or other problem area on your website—like missing images or content—the tool will tell you where that trouble spot is located within the site’s structure so that it can be repaired quickly and efficiently.

website errorsTo recap:

  • Your ecommerce site needs to be easy to use and mobile-friendly.
  • Make sure your site loads quickly, so customers don’t get frustrated while they’re trying to purchase something.
  • Use high quality images that show off your products well; they should also be clear and sharp.
  • Make sure your site is easy to navigate, so visitors can find what they want without getting lost in “maze-like” designs or having to click through endless pages of content before finding what they came for (and possibly getting bored and leaving).
  • Show contact details sitewide so that customers can easily reach you if there’s an issue with their order or any other problem requiring immediate attention.
  • Make sure your site is secure—that includes using SSL certificates —to protect customer data from hackers who might want access so they can steal credit card information or other valuable personal information.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the tips I’ve shared here have helped you to make your ecommerce site better. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to work well enough for people to buy from you.

Not all orders will go smoothly, so make sure you have adequate insurance against fraudulence for when things do go wrong as well as backups ready just in case something happens. A good habit to make is doing monthly website backups. This means you always have a working version of your site to fall back on should anything break.

If you get stuck on anything along the way, we’re happy to help! Contact us for any assistance you may need with wooCommerce and WordPress.

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