We get tons of requests to break down the steps to become a successful online shop so this week, we’ve put together a list of 6 steps for you to implement. Although there’s no set path to success, these steps would ensure that you have solid fundamentals as an online store. These steps are niche-neutral so you don’t have to worry about its relevance. Let’s get straight to it!

Improve the loading speed of your website

This is one of the most important steps to make sure that your website ranks good in the Google Search Index and your customers feel good about browsing your website. A slow website can become frustrating for customers who like to spend time on the website and compare different products before making a purchase.

There are various ways you can boost the speed of your online shop. One of the great ways is by compressing CSS, HTML and JavaScript files that are more than 150 bytes in size. You can use this free tool for the mentioned file types.

You also need to make sure that your images are properly optimised. They need to be in the correct format. Use JPG for pictures and PNG for graphics. Images can be compressed in software like Adobe Photoshop with great control over the quality of images.

There are plenty of ways to improve the loading speed of your website like tweaking the server response time or reducing redirects. If it all sounds too technical, you can hire a skilled developer on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork Inc.

Tweak your website for mobile users

Mobile users are growing by the minute and have a huge impact on eCommerce. According to studies, 76.6% of people used cell phones to browse while 22.9% preferred desktops, with just 0.5% tablet browsing. This means you should put a high focus on setting up your webshop for mobile. Design for fast page speed and clear navigation on mobile devices. and a quintessential online store has its website tweaked for mobile users.

Pro Tip:

You can preview your webshop in mobile mode on Google Chrome!

This is How most of your customers see your webshop. Always think like a customer.

Here is how to do it:

1. Open your webshop in Chrome
2. Right-click anywhere on the page
3. Click on “Inspect”

Have multiple payment methods

Did you know that lack of preferred payment methods is the biggest reason for cart abandonment? This is why successful online stores have multiple payment options available secure payment methods. Having the option to pay from a familiar payment method would result in higher user satisfaction and a great overall experience. This would make it more likely for the customer to return in future. Here are some common payment methods:

• Prepaid card payments
• Credit/Debit card payments
• Bank transfers
• E-Wallets
• Cash on delivery (CoD)
• Mobile payments
• Cryptocurrencies

Now that you know what common payment methods are, it would be a good idea to research some of the most popular payment platforms under each payment method. 

Include customer reviews

Okay, so you worked hard on creating a snappy website that’s tweaked for mobile users and has all the major payment methods in place. Hopefully, your products are amazing too. Now what? Your next potential customer browsing through your website might wonder if your products are actually as great as they look. Their concern is valid, you must give them something that earns their trust. You guessed it - customer reviews! Include them for each product, it’s okay to feel a little biased for those shiny, 5-star ratings but it is important to include all reviews and work on addressing negative reviews. No brand can escape criticism for products, it’s how you acknowledge negative reviews and work on improving.

Use major ad platforms:

Google Ads and Facebook Ads

The online advertising industry is huge and offers cutting-edge technology to put your online store under the spotlight. If you haven’t explored platforms like Google Ads and Facebook ads, you’re in for a treat. You might like to check out our dedicated articles in our blog that explain how you can use these amazing ad platforms while avoiding mistakes for the best results.

If you find yourself struggling with online ad platforms, consider scheduling a free call with our expert - click here.

Push your products on social media

You might already know that Facebook has huge traffic throughout the day. According to a report by Statista, during the second quarter of 2021, Facebook reported almost 1.9 billion daily active users (DAU). That’s a lot! Your chances of finding potential customers for your niche on social media has never been this high. With the right Facebook/Instagram ad campaign, you can cut through the noise. You will instantly feel noticed with more traffic landing on your website. Although online ads are a great way to put yourself out there, you can also make mistakes if you’re new to online ads. Read this to avoid the most common mistakes while putting out ads online.

Conclusion

The eCommerce market is filled with online shops of various niches but it’s really the customer experience that sets a good online shop from a great one. The steps mentioned in this article are the absolute basic ways to improve your customers’ shopping experience and become their favourite online shop and there certainly are a lot of ways for an online store to climb the ladder of success. We post articles to help our readers understand and learn more about digital marketing and the exciting world of eCommerce.

Have a query? Don’t be a stranger, c’mon and say Hello! We’d be happy to answer your questions.