7 Steps to Designing Your Online Ecommerce Store Website

Thank goodness that the world wide web is already filled with beautiful and informative websites, so that you can build an ecommerce website devoted to sales. Effective e-commerce guru Travis Marziani shares his experience designing websites that maximize conversion rates. Follow the steps below when you design your ecommerce website to optimize online revenues.

1. Don’t Make Me Think

Don’t make the user think, by making site navigation as a simple and intuitive as possible. Research shows that once online visitors have to think about site navigation, they jumpstart the cognitive part of their brain. They start thinking about whether they really need a product, which is a tougher sell than an impulse buy.

Make sure that a non tech savvy person can find their way around your website. Travis encourages you to use the “Mom test.” Let your mother be the test by attempting to make an unassisted purchase from your website.

One common mistake is not putting the shopping cart above the fold, ie: near the top of the page. If a customer cannot effortlessly find the checkout page, they are more likely to leave your website.

2. Look at Your Competitors Websites

If you are starting out, you may not have the budget for a lot of market research. Check out big retailers and mimic their well researched websites. Successful online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have spent fortunes testing the most effective color combinations and field locations to boost sales. You might as well profit from their experience imitating the look and feel of their websites.

3. Review Websites Your Demographic Buys From

It pays to do a little market research of your own. Teenagers, sports enthusiasts, Moms all have their own aesthetic comfort zone that may differ from your own. Take the time to analyze popular websites that your target audience typically visit, and tailor your own site to match.

4. Make It Personal

Customers are more likely to buy from your website rather than a giant well established ecommerce site, if they like, trust or care for you as an individual. You should share your personal values or establish yourself as an expert in your field.

It is imperative to set up an “About Us Page,” including a photo or video and a phone number so that customers can get to know you.

5. Just Get It Up and Iterate

Start making your online presence today! Don’t worry if your first website isn’t perfect. It is more important to start somewhere. The you can tweak and improve according to user feedback, “iterate” in tech speak.

This is Travis’s number one tip! Start designing your ecommerce website right away, and see what happens.

6. Outsource

Even though you may capable of anything, you can’t be an expert in everything. Don’t be afraid to outsource, the design or some technical aspects of your website if your talent lies more in marketing and sales. Many websites, such as Upwork and 99Design, have talented designers that can speed along the design process.

7. Increase Conversions, Don’t Look Pretty

The undisputed goal of an ecommerce website is to make conversions, to turn visitors into customers. Websites that are beautiful aren’t necessarily the ones that inspire sales. Make sure that your website follows the previous tips about ease of use and likeability first. If it also has graphics that knock your socks off, great. The most important aspect of website design is to encourages sales.

Following these 7 steps will get your on your way to effectively designing your online ecommerce website. Remember to keep it simple, effective and personal, do a little market research, and don’t be afraid to outsource if needed. Finally, just start getting your website up and running today!