Developing a successful e-commerce website is an extremely demanding process. Right from onsite usability to search engine visibility, the entrepreneurs and project managers developing or deploying the e-commerce websites need to consider an array of factors. However, it is possible to make the process simple with the help of a few steps.

Here’s a quick look at some of them.

Permit Refinement of Options

When the visitors are trying to search for the things they need on your e-commerce website, provision to filter options will save them a lot of time as well as effort. This acquires more value for items like clothes. The customers hate to find the perfect dress only to discover that it is not available in their size.

Keep Search Bars within Easy Reach

Customers use the search bar quite often in case they are unable to find the item they are looking for. Amazon.com has its search bar right on top to help the customers. Consider making this the key focus. This will keep the users longer on the website, since they will be tempted to look around.

Use Quality Images

E-commerce is chiefly about buying with eyes, as you do not see or touch the items until they are delivered and become yours. Usage of several pictures is a great way to attract business.

Plan the product page layout.

Decide whether the page will come with tiled thumbnails.

You can also include a product slide show.

The quality of these images is also vital, since the pixelated or the blurry pictures are a major put off. Moreover, such low-quality images also bring down the standard of the site.

Keep the Shopping Cart Visible

While giving a proper shape to the ecommerce website, you need to design the shopping cart properly as well. It is vital to keep the basket visible on all the pages of the website. Several designers prefer its usage in the sidebar. But this may clog the promotion area. Both the search bar and the basket need to be present in all the pages. Incorporate them properly to ensure a clean looking website.

Make Websites Easy to Navigate

There are several categories available in the larger websites. The fly-out and the drop-down menus are a great way to keep the pages uncluttered while ensuring maximum accessibility. For designing these two things, you need to keep in mind a few things:

• Simplicity
• Efficiency

These are key to designing these menus. Do not elaborate much since that will defeat the point of making the website easy to navigate. Breadcrumbs usage is key to making the navigation of website smoother.

Consider SEO

In the absence of a well optimized website, the best way to attract visitors is pay per click. Consider where and how to use the H1 and H2 tags. Keep the URL structure focused on the targeted keywords. You can consider including the targeted keywords like the name of the product or the core features in the URL.

Give Your Website a Personality

To make your website stand out, you need to add a bit of personality to it. A clean and easy-to-navigate website is no doubt the bedrock, but it is certainly not enough. Without a bit of personality, your e-commerce website will never be amazing.

A perfect example in the case is Pop Chart Lab. It has a clean layout and simple color scheme, but some tweaks to the style gives it a unique look.

Make a Provision for Quick Product Review

The visitors who are hunting down products online may need to browse the category pages to find items matching the need. Very often, clicking on individual items for more details on a separate page is avoided by the users due to:

• due to slow loading speed
• lack of time
• personal preferences

By adding a fast review to the category and the search pages, it is possible to get the attention of users towards the product and its details.

Include Testimonials

If you had a lovely email from customers complimenting on amazing services, include it in the website. The potential users will view this as a reason to spend more money on your website. This works great as a sidebar addition or a slider.

Make Contacting You Easier

If you want to attract the older generation, it is important to include the contact details. Though mobile browsing and other technologies are growing in popularity, even today there are potential customers who are nervous to make a purchase online. If there is an option to speak with actual individuals, there are high chances to convince them of trust and process orders over the phone.

The successful projects in terms of ecommerce web design need to be well tested. Avoid rushing through the testing stage to get the website launched faster. The effective testing phases will pave the way for a smoother launch and ensure a positive experience for the users. 

Image Courtesy: www.business2community.com