Last updated on : July 2nd, 2024 by R Yadav
The old saying 'If you build it, they will come' does not apply to business websites. The competition is fierce and getting results hinges on your ability to create a better user experience with your eCommerce website than your rivals.
Fortunately, there are many simple ways to achieve this goal without having to spend big money. From using CRM templates and pre-set themes to enhance user experience, to accessing tools like a free banner maker to boost your digital marketing efforts, you can supercharge your website traffic and also improve the conversion rate of visitors.
Here are 8 simple but effective ways that you can streamline your eCommerce website and enjoy immediate benefits.
Advertising can be a challenging prospect. You don't want your website overloaded with too many ads, especially pop ups, that have the potential to deter potential customers. This applies to promoting your website elsewhere as well. You want your ads to be memorable and effective, not annoying and incessant.
Banner ads are the perfect balance — when they are done correctly. They help generate brand awareness, plus you can track their effectiveness and alter them on the fly. Make them attractive, engaging and to the point. This can be a great method to generate traffic towards your website while boosting your brand in the market at the same time.
You only get one chance to make a first impression, so delivering a quality browsing experience that’s easy to navigate is crucial for your website.
A staggering 94 % of first impressions are based on the design of your site – and it only takes 50 milliseconds for visitors to form their opinion. If the layout is confusing or unattractive, almost 40 % of visitors will click away and likely won’t return.
The first thing to do is establish what the goal of your website is. Are you looking to generate sales? Access to the product pages should be at the forefront of design. Is establishing a mailing list your goal? This needs to be prominent.
The trick is not to get too fancy. Resist the temptation to include unnecessary and complicated menu systems and only include sidebars where absolutely essential.
Around 1.05 billion Indian users accessed the internet via their mobiles in 2023, so ensuring your website is optimised for these devices is crucial to capture this massive audience.
This doesn't have to be an arduous task. If your website is built using a content management system such as WordPress (as most websites are) then you will usually have access to a host of mobile-friendly themes and templates that can be applied in just a few clicks.
We live in a world of instant satisfaction, and your visitors are not going to tolerate slow-loading websites. Research has shown that websites that load in a single second have a conversion rate of about 40%, but this figure plummets by 6% when the loading time is two seconds. Any longer and your conversion rate is going to seriously suffer.
Optimise large images and videos, consider upgrading to a dedicated server instead of using shared hosting, set your page up for web caching, manage your plugins and remove any that aren’t essential. Minimise your JavaScript and CSS Files using one of the many tools available, and you’ll be off to a great start. Make sure you use network monitoring devices to ensure seamless and safe connectivity for your business.
While you need to optimise the size of images to maintain a sleek website and provide detailed visuals of the services or products you’re providing, that shouldn’t mean taking shortcuts with the quality. It always pays to use professional images, which you can usually get from your suppliers, otherwise you will need to employ a photographer to showcase your products from the right angles with the right lighting.
Trust is so important when it comes to establishing strong relationships with your core audience. The best way to earn that trust is through proof of previous, successful transactions. Having real life testimonials and reviews featured prominently helps customers feel confident in your brand and more likely to convert when visiting your website.
Encourage your customers to complete Google Reviews when they’ve had a positive experience and in turn, include these Google Reviews prominently on your website to foster trust in your site visitors.
Make it easy for your visitors to take action when browsing your site. This could be making a purchase, contacting your team, leaving their details or engaging further with your site by clicking through to a more detailed run-down of your products or services.
While most websites include a strong CTA and contact details at the very bottom, you can improve your chances of success by having CTAs located throughout your website at appropriate junctions. Include buttons with links to your desired goals, like ‘contact us’, ‘shop now’ or ‘add to cart’ to improve the functionality of your website.
Lastly, optimising your website is crucial to get the most organic results in Google searches. You will need to research the keywords that people are using to find products and services like yours, and then include them in your content, headings and metadata.
Don’t go overboard, though. Google’s artificial intelligence is highly adept at detecting spam, so keep your keywords density to around 5 % and you’ll be on the right path to higher rankings in Google searches, leading to more traffic, customers and revenue.
To conclude, planning your website before it goes live is crucial. Once you’re up and running, you should be reviewing and auditing your site annually to find ways to improve the user experience – and turn them into customers.
By taking care of all of the technical aspects and creating an attractive, easy-to-navigate website, you will enjoy far greater success and grow your brand without having to spend loads more on big external marketing campaigns.
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