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Ecommerce websites like Amazon and eBay have brought about a paradigm shift in the global ecommerce market.
Regardless of which country you live in, Amazon is always present at your service.
But don’t let big players bring your hopes down. Buyers always welcome new players in the market that offer high-quality products and services.
A smooth interface, secure payments options, robust product descriptions, images, and videos can pave the way for a successful website.
But, for a good start, you need your ecommerce website development to be top-notch.
Wondering how to attain that?
Well, here are the seven pointers that will help:
7 Ways to develop a robust eCommerce website in 2022
1. Develop a user-friendly interface with high-quality visual content
Many people mistake user-friendliness for a fancy design that looks pleasing to the eye.
Well, let us tell you that is not the case.
A user-friendly interface is simple, with every word being perfectly visible. A user must get an idea about where the menus are, contact details, and search bars are in their first glance.
Moreover, the quality of visual content also makes a stark difference. If you have ever observed, you can view a product from all angles on Amazon’s site.
They haven’t applied any fancy filters to images, and text fonts are kept simple as well.
So, try aiming for simplicity with quality instead of charming and fancy visuals.
2. Optimize page load speed
Google is strict about page loading speed. It does not want any website to take more than 3 seconds to load a page.
Estimates have shown that if a page takes more than 5 seconds to load, its bounce rate will hike up to a staggering 90%.
There are no shortcuts to reducing your load time; you must optimize your content to increase your load time.
Avoid installing unnecessary plugins and delete the ones that you don’t use.
3. Get an SSL certificate.
Another thing that Google never compromises on is HTTPS protocol empowered by a Secure Socket Layer or SSL certificate.
It is a security protocol that encrypts a website’s connection and ensures that the data is passed on a secure network where no hacker can intercept and manipulate it.
By installing an SSL, you help yourself to the top of SERP and protect your customers’ valuable data.
Different types of SSL certificates are used for fulfilling different requirements. For example, if you have a single domain that does not involve online payments and filling a contact form, you can operate on a regular single-domain DV SSL certificate.
But eCommerce websites can have multiple first-level subdomains, such as payments, blogs, product collection pages, etc. They also have to accept online payments and store customer information.
So, they cannot invest much in buying multiple single-domain certificates, and for that, we have wildcard SSL certificates.
Wildcard SSL certificate can protect a single domain and an unlimited number of subdomains till the first level.
Wondering where to find them?
Well, don’t worry, because CheapSSLShop provides all kinds of SSL at affordable prices. Their certs are Certificate Authority approved and come with a 30-day return policy.
Suppose you are looking to invest in the best wildcard certs. In that case, it is highly recommended to go for Comodo Positive SSL Wildcard, or RapidSSL Wildcard SSL cert, as they provide premium encryption at unbeatable prices!
So, don’t keep your website unprotected anymore. Place your order today.
4. Advanced search functionality
The little search bar on the upper right makes a ton of difference in user experience.
At times users don’t know what they are looking for, so they type a synonym.
Also, some users don’t know the name of the product they are looking for, so they prefer uploading an image from their device.
The question is, does your search bar support such advanced functionality?
Are your product descriptions optimized with synonyms?
If not, it is high time to ask your developer to give you an advanced search bar that supports photo upload and shows visuals of the products alongside their keywords.
5. Give a variety of payment options.
Now that an SSL certificate protects your payments, it is time to look at the options that you are leaving for your users.
You might want to give your users some standard options (if not all).
At least PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, Debit/Credit card options should be there for your users to decide which one to pick.
Limited payment options encourage bounce rates and cart abandonment which is why you might want to take the payments page seriously.
6. Be upfront with shipping.
During website development, owners prefer to disclose the shipping rate on the payment page like it is some jackpot for customers.
If you think customers are least bothered by the shipping charges, then let us tell you that 55% of all cart abandonments happen because of them.
It would be best if you stayed upfront with your shipping rates.
Though there is nothing better than free shipping, if you compulsively have to show shipping charges, then make sure that they are mentioned in detail on the product page itself.
7. Mobile compatibility
Lastly, mobile compatibility is a must-have if you want to sustain a business in 2021.
More than half of Internet users surf it through their mobile devices.
So, the best way to cope with the trend is by asking your developer to create a mobile-friendly interface where images, videos, product pages, texts, and checkout pages are optimized for mobile users.
A/B test different versions of your application and see which one is delivering the best results.
The faster and smoother the apps run, the lesser will be the bounce rate.
To Conclude
Though eCommerce giants like Amazon and Walmart have captured a large share of the online eCommerce market, that does not mean that there is no space left for newcomers.
As a business, if you are determined to provide the best quality to your customers, you have done half your job.
Ensure that your website has a simple, mobile-optimized, and user-friendly interface complimented by high-quality content.
Also, don’t forget to install an SSL certificate so that your domain can always stay protected at all times.
So, follow the seven tips given above and develop a robust eCommerce website.