By Jerry Mooney
More and more business owners are testing the realms of E-commerce. Not only are increasing numbers of consumers opting to purchase their goods online for the sheer matter of convenience, but there’s a whole host of other benefits that come hand in hand with operating online. You can offer goods at a lower price as you have fewer outgoings in terms of commercial rent and overheads, your business is able to operate 24 hours a day seven days a week, and you open your brand up to a worldwide audience with the simple addition of international shipping. So if this sounds good to you, it’s time to set up a business website of your very own. One of the main factors that will determine the success of your site is directing traffic towards it in the first place and then encouraging consumers to stay and browse your goods. Here are a few ideas to help you along the way.
SEO (or Search Engine Optimisation)
Chances are that you’ve heard the term “SEO” thrown about quite a lot around the business world. But do you understand what it actually is? SEO stands for search engine optimisation. This entails all of the strategies, techniques, and tactics that can be used to direct traffic to your website through the medium of search engines. Search engines are a big aspect of the average consumer’s web use. Think about it. When you want to find something online, how do you go about getting a hold of it? Well, you type keywords into search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo. You’re then presented with a list of results, often spanning tens, hundreds, or even thousands of pages long. You want to ensure that your site achieves the highest ranking place on this list possible. After all, when’s the last time you clicked anything further down than the second or third link? Nevermind going a few pages back! The higher your link is on the list, the more traffic will be directed to your page. This is exactly what you want, as once people are on your site they can start browsing goods and putting through sales, which, after all, is the aim of the business game. The most simple way of going about this is to make use of SEO specialists. They will be able to optimise key words on various parts of your webpage to see you rise to the top of search engine results.
Your Landing Page
The landing page of your website is the first thing that will open when someone types your address into their browser and hits enter. Studies have shown that the average person will decide whether to stay on a site or exit within five seconds of the landing page opening. So you want to make sure that yours is something that stands out and encourages them to spend time on the given page. This can be difficult, but once you’ve mastered your design you should be good to go for a while. There are a few certain things that you can incorporate into your landing page to catch consumers’ attention. An announcement bar at the top of the page can offer customers a small discount on their first purchase. If possible, only offer it to those that sign up to your mailing list. This will mean that you can get something back for your discount: you can keep in touch with them, updating them of new product launches, sales, and special events. Next, a showreel or slideshow. This is a simple way to display your favourite stock. Use professional images and consider using text overlays with buttons linking to buy the products that are being featured. Further down, you could have a link to your social media accounts and any featured blogs that you might have. It’s simple enough to come up with these ideas. But how do you then bring them to life? Well, not to worry. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and often the most simple way of crafting an astounding landing page is to make use of Unbounce. This service provides a specialist builder that allows you to leave plugins in the past and set up the landing page of your dreams in a matter of minutes.
Accessibility on Multiple Devices
Nowadays, people use more devices than their desktop computer alone to purchase goods. Think of how often people opt for laptops, tablet devices, or smartphones instead! So make sure that your web page is accessible across multiple devices. This will ensure that your page is responsive when accessed from a whole host of tech products, increasing the amount of people who can spend with you.
These are just three popular methods of directing traffic to your webpage and encouraging people to say once they’ve visited!
