subject: Making A Success Of An Online Shop [print this page] The Web has made it possible to sell just about anything online, but with hundreds of websites competing for customers how can you make sure your online store is a cut above the competition?
Build a niche store. The likelihood of an ecommerce website that offers exactly the same as hundreds of other sites being ranked highly on search engines is slim. Offer something distinctive and make sure your website URL is unique but still explains what the site is selling.
Be prepared to work hard. A website wont work for itself, you will need to dedicate plenty of time and effort into creating and promoting your site and making sure service is always top notch, so customers come back!
Make sure your website looks professional as consumers are dubious about amateur looking sites. Fuzzy photos, spelling mistakes and broken navigation will ensure you lose potential customers. There is no need to build your ecommerce website from scratch though. Software, such as Tiger Commerce, relies on tried-and-tested ecommerce principles and will help you create a professional, secure and reliable online shopping platform.
Put yourself out there. Marketing is the backbone of any successful business. Create a blog related to what you are selling, (Wordpress and Blogspot are two of the better known blogging sites) and link to your online store. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are also becoming invaluable marketing tools. Set up an account for your business and make sure you update them regularly.
Utilise SEO knowledge. You will need to optimise your website for search engines. In other words you will need to include keywords in your online content and blog posts so search engine will deem your website more relevant. More relevant websites rank higher and receive more traffic (and therefore more sales!). Google Analytics is a useful tool.
There are a lot of people that are dubious about buying online from small businesses. You will need to reassure your customers with a refund guarantee. Make sure you include contact details, your phone number and street address, so customers can be reassured you are legit!
by: Stan Duke
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