Guide to the Best E-commerce Website: How to Build an E-Commerce Site

Guide to the Best E-commerce Website: How to Build an E-Commerce Site

Table of Contents

Develop an e-commerce website that is user-friendly and result-driven for your business.

Did you know that 40% of people search online before purchasing a product? According to Statista, this percentage is ever-increasing and every year, the share of e-commerce in business revenue is increasing to record levels. Especially with the fact that this generation of adults and all the following generations are and will be hugely dependent on the internet.

With the rise of e-commerce, retailers cannot compromise their sales by going offline at any time of the day. Even when the physical stores close, an e-commerce website is available to shop, research and discover the products or services offered by a business.

Moreover, an e-commerce website design offers the opportunity for small businesses to showcase their products to the world. This eliminates the heavy expense of store setups in various locations, as a website is accessible globally.

Therefore, if a business wishes to score sales and more brand visibility, there is nothing better than to develop an e-commerce website that is targeted towards business growth.

But how to make a website to sell stuff? Whether you hire a website developer or take the task for yourself, there is no successful e-commerce website without knowing the entire process. Once you learn all about e-commerce design and website development, your website can be optimized with changing digital trends and increasing competition.

How to Develop an E-commerce Website?

How to Develop an E-commerce Website?

N e-commerce website design is a significant step in your store’s online presence. Even though it isn’t impossible to build an e-commerce website, especially after reading our e-commerce website guide, it isn’t a piece of cake either.

Therefore, we have broken down this entire process into a series of steps to build a professional and business-generating website:

1-    Identify your e-commerce Needs

The first step before getting into e-commerce website development is to know your business needs. Are you a new e-commerce store? Do you wish to provide more exposure to your brick-and-mortar store? What are your needs? Who is your target audience?

Knowing the answers to all these questions will help you determine the right business model for your website:

  •         Business-to-customers: in the B2C business model, the business is directly dealing with the customers. this is the most common model for e-commerce websites.
  •         Business-to-business: in B2B models, businesses sell their products and services to other businesses.
  •         Customer-to-customer: the C2C model is an online marketplace such as eBay where customers are selling their previously purchased products to new customers.
  •         Customer-to-business: in this model, a customer is selling their products to a business.

By knowing the type of your business model, the next steps, to choose a platform, hosting service and domain name, all become easier.

2-    Choose your Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system is an online platform where your website will be laid. It is the foundation of a website hence the most important step too. There are several content management systems available. Some of those are open-source platforms such as WordPress, or all-in-one website platforms such as Shopify that work only with a fee.

The choice of the right content management system for your website will depend on multiple factors including your budget, website requirements and technical expertise.

Here are some of the best website builders for e-commerce:

  •         WordPress: WordPress is the world’s largest CMS which is home to almost 470 million websites. This CMS is free to use (with limited features) and offers a high level of website customization.
  •         Shopify: Shopify is the most popular platform for businesses that need to create drop shipping e-commerce websites. This is because of its easy-to-use interface and inventory.
  •         Squarespace: people with no professional website development experience or technical knowledge use Squarespace. It is one of the best platforms with a beginner-friendly interface.
  •         Wix: Wix is an easy-to-use and highly customizable website-building platform.

3-    Get Web Hosting

Once you choose the right CMS for you, you will be required to create an account. This isn’t required if you are using WordPress as it is free and doesn’t need payment information. After creating an account, it is time to purchase a web hosting service.

The best web hosting service will offer you multiple features and benefits so you don’t need to purchase everything separately. Some of the features to look for in a hosting service include:

  •         Free SSL Certificate: this is required to keep your website and data secure from internet theft.
  •         Free Domain name: The domain name is your website’s unique name which is easy to remember.
  •         One-click WordPress Installation: if you are building a website with WordPress, a single-click WordPress installation eliminates the need to manually connect your hosting service and domain to WordPress.

4-    Start Website Customization

The next step is to start building your website. Once you have purchased a subscription for any CMS, you will find several templates for your website. By combining different templates, fonts, themes, styles and colours, you can create a unique website each time.

Make sure to design a website that reflects your business style and professionalism. For more technical expertise, you can hire website development services too. This might cost you more than building a website yourself, but you will get a more professional-looking website design. Though each business will have its unique own website, do not forget to include these functional parts in a website:

  •         Home page: where customers will land on our site first
  •         Category pages: pages for browsing or selecting products
  •         Shopping cart
  •         Checkout page
  •         Order summary page
  •         About us: tell us about your brand, mission, core values and goals
  •         Search engine: for an optimized website performance
  •         Email subscription: to send offer updates to customers
  •         Terms and conditions and privacy policy page

5-    Product Listing

The next and most important step is to create a product listing on your website. Without a product listing, your e-commerce store will be incomplete. Add all your products to the product catalogue. Make sure they are organized, sorted and filtered under relevant search names so your customers can easily locate the right product.

6-    Additional Integrations

An e-commerce website can have loads of features all designed for a more centric and positive user experience. To start small, your website must include all the crucial features whereas the rest can be added later on. Here are some must-have integrations to take care of when building a business website.

Payment Gateway

Many e-commerce stores offer cash on delivery for local deliveries. But other orders are required via bank transfers. Make sure to integrate your payment system with debit/credit cards.

Moreover, for international orders, third-party tools like PayPal are used. However, you will need to ensure that the data transferred via these tools is fully encrypted so there is no chance of theft or breach of privacy.

Shipping Integration

Along with the selection of available shipping methods, it is important to identify and mention the shipping policies your store will offer. Such as free delivery, free delivery over $X, refunds, exchange, flat rate, etc.

7-    Launch your website

Once you have worked on the design, content and functionality of your website, it’s time to launch the website for customers. this will require you to work on marketing tactics so your website can reach the desired audience. Implement digital marketing tactics including email marketing and social media marketing.

You can also create promotional ads and offer discounts on the first few orders on the e-commerce website.

Why do you Need an e-commerce website?

Other than increased sales and better visibility, there are many reasons why a business would develop an e-commerce website. E-commerce websites are a major component of all smart businesses these days. Without an e-commerce website, it is hard to reach and connect your desired customers, hence the chances of losing prospective sales become too high. Here are some reasons why you should get into custom e-commerce website development for your business:

New Market Acquisition

A store launched in a new city/country might not be visible to everyone no matter how popular the brand is. An e-commerce website therefore can highlight the store’s physical presence by showcasing all the locations customers can shop from. Consequently, an e-commerce website spreads the word of a new store in a new region which is impossible or hard to achieve through traditional modes of marketing.

A unique Shopping Experience

Customers are likely to be impressed by a business if they find the e-commerce website attractive, user-friendly and all they have been looking for. And it is much easier to attract the right customers via an e-commerce website rather than brick-and-mortar stores.

By using analytics, past behaviour and search data, an e-commerce website can cater to the specific needs of each buyer. This way, the sense of understanding and trust increases developing a better word of mouth for the brand.

Brand Value

An e-commerce website isn’t just about making sales but it’s about creating a digital identity. For instance, if you sell your products via a third party such as Amazon, many customers will rarely notice the brand name. Rather they would just focus on the product, reviews and the price.

Building an e-commerce website, on the other hand, ensures that you are in control of all the product display and sales. And with every sale, your store name is directly represented.

How much does it cost to build a good e-commerce website?

Developing an e-commerce website doesn’t have to be heavy on your pocket. Especially with e-commerce platforms like WordPress and Shopify, you can create your website for free. Moreover, you can also start small with a basic design of an e-commerce website and then scale it up in the future. Here is a general idea of how much an e-commerce development will cost:

Platform Cost

When building a website on WordPress, you can create a website for free. Although you will be required to purchase a hosting service to launch your website. On the other hand, with Shopify, there is a monthly or yearly subscription. This subscription comes with everything you will need to create and launch your website online. The whole process takes a few hours, and you can always revamp your website and update it according to the standards.

Domain Name and Hosting Platform

Next, you will need to purchase a domain name and a hosting platform. Some platforms include this option. With WordPress and Shopify, you can choose a monthly or annual subscription plan for an e-commerce store. These plans include a domain name and a web hosting platform too.

Purchasing a domain name is as low as $1 a year but a web hosting service can cost you anywhere from $500 and up, every month.

Initially, it is advised to start with the basic Shopify plan and a free WordPress website design. As your e-commerce website grows and starts to generate business, it is wise to proceed towards more premium plans. Premium or more expensive plans ensure a website doesn’t lag and remains optimized in case of traffic flow.

E-commerce Website: your Business’ true Digital Representation

An e-commerce website is a lot more than a virtual shopping place. It is a digital identity of your brand, an experience of your customer service and a way to present your strengths in front of the customers. therefore, from choosing the right platform for your e-commerce site to designing the best digital marketing strategies for your business, every decision plays a vital role in the development of an e-commerce website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to develop an eCommerce Website?

The cost of an e-commerce website depends on multiple. Generic designs cost less than more complex designs and features. A general idea is to expect anywhere between $10K to $300K cost for a fully integrated and functional e-commerce website.

How do I start eCommerce?

Before building your e-commerce website start by setting business goals. Then choose the right platform and customize your website. You will also need to purchase a hosting service and domain name.

What is needed for an eCommerce website?

To build and run an e-commerce website, you will need a domain name, SSL certification, hosting platform, shopping and checkout integration, payment integration and product listings.

Can I create an eCommerce website for free?

Yes, using platforms like WordPress you can create a free website. However, you will still be required to purchase domain name and web hosting services.

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