What is the purpose of your website? I am sure that most will agree that the purpose of their e-commerce website is to provide a platform from which your customers can buy your products online. Although the aim is a very simple one, the process to get there is unfortunately complex. One of the most important steps you take when developing your computer website is choosing your web template. During the process, it is easy to lose track of what is important.
Use this checklist to ensure that you stay on track and create a website using web templates that is optimized for converting your website viewers into sales.
Catch the Attention of Potential Buyers
Users arriving at a new website will often leave web pages within only 10-20 seconds. This may be all the time you have in order to encourage your user to remain on your page long enough to browse or search for their specific need and to decide to purchase your product or service. Make sure that you have provided your potential customer with what they need to catch their attention and to persuade them to keep browsing your website.
To ensure that the customer stays on your site, the web template that you choose needs to have a layout that allows you to place important content clearly on the right pages and in the right places.
The landing page, therefore, needs to reassure your user that your website is relevant and useful to the customer.
Ensure that Navigation is Smooth and Engaging
Okay, so you have successfully persuaded your viewer to browse your page for what they need, and they have some idea that your website has what they need. Now they need to see the goods.
Your web template needs to provide very easy navigation. You can’t supply all the information that individual customers require, but you can make it easy and obvious for them to get to the relevant information. To do this, consider how your potential viewer distinguishes between what types of products are relevant to them. Many e-commerce websites choose to categorize their products according to their utility. Others may choose to differentiate the products by price, by model or brand if you are selling a variety of products.
Once you have this basic knowledge of your content, you can ensure that the navigation built into the design of your web template matches those needs.
Provide Easy and Secure Payment Options
So your website has grabbed the attention of your viewer, they are impressed with the website and like your brand. They have found the information they require and have browsed all the products that are relevant to their needs. Having made a choice, they are now ready to buy.
Your potential customer is now in a very different mind-frame, and safety and simplicity is on their mind. Safety remains a primary concern for online shoppers and e-commerce sites need to respond to this if they want to provide a convenient environment in which to shop.
When choosing your web template, contemplate the user experience when it comes to purchasing a product. Are there a variety of steps that need to be taken? Is this too complicated? Does your template allow room to provide reassurance to buyers that payments and personal information is safe?
Study your competitors’ websites and see what aspects of their website’s user experience improves safety. Make sure that your website is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)-encrypted and that all the details required by the buyer are set out clearly and transparently.
