Building an e-commerce website has become a necessity among small businesses that are reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With strict health protocols in place, many mom-and-pop stores will need to migrate online or risk closing down for good. However, not many of these establishments are familiar with the process of setting up shop online. They often end up spending money but getting lackluster sales. There are principles and practices you need to follow if you are opting to build a successful e-commerce website. Here are some tips that will help you throughout the process.

1. Know where to set up

The first step to building an e-commerce website is to identify the online platform that’s right for your business. Nowadays, it’s easy for anyone to build an e-commerce store with platforms such as Shopify or Wix providing a user-friendly interface that requires less time to learn. Before you pick a platform, make sure to do your research and see which features could benefit your business.

2. Choose a hosting service

Once you have picked an e-commerce platform, you now need to look for a hosting service that secures your website, allows you to reach out to a wider audience, and lets you customize your e-commerce store the way you see fit. For this, you have the choice between unmanaged hosting and managed hosting.

With unmanaged hosting, you are on your own when setting up your server and maintaining your website. On the other hand, managed web hosting is pricier, you get full support every step of the way. To get the best of both worlds, consider platforms like SpinupWP that lets you set up and launch an ecommerce site rapidly. As one of their Twitter fans put it, SpinupWP “bridges the gap between scary self-hosting and expensive managed hosting.”

3. Come up with a content strategy

Depending on the content management system you are using, you will need to develop a content strategy that educates potential customers about your brand and your products. Your content strategy can also help your e-commerce website rank in the search results.

Start by writing compelling product descriptions based on the keywords or phrases that potential clients search for the most. You can also add video content presenting product guides and reviews. Lastly, don’t forget to use high-quality, search-optimized images of your products. This is especially important if you are selling apparel that buyers will need to take a closer look at.

4. Provide customers an effortless experience

When it comes to designing an e-commerce website, you wouldn’t want your customers to waste time trying to find the items they want. By choosing a straightforward and minimal theme, you can give visitors a seamless experience, from browsing products down to checking out and making payments. You will need to install the right plugins for this.

Building an e-commerce website doesn’t have to be difficult. If you are a small business owner, you only need to follow a few simple steps that will allow you to build a presence online.