E-Commerce has revolutionized the way sales are made and products are purchased. Businesses big and small can save oodles by investing in high quality ecommerce sites instead of brick and mortar stores.
Amazon began by taking over the book market from the big box book stores by investing in its site, distribution, and logistics. This allowed them to pivot and grow into the distribution and shipping giant they are today.
If you are just getting started with ecommerce, using WordPress and WooCommerce is a great starting point. However, it’s also important to be aware of common mistakes you usually find on new ecommerce sites so that you can avoid them.
Mistakes to Avoid on Your New eCommerce Site
Lack of Design: A Site that Looks Untrustworthy
How much did you invest in the design and development of your site? Is it optimized for mobile?
If your users have pain points, or do not trust the authenticity of your site, you will have unfinished transactions and items being left in the cart. Your site will likely lose sales if it is clunky, insecure, or seems untrustworthy.
Lack of Accessibility: A Site that Cannot Be Used By Everyone
Accessibility is universally important and websites are more and more being held to a higher standard of accessibility. This involves taking a look at your source code and development, and ensuring that an inclusive design is a feature. Making simple adjustments like ensuring the use of alt text for images, prioritizing text clarity, and ordering content for screen readers helps include everyone. This inclusivity leads to better business ethos for your company, and more sales.
SEO Mistakes
SEO errors are very common on eCommerce websites. You will need to make sure the structure of your website and the links on your pages will help your website rank higher on search engine optimization. The more often users find you on search results, the more often users become clients/consumers.
Some examples of mistakes involving SEO are:
- neglecting title tags and meta descriptions on your pages
- not using the right keywords
- stuffing your pages with hundreds of keywords
- not having a responsive website
- reusing vendor descriptions on the products you sell
Issues with Cart/Purchasing Options
If your cart and checkout page are complicated or clunky, you are taking users to the finish line and sending them home empty handed.
If a user adds a product to their cart, they are seriously considering making the purchase. What allows them to bail out before the big dance are things like:
- requiring users to complete profiles and create accounts instead of offering a chance to make a purchase as a “guest customer”
- requiring certain payment options instead of offering several different options
Try to make your shopping cart experience as seamless and intuitive as possible, and allow differnet types of payment.
Unreliable Website Hosting
But the worst issue you may face with your eCommerce website is downtime.
Sites go down, it happens. However, without proper monitoring and maintenance, it can happen too often. Websites require software and hardware maintenance to stay up and running, and regular updates are usually required.
With CanSpace, you’re getting the best hosting services for your money. We monitor sites 24/7, perform routine updates with no downtime, and typically respond to requests and inquiries in about 20 minutes. For any concerns, questions, or consultations on your site or hosting needs, reach out today!
