Currently, e-commerce statistics are continuing to dominate the consumer market. At present, an estimated 40 per cent of worldwide Internet users have purchased products online, either through a desktop, mobile or tablet platform. This amounts to a cumulative total of one billion buyers, and this number is projected to rise exponentially over the next five years. Given this snapshot of the market, it is fair to surmise that it is more important than ever for business owners to create a strong online proposition and viable website.
While knowledge it important, however, it is imperative that business owners take practical steps towards creating a functional, visible and ultimately successful website. Here are four ideas for budding entrepreneurs and advice on how to create a business website:
Optimise your website for mobile users
Give the rise of m-commerce and increased capability of smartphones and tablets; it is imperative that your business website is optimised for mobile users. By guaranteeing that individual landing pages have rapid loading times (no more than 5-7 seconds) and ensuring that your site is responsive, you can develop a viable resource that delivers a seamless customer experience. Without this, you will be sure to lose out to more progressive rivals.
Prioritise the customer experience
Arguably the most important point, you should never lose sight of the fact that customers are human beings. So while you should always pay attention to the technical side of optimising your website, you must also ensure that it is easy to access and provides an enjoyable customer experience. More specifically, ensure that you simplify the purchasing process where necessary, while you should also create regularly updated and insightful blog content that adds value to the buying experience and helps customers to make informed decisions.
Ensure that all content is relevant
From product descriptions to the copy that adorns the individual pages of your blog, content must be natural and informative, and while you should always include outbound links and keywords these need to be integrated organically. In addition to this, all written content must be relevant to the core proposition of your website and the industry that it resides in, as otherwise it may lose transaction of even face a Google penalty.
Embrace the facets of rich media
Rich media is a key driver of modern content, as it embellishes written copy and adds additional depth to your website. Given the popularity of video marketing and image-led social media websites such as Pinterest, you should take the opportunity to create content that combines pictures, words and audio-visual material wherever possible. Just be sure to upload videos through third-party resources such as Vimeo or YouTube and then embed them onto your website rather than self-hosting, however, as this will make it easier for viewers to access them in a quick and reliable manner.
