An eCommerce website is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on what you’re selling, your target audience, and your business goals, your website will need different features and functionality.
However, there are some key things that every eCommerce website needs in order to be successful. Here are the must-haves when it comes to eCommerce web design.
General Information
The first and one of the most important things you need is general information. This includes things like your business name, contact information, and address. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many eCommerce websites don’t include this basic information.
Product & Product Category Descriptions
The next thing you need on your eCommerce website are descriptions of your products and product categories. These should be well-written and informative, without being too long or wordy. You want to give your visitors enough information to make a purchasing decision, without overwhelming them.
A Brief Overview of Your Business
Another thing you need on your eCommerce website is a brief overview of your business. This could be a summary of what you sell, who your target market is, and what your business goals are. Again, you want to give your visitors enough information to make a purchasing decision, without overwhelming them.
High-Quality Product Images
In addition to descriptions, you also need high-quality product images. This is one area where you don’t want to skimp. Hire a professional photographer or invest in a good quality camera to take clear, well-lit photos of your products.
Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure yours are saying the right things about your products. The higher quality of the images, the more likely you are to get more sales.
SSL Certificate
If you’re going to be taking any payments on your website, you need to have an SSL certificate. This will encrypt the information that is being sent between your website and your customer’s browser, ensuring that it can’t be intercepted or hacked.
As well as this, an SSL gives the visitors more confidence in your website as it looks more secure. In fact, a recent study showed that over 85% of people wouldn’t purchase anything unless their data was being encrypted. Therefore, this clearly illustrates how important it is for your site to be secure to make more people click the buy now button.
Easy Navigation & Site Search
Another important aspect of eCommerce web design is easy navigation and site search. You want your visitors to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, without getting frustrated. It’s important to have a search bar in a prominent location, as well as clear and concise navigation.
If you have a lot of products, you might want to consider implementing filter options so that your visitors can narrow down their search. You can implement something called a mega menu for users to navigate through your site.
As well as this, having a search bar in your header also improves user experience as they can quickly find something very specific on your website. In addition, footer navigation is also a plus. The more ways you have for users to find products the better as they are less likely to click off your site when they can’t find something.
Mobile-Friendly Design
These days, more and more people are shopping on their mobile devices. In fact, over 60% of all eCommerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. Therefore, it’s essential that your website is designed with mobile users in mind. This means having a responsive design that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes.
It also means making sure that your website loads quickly on mobile devices, as people are much less likely to wait around for a slow website. You can test your website’s speed using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. Our web design service involves mobile design.
Product Reviews & Testimonials
Another thing that can help increase sales on your eCommerce website is product reviews and testimonials. These provide social proof that your products are high quality and worth purchasing.
When it comes to product reviews, you want to make sure that they’re genuine and from real customers. You can do this by verifying the customer’s purchase with their email address or order number.
Return Policy
When it comes to eCommerce, one of the most important things is having a good return policy. This is what sets you apart from your competitors and gives your customers peace of mind. They know that if they’re not happy with their purchase, they can easily return it for a refund.
It’s important to make sure that your return policy is clear and easy to understand. You should list the terms and conditions on your website, as well as how long the customer has to return the product.
You should also make sure that you have a process in place for receiving and processing returns. This includes having a team that can handle customer inquiries about returns.
Having a good return policy is essential for building trust with your customers and encouraging them to purchase from you again in the future.
Well Designed Checkout, Basket Pages
It is also important to make sure that your checkout and basket pages are well-designed. This means having a clear and concise design that is easy to understand. You want your customers to have the easiest and most simple time when checking out on your website.
The checkout process should be simple and straightforward. You don’t want to overwhelm your customers with too much information or too many steps. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to complete their purchase.
You should also make sure that your basket page is designed in a way that encourages people to actually go through with their purchases. This means having a clear call to action and displaying relevant information such as shipping costs and delivery times.
User Data Collection using Account Creation
Another thing that can encourage sales on your eCommerce website is online accounts. This is where customers can create an account with your website and save their information for future purchases.
Creating an account also makes it easier for customers to track their orders and manage their shipping addresses. It’s a good idea to offer incentives for creating an account, such as discounts or free shipping.
You can also use online accounts to upsell customers by displaying related products that they might be interested in. For example, if they purchase a dress from you, you can suggest matching shoes or a handbag.
Upselling is a great way to increase average order value and boost sales on your eCommerce website.
Get Your E-Commerce Website from Freedom Search
Now that you know what things every eCommerce website needs, it’s time to get started on your own website. Freedom Search can help you with everything from web design to online marketing. We’ll make sure that your eCommerce website is designed for success.
Get in touch with our e-commerce developers today for more information and a free quotation for your website project.
