Owning an e-commerce business can be challenging (to say the least), as many factors that can damage a reputation, a brand, and an end product.
If you wish to be successful online, look like a credible business, and be known worldwide, it is important to avoid making these five e-commerce business mistakes:
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1. Under Researching Your Competition
Research, research, and more research is key to starting any business. Understanding the market and studying up on your competition will get you one step closer to owning a successful online brand.
Reading case studies on other e-commerce businesses in your market to see what you may want to do better or differently is a good start. In this process, we suggest that you learn how to conduct a competitive analysis.
What is a competitive analysis?
A competitive analysis is an evaluation of what makes you unique when compared to other competing brands. This process will allow you to more clearly differentiate yourself from the competition and make more informed decisions in your marketing strategy.
How To Conduct A Competitive Analysis
2. Avoiding SEO
Search Engine Optimization helps to generate more organic traffic to your website. Before building an online store, you should understand how search engine optimization works and how to use it to your advantage.
When a website is created with Google and other search engines in mind, it is more successful. In other words, it will have a better chance of being found, viewed, and enjoyed.
The higher your website appears organically on a Google results page, the better and more relevant it has been ranked.
Learning how to use the right keywords for your site is a good start when studying and writing for SEO. At Treefrog, we can help you to improve your SEO with a suite of strategies and best practices. We will also help you create, organize, and optimize your web content so that you will be visible when it matters – when your potential customers are looking for services you provide.
3. Choosing The Wrong Web Platform
When starting a business, it is often confusing which website platform to use. If you use a website platform that fits with your business requirements, it must also be reputable and good quality.
The landing page of a website is the first thing users will see when they enter your site. Some elements a website should have to keep potential customers on your site include:
- Appealing Design: This will ensure your e-commerce business looks like a professional store, as some web users feel uneasy when shopping online.
- Easy Navigation
- Category Pages: If you sell a large variety of products in your e-commerce business, this will organize the items so users can find exactly what they are looking for
At Treefrog, we work in many platforms to ensure our clients receive the best website for their specific needs. Some of these include; WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Magento, Drupal, Leap, and custom systems.
4. Neglecting To Optimize Your Site For Mobile Users
Many people have ditched desktop and laptop computers for their mobile devices, which are easier to handle and use on the go. Therefore, it should be of no surprise that mobile commerce is vastly growing.
A research study conducted through Think with Google states that if people have a negative online experience from a mobile device, they are 62% less likely to purchase from your e-commerce store in the future.
As more people are using their phones or tablets when looking to order furniture, clothing, or the latest gadget, it is essential to make sure your website is responsive (mobile-friendly). Mobile optimization will create a more frictionless buyer’s experience.
5. Settling For Slow
We live in an age where everyone is in a rush; we can now order coffee from our phone, we can choose a self checkout lane at the grocery store, and we expect packages to be shipped in a day.
The quickness of technology may be convenient at times, but we’d argue it has created some very impatient people. This is especially true when it comes to your website.
For example, if someone is waiting more than three seconds for your website’s page to load, it is highly likely they will close the page and look for information elsewhere. Therefore, a slow loading page can profoundly impact a website’s conversion rate, engagement, and brand reputation.
Why is page speed so critical?
It is vital to have a fast-loading page so users can get to where they want to go quickly.
Amazon stated that just one second of leg load time on their website would cause a loss of $1.6 billion in sales each year. That’s billion with a B!
Google has the same issue, stating an addition of 0.5 seconds of loading to its search pages causes traffic to drop by 20%.
Connect With Treefrog Inc. Today!
At Treefrog Inc., we understand that starting an e-commerce business is hard and we want to help! Our Frogs are experts in many fields that can be beneficial to your online marketplace.
Visit our website at www.treefrog.ca for more information, or give us a call at 905-836-4442.