When building an e-commerce website, there is no doubt that the ultimate goal of the website is to get people to make a purchase. You can't just focus on building a beautiful e-commerce site (though it's worth doing too). You have to make sure that every element of your website design leads people to buy something. Fortunately, building an e-commerce website is easier than ever. You don't need to hire an expensive designer or learn to program from scratch. If you don't have enough money or time to work, you can use an ecommerce website builder to create a professional ecommerce website that will achieve your goals. Whether you're building your site yourself or hiring someone to do the work, there are some important steps you should take to make sure your ecommerce site works.

Organize e-commerce sites according to people's shopping habits.

The first step in building an e-commerce website is deciding which pages and categories to include. Obviously, you need a home page and pages for each of the different products. But how are you going to organize all those product pages so people can find what they're looking for? Consider how potential customers are likely to shop and browse, and design the most logical way to build your website based on that. For example, if you sell pet food and supplies, you can base your visitors on the type of pets (dogs, cats, fish, mice, etc.) and the type of products (toys, treats, food, etc.) under each category. Anyone visiting the site can quickly narrow their search to their specific needs. By visiting a page that groups together many similar products, they can browse through all the dog or cat toys available and choose the one they want the most.

2. Responsive e-commerce website.

According to mobile shopping trends, almost one-third of all online purchases are now made on mobile devices. If your e-commerce site doesn't work well on mobile, you'll miss out on a lot of potential sales (which hurts your SEO). For most ecommerce sites, the best way to make your site mobile-friendly is to make it responsive. Responsive websites provide the same information and images on every page, no matter what device they are on, and they move around to fit the page to that screen. For example, an image that appears next to text on the desktop will appear below it. Fortunately, responsive websites have become the norm, and a good website builder or designer will offer responsive options for granted. Interested friends can learn about the things that e-commerce websites need to pay attention to when choosing a virtual host.

3. Add search bar.

Many visitors will be content to browse the site to find an item they like, but some will know exactly what they're looking for. The search bar gives them a way to go directly to the page they want, so it's one of those features that every ecommerce site should have.

4. Add to Cart.

The ideal customer doesn't directly see the item they like and go right into the buying process. They will spend some time browsing and selecting some of the items they want. Shopping carts are another standard feature for e-commerce stores, as it allows visitors to save the items they want to buy as they continue browsing, and then make a one-time purchase. For those visitors who added an item to their cart but didn't buy it right away, you can send customers a reminder email to help them return to the site to make a purchase. Related reading: How to prevent users from shopping cart abandonment on e-commerce.

5. Wish List Features:

It provides an easy place for people to pick out gifts for friends and family before the gift-giving event begins - which often happens when people buy gifts. For those who like to research products before buying, this gives them the opportunity to save their favorite items for future purchases. For those who avoid impulse purchases for budget reasons, they can now flag something they want to come back to later. Giving people a way to use a website to create a list of items they want creates an opportunity to make those items more likely to be sold in the future.

6. Include comments.

More than half of the average online shopper said they read reviews of almost all online purchases. Checking out customer reviews has become a regular part of the buying process. By adding reviews to your website, you're giving your customers a way to communicate directly with each other -- more persuasive than you tell them. Supportive reviews from third parties show that customers trust your product to stand up to honest customer feedback. If the reviews are positive (as they should be if your product is reliable), they will increase your sales. As an added bonus, reviews can help you gain valuable feedback on the products you offer and the service experience your customers have. Over time, you may learn some tips that will help improve your e-commerce business.

7. Offer customers checkout options.

When someone creates an account on a website, it gives you an incredible long-term opportunity. This means they can use some of the features we've discussed here -- like creating wish lists and adding comments -- and you can send them relevant promotional emails and reminder emails after they abandon their cart. But creating an account takes time, and having to take the steps to create an account can be an inconvenience for some visitors who aren't sure if they'll come back. They just want to be ready to buy. Including an easier guest checkout option takes the hassle out of the checkout process, so more people are willing to go through the entire checkout process rather than change their minds when it seems too time-consuming.

8. Invest in high-quality product photos.

 For physical products, photos can often tell visitors valuable information about the product that words cannot convey. 78% of online shoppers say they want to see images that bring products to life. Not only do you need to provide photos of all the products you sell, but you should also invest in high-quality images. Whether you're taking pictures yourself or investing in a professional product photographer, make sure you're using images that look good and showcase the product in the best possible light.

9. Obvious contact details.

You should try to answer all the common questions your customers may have on your website, but even then you will have customers who will need to get in touch with you at some point. When this happens, make it as easy as possible for them to find a solution to any problems. Don't make them search websites for simple email addresses or phone numbers. You cannot provide good customer service until the customer has successfully reached you. Customer service is the best tool for repeat business.

10. Perform user testing.

 Building an e-commerce site requires a lot of guesswork about how people will react. Even if you try very hard to put potential visitors first and try to design your website according to the way you think they will behave, you can't do it all alone. Before launching, do some website usability testing. Bring some other people in and they can see the site in a new light. Get them to take the steps you most want visitors to take on your site - such as creating an account, buying something, and signing up for an email list. They can provide honest feedback on any difficulties or inconveniences encountered. Their feedback will allow you to make the necessary last-minute adjustments to correct issues you were unaware of.

A meticulous website front-end can allow customers to experience the purchase in an immersive experience. Of course, a powerful back-end and database design is inevitable. Therefore, while paying attention to website design, we must also consider more security factors. Thinking about the combination is the last word.

Los Angeles TMI Internet website design is looking forward to your consultation