When it comes to eCommerce, all websites are not created equally. For many small and local businesses, the quality of their online presence has a major impact on the overall success of the business. Despite its importance, most small businesses struggle to develop and maintain a site that provides adequate information and engagement for customers. To help your business avoid this pitfall, here are 4 secrets every successful online business knows:
1. Customer contact is key to conversion. The first secret to running a successful online business is ensuring that customers can easily locate contact information. Not only can this increase your rate of conversion, but it can also give your site a major boost in search engine rankings. While it may be tempting to limit contact information to a single “Contact Us” or “About” page, this can make the information more difficult for customers to locate. Instead, be sure to prominently display contact information on each page. Also, if your business has social media presence as well (and it should), provide links to these channels as well.
2. Keep customers actively engaged while shopping online. Rather than waiting for customers to call, live chat and contact forms provide an opportunity for you to start a conversation with potential customers. Live chat allows your business to provide customers with information about your products and services without making a single phone call. In addition to building a relationship with the customers, this also allows you to address any concerns that might stand in the way of a potential sale.
3. Make the online shopping experience as seamless and worry-free as possible. Once a customer has reviewed your offerings and decided that they are ready to make a purchase, the checkout process should be as fast, easy and secure. Payment processing services like 1ShoppingCart allow customers to quickly and securely covert their online shopping carts to new purchases. Having a payment processing system that you can trust will give you peace of mind knowing that your business information, as well as that of the customer, is well-protected.
4. Identify your keywords and use them often. In order for customers to locate your business online, you will need to ensure that major keywords are consistently and frequently used on your page. Before you begin generating content for your site, take a few moments to create two lists. On one list, write down any major terms that would describe the products or services you offer. On the second list, jot down search terms that customers might use when looking for your business. With these two lists, identify which items appear most often and focus your site content around these terms.
Ultimately, the online presence of your business will play a determining role in its ability to sell products and services to internet customers. Follow these 4 insider tips and you will be well on your way to a successful site.