If like many people, you are thinking of starting an online business but don’t know where to start, or do not have the knowhow of a professional you could risk driving your brand new business into the abyss that is the internet.
Like many people out there, it’s easy to think that because you are able to create an ecommerce store (online shop) that it will guarantee you will do well. If this was the case everybody would be doing it. However, that is not the case and without proper optimisation techniques and knowledge you will get nowhere.
If you don’t want to hire the help of a professional you will need to learn the fundamental rules to get started on your own.
Rule 1: Trust – Nobody is going to buy from somebody they do not trust. Add security icons for payments and make sure your terms and conditions are clear. This is the same with the privacy policy. Ensure the buyer that all their information is safe. Have your contact details available to them so they have the peace of mind that they can contact you with any problems.
Rule 2: Advertise – You could post leaflets around the local area but this is time consuming and expensive and not guaranteed to reach your desired audience. Google Ads are good for new businesses as it has an immediate effect. You should set yourself a weekly limit of how much you are willing to spend and stick to it, then document the effect it has. Also you could create a social networking group on the likes of Facebook or make a Twitter page just for your business. You will get fans and followers which you can link to your website.
Rule 3: Pay Attention to Detail – Write as much about your products as possible but in a reader friendly way. Try using bullet points; this always works as people can skim through it. Writing masses of text can usually put somebody off as a lot of people cannot be bothered to read it.
Rule 4: Clear Pictures – Make sure you have good quality pictures to promote your products; nobody is going to buy from you if they can’t tell what it actually looks like, especially if it’s a high value item. If, for example, you are selling clothing and there are details on the back as well as the front then have the option to click another picture or open up a gallery with lots of larger pictures. This works with a lot of different products as well. You can do it with electronics and much more.
Rule 5: Offer – Have promotions and special offers on your home page, things like “buy one get one free with first order” This has a really positive effect as people like to get things for free and it helps customers remember your business for something positive when recommending to friends.
These tips are a good first stepping stone to start your ecommerce store but they are not a guarantee for success.
For more information on how you can drive traffic or improve your E-commerce store visit Mancala.co.uk the leading Internet Marketing specialists in the North east of England
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