4 things to consider before you start creating an ecommerce website.

If you’re looking to step into ecommerce for the first time, there are a number of things to consider and this can often be overwhelming. Getting a new business off the drawing board and into production requires much thought. These are my 4 top things to think about before you start designing your website.

1. Branding

Before you start any venture, ecommerce or not, you'll need to have a brand name, brand colours and brand message. Your branding will be reflected in your domain name and used throughout your website, so consistency is key.

When creating a new brand, here some basic steps that will help.

1. Choose a business name
2. Choose the look of your brand (logo, colours, fonts etc)
3. Create a brand promise
4. Deploy your brand across your digital property

2. Choose the best ecommerce platform for you

One of the most important decisions when starting an ecommerce business is selecting the platform that your website will run on. It is not easy to change the platform at a later date, so it’s essential that the correct platform is picked from day 1.

There are 2 options that you can consider:

1. An off the shelf solution
2. Bespoke build.

Off the-shelf solutions

Off the shelf solutions are usually the cheapest way to start an ecommerce website as the platform is already there and just need designing with your branding, information and products. There are numerous off the shelf solutions which you can choose from and can easily be customised to suit your exact needs by a trained professional.

Our top picks:

• Magento
• WooCommerce
• Shopify
• Prestashop

The main issue with an off the shelf solution is the way they are built. Each platform has pro’s & con’s so it maybe difficult to find a package that has all the tools and functionality you need. Extensions or Add-ons are usually available to help fill these gaps, but they are typically designed by third parties which can leads to incompatibilities, security vulnerabilities and high price tags if required.

Bespoke Builds

Bespoke builds are the best solution as they will be designed to the exact needs and requirements of any business. Only things needed will be developed into the website which often has major benefits on running speeds and also prevents any issues with incompatible plugins.

The major drawback with bespoke build the longer timeline and the higher development costs. This can make it unviable for a small or start-up business.

3. Choose a payment gateway

It goes without saying that all ecommerce websites need a way to take payments.

Not all off the shelf platforms support all payment providers, so it is essential you check that your preferred method of payment is compatible with your platform before beginning any website development work.

Our top picks:

• PayPal
• Stripe
• Sage Pay
• Worldpay

4. Perfect Product Pages

Your product page design is one of the most important and complex parts of your web store. The difference between a good website and a great website is usually an amazing product page. Having a perfect product page, could be the key for your business having higher conversion rates and better sales.

So, what makes a perfect product page?

• Copy which is Search engine & content optimised
• Unique product descriptions
• Clear, high resolution images
• Add alt-tags on all your images
• Add the product name to your URL
• Show high quality reviews