9 E-Commerce Website Design Tips and Best Practices in 2020
D esign is a chance to make a good first impression for an e-commerce website. It has a direct effect on how much time users are going to spend there and how much they are going to buy. It shows like no other how important all the design aspects are: from the beautiful UI to the elaborate UX. With e-commerce website design, it’s not just about how the website looks but how it works.
In addition to the carefully planned marketing strategy, it’s necessary to pack it into an attractive and usable wrap. It takes just a few seconds for a person to decide whether or not they should stay. In a competitive field of e-commerce, the website is a tool to showcase users the value of products and to keep them engaged. There must be a reason for people to use a particular website, and the design can become this reason.
Having said that, until recently, only 64% of small businesses in the US had a website. This number is rising with every passing month, as more and more businesses recognize the importance of having a website. The situation with COVID-19 coronavirus only intensified it. Online shopping has skyrocketed and business owners can’t ignore it any longer.
1. Avoid clutter
Now that you’ve removed some clutter and simplified your menu options, you’ll still need to make additional changes. Since visitors will have fewer menu selections, they’ll see more products when they click on each category.
Take a look at what the search for “running sneakers” yielded in the example above. As you can see, there are 155 products that fit this description. That’s still an overwhelming number of items to scroll through.
If you use this strategy, make sure all your products are clearly tagged with the appropriate labels. Then the search results will be accurately displayed for each shopper’s query.
Create an FAQ Page
Beyond that, live chat can help build your brand. If you’re fast to respond and helpful, you will leave a positive impression on the consumer, and that should not be underestimated.
i. You attract long-tail keyword searches.
Think about the search terms such as “What type of running shoe should I buy?” If your consumer is looking for this info, where are they finding it? Be the site where they find the answer.
ii. The content will help convert.
If you have content on your site that helps to answer questions the consumer may have, then you are more likely to convert. In the example above, maybe the user was looking to buy a pair of ASICS runners. Not knowing what type of ASICS leaves them with indecision.
This generally leads to abandoning the site and delaying the purchase to a later time. But, having an article on different ASICS shoe models (ideally, ones you have in stock), helps that user make their decisions when they are on your site.
iii. It gets you social exposure.
Your audience is more likely to share a blog post that they believe will provide valuable information to their network of friends and family compared to a product page. Unless your product is truly remarkable or unique, valuable blog content is more likely to increase your chances of social engagement and reach.
Utilise Google’s Free Shopping Listings
Perform a search with purchase intent, and you’ll find a few paid shopping listings at the top of Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Result Page). They’re compelling with a product image, title, price, and more.
The good news is that Google is showing free shopping listings. Not on the traditional search page, of course. For the consumer to find your free shopping listing, they’ll have to head to the “Shopping” tab. They’ll be met with a few more paid listings up top, but then they’ll see the free listings below.
If you haven’t been advertising, you’ll need to set up a Merchant Centre Account. It’s a clear-cut process until you need to add your products or product feed. However, if you’re using Shopify, they’ve made it extremely easy. You’ll find what you need to know here.
Quentin Aisbett
Quentin is an information-hungry Gen Xer, often found lurking in the deepest corners of a client’s Google Analytics on a quest to dig up something insightful. With 12+years of SEO experience, he’s the man behind Searcht’s 5-star client reviews and a regular contributor to GoDaddy.
Sources:
https://uxplanet.org/9-e-commerce-website-design-tips-and-best-practices-in-2020-86f180c3abce
https://www.quicksprout.com/best-practices-for-running-a-successful-ecommerce-website/
https://searcht.au/blog/improve-ecommerce-website/