Launching an online store? To ensure that your online store is a success, there are a few key ingredients you’ll want to consider adding to your website. Below are 7 examples of must-have features that your website needs.
An SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is used to authenticate that a website is secure. When your website achieves an SSL certificate, an encrypted connection is enabled between the web browser and the server, and your web URL changes from ‘http’ to https’ to notify users. On top of making your website more secure, an SSL certificate can help customers to trust your website.
Professional Product Photos
When listing products on your website, it’s essential that you provide photos of these products. However, these should not just be any photo. Ideally, you want to provide high quality photos taken from a consistent angle with a consistent background. A professional product photographer can help take these photos for you. Making sure that photos look professional will help you gain customer trust. It’s worth supplying multiple photos for each product. You can even consider 360 degree photos.
SEO-Focused Product Descriptions
Your product descriptions need to tell customers everything they want to know so that they feel confident buying your product. They also need to include the right keywords in order to rank well on search engines. It’s worth doing some keyword research to find out what terms your target customers are using to try and find your product. You can write product descriptions yourself or hire a copywriter.
An Easy Checkout Process
The checkout process shouldn’t be so long or complicated that it puts off customers. Aim to keep it short and simple by limiting to as few pages as possible and automatically filling out information. There are guides online that can tell you exactly what information to ask for during the checkout process.
A Secure Payment System
It’s important that you use a secure payment gateway to accept customer payments. Look for a payment API with developer support and make sure that the fees are not too high. Consider your target customer when deciding which forms of payment to accept.
A Return Policy
A return policy is important for customers who may want to return a product. It’s important to outline exactly which products can be returned, for what reason they can be returned, how long customers have to return a product and whether you will provide a refund. This guide offers more tips on writing a return policy for your website.
Positive Online Reviews
Online reviews are something you must accumulate over time. Having lots of positive online reviews can help you to gain the trust of future customers. To encourage such reviews, consider sending automated emails to every customer after they have received your product. Packaging your product professionally and using a fast/reliable courier can help you to gain positive reviews. Do not try to write your own fake reviews – there could be penalties if you are caught doing this.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
