A lot of entrepreneurs who are interested in starting their own e commerce stores are overwhelmed with the idea of actually getting the site put together, but if you break everything down step by step, it’s really not difficult to get a site up and running. I’ve created a series of videos and even have a complete course that walks you through all of the steps that you need to take to get an e commerce store up and running.
Of course, you need to begin by deciding what you need to buy, purchasing a domain name and developing a brand. Then, you need to find products and get your website’s framework in place. Once you have a basic website set up, you’re ready to start adding products to the e commerce site. How long this will take you will depend on how many products you’re selling, and the specific steps that you need to do to add products will vary based on what site platform you’re using. Still, there are some basics that will apply to all stores.
Here are some secrets and best practices that can help you add products in a way that will ensure you to get the most sales possible.
- Remember SEO when you’re naming your products.
When you’re deciding what to call your products, you need to think of two things. First, you want to make sure that the title is an accurate, clear description of your product. After all, people will see the product listed on your category pages and need to be able to know which links to click to buy what they’re looking for. Next, you want to make sure that the title is something that people actually search for. This means that you want to include at least one good keyword. As an example, I sell a particular kind of dance shorts that I was calling fold over dance shorts. I later discovered that few people were searching for that phrase. Instead, they were calling that style of dancewear high waist dance shorts. By choosing that keyword for my product title, I was able to get more traffic from Google.
- Add at least one good image.
A customer can’t see or touch the items that you’re selling. The only real connection they have to what they’re purchasing is the picture. If the pictures on your site are low quality, customers won’t have a desire to purchase them, and your site just won’t seem professional. That’s why you need to have at least one very clear, large image of each product. If possible, include multiple images of your product seen from various views.
- Add a video.
Videos of products being used or modeled can make them more real and appealing to customers. A video creates a stronger desire to buy among customers and can increase conversions.
- Put the Buy button in the right spot.
You don’t want your customers to have to hunt for the add to cart or buy button. Make sure that it’s in a prominent position on the page and that users won’t have to scroll down to find it. If a customer has to struggle to figure out how to add a product to their cart, they’ll just go somewhere else to buy it.
- Include all of the information about a product.
Your product pages need to include all of the information that someone needs to know to decide to purchase your product. You can include the information in bullet points or in a long description. Don’t assume that customers will contact you if they have a question; another site might have the information readily available and could get the sale instead of you.
- Write good product descriptions.
Make sure that your product descriptions thoroughly describe not just the features of your products but what their benefits are. Descriptions that are engaging and easy to read will encourage more sales.