| how-to develop successful e-commerce projects
Do you want to go online and sell your merchandise? Do you want to have a designer that "makes something nice" , develop the design into the templates, put it on the web server, add the products and go online and then hope that sale will set in ...reality will scatter your hope in little pieces. E-commerce and online shops just do not work that way and is for all not that easy and not that cheap.Basic rules
Before you even consider to start an e-commerce project to sell your products, do what you would do when opening a "mortar shop".Check your finances and make a budget plan. Calculate your costs for:
- Web design and development from start to launch.
- Reserve at least, depending on the industry, between $USD 500 - 1200 $USD for SEO and online marketing for the first year for each month
- Domain registration
- Hosting (you will need a web server with root access and the possibility to set up a database, bandwidth and server space are of no big importance - your web site does not require more than 1GB on space - so do NOT get a dedicated server to start with or 20GB on server space. Recommended however is an own IP)
- SSL certificate
- Payment services you would like to use.
- Products in stock
- Distribution - do not only calculate UPS or any other service but also packaging costs and consider your own time or that of your employees
- Budget to resolve technical issues and user problems
Check out your competition and order something.
- Note what you liked about their shopping process and what you did not like
- Wait until the merchandise arrives and check if you are happy with their delivery service
- Think about how you could provide a better service and how you could differentiate yourself from them (it makes no sense to be number 100 with the same assortment or service and NOT being better)
- Note why you trusted one web site more than the other
- Note if you ordered confidently or with a "I hope that ever arrives" feeling
- Check what caused the difference
Define your target group
- Market segment
- Profile them (likes and dislikes, preferences they have)
Localization of Sale
- Regional, Nation wide, Continent, Global
- Check the tax rates you need to bill to clients
- Register your company at the tax office
- Organize a person that is available to resolve technical issues and provide user support
No lay back time after the launch
There is no lay back time after the launch of an e-commerce web site! The following has to be taken care off:- Start to >> sign up in web directories to advertise your web site
- Buy good links in web-directories like Yahoo
- Submit your web site to all search engines, DMOZ is very important
- Monitor the traffic and user behavior with a >> professional user tracking service
- Set up a Google Adwords Campaign for the first 3 months
- Tweak your titles, meta tags until you see postitive results
- Adjust your content until you have received the result that your web site moves slowly but surely up on the pages of the search engine results when users conduct a search for your product.
- Make sure your users are pleased with all your offerings and that the content is written for them and not only for search engines. Provide detailed info about the products.
- Create landing pages for AdWords campaign.
There is still a lot left for you to do. Make sure the distribution works efficiently, quick and reliable. Keep track of your stock. Offer new products regularly. Be alert and answer a.s.a.p. when users send you e-mails, serve them in the best way.
>> Contact us when you require more information about a e-commerce. Visual Orange shall provide impartial advice by e-mail or use the Chat of MS Messenger or Skype.
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