Website design By BotEap.comThe unfortunate onset of the Covid-19 pandemic had prompted closures and travel restrictions that are being applied around the world to slow the spread of the disease. Because of this, many people around the world have become less mobile and making their physical purchases to meet their needs has become difficult. Therefore, online shopping has become popular around the world during the prevailing pandemic period and is expected to increase even after the pandemic is over.

Website design By BotEap.comIt follows that many e-commerce websites have been created to capitalize on this growing trend. As a result, the growth of the e-commerce business has outpaced traditional “brick and mortar” businesses many times over in recent times. In fact, many of these traditional companies, even the most established ones, have to get their businesses online to survive. However, many smaller companies face stiff competition from e-commerce companies and sadly, those that were unsustainable had closed.

Website design By BotEap.comThe success of e-commerce businesses has been so shocking that many people have started selling online using social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or Tik Tok. But the most enterprising are looking to dive into e-commerce in a broader way rather than just using the social media platform. But first, to start an e-commerce business, you need to create an e-commerce website to get started.

Website design By BotEap.comFortunately, there is a structured process for creating an e-commerce website. Although a website developer is normally dedicated to this task, having some relevant knowledge could also help you create a website for your online business.

Website design By BotEap.comJust follow these 8 easy steps to create an ecommerce website from scratch:

Website design By BotEap.com1. Decide on the product niche of your store.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you search the Internet, you have come across many e-commerce websites that sell a variety of products. However, there are also many similar websites that focus on selling a specific line of products or services, such as clothing, pet accessories, fashion clothing, shoes, or travel packages. Also, there are some other e-commerce websites that sell many different products, such as smartphones, cameras, appliances, household items, health and sporting goods, lamps, laptops, books, etc. The latter is somewhat similar to a hypermarket where you can find almost anything, whatever, they have it.

Website design By BotEap.comTo begin with, it is important to decide the niche or the type of services that you want to sell or provide on your website. In your decision, you should be aware of the local demand for certain niche-related products or certain high-demand services that interest you. Keep in mind that buyers would normally prefer to purchase products or obtain services from a local provider, either online or offline. The local supplier would generally provide easy payment methods, faster deliveries, and faster replacements in case of wrong or defective items.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Decide on your business model

Website design By BotEap.comAs a future e-commerce entrepreneur, you must first decide on the business model that best suits your needs and budget. You can sell your products only in your online store or you can sell your products in marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, etc. If you decide on the latter, you don’t need to create your own website. All you need to do is sign up for an account, list your products in your marketplace, and start selling. You can also choose to sell your products on both platforms in parallel.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Choose a domain name for your company

Website design By BotEap.comIf you have decided that your business model is an e-commerce online store, in addition to having chosen the niche and the range of products to sell or the type of services you want to provide, you need to buy a domain name in any web host. company like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostgator, etc. Make sure the domain hyperlink is “https”, which ensures the safety of data on the network. It is preferable to choose a domain name that is closely related to the product niche or services you have chosen. For example, if you choose to sell only pet accessories, get a domain like ‘petaccessories.com’ or ‘petaccessories.net’ depending on which one is available. The domain name is also considered your business name and should be easy for your target audience to remember. A domain provides a brand to your business and makes it easier for your audience to associate them with each other.

Website design By BotEap.comDomain hosting is easily done with the help of the web hosting company’s support team.

Website design By BotEap.com4. Choose an e-commerce platform

Website design By BotEap.comCurrently, there are a multitude of e-commerce platforms on the internet, such as Square Online, Weebly, Big Cartel, Constant Contact, BigCommerce, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, WooCommerce, and more. Some come with a free plan, while others come with a free trial, but for a limited period. Choose the one that best suits your budget and needs. Additionally, you need to ensure that the platform you choose is optimized for mobile phone usability to take advantage of the accelerating growth in smartphone use around the world. The online e-commerce platform can easily help you build your website in a couple of easy steps.

Website design By BotEap.com5. Set up your e-commerce store

Website design By BotEap.comYour ecommerce website is your online store and you need an appropriate theme to represent your brand. You need to configure it correctly to ensure that your potential customers have a good browsing experience in terms of fast loading speed, navigability, ease of use, etc. Your website should contain accurate details about your products or services, quality images, good descriptions and prices, as well as options for customers to leave comments and star ratings. All of this needs to be featured on your product page for potential customers to see, so that they buy based on an informed decision and don’t fool them into buying in any way. You need to make your website and web pages eye-catching as it is the representation of your brands to your online customers.

Website design By BotEap.comAdditionally, you should include pages on your website regarding About Us, Contact Us, Return Policy, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Shipping Information, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). These are very important to build trust with your customers, where they will feel safe to share their money in exchange for your products.

Website design By BotEap.com6. Configure payment gateway

Website design By BotEap.comFor your online store, you must have some payment options for your customers. Most ecommerce store building platforms already have features that allow you to easily configure the payment gateway. The customer must have options to make payments through PayPal, credit card, debit card, online wallets, Internet banking, etc.

Website design By BotEap.com7. Secure your website by installing an SSL certificate

Website design By BotEap.comFor all websites that transfer data online, especially those related to payment, you must ensure that the network connection is protected by a protected security layer (SSL). The SSL certificate keeps your website safe from hackers and will help you build trust with your customers.

Website design By BotEap.com8. Choose your shipping partner

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you start selling products on your e-commerce website, you need to ship the products to your customers using shipping companies. You should choose reliable ones that have a good track record of delivering shipments within agreed-upon durations and at the lowest shipping cost available, so that you can give your customers the best deal and maximize your profits.

Website design By BotEap.comThere you have it, the 8 easy steps to create an ecommerce website from scratch and start selling your products or services online.