Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the eCommerce market has grown significantly and continues to increase yearly as shoppers look for convenience and variety online. As more digital entrepreneurs enter this marketplace, tools for creating and managing an online store have become accessible and more user-friendly. Today, anyone with access to the internet can easily design and launch an online store without the need for complex technical knowledge. You can efficiently operate a successful online store with tools and services like managed hosting. Here are a few tips for opening your online store.
Pick a Platform and Consider Hosting
There are many platforms and hosting providers, so you’ll have to research to find the right one for your business. You want a platform that’s easy to use and will work well with the products you plan to sell.
WordPress is the most popular CMS worldwide, operating millions of active websites. There are many benefits of selecting WordPress as your CMS, including a plethora of plugins that will offer your site all the functionality you require and a large community of developers who generate helpful content and guides for the platform. Further, with a hosting partner like Nexcess, you can easily take advantage of their WordPress experts 24/7, who are there to help you operate and manage your site.
When picking a hosting provider, you should look for the following:
- Reliability and security
- 24/7 support
- Uptime Guarantee
Your hosting partner is essential for helping you maintain a fully functional and high-speed eCommerce site. A hosting partner like NExcess will automatically upgrade your plugins and monitor their performance to ensure your site is always running at top speed and efficiency.
Design and Customize Your Store
Now that you’ve chosen a platform and have your inventory ready, it’s time to design and customize your new online store. This is where you get to choose the look and feel of your website. Your choice of colors, fonts, images, and layout will help create an identity for your business. Remember that many customers decide which companies to buy from based on their perception of those businesses’ brands.
When designing your website, pay extra attention to your landing pages. A landing page is the first webpage your customers land on when they enter your site. Landing pages typically have clear messaging and a call to action that encourages users to navigate deeper into your site. A call to action can include a prompt to enter their email or a Learn More button that sends them directly to a product page. Your landing pages should be engaging and fit your brand’s theme. If you need help designing your store, consider utilizing managed WordPress hosting services from Nexcess so you can use their intuitive website Store Builder and access their expert team of WordPress developers.
Offer Various Payment Options
To expand your reach and attract a larger audience, you’ll need to accept various forms of payment. The most common way to do this is through credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and crypto options.
There are other options for people who prefer checks and money orders, like Square Cash or Payoneer. You may also consider popular payment plans like buy now, pay later through a platform like Klarna. There are many options that you can offer to your customers, so do research and decide which payment options you’d like for your customers. Layaway options are becoming more popular as an increasing number of online stores offer payment plan options for large ticket items customers may not be able to afford all at once. Be sure to take feedback from your customers to learn more about how you can improve your checkout process.
Start SEO and Social Media Marketing
Once you have a website up and running, it’s time to consider Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO involves making sure your website shows up in search engine results when someone searches for what you sell. It often involves monitoring how people find your site and then adjusting your site content so more users can find you. You can add content like a blog section to your site to target competitive keywords within your industry to try and rank higher for those keywords that relate to your products or service.
Social Media Marketing is another essential part of getting your business off the ground—and growing it into something bigger than an online store! Social Media Optimization (SMO) involves using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to promote products, services, and events related to your brand. Social media is free to use for everyone and should be taken advantage of while building your brand and growing your customer base.
Start Selling Today
You don’t have to be a coder to get started selling online! If you’re beginning as a business owner and feel like building your website is out of reach, don’t worry. You can use an easy-to-use site builder that will make it simple to create a professional-looking storefront without being tech-savvy. With managed WordPress hosting from Nexcess, you don’t have to worry about building or maintaining your digital infrastructure because you will have a team of professionals available 24/7 to monitor the performance of your plugins and help you keep your site at maximum uptime and speed for your customers.
Opening your own store can be a daunting experience, but with the correct information and guidance, it can be an exciting opportunity for your business. As eCommerce sales continue to grow yearly, now is the time to take advantage of this market opportunity and launch your online store. You can easily create a stunning and successful site with the right partners and tools.
