5 Easy Steps To Create A Small Business E-Commerce Website

For any small business, eCommerce is the next logical step in the growth process. ECommerce provides increased access to the market segment in a simplified manner. It enables the business to perform direct sales with its consumers. All of this is assuming that the small business gets the setup process right. Failure to handle the process correctly can be immensely disastrous for the business. The process consumes time, energy, resources, and manpower. If done incorrectly, it will waste resources and lead to massive frustration on your part and for your consumers.

Listed below are five easy steps to success:-

1. Research eCommerce The biggest reason for failure in the ecommerce sector is failure to seek the right information on this industry. Research serves several highly crucial functions:-

a. Reason why you need an eCommerce website – you need to understand why you need an eCommerce website before you embark on building one. Not all small businesses will have their objectives served well with this choice. This is an investment that may or may not pay off and research will inform you on the likely course of events.

b. The structure of an eCommerce website – eCommerce websites are not as simple as getting a website that has a buy/add-to-cart option and showing product catalogues. There is an intricate structure of mechanism that you need to understand in order to build an effective eCommerce website.

c. Useful tactics in eCommerce – this is useful to help you craft a marketing and advertising campaign to increase sales conversions. There are many other small eCommerce websites out there that can give you useful tips. So where do you get this information? All of it can be found online. Connect with other people who have been down this path for useful experience.

2. Strategize your approach Develop a business plan targeted at the eCommerce website. Every business should have a business plan to run it; this becomes even more relevant where it grows to provide eCommerce services. The current business plan of the business must be updated as time passes in order to reflect current circumstances. For eCommerce, you need a business plan that has long term objectives.

3. Build the eCommerce website First, you have to get a domain name and have it registered. Make sure it is easy to remember and relevant to your website. You can now embark on the building process. Get the individual pages built and have them assembled into a website. This should be tested before it is made accessible to the public. You must also make sure that you have licenses for any media content you are using on the website.

4. Secure payment processing Choose an eCommerce payment processing provider. To be able to use their services, you must have your transaction pages SSL secured. There are industry regulators who check whether you are compliant with data security standards before you can let consumers use a credit card information on your website.

5. Market your eCommerce website Now that you are ready, the market needs to be informed of your presence. Use online marketing methods such as SEO and inbound marketing to increase the awareness of the consumers. Social media is also useful in generating leads to your website. The best way to succeed in the marketing efforts is to ensure that you have a robust marketing strategy to use. Do not be afraid of investing in advertising campaigns, but do make sure they are worth the cost. Remember, the right foundation is an indispensable tool for success. However, success at the beginning needs constant effort to keep going, so do not become complacent.

This post is shared by Mayank Kaushik, Business Manager from RiaEnjolie.com. RiaEnjolie offers high-impact small business Websites as well as eCommerce Website design to help grow your businesses. You may follow them on twitter @RiaEnjolie

Culled from: http://www.iblognet.com/create-ecommerce-website.html