The Potential Pitfalls of Ecommerce

In recent years SEO Pirate has witnessed a massive growth in the use of e-commerce by both consumers and businesses. However i want you all website owners to be aware that trading your products and services online using an ecommerce online shop does not always guarantee success.

To have a successful ecommerce online shop generally revolves around driving the right traffic and making shopping easy and secure for customers. This sounds as simple enough concept but you would be surprised how many online ecommerce vendors are getting it completely wrong. Now I’m sure there are many problems specific to all most companies out there that develop their own ecommerce solutions. However there are some common problems and pitfalls which e-commerce website owners can face.

Lack of Planning

By fully understanding what you want to achieve, setting clear goals and not rushing a ecommerce design and continued development means you can lower chances of any issues in the future.

Lack of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

People feel that an ecommerce online shop is much like running a retail store on a Main Street. Once they build the shop and open the doors the business will naturally come because people will see the shop and visit it. However just because you know about your website does not mean that others are aware of it or will even be able to naturally find it on their own. SEO Pirate knows that people use search engines to fine websites so if your website is not ranked highly in the search engines then you will not receive a steady flow of passing trade. You need to consider how well you website if optimised form the very beginning to make sure that people can find you.

Poor Website Navigation

Once they have found your website visitors want to be able to get to the product or information they require in as little steps as possible and with the less effort on there part. Having poor navigation on your website is like driving a car without a map through an area that you’ve never visited before. Unless you have an incredible aptitude for finding your way around, you’re going to get lost.

Make you navigation easy, clear and simple to use otherwise not only will visitors have difficult finding their way around, but they will become extremely frustrated and leave. In a recent Harris Interactive survey 40% of the people questioned cited that poor navigation was the biggest complaint about ecommerce websites they had visited online.

Poor Content

The quality of the content on a website will create an immediate impression and also ensure that customers keep returning. Ensure text is easy to read, clear and provides accurate information. Customers will be put off by out-of-date or incorrect information. People expect the content of website to constantly be changing so that it isn’t static and dull. Fresh content is also great for search engine indexing.

Online Shopping Problems

Once the visitors decide to buy from you, the checkout procedure must be as seamless, quick and simple as possible. It is estimated that around 75% do not complete the shopping cart process because of slow or unclear checkout processes. Also make it plainly obvious for the visitors how they buy form your website. Don't make visitors search for a checkout button, or use icons that are difficult to interpret. Use strong calls to action and clear directions to make the purchase as easy as possible.

More than a decade into e-commerce, online consumers have become increasingly savvy and will not put up with experiences that do not live up to our expectations. Any companies doing business online must pay attention to their customers’ needs and experiences during the buying process to help them to succeed.

If you can eliminate the common pitfalls of ecommerce then you will be able to retain more customers on your website, increasing both customer loyalty and profits. If a website owner does take this advice on board then the SEO Pirate encourages all employees to mutiny and make them walk the plank!

If you would like an ecommerce website developed or you would like your current ecommerce website optimised and marketed online more effectively then please contact WPM Internet.