Developing a quality e-commerce website that stands out from the crowd can be difficult as there is a lot of competition. Almost everything in modern life can be done online, especially shopping. This is why having an e-commerce site that stands out is more important than ever.

We have created a list of tips to help you make your business stand out through your website design and optimisation.

1. Do your research

When designing a website, it is important to consider who you are creating it for (your target audience and customers) and what else is available (competitors).

Your target audience is who you are trying to attract to your business, your customers are people who have already purchased your services or products.

It is important to consider how to attract your target audience and your customers to your site and what are their needs once they are there. Asking yourself what your target audience’s wants and needs are will support you in ensuring your e-commerce site caters to their needs and makes you more visible to your target audience. Researching how you can utilise existing customers to attract new visitors to your site can be a beneficial and strategic way to grow your reach.

Researching your competition can give you insight into what other businesses are offering your customers and how you can provide a superior offering. What can improve your competitor’s websites? Ensure to include these aspects in your e-commerce site.

2. Keep it simple

Creating a simple e-commerce site will improve usability and design. Considering simplicity around elements such as text, imagery and colour will help create a stronger focus on the products and not distract the customers from your call to action- the ‘buy now’ button.

Clean, simple designs also present a higher market feel for your e-commerce site. Consider your competitor research, how did high-end sites look compared to lower-end competitors? The primary goal of your site is to sell your products and services. A fussy website design can draw attention away from this and cause potential customers to become disinterested and leave the site.

3. Keep user experience at the heart of your design

User experience can make or break web design. Consider your competitor research, how did the high-end website’s function? What did they have in common?

Creating a seamless experience is highly important for creating a good user experience. Easy navigation of your site creates a simple and effortless experience for the user, increasing their satisfaction. Make goals easy to complete through easy to find key pages and obvious ‘buy now’ buttons. You will often find high-end sites are minimal for this reason.

4. Use responsive web design

Most customers will use a range of devices when engaging with your website. Using responsive design allows the pages of your site to adapt to the different screen sizes and shapes of a range of devices. Responsive design both increases usability and the number of customers who can use your site.
Responsive design also increases load speeds as it reduces the number of files that need to be downloaded. Faster load speeds are favoured by search engines and therefore responsive design can help you rank higher in search results.

Designing an e-commerce site can present challenges and having an expert to guide you offers a high level of support and assurance that the time and money you are spending will result in a functional site that converts. If you are considering designing an e-commerce site yourself, however, considering these areas can help your e-commerce website stand out.

Website design is important for all businesses, however many don’t have access to the resources needed for designing and developing their website. At Digital Aptech we offer a range of scalable resources to support your business needs. Get in touch with our team to find out how we can help make outsourcing a reliable and sustainable way to grow your business.