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It’s critical to understand the roots of their problems, and the common eCommerce pitfalls that many business owners fall into.
If You Build It, They Will Come
The Costner Principle* doesn’t apply to eCommerce.
Let’s lay the landscape a little – the media has been reporting that we are running out of .com and IP addresses for years, which is why we’re seeing more .biz, .us, and other new URL suffixes. In short, there are a lot of websites, a lot of noise, and a seemingly insurmountable amount of online competition. Just because you have an online store does not mean customers will start flocking to your site.
You need a Search Engine Optimization strategy that is scientific, artful, and nimble to consistently drive traffic to your site. Remember, Google changes the rules on SEO with some frequency (remember Mobilegeddon?). While there are plenty of free resources to learn the ins and outs of SEO, if you do not have the time to invest in that education, invest in an expert that can keep you on top of Google search results for years to come.
If You Build It, They Will Buy
Just because someone comes to your site doesn’t mean you’ve created an easy shopping experience for them. Can users easily find products? How do your filters and search results perform? Do you encourage buyers to leave product reviews for future customers? Is your checkout process quick and easy? Do you offer multiple methods and 1-click payment?
These are just a few components of Conversion Rate Optimization, or “CRO.” By employing CRO best practices and crafting an enjoyable shopping experience for the buyer’s journey, your visitors are much more likely to tap “Buy Now”. Solid CRO strategies will also help reengage bring past customers with your site.
If You Build it, It Will Work Forever
I’m sorry, but no. Technology updates so rapidly that what was popular one year is often obsolete the next. Similarly, web platforms update, design trends change, new devices come to market, payment methods are revised, and so on. When these things happen, neglected sites start to break.
That might mean that your site layouts, designs, or formatting start to look wonky. Other times your site might be so outdated and slow to load that visitors lose interest and don’t stay to buy (slow load speeds also adversely affect SEO). A site that was designed years ago no longer keeps up with modern aesthetic trends, encouraging your visitors to look somewhere “better” for products. No matter what it is that breaks (literally and figuratively) on your site, these issues cause a prospective shopper to lose confidence in your brand.
Simply put: just like the newest smartphone models, your site needs to be updated frequently to keep up with technology and changing shopping behavior.
If You Build It and It Doesn’t Work, Online Sales Are Not For You
Successful eCommerce requires strategies for marketing, SEO, CRO, pricing, new market entry, and more. If your current strategy is not working, you can adjust to see better success. Most eCommerce platforms offer simple to robust reporting capabilities to allow you to analyze customer behavior and make data-driven decisions about your strategies. But someone on your team, internal or external, must understand, evaluate, and synthesize the information from your website. When you do this, you’ll be thrilled by the increase in ROI.
Logic’s eCommerce, web, SEO, and marketing experts can help you get there. Contact us today!
*The Costner Principle is definitely a thing.