5 Simple Steps to Get Started

How to get started with your e-commerce store

Have an online business or thinking of starting one? What roadblocks have you encountered so far? Maybe some things have tripped you up as you manage your website, or maybe you don’t even know where to begin! We’ve learned a bunch designing and launching e-commerce websites over the last 15 years. Read on for 5 simple steps to success with your online store!

A good e-commerce website is made up of these main things:

Message (and all of your written content)
Imagery (photography, videography, iconography/brand design)
Layout (and functions)
Coordination of Logistics (taxes, shipping, payment gateway)
SEO (optimization for findability)

I know you might be looking for a list of detailed how-tos or tutorials for how to set things up in the back end of your shiny new e-commerce site and this list might seem underwhelming…

But those 5 things above are the foundation to crafting a site that will actually work hard for you and sell your stuff.

I promise I’ll give you some lists and helpful details as we go! I’ll break it all down for you and give you all the tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way.

Start with me at the beginning though. If you lay a good, solid foundation, you’ll have much more success with your online store. Let me show you the big picture and help you set up a solid foundation so you can sell more stuff with less hassle.

For now, let’s focus on Message.

Get Results with Connection

Many website designers consider the text content of the site to be an afterthought. After all, it’s not their department. They’ll design a pretty layout based on current trends and requested features, fill it with lorem ipsum and plunk in the final content for each page at the last minute. Unfortunately, this will not yield the results you’re looking for!

For our clients, the goal is not for them to simply impress their site visitors – to leave them dazzled by fanciness and then move along. Our clients want to sell their cool products, and to do that, there needs to be connection.

For connection, you need a strong message. Message is why you exist and what you’re here to do, and is as important as design. MORE important, even, when it comes to the success of your business.

The internet is a noisy place. People have so many options vying for their attention, and it can be overwhelming. What gets customers to stop at your website and stay a while?

People crave connection. They want to feel understood!

Do you understand your customers?

To connect with them you need to communicate that you see them, you get them, and you care about them.

So, how do you connect with your customers on your website? How do you show that you understand them? I’ll expand on this in the next post but for now, know that this is the very first (and hugely important) building block to a website that works hard for you.

At AE, we care so much about this that we have a professional web writer on our team (affectionately known around here as The Word Fairy) whose job it is to understand your business, your customers, and where the sweet spot of connection is. After she works her magic with brand message, page content, taglines and call to action, THEN we begin working on that beautiful first-impression winning design – always crafting the design to showcase the message.

If you are a wordsmith, put your talents into action! It’ll make a huge impact on the success of your website! If not, definitely consider teaming up with a professional who can turn your thoughts into purposeful, meaningful message.

5 Simple Steps to Get Started

A good e-commerce website is made up of these main things:

Get Results with Connection

Do you understand your customers?

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5 Simple Steps to Get Started

A good e-commerce website is made up of these main things:

Get Results with Connection

Do you understand your customers?

Blog Series

Categories

Recent Posts

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