Discover the ultimate guide to building the best ecommerce sites with these 7 essential features. Learn how to optimize your online store for success, increase conversions, and provide an exceptional user experience. Start maximizing your ecommerce potential today!
When it comes to building the best e-commerce sites, there are several key features that can greatly enhance the user experience and drive conversions. Here, we’ll cover the top features we look for when evaluating this niche of hosting platforms:
- User-friendly Navigation: Implement a clear and intuitive navigation system that allows visitors to easily find products and navigate through different categories. Include search functionality and well-structured menus to enhance usability.
2. Product Displays and Easy Management
First thing’s first: You need to prominently display your products. After all, an online store without stuff to buy is simply a website. We consider the best hosts in this market to be the ones that help you display, market, and maintain inventory of the products in your warehouse.
You’ll want a hosting package that accommodates the number of items you plan on marketing, including any item-specific features your potential customers may want. That starts with ample storage space, obviously, but make sure the online store software enables you to list sizing options, color choices, and quantity counts, for example.
3. Responsive Design: Ensure your e-commerce site is fully responsive and mobile-friendly. With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets for online shopping, it’s crucial to provide a seamless experience across all devices. Responsive design will adapt your site’s layout and functionality to various screen sizes.
4. Payment Processing Options
Whether you just want to throw a dozen hand-painted coffee mugs up on a page or you’re taking advantage of an unlimited product display package, you’ll want an easy means of accepting payment for your items. The top ecommerce hosts partner with leading payment processors, like PayPal or Stripe, to streamline this step in the transaction process for you and your customers.
Simplify the checkout process to minimize cart abandonment rates. Offer guest checkout options, enable auto-fill for shipping and billing details, and provide a progress indicator to keep users informed about the steps involved. Implement trust signals such as security badges and multiple payment options to instill confidence in customers.
5. Product Reviews and Ratings: Integrate a system that allows customers to leave reviews and ratings for products. Genuine user feedback helps build trust and influences purchase decisions. Displaying ratings prominently on product pages can boost credibility and encourage conversions.
6. SEO and Marketing Tools
Strong advertising can be a driving force behind a brick-and-mortar’s incoming foot traffic, and an online store is no exception to the marketing rule of thumb. If you want to attract shoppers, you need search engine results to be on your side.
The best hosts for ecommerce sites are ones that give you a head start on marketing and SEO with free search marketing credits. Many providers include free tools to help you optimize your online store to appear higher in Google, Bing, or Yahoo! search results.
7. Free Website Builder Included
Naturally, the best ecommerce services make building an online store simple and cost-effective. The top hosts for ecommerce recognize your business needs and are ready to help you market and profit from your products or services.
We’re saving perhaps the most important detail for last: You want a quality, easy-to-use website builder with your ecommerce hosting package.
Business owners, especially those with younger companies or less startup capital, don’t necessarily have experience in web design or coding, and they likely don’t have the time to learn. They want their online store to reflect the professionalism of their brand but don’t necessarily have the technical chops to make it happen themselves or the funds to invest in hiring a developer.
Look for hosts with free website builders included in their ecommerce packages, and you’ll be golden. Spend time on your business initiatives, not HTML.
Remember, these features are just the foundation for a successful e-commerce site. Continuous optimization and monitoring are essential to ensure your site evolves with changing customer preferences and industry trends.
