Ecommerce Website Design Tips : 10 Best practices and tips

Managing an e-commerce business can be challenging when you don’t have access to the necessary tools or are unsure where to find them. However, there’s no need to worry because there are straightforward and tested methods you can employ to expand your customer base, primarily by optimizing your ecommerce website design.

Within this guide, I will share 10 valuable ecommerce website design tips aimed at expanding your customer reach and increase your sales.

10 ecommerce website design tips to Increase your sales

If you want to reach more customers with your ecommerce website, you need to implement some effective design strategies. Based on my research and experience, these are the 10 tips to help you create a successful ecommerce website:

1. Keep it Mobile-Responsive

According to Statista, more than 50% of the people browsing the internet uses their mobile phones. This means that if your website is not mobile-responsive, you will lose that large group of potential customers.

That is precisely why ensuring that your ecommerce website is mobile-responsive should be a priority because it is one of the most important steps in web design in general.

This means that your website automatically adjusts to fit the screen of any device, including smartphones and tablets.

So, make sure your website builder automatically converts your website into mobile templates to ensure this is the case. You want to provide equal opportunities for everyone to shop with you and not let device limitations be a barrier.

2. Display Top Products in Front Page

To grab the attention of your visitors, it is important for your store to highlight or showcase its most in-demand products. If you manage to divert people’s attention to the top products you want to promote, you’ll end up with more sales.

I applied this method to a client’s ecommerce site and the sales increased to 32% within 3 months

One can achieve this by picking the Bestsellers, Top-rated, or even the Latest products and use contrasting colors, adjusting the layout or the size of images, and create banners to highlight and promote these products.

This directs the attention of the customers’ towards these key items and will increase your sales

3. Use a Pop-Up Newsletter Sign-Up

Many successful ecommerce websites have discovered the power of an immediate pop-up sign-up sheet, and let me tell you why it works. This clever technique is all about re-marketing, which is a most for engaging potential customers.

You see, when someone stumbles upon your site, they might be in the early stages of their search, exploring their options and comparing availability and prices.

By collecting their email addresses, you have the opportunity to maintain direct communication and send tailored promotions or updates, increasing the likelihood of repeat purchases and customer loyalty.

This serves as a cost-effective and efficient way to engage with your audience, boost sales, and drive brand awareness.

However, it’s important to ensure that you’re offering something valuable in return otherwise, they’re more likely to dismiss the pop-up and move on. So, make that pop-up count and reel in those potential customers!

4. Remember SEO Best Practices

One should never undermine the importance of SEO for the success of your ecommerce website. Simply put, SEO is the key to climbing up the search results ladder. If you implement a good SEO strategy, you will significantly increase your website’s visibility on search engines, attract more website visitors, and expand your reach far and wide.

The more effort you dedicate to SEO, the more exposure your website will receive, ultimately leading to higher traffic and greater opportunities for your business to thrive online. In essence, effective SEO for e-commerce websites can be distilled into three fundamental tips:

i. Keywords

Keywords refer to the words or phrases individuals would input into a search engine to find the products or services you provide. For instance, if I’m looking for a top-quality silicone phone case and I mighty type in “best silicone phone case.”

If you use this key phrase into your online content, search engines will associate your store with this popular search term.

The ultimate goal is to secure the top position in search results, ensuring that your store is the first choice to pop up whenever someone searches for that specific product.

Don’t worry, even as a beginner, you can master the art of using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) effectively to boost your visibility and reach your target audience.

ii. Product Descriptions

Craft comprehensive, user-friendly, and informative product descriptions that not only aid search engines in assessing relevance but also provide clear communication with your customers. Well-written descriptions improve search rankings and enhance customer understanding.

iii. Built-in SEO Tools

Select a website builder equipped with built-in SEO tools to seamlessly integrate SEO into your e-commerce site. These tools offer valuable metrics and data, enabling data-driven decisions on keyword usage and link placement, streamlining the process of ascending search engine rankings.

By implementing these SEO strategies, even beginners can optimize their e-commerce websites for greater online visibility and business success.

5. Use High-Quality Product Images

High quality images play a important role in showcasing your products effectively. When someone visits your e-commerce store, the first thing that grabs their attention is the product images. High-resolution images provide a visual representation of your products, and create a positive first impression.

Your product images should be focused and high-quality. Take multiple shots of each product and create a slideshow for each product listing. Your e-commerce store should essentially center around the impact of your images.

Therefore, investing in professional photography and ensuring a strong visual presence on your e-commerce platform is a wise strategy for online retailers.

6. Keep a Simple Website Design

To have a successful ecommerce store your need to simplify the customer experience. One effective way to achieve this is by streamlining the navigation process and making it user-friendly.

For instance, using drop-down menus can significantly simplify the process of finding products or information and contribute to a clean and clear website design. Drop-down menus allow users to access relevant sections or categories with minimal effort, reducing the chances of frustration or confusion.

Additionally, Following to industry-standard practices in your e-commerce design is a smart approach. This offers your customers a familiar and user-friendly interface, making it easy for them to navigate your site and make their overall experience much more comfortable.

However, while consistency with industry standard practices is beneficial, it’s equally important to infuse your online store with elements that distinguish your brand and reflect its unique personality.

This combination of user-friendly design and brand uniqueness can lead to a more successful and memorable online shopping experience for your customers.

7. Use Easily Scannable Content

When designing a website, it’s important to keep in mind that users will not spend a lot of time reading every word on the page. Instead, they will quickly scan the page to find the information they are looking for.

Therefore, it’s important to make your site easy to scan by using big headers and clearly indicating the different sections of your store.

For example, if you sell clothing, you might have different categories such as men’s clothing, women’s clothing, and children’s clothing. Each category should be clearly labeled with a big header so that users can quickly find the section they are interested in.

Using multiple header sizes can help break up the page and make it easier to scan. Bulleted or numbered lists can help organize information and make it easier to read.

Also ensure that your description paragraphs are brief, short paragraphs are easier to scan and understand than long blocks of text.

And adding images can help break up the text and make the page more visually appealing. This makes your site more user-friendly and improve the user experience.

8. Keep the Customer in Mind

To ensure customer loyalty and increase sales, it’s important to create an optimal shopping experience. This can be achieved by engaging with customers and gathering real feedback about their preferences.

Surveys, social media, events, contests, and giveaways are effective ways to engage with customers and gather feedback. This feedback can be used to improve website design, functionality, and overall user experience.

Engaging with customers through surveys, social media, and other types of organizing can help build a loyal customer base and increase brand awareness.

Customers will notice the effort put in and are more likely to return, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, in turn can leading to increased sales and revenue for your business.

9. Be Honest About Pricing

As my grandma always say “Honesty is the best policy”. When it comes to pricing on your ecommerce website, customers want to know what to expect at checkout, so if I was you, I will be transparent about pricing and avoid hidden fees and charges that may surprise the customer.

Lying or using tricks to manipulate pricing is not only unethical but also damaging to your business in the long run. Customers are more likely to abandon their cart and go to your competitor’s store if they discover that the final price is higher than they expected. This can lead to a loss of potential sales and damage to your brand reputation.

To prevent issues, you need to be clear about prices and any additional fees or charges. Display the prices, taxes, or fees on product pages and in the shopping cart.

Clearly breaking down the total cost at checkout can also foster trust and prompt customers to finalize their purchase.

10. Remember the Goal is to Boost your Sales and Revenue

The ultimate goal of any ecommerce store is to make money. Therefore, every decision made in the design and operation of the store should lead to making sales and generating profit.

By implementing the best practices and tips for ecommerce website design, you can reach more customers and increase your revenue.

Disclaimer: Some of the images in this post are talking from Dribbble