If you have a product to sell, the Internet is an exceptional platform, opening you up to potential customers all over the world. However, you need to use it properly. Unfortunately, ecommerce is rarely straightforward; there are many ingredients that need to come together if you are to build up your online presence and increase your sales levels.
Select a hosting service for your e-store
Anyone who has ever established an online presence knows one thing: There are countless options to choose from when it comes to web hosting. It is tempting to take advantage of the industry’s competitiveness and opt for the cheapest service available. Never do this for an e-commerce site.
Most of the cheaper alternatives do not place a lot of emphasis on security. While this might be OK for a personal blog, there is too much at stake for an e-commerce website. Shop around to find hosting services that are dedicated to an e-commerce website’s needs.
Try to avoid shared hosting as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to pay a little extra for a virtual private server (VPS). It offers much better security and increased bandwidth for your clients. A managed cloud hosting service is also better suited for e-commerce vendors since it has its own dedicated team of security experts working around the clock.
Check out hosting reviews so that you can find the best option for your online store! You can find cheap VPS that comes with everything you need.
Customer reviews
Customer reviews are a vital ingredient. Potential customers are more likely to trust your business and believe in your product if they see glowing reviews that have been left by others.
Make sure there is a section on your website that features customer reviews and makes it easy for people to leave their feedback too.
Widgets from independent review platforms are recommended, as their authenticity is never questioned. If you simply type up comments onto your website yourself, users may wonder whether the feedback is genuine or whether you have simply made it up.
When looking for the perfect review plugin, here’s a checklist to use:
- The ability to embed the comments onto your site and provide customers with a form to write their reviews
- A rating system such as thumps up/down or stars
- Settings for customizing fields in the reviews, for example, you may want to add a “customer support” area or a “pros and cons” section
- Different options for displaying the reviews on your website
- Options for aggregating online reviews from places like Yelp and Google
- A clean dashboard for viewing comments that come in and moderating them
- A search bar so consumers can find reviews containing certain keywords
- A sorting feature so you can see good or bad reviews first
- The option to upload visual content, like videos and pictures
