Content is king.
Equally as important as the design of your website, is the structure and content it contains. The internet fosters 'short-attention span browsing'. Visitors aren't going to spend time digging around your copy for what they want, they are more likely to leave your site and move to their next Google search result. Clarity is the key to good content. Keep the information succinct, providing further links where necessary to allow visitors to 'drill down' to further levels of detail. Make sure that every page contains a call to action, whether that is a phone number or a sales offer.
Remember, not many people are natural born copywriters. Be honest with yourself. If this isn't the strongest area of your skillset, draft what it is you want to say, and employ a writer to spruce it up. You can outsource the task on sites such as elance.com and have the key areas of your site polished by an expert for a relatively small fee.
Establish your credentials and build trust
It is amazing how many businesses set out their stalls on the internet expecting visitors to buy their products and services without offering basic reassurance that they are a reputable business.
Try and anticipate and remove any areas of doubt that could stop a customer completing a purchase.
Don't hide your contact details away. Have a contact page with your full address, an email contact form, and your phone details. A business that proudly displays their phone number on every page gives the impression of a 'live' business with staff ready to engage the customer. Having only an email contact is a no-no for an e-commerce business. If you can't take phone calls because of your day job, get an answer phone or better still an answering service.
Don't use PO Box address. These just add another layer of inaccessibility to your business and to build trust you need transparency.
Include a Returns and Complaints policy on your page. That goes for delivery details as well. If you are using a trusted service like Australia Post to fulfill delivery, let your customers know.
Include an 'About Us' page that goes some way to explain your history and background, perhaps even your motivation to setting up the business or a mission statement. Again, this is about filling in the blanks in the (potential) customer's mind about whether or not yours is a genuine, trustworthy enterprise.
If you are taking payments online make sure you have secure payment processing, and make sure your customers know you do as well. Establish yourself as a trustworthy business and you will increase sales.
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