It believes that mistakes are made only by newcomers to the business. However, practice stubbornly shows that even experienced entrepreneurs sometimes make wrong decisions. They can outwit the functionality, over-trust their intuition, hope for the offer’s attractiveness, etc. The one who does nothing is not wrong! To minimize the risks, take into account the experience of predecessors.
Why do we make mistakes when opening an online store? Here are ten illustrative cases that can be said – do not do so! Most mistakes are not terrible if they are detected and corrected in time. What miscalculations can avoid with a certain degree of prudence?
Mistake №1. Website on free hosting and domain
Often a newcomer to the business is limited in funds. Therefore, owners believe that you can save on domain and hosting, so choose cheap or free options. Most often, such hosts are closed, domains are destroyed, servers are overloaded, they crash – there can be various problems.
The IP server can block due to the availability of resources on prohibited topics, which means that both the casino and its neighbor – the online store – will be banned. When the servers fall, there is a stalemate, which you can not influence. All information may be lost, and no one will be held responsible. Therefore, it is better to buy a normal domain and host because this is not the most significant cost item, and the risks will be less.
Mistake №2. Shop about everything in the world – there is no specific niche
Of course, there are giant online stores where you can buy virtually any product, from advanced technology to fashion accessories. But to create such a platform requires multimillion-dollar investments.
With modest budgets, we need to focus on specific topics. It is a mistake to assume that with a diverse range and the availability of 100,000 products in 1,000 categories, the store will win customers by quantity. The consumer online has become very picky: a large store that is unfamiliar to anyone is suspicious. People prefer to spend money on proven platforms, even if they spend money.
- A beginner should dedicate the website to one topic.
- To find your niche, you need to analyze the Internet in search of what will be “to your teeth” and bring profit.
- And in the future, the range can gradually expand.
Do not think that you can lure customers to a competitor by lowering the price of the same product. Cost is not always the determining factor. You must first earn trust. So:
- Look for your place under the sun, developing, not copying rivals.
- Carefully study the niche, find one where there is less competition or too many buyers.
- Gain benefits that no one else offers.
It is better to analyze the demand and the market very well than to think why the website does not bring the expected income. Time will be lost.
Mistake № 3. Homemade online store, from a template or builders
This wrong tactic is usually also associated with saving. Units among developers are both a good SEO-specialist, and an Internet marketer, and a designer. When online stores were still in their infancy, their low quality was offset by other advantages. But now the competition is high. If the online platform looks pale against the background of others or is made crooked, ill-considered, the chances are almost zero. So still turn to professional developers. What are the disadvantages of standard solutions and websites of builders, we told here?
Mistake № 4. You can not invest in promotion – we have a commodity, buy, and so
In modern conditions, this is not just a utopia but a thought that can lead to complete failure! You can not invest in promotion. Moreover, you can not count on spontaneous Internet marketing – the era of long-term, calculated strategies has come.
The website needs to be built, taking into account further SEO promotion and presence in social networks and other channels where the target audience gathers. It is necessary to invest in advertising. Because it’s the fastest way to tell people about the new store, there are other methods, but they all take time. If the website does not receive traffic at the initial stage, then there will be no sales.
Mistake №5. The semantic core is made “by eye”
This problem can ruin everything from the beginning. It is necessary to collect a semantic kernel before designing an online store that then the structure corresponded to it. If you do not embed key queries, it will be difficult for users to find the website through search.
Mistake №6. Selling texts and product descriptions are not required. We will add photos and videos – sales will go!
It is essential to create a store that will smoothly bring a potential buyer to the sale. Content should show each visitor what interests him. He should explain why this website will help better than others. There are examples of online websites on the Internet where there are few or no descriptions. The same situation with the texts. But these are usually well-known, well-promoted resources that already have stable traffic.
Content must be varied and thoughtful. Here photos and videos are great helpers. But a competent product description and thematic SEO texts will never hurt. Invite an experienced copywriter to the project!
Mistake №7. Let’s do without a blog – applicable content and content marketing, in general, we can not afford
There is a situation similar to that associated with selling texts. It seems that blogs and articles are redundant, but not so. Many well-known brands deliberately abandon blogs, company descriptions – because the audience is already well acquainted with them. In the case of beginners, the content will be helpful for indexing materials by search engines. Write expert texts – they will bring new visitors and, ultimately, can increase sales.
Mistake № 8. Complicated purchase, problems with the cart, with the order form
Remember, everything that causes difficulties for the user turns against you. Therefore, the purchase process must be worked out in detail, step by step, and evaluated in customer convenience. It is better to avoid all the problems associated with this: make the functionality as straightforward as possible so that every visitor can easily purchase in three clicks.
At the same time, do not overdo it with simplification! The user must see what he put in the basket and remove the product if a person changes his mind. The order form is the most critical element of an online store, usually used to collect customer data. At the same time, business owners often deliberately complicate it to get more information about the customer. This should avoid: many visitors, seeing 10+ fields to be filled, will simply close the page. Save the time of your audience. Ask only for the information that you need for the purchase and delivery.
Mistake № 9. Good but not done design
Distortion sometimes occurs in the direction of the attractive design of the website. To stand out, owners can order too bright or whimsical design, which is already a significant omission. All users have their taste preferences. For some, your beauty can irritate rejection. Therefore, it is better to make the design modern, not too simple, but not too complicated. Still, more critical for an online store is functionality, not how bright and original it decorate. The resource should make in a pleasant, neutral color scheme. It should contribute to the desire of the visitor to linger. In addition to the functionality, special attention should be paid to the quality of illustrations and the accuracy of descriptions, the availability of prices, the convenience of the interface, the operation of filters.
Mistake №10. RTB factors do not implement on the Internet platform
In other words, no information creates trust in sellers. This is extremely important for beginners – to present themselves in a favorable perspective and dispel in advance the fears that an unknown growing company may cause.
If the website does not say anything about it (what it does, what experience, the benefits, why you should trust it, what reviews customers leave), the buyer’s chances of making a purchase decision less.
Now you know what problems an online store may face and how to avoid them. Even if you already have a good resource, do not stop working on it. Make it better and more convenient for customers. Then it will bring much more profit.