A Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up an E-commerce Store
As a business owner, setting up an e-commerce store can be a great way to expand your customer base and reach more people. Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to set up an online storefront, and the e-commerce industry is more flourishing than ever. However, you need to know how to build and market your store before getting started. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll go over how to leverage existing platforms and build your own online store.
Leveraging Existing Platforms
If you’re not ready to set up your online store yet, consider leveraging one of the many existing platforms available for reaching customers online. Marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay will let you set up a store and reach their already robust customer bases. If you’re looking for local customers, try Angi (formerly Angie’s List) and Thumbtack. The best thing about these platforms is that you can enjoy quick setup without a huge financial commitment.
One important thing to keep in mind is to buy the domain name that best relates to your business and point that domain to your online store if you decide to use a site like Etsy or Amazon as your sole selling platform. This will give you a company-branded email address and a single address on the web, whether that address is connected to your Amazon seller account, your Etsy shop, or your own dedicated website. It will also give you an easily-remembered address that promotes your own brand up front.
Building Your Own Online Store
Once you’re ready to build your dedicated online store, getting started is easy. Useful website builders like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix let you build an online store using drag-and-drop tools. These sites offer features like shopping carts, site hosting, and search engine optimization, making sure that your online store is easy to use, professional-looking, and has good search engine rankings for certain products or services.
While these services generally aren’t free, businesses usually find that they’re budget-friendly. Generally, do-it-yourself site builders cost less than $75 a year and may even be free if you’re willing to allow third-party ads on your sites. Best of all, these tools come with customer support to provide technical help when needed.
Identifying Your Website Needs
Before you begin building your online store, it’s important to identify your website needs. Determine your requirements beforehand, whether you want a simple and streamlined online store or a sophisticated multimedia marketing and sales hub. If you want a lot of bells and whistles on your site, you may want to consider a professional web developer to help.
Choosing a Domain Name
Your domain name will be your virtual address and online identity on the web. Even if some solutions offer to host your site on their domains, you should put your website on your own domain name to have a consistent, branded web address for your customers to remember. It will also give you an attractive, professional web address to use in your marketing.
Selecting the Right Website Builder
There are several e-commerce website builders available, so it’s essential to take the time to research and compare two to three options. Ensure they have an e-commerce option and that they will meet your needs not only for today but also in the future.
Conclusion
With so many great resources available, entrepreneurs can quickly set up an online store and begin promoting it right away. Before choosing your site’s platform, make sure you carefully research all of the available options and choose the one that’s best for your own business. Setting up an e-commerce store may seem daunting at first, but with the right tools and strategies, it can be an effective way to reach new customers and grow your business.
