31 Oct How to Craft the Most Provocative E-commerce Page on the Web

Creating the perfect E-commerce page takes a wide-lensed approach to success. There are many variables, and we will take you through a detailed step-by-step process to executing the perfect E-commerce page.

The Elements of a Fantastic E-commerce Page

So, let’s start with number one, the navigation at the top of the page

• Understand the site structure. If you have a more complex site, then it is very important to have a cogent navigation bar. The navigation bar needs to help people find the most important parts of your site. If you’re a big site, such as Apple, it is critical for visitors to understand where they are in the site structure.
• Share the brand ethos. If this is the first time people are visiting the site, they should get a sense for the style and the details of who you are. In keeping with conversion rate optimization, it is unlikely for someone to convert on their first visit to a brand or a website’s page, but you can make a great first impression.
• Create a “trail map” for the visitor. Visitors (especially repeat ones) want to know where they can go ‘from here’ – they want to easily get to the ‘About’ pages as well as whatever sales pages your construct for your website.

Core Product Information

Core details will vary from product to product. For example, if you are selling complex technology, the core features might be fairly substantial – but nevertheless, it must be communicated in a clear and sequential way. Here are some tips on how to accomplish that:

• Visuals that are effective in communicating the product. When you’re selling products, you have to create specific positioning to make your product stand out. Another important point is to have convincing videos placed in this area. Videos or animation can create a compelling offer for your products, differentiating them from the competition.

Clear options to the path to purchase.

Obviously you want to create as much business as possible, however, do not think that you are Amazon – you cannot clutter your page with hundreds of different options. Amazon has built up their following over decades, and their customer base is familiar with their page layout. Unless you are an online retail aggregator like Amazon, do not try to replicate their model (it will not work well for you). So, instead of making 10 different call-to-actions, follow these tips instead:

• Help people understand what is available. Make sure people have an option bar to select color, if applicable, or size or materials. Make sure you have free shipping.
• Drive them to the ‘primary action’. Make the options clear, and make the path to purchase exceedingly simple.
• Anticipate and eliminate roadblocks on your site. For instance, make sure your site has a geo-targeting capability. This way, if your site detected that a shopper was located in a state that charged sales tax, then it would be included in the price. Having predictive systems creates an easy, frictionless shopping experience – which ultimately increases conversions.

Finish with ‘seal-the-deal’ content.

• Make shoppers feel comfortable and build trust. For example, if you’re selling clothes, this would be a section where they could see how the clothes are being made and how people are styling their outfits, asking questions like: ‘how the clothes are the latest fashions’ or ‘our unique manufacturing process’.
• Use social proof and psychological triggers to erase any remaining skepticism. If you already know which areas your customer will hesitate, then here’s a great opportunity for you to assuage their fears by proving deeper content to gain their confidence.

SEO for E-commerce pages

SEO for E-commerce pages is based on a few simple elements. These are: keywords, content, engagement, links, relevance. If you can get all of these, then you’re on your way to high search result rankings.

• Make sure that your products’ names match the search queries on Google. Even if you want a branded name, make sure you combine your brand name with the name everyone else calls them.
• Google (and the other search engines) look for content that will answer or solve the question that the user searched for. Therefore, make sure it is in a format that Google can read. Videos are effective, as are transcripts of the video. Google needs text content.
• This is where your site is so irresistible that people come back for more (or just never touch the back button when they do visit.) Engagement occurs when people spend time on your site and not ‘bouncing’ off. Creating effective content that interests the reader (and helps them solve their questions) keeps them on your site.
• Links come from other sites, especially high-quality blogs, suppliers, partnerships, or even fans of your product. If those links originate from a diverse set of domains and they contain the name of your actual product (anchor text), and they contain the link to your page, then you will quickly rank above your competition.
• In industries such as fashion, what’s in today could be out next week. It’s important to update your page with the latest content as often as you can so your audience will keep coming back for more.

If your ecommerce site can accomplish all of these things, then you will have one of the best E-commerce sites in the world. If you want a team to do all of the above for you, then drop us a line.