How to Build an E-commerce Website in 2024, 6 Easy Steps to Follow

How to Build an E-commerce Website in 2024, 6 Easy Steps to Follow

The surge in online shopping, fueled by e-commerce, has revolutionized shopping habits by enabling people to buy everything online without leaving their homes, from clothing to furniture. According to Statista, the global e-commerce market is poised to reach around US$3 trillion by the end of 2023, with a consistent annual growth of approximately 10% until 2028, totaling an estimated US$4.9 trillion. By 2028, nearly 90% of internet users will be engaged in e-commerce, which equals a staggering 6.3 billion individuals.  

As we are getting close to the doorstep of 2024, the demand for e-commerce websites is reaching unprecedented levels. An e-commerce website serves as a virtual storefront, mirroring the experience of a physical store by showcasing products and brand identity and connecting with social media. Setting up an e-commerce website is not only convenient but also cost-effective and swift compared to traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Besides, online selling brings numerous benefits, including increased sales, unique customer experiences with personalized content, improved product visibility, 24/7 store availability, and enhanced analytics. 

This guide will walk you through the essential steps to create a successful e-commerce website in 2024.

Step 1: Choose the right e-commerce platform

Chooinsg a suitable e-commerce platform for your online store is super important as it will significantly influence your website's functionality and scalability. From easy and free options to serious business platforms, the choice depends on your requirements and budget. Thoroughly evaluate what each platform offers, how much it costs, and if it can handle your business plans. Remember, online store platforms have specific rules, like limits on how many products you can put up or choices for each product. So, before signing up, ensure these rules match your business needs. You might need to switch from a free plan to a paid one, which means your business is growing.

Some of the most popular dedicated e-commerce platforms are:

• Shopify, one of the most popular software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms. Serving as an all-in-one solution, it caters to businesses engaged in online sales of physical products. With numerous add-on tools and features, Shopify facilitates seamless dropshipping and omnichannel selling and enables selling via e-commerce websites, social media, and beyond. Ideal for startups and drop-shippers. Shopify plans start at $32 per month and discounts are available for annual payments.

• BigCommerce, an advanced e-commerce platform offering plenty of customization to suit various needs. It enables powerful features such as SEO tools and omnichannel commerce, such as international selling. Best for enterprise-level software companies. Plans start at $39 per month. Reduced priced for annual subscriptions are also available.

Additionally, several popular website builders come equipped with e-commerce features:

• Wix, a highly customizable website builder with many e-commerce features like order tracking and omnichannel selling. Utilizing an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it provides various customizable templates and design features. To use it as an e-commerce platform, an upgrade to a paid plan starting at $17 per month is required.

• WordPress with WooCommerce (for WordPress users) is a popular choice for those looking to turn their existing WordPress site into an online store. WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that seamlessly integrates with WordPress, providing extensive e-commerce features. While the core WordPress and WooCommerce functionalities are free, users may opt for in-app purchases to enhance their online store. It can include investing in premium themes, marketing plugins, CRM software, and analytic tools. 

Squarespace, a website builder tailored for service-oriented businesses. It enables appointment scheduling, exclusive content offerings, product sales, and diverse selection of design templates. E-commerce plans start at $23 per month with discounted rates for annual subscribers.

Step 2: Register your domain name and choose a hosting solution

Your domain is your website's address, commonly known as its URL. A good domain name is a crucial element for an online store as it often serves as the first impression and reflects the brand identity. Create a successful e-commerce domain name by keeping it short and opting for .com. Utilize a domain name generator for inspiration and avoid infringing third-party trademarks. Maintaining an active domain usually involves a small annual fee. 

Additionally, you'll need web hosting, a service that involves renting server space to store your website's data and make your business accessible online. This service typically comes with a monthly fee. Many e-commerce website builders offer both domain registration and web hosting services. However, you can opt for separate web hosting services if you prefer more flexibility. When choosing, consider the hosting type and plan to meet your site's requirements. As your business gains traction, the traffic to your e-commerce website will increase. Selecting a hosting solution capable of accommodating your growing needs is crucial. Opt for a reliable hosting provider with scalable options to ensure your website remains responsive and can handle heightened traffic without sacrificing performance.

When creating your website, selecting a suitable template is a crucial step. Researching competitors' websites for inspiration is a good practice. It will help you understand design trends and functionalities in your industry. Different template styles, colors, and font choices significantly influence your customers' experience on the website, so it's essential to consider these elements during the design process.

After setting up your website's template, focus on adding products. Ensure each product listing includes compelling photos taken from different angles, descriptive details like dimensions and materials, answers to common customer questions, and variable options like size and color. Utilize internal stock-keeping units (SKUs) for effective inventory management. Specify product pricing with options for single-item, group, sale, and discount pricing. Input stock amounts to enable inventory tracking, with some platforms offering notifications for low or out-of-stock items. If you run a service-oriented business, 

integrating a calendar into your e-commerce site to allow appointments is a valuable feature.

Besides showcasing your products, include a robust search engine within your site for easy navigation and user-friendly shopping cart and checkout pages. These basics are a must for any e-commerce website. You can also consider adding:

• Homepage (the first impression for customers)

• "About us" page (your identity, your story, your brand's mission)

• Contact details page

• Email subscription form

• Legal information, including terms and conditions and privacy policy

• Customer service pages detailing your returns and exchanges policy

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page, answering the most common customers' problems or questions.

Step 4: Consider streamlining user experience with expert assistance

Ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience is vital for retaining visitors and converting them into customers. Prioritize easy navigation, mobile optimization, clear product categories, and a straightforward checkout process to enhance user satisfaction. 

Customized themes, widgets, and plugins can enhance your site's functionality, providing a more fulfilling customer experience. To make sure you're getting the most professional aesthetic and functionality of these e-commerce features, consider engaging the following experts:

• Web designers who create visually appealing and user-friendly website layouts.

• Web developers who construct, test, optimize, and maintain websites, ensuring functionality and enhancing the website's overall performance.

• SEO experts who aid in keyword research, search engine optimization, and website optimization to boost visibility on major search engines.

E-commerce website builders often offer services or partnerships with experts to assist users in establishing and designing their websites. Or you can hire an independent expert team, ensuring they possess the necessary skills to align with your specific needs and preferences for creating and maintaining your e-commerce website. Consider the cost of these services and assess their value for your business.

Step 5: Set Up payment processing, tax tool, and shipping process

Ensuring a user-friendly payment process is critical for your e-commerce store's success. All the abovementioned platforms effortlessly integrate with leading payment services such as PayPal or Stripe. But ensure you know the fees or commission charges of each payment option. For example, Shopify includes its own payment processing, Shopify Payments, and selecting an alternative payment solution like PayPal may incur additional fees. Some platforms may not permit alternative payment options, while others don't provide their own processing service. Find a provider with a payment fee structure that aligns with your business needs. Consider offering different payment methods.

Also, you have to integrate shipping software with your e-commerce platform for seamless order fulfillment. BigCommerce, Shopify, and WooCommerce provide built-in shipping features, allowing you to choose carriers, print labels, and notify customers automatically. Other platforms may require third-party solutions, adding potential monthly costs. After setting up your shipping solution, establish shipping rates based on your policy and options supported by the platform, like reduced or free shipping for specific order amounts, real-time shipping quotes, local pickup or delivery, etc. Additionally, define refund and return policies, availability of international shipping, estimated delivery dates, and tax information. All e-commerce platforms support sales tax collection; rates will depend on your state and overall sales volume.

Step 6: Test, launch, and promote your website

After setting up your website, test it thoroughly to ensure everything works smoothly. Once you've successfully registered an account, added items to your shopping cart, connected with your payment processor, and placed a few test orders or resolved any identified bugs, your e-commerce site is ready to go live!

After setting up your site and preparing for orders, it's time to attract visitors. You can either advertise through Google Ads and pay-per-click (PPC) or focus on SEO best practices to show up on search engine results pages (SERPs). While advertising can be expensive, optimizing your website's SEO helps drive organic traffic. Ensure effective SEO by conducting keyword research, optimizing product descriptions and meta tags, and creating a sitemap. Constantly refresh your content and stay informed about the latest SEO strategies to maintain a strong ranking in search results.

Additionally, explore social marketing strategies to promote your e-commerce website to engage customers. Establish business profiles on relevant social media platforms, boosting your social presence. Many e-commerce website builders like BigCommerce and Shopify provide integrated marketing toolkits, enabling you to build email lists, run campaigns, sell products, and promote across social media directly from the platform. Others may require additional setup for marketing features. 

Incorporate analytics tools like Google Analytics to monitor website traffic, user demographics, and sales performance. Use this data to enhance your marketing strategies, catering to specific audiences, providing personalized experiences, and boosting the overall performance of your online store. Marketing tools like Google's E-commerce Tracking can help you gain access to data regarding your sales amount, the number of orders, billing location, average order values, and other valuable information. 

Last, but not least, many e-commerce website builders, including platforms like BigCommerce, offer direct integrations with popular online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Instagram. These integrations streamline the process of listing and managing products on multiple platforms. Sometimes, you might need to use specific apps or plugins to facilitate communication between your online store and the desired marketplace. It's a strategic approach to select the most relevant platforms for your brand rather than integrating with every available option. It allows you to focus on the channels that align with your business goals and target audience. As your business expands, you can explore and add more integrations to enhance your online presence.

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