iMark Interactive

This is a guest post by Glen. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Online shopping has become a fad since the Internet has reached the homes of many people. The reason why it is popular is because of these three things: convenience, cost effectiveness, and the wide variety of goods or brands that consumers can select on. Looking through online shopping stores can be quite entertaining too. It is because of the way successful online shops have been created. It’s not only a matter of design, but as well as the content found in it that adds up to entertainment.

Although online shopping can be a good venture to work on these days, taking some factors into consideration such as ecommerce website development including programming, website design, and internet marketing, and as well as shipping, taxes, and different payment options are things an online marketer or a company has to make research on and learn. The question is: How will you be able to compete with the rest of the online shopping websites and stand out? To enhance your website to become suitable for online shopping here are some guidelines:

Choose a good domain name

A domain name is what identifies your online store or your business. Some companies do not necessarily use their company name because the names have probably been bought and have become too expensive to repurchase or because of internet marketing and SEO purposes to get better rankings in keyword search.

Choose a good web host

A good web host has features that will help you stand out from other online shopping websites. Look for features that will enable you to operate your business smoothly such as web marketing tools, secure online payment and other transactions, reliable up time, and most of all, dependable online support.

Web Design

When you are strolling around the mall, what makes you enter a retail store? It’s because the colors are very attractive and the “sale” logos are placed in a strategic spot of the store. These only are a couple of important factors as to why people are drawn to shop. In websites, colors play an important factor in influencing the actions to be done by online shoppers. Graphic design, in general, plays a very significant role in persuading people to shop online. But limiting “website design” into colors and graphic design is a poor way of describing web design.

A good web design calls for functionality and easy navigation. All buttons, links, graphics, landing pages, website pages, contact forms, and other website elements should work as they should. It calls for faster speed, and that means being able to load a page with all its information in less than 4 seconds. It also calls for quality, and that means being able to put high quality content and high quality product photos and descriptions.

Product Pages

Product Pages are the “shelves” of the website. An online web store’s shelf, however, contains product information like size, color, texture, weight, height, and other notes to describe the products. This part of the website is very important as this will do the selling for you. You don’t have a sales representative to “do the talking” to encourage your customers to buy. All you need is a good product description and the other information to demand a call for action.

Successful product pages are able to display a good picture of the product, specifications, and customizations a customer can do to it. When customers work freely around product pages you are now able to capture a lead. Work around creating a good link or button to help your customers to check out.

Payment Options

The best thing about online shopping is convenience. People need not go to physical retail stores to purchase because it can already happen by some clicks in the mouse. But sometimes online retailers tend to forget or devalue this by not offering different payment options for customers. Most of the time, this is where customers leave the online shopping cart because they do not have lots of options for payment.  To be able to overcome this, you can always setup a merchant account from Paypal as it accepts credit card payments, bank drafts, and of course, Paypal money.

Customer Registrations

Make customer registrations easy for your customers. You need not ask too many information just as so they can start making purchases because the most important factor in making a successful online store is keeping it fast and smart working. Also, be sure to add notes about privacy.

Checkout Pages

Checkout Pages are simply the “checkout counter” or the “cashier” of a website. This is also where some online stores fail to finally make a customer checkout. It’s the process that discourages them to finally buy. Some websites have confusing checkout processes where they offer other products that instead of encouraging sale–it drives interested customers away. Checkout pages should be simple, and if you cannot help but apply suggestive selling, you can design your website with other products related to the ones in the shopping cart but make sure they’re organized and are not in any way interfering with the payment button.

Contact Pages

There are visitors who do not right away make purchasing decisions but instead have more questions to ask about certain products and services. Contact Page button should be visible from the menu and as well as content links. To add credibility to your website, it is important to include the following contact details:

• Telephone, Mobile, or a 1-800 number
• Fax
• Email
• Physical Store or Company Address (if applicable)
• Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+ accounts

Also, if you think you can afford to hire an online representative or develop ticketing options for your customers that would be best. Prompt responses to queries should be a standard as it helps you gain trust from customers.

Shipping Fees

The downside of going into an ecommerce business is shipping. Some customers are discouraged to buy because the product that they are purchasing costs lesser than the shipping fee. Offering free shipping all the time can hurt your business but offering free-to-reduced shipping or delivery costs in holidays for customers in the country can help you increase sale. Do not forget to add UPS, USPS, or FedEx shipping calculators to give your customers a glimpse of how much they should be paying for a product.

Finally, do not forget to add analytics for you to know how to improve your website and as well as the products and services you offer.

Glen is a part of the NetIdnow team that helps individuals and businesses alike on how to create an online store using WebStudio Website Builder—an online store builder that allows people to make a website with or without HTML skills. Glen also enjoys sharing valuable information on SEO and Web Design.

Related Posts:

• Flaunt Symmetry in Website Design to Create Powerful Visual Interest
• The Infinite Market: An Introduction to Online Business
• 5 Reasons Why Buyers Will Leave Your Web Store Without Purchasing
• Is eCommerce Right for Your Small Business?

This is a guest post by WebGuru India. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Using symmetry can help you to create website designs that are balanced and proportional. However, if you want to convey an unusual message, go for asymmetrical designs.

Symmetry plays an important role in any website design. This is because of the fact that with symmetry, you can create balance and harmony. However, the problem is that using symmetry repeatedly can bore users. In such a situation, you can opt for asymmetry.

In this article, we will offer valuable information about symmetry. Later on, we will move to discussing asymmetry.

Types of Symmetry

Symmetry can be classified into three main types-rotational, reflection, and translational symmetry. We will discuss each of them in details.

Rotational Symmetry

To create rotational symmetry, you need to rotate an object in a particular direction. Flower petals can be a good example of rotational symmetry. In the web or graphic design industry, rotational symmetry is used to convey speed.

Reflection Symmetry

In reflection symmetry, a particular object reflects itself across a plane for creating a similar image of itself. Reflection symmetry can be horizontal, vertical, or even diagonal. Human body or butterfly is a good example of horizontal symmetry.

Translational Symmetry

Translational symmetry occurs when an item is moved to another position, while retaining its exact orientation. With translational symmetry, you can develop patterns that can include repeating web design elements and tiled backgrounds of websites. If used smartly, translational symmetry can convey a sense of motion and speed.

Asymmetry

As its name implies, asymmetry is the opposite of symmetry. With asymmetry, you can highlight a particular element or develop visual hierarchy in an aggregation of similar elements. Clouds and tree branches can serve as good examples of asymmetry.

Utilizing Symmetry/Asymmetry

Smart usage of symmetry/asymmetry can help you to create mesmerizing designs and effects. However, to fulfill this goal, you have to consider few tricks.

Pay Attention to Message of the Design

If you are confused whether to use symmetry or asymmetry in your design, evaluate its message first. If you want to convey a trusting and classic message, go for symmetry. On the other hand, if you want to highlight an unconventional, risk-loving message, opt for asymmetry.

Convey Action with Rotational Symmetry

If you want to portray motion or speed, choosing rotational symmetry can be a good idea. It can also indicate forward movement.

For a Layout Structure, Opt for Translational Symmetry

If you want to incorporate pieces of same sized content in a web page, use translational symmetry. It will create a sense of balance, while providing the content with sufficient space to breathe.

Trust your Gut Instinct

If you are dealing with symmetry, occasionally a design may not feel right. In such a situation, trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is!

Using symmetry or asymmetry depends on your preferences and project requirement. Opt for the one that suits you the best.

WebGuru India is a website design company based in India, offering high-quality and cost-effective website design and website development solutions to people worldwide. The company has authored several articles on web design, Flash design, logo design, graphic design, SEO services etc, providing updated information on technological developments and advancements.

Related Posts:

• Having The Proper Website Design For Your Firm

This is a guest post by Alice Delore. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

As an online retailer, you work hard to put your products in front of buyers: You take professional-grade photos and write enticing product descriptions. Not to mention, you do all that hard work to actually get buyer traffic to your store via social media channels, search engines and perhaps even paid advertising.
However, what too many store owners overlook is the fact that once buyers actually get to your site, they can be easily repelled by your site, by a few common pitfalls that many e-Commerce websites consistently employ.
Here are my top 5 reasons why buyers will leave your web store without purchasing:

1. Your store has a flashy introduction

Most introductions obstruct site visitors from viewing your products when they land on your site.
Website introductions had their hay-day back in 2006… and even then, it didn’t last long. The truth is, buyers don’t want to see three minutes of stock images and abstract phrases morphing on their screen. Instead, they want to buy the products you sell or get information you offer. Fast. So please, skip the introduction and give it to them as fast as possible.

2. You site defies all laws related to web usability theory

If you don’t know a lot about web usability, that’s OK, but in order to maximize dollars spent by every buyer who visits your site, it’s best you learn the basics. Essentially, web usability theory tells us how site visitors interact with websites and therefore, how we can structure our sites so that they mimic that behavior. A rule of thumb in usability is to give buyers what they want (products or information) within two to three clicks from the homepage.

This will result in you converting your site visitors into buyers because it will be easier for them to engage with your store and find what they need.

Never forget that web users are impatient and short on time. If they can’t find what they want within seconds of being on your site, they’ll leave for good.

3. Your site is slow to load

A slow-loading site is not only something that will kill your potential customers desire to buy from you, it will also make it difficult for your site to rank in search engines.

You know yourself that if you are searching in Google, and a site is slow to load, it’s likely that you will hit the “Back” button and find another site to browse.

While there are not quick fixes for most issues which slow your site, there are some quick ways to find out what might be slowing things down. One of the best resources is Google Page Speed, an open-source hub that helps web site owners improve their site’s performance.

4. Your buyers must create a new account before they can make a purchase

Many web developers and usability experts will agree that forcing a buyer to create an account before they can purchase is just asking for lost sales!

While it can be valuable for you to collect customer data and get them wired into your store, don’t underestimate how many sales this could be costing you.

As a store owner, it is your job to make it as easy as possible for buyers to make purchases without placing hurdles in front of them.

5. You only offer one payment method

Buyers love choices at every step of the purchase process and that includes choice in how they pay you!
If you can offer PayPal (arguably the most popular among buyers) as well as Google Checkout or another alternative such as MoneyBookers, buyers will appreciate the options.

Hot Payment Tip: If you offer payment via PayPal and have either a Premiere or Business account, advertise the fact that you can accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover card. Some buyers don’t realize that they can pay via PayPal using their credit card (thus protecting their credit card information AND preventing them from having to sign up to PayPal) so make sure you point this out.

Which of these web store blunders does your site feature?

Alice Delore is an education specialist for SaleHoo.com, an online community of over 95,000 online sellers and retailers. Their product range consists of an online selling course, ecommerce software and their flagship product, a wholesale directory.

Related Posts:

• How to Enhance a Website to be Suitable for Online Shopping
• The Infinite Market: An Introduction to Online Business
• Is eCommerce Right for Your Small Business?
• Vidax Ecommerce Website Redesign Services

This is a guest post by Nitin Aggarwal. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

You have set up a website and now you are waiting for the big bucks to roll in, but no luck so far. Worried? Stressed? Overworked? Confused? Is what most website owners are experiencing.  First of all, to answer the main heading, YES! You need to boost a website conversion, how else would you be a successful website owner. The “conversion” here is referred to the amount of customers visiting your website and actually purchasing a product or service. The purchasing figure will depend on how easy and accessible your website is.  You do not want window shoppers, but actual buyers.

Serviceable page

It is very frustrating when a customer has decided to purchase a product or service online but is asked a million questions that he simply gives up and scrolls to another website. It is not clear why a customer is being asked his neighbor’s name or the color of his dog, obviously these are just imaginary questions, but surely you got the drift. Keep it professional, yet simple. Ask what is really needed and make the page reachable. An “Add” or “Add to Shopping Cart” button on the bottom of the page is not helping, instead make it visible just like the product/service information.  The faster your page moves, the more accessible it is. It’s a customer’s nightmare having to click every few seconds from one page to another.

Luring in a Customer

Most customers are afraid to use their credit cards online and rightly so they are! After all, it is the internet that they are interacting with and not a real person. It’s shooting in the dark so to speak. Some tips to eliminate this fear are:

• Have certain satisfied customer’s experience stories on your page.
• The product/service should itself be a confidence puller.
• Most customers know what they are about to purchase, but your website should have all the information about the product/services regardless.
• Have a return policy with a suitable and comfortable return date period.
• Highlight the “Guaranteed”. A customer needs to believe what he/she is about to purchase.
• Be direct and confident. It shows the browser that you know what you are talking about.
• If possible, have the number of people who have actually purchased visible on the main page.

Promotions, Sale, Discounts!

Everyone loves the idea of getting some kind of savior on their wallets. It is annoying to find out the actual discount date starts right after a customer has purchased it. Be clear and if you have a promotion around the corner, let them know!  It just doesn’t build confidence between you and your customers but also loyalty.

Great buy!

What makes your website so different to your competitors? Why would customers purchase from you rather than anywhere else? By one simple rule, your customers are your rent payers, your success, your growth and your breath of relief from all stress. To gain respect you must show respect.  Use some of these highlighted eye catching formulas:

• Provide excellent customer service.
• A telephone number where an actual person answers on the other side.
• Have a “free delivery to your door steps” offer.
• Show a wide range of products.
• Compare your pricing with others, are they lower? Do you have better offers?
• Have different type of payment methods.

There are millions of websites out there. So, to attract more and more traffic it is important to get that special edge, a unique difference, a trustworthy and impressive website. Your website should be such that when a customer visits your page, he/she is over powered by it and has the need to buy whatever you are selling.

Nitin Aggarwal is the founder and owner of Offshore Ally – A Virtual assistant and call center company. He like to read and write blogs on SEO, SEM, technology, social media etc. Connect with him via his site or twitter.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

This is a guest post by Scott Heron. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

A well designed and professional site serves as your sales representative to the world. There’s a very limited time to grab your prospective client’s interest, which is why the first overall look of the web site is of the utmost relevance. As the competitiveness on the internet can be intense, any individual details which you can advocate to the web development company, including putting an emphasis on your marvelous customer support or maybe featuring a particular offer such as no cost delivery, is going to be a definite plus when it comes to getting your site to stand above others. The more time your prospective customers spend on your business web site the greater your chances are to gain a buyer. There are numerous agencies who can deliver cost effective web design to your requirements although to a certain extent you get what you can afford. Cheap web site design is great so long as it does not seem low quality.

The objective of most website owners will be to ensure their site is a place that clients would like to return to time and time again. To get this done, these potential customers need to be able to easily get around your site. When the site is  chaotic, difficult to maneuver, includes a great number of intrusive  adverts or is simply a solid wall of text, your website visitors won’t remain around long enough to buy and will most likely never ever return. You’ll want to achieve a mixture between a bland design and style and integrating all the functions that you might possibly desire.

Using a website designer for any made to order website design can be quite exhilarating, but you should not get carried away by all the amazing features and elements that may be incorporated into your internet site.  Stick to the principle concept while presenting the web designers your ideas – they are the experts and will know how best to interpret your overall plan. There will have to be some initial written content on the first page of the site, containing the keywords and phrases based on your website for the search engines to locate. In the event that there are too many design features on the webpage, though it may appear eye-catching, it can cause it to be tough for the search engines to ‘see’ the content which might cause reduced search positions for your website.

If perhaps your business is unable to afford the cost of a squad of proficient site designers or if you have an individual in-house who’s ideal for developing a web site for your enterprise, then you may favor the option of building it on your own with some web design computer software. The most popular web design software applications are Microsoft FrontPage, Dreamweaver and XSite Pro. XSite Pro stands out as the foremost choice of countless online marketers. It is actually primarily directed at individuals who will want to produce several websites yet who do not possess a lot of technical abilities. It is particularly useful for entrepreneurs who want to have a number of web sites promoting different goods or want to bring in profits by means of reselling advertising or even posting contextual adverts.

Scott Heron is a leading expert in web design and SEO, if you would like to know more visit Edinburgh SEO Services.

Related Posts:

• Flaunt Symmetry in Website Design to Create Powerful Visual Interest