What is ecommerce web development?

Ecommerce web development is the process of building and designing an ecommerce website where consumers can purchase products online. Because ecommerce websites are so popular with consumers, developing an ecommerce website can help you generate more conversions and revenue for your business.

Why is ecommerce web development important?

Ecommerce web development that helps users easily navigate pages, find their favorite products, and seamlessly make purchases is essential for laying the foundations of your business’s success.
Here are a few more reasons why ecommerce web development is essential for your business:

• It sets the first impression: Your website is likely the first interaction a potential customer will have with your brand. Effective web development can give visitors a good impression of your brand to keep them on your site for longer.
• It helps user experience: Developing a good user experience for your visitors is essential to help you convert leads and increase your sales. Excellent web development practices can ensure your website runs flawlessly so users can easily navigate and find what they’re looking for.
• It can aid your SEO strategy: Web development is crucial for any SEO campaign. Things like page speed, coding, URLs, and hyperlinks can all have an impact on how high your site will rank on a search engine’s results page.
• It can help you stand out from the competition: You’ll want your website to stand out from your competitors, and web development is a great way to do it. Your ecommerce web development can help you build a new, updated, and high-quality website that will outrank your competitors and drive leads and traffic to your website.
Ultimately, ecommerce web development is a tool that can help you boost your business’ success. Ecommerce web development can help you build a website that will generate leads, increase traffic, and boost sales and revenue for your business.

The 6-step ecommerce web development process

Now that you know the answer to the question, “What is ecommerce web development?” let’s dive into how you can begin developing your ecommerce website.

Here’s your step-by-step ecommerce web development process to help you drive the most revenue with your website:

1. Start with a plan

The first step in any web development process is to start with a plan. Before you begin designing the layout of your website, you will want to have a strategy and goals of what you would like your website to accomplish.

You might want to think about:

  • Your customer service goals
  • How you wish to display and sell your products
  • Your business goals, such as increasing sales and brand recognition

Your business goals and strategies will determine the structure and layout of your site, so planning these out in advance is essential.

2. Choose a platform and domain

Once you have your plan in mind, the next step is to choose a platform and domain for your ecommerce website. You’ll want to select your domain name, or site URL, carefully. Your domain name should be short, representative of your brand, and memorable.
In most cases, your company’s name is usually the best option. You can also pick from several domain tools, such as Dot-o-mator, which can help you choose a domain name by making suggestions based on keywords you enter.

You can also decide to use an ecommerce platform to help you build and develop your website. Ecommerce platforms can help you create your site from scratch and offer customizable options to ensure your website looks and feels like a representation of your brand.

3. Create the layout

Now that you’ve chosen your domain main and ecommerce platform, it’s time to start designing the layout of your website. You can start by creating a sitemap or simple outline of the pages on your website.

You’ll want to consider what pages and content you would like to include, such as:

  • Product listings
  • Customer reviews
  • Checkout process
  • Videos
  • Customer wish lists

Once you’ve created your sitemap, the next two steps of the ecommerce web development process will be a bit easier.

4. Code your website

Perhaps the most essential element of your web development is your web coding or back-end development. Coding ensures your website functions as it should. You can decide whether to code your website manually or use a content management system (CMS).
Many of the coding and back-end development elements will already be in place with a CMS, so you won’t need to interact much with code. If you decide to code manually, you can use HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to help you successfully build your ecommerce website.

5. Optimize your design

With your back-end development complete, you can now focus on some of the design elements of your website or the front-end development.

Optimizing your design is all about creating the look and feel of your website and customizing the pages that your customers will see and interact with.
You’ll want to consider which colors and themes you would like to use, adding in some images and videos and whether your customers will be able to navigate through your website easily, and more.
Your web design is often the first time a consumer interacts with your brand, so you want to ensure you give them an excellent first impression so they will stay on your site until they are ready to make a purchase.

6. Get ready to launch

Once you’ve completed the above steps, your website will be ready to launch and start attracting new customers and increasing your sales.
Before you officially launch your website, though, you might want to test and ensure that everything on your website is working as it should, especially functions like making a purchase.
If everything works as intended, then it’s time to launch your website and start attracting customers and driving sales. This is an excellent time to begin a marketing strategy to promote your website and products so you can drive revenue.
To ensure customers find your new website, you can:

• Use pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements: PPC ads are an excellent way to start generating web traffic. With PPC ads, you can bid on keywords, so that each time a consumer searches for phrases related to your business, your website will appear at the top of the search results.
• Implement an SEO strategy: Implementing an SEO strategy is one of the best ways to help your website rank higher in the search results and outrank competitors. And because SEO can take three to six months to start driving results, it’s best to start your strategy as soon as possible.
• Promote your website on social media: Social media is a great tool to advertise and promote your business online. You can consider creating a social media page for your business and encourage your followers to check out your website online and advertise your products.

Once you’ve launched your website, it’s essential to promote it so that you can drive traffic and revenue for your business.