Ten_Tips_for_Building_an_Ecom_Web_Site

Ten Tips for Building an Ecom Web Site You've implemented online sales, now how to convince the customer to buy? Here are nine tips for building a site that encourages rather than discourages online shopping. 10.Design for your target market. Find out who your potential customers are and why they come to your site. Use surveys, focus groups or usability studies to discover their preferences, patterns and requirements. 9. Identify your goals for the site and introduce content accordingly. One Internet marketer tells the story of erroneously marketing an automotive book as an aid to car repair when the real market for his publication was new car buyers. 8. Avoid using offline marketing material on the Web. Print material requires modification before it's suitable for web viewing. 7. Engage the viewer with dynamic environments. Chat features, forums, solicited feedback, and database delivery of custom content go a long way. 6. Provide good navigational structure, including search capabilities for larger sites. Allow your viewers to navigate easily no matter where they entered your site. Free your sales area of links to other Internet sites. Why encourage customers to leave when you've worked so hard to attract them? 5. Test the interface. A Website interface should enhance the user's goals, not distract from them. Strive to meld site components (i.e. graphics, text, sound, etc.) to create a unique atmosphere and identity. 4. Design with usability in mind and abide by basic design principles. Utilize white space, easily-read fonts, pleasing color schemes, universally understood symbols and backgrounds that don't distract from the message. 3. Write in the second person. (i.e. You will appreciate our new product because ). Keep sentences short and no more than 3-4 sentences per paragraph. Make use of hyperlinks and interactivity unless doing so would take visitors away from your sales area. Remember also that your visitors may be situated in other parts of the world, and they may not understand jargon or North American slang. Lastly, research shows that Web surfers detest the use of marketing hype. Subtlety counts. 2. Reward visitors from coming to your site. Offer free information, articles, contests, industry news or personalized services. Surfers are willing to provide online information if personalization is the result. 1. And most importantly, always answer the question, "What's In It For Me." In other words, talk "Benefits" not "Features." Sound familiar? About the author: June Campbell Writing Services by Nightcats Multimedia Productions The Roundup -- a FREE business ezine-- plus "How-To Booklets" for business plans, proposals, brochures and more! http://www.nightcats.com