NFIB

The Eight Most Important Pages of Your E-store, Part II
04/ 15/ 2002

When designing an e-store for your company, you'll need to go through extensive analysis to make sure that the site effectively puts your products before viewers -- and makes the products "irresistible." If you're not an expert at the designing and marketing of commercial Web sites, the first thing to do is contact someone who is. A previous pair of Workshops, How To Choose a Website Development Firm When You're on a Budget, parts I and II," discusses many of the technical aspects to consider in the initial phases of design. In last week's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses offered specific advice on site content by listing four important pages to include in your e-store. In this week's Workshop, he continues the discussion with four more vital pages.

5. Site map. For the convenience of your customers, include a site map page that includes an orderly description of every main page on your site. If your site is extensive, with many different types of products, use categories and sub-categories to help customers find their way to the products they need. For example, if you sell electronic products, categories would include: stereos, speaker systems, and CD players. Subcategories under each of these categories could include brands, prices, and specific features.

6. Complete information about each product. The more specific the information is, the more likely customers will be to make a purchase. The vast majority of e-stores give too little information about each product, probably going with the philosophy that on the Internet, less is more. But this is not the case when it comes to giving customers information upon which they can make a buying decision. When possible, include manufacturer information, editor reviews, customer reviews, and price comparisons. The ideal product page would give enough information for customers to make a decision without going anywhere else.

7. Start selling from the home page. Check out some of the most successful e-stores, such as Amazon.com. You'll notice that they put some of their hottest products right on the home page, and they let customers purchase them with just a click of the mouse. A cardinal principle of sales is: always be selling, right from the start of a sales presentation. This principle carries over to e-commerce, and means that the process should start right from your homepage.

8. The old saying is: "On the Internet, give information and sales will follow." This has been the experience of countless successful sites, because new and fresh information will get potential customers to return to a site again and again -- and perhaps ultimately make a purchase. The good thing about e-stores is that once the site is designed, adding text is relatively inexpensive, unlike a display ad in newspaper or magazine. So use this concept to the max -- include a page or pages that inform customers about your industry, about how your products are made, about how to use them, and where customers can purchase other products that complement yours.

A website is always a work in process, Study successful sites to determine other crucial pages that you'll need. Consult with experts during the initial design process, because no one person or company has all the answers. And when your site is up and running, continually look for features to add that will enhance sales.

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