| The widespread availability of high-speed Internet | | | | system that easily takes your customer from your |
| access has resulted in ever-greater numbers of | | | | home page to the product or products of interest. |
| consumers making online purchases. This means that | | | | The fewer number of clicks it takes to get from |
| business owners of all stripes - from individuals | | | | point A to point B, the more likely it is that your |
| working from home to big box mass merchandisers - | | | | visitor will make a purchase. |
| can reach more buyers and can generate | | | | 3. Search Functionality. Customers need to be able to |
| exponentially greater revenue than ever before. | | | | find what they need quickly and easily. Allowing |
| There are many theories about and tips for | | | | customers to search by keyword or product number |
| marketing and advertising your online store, and | | | | is a great start. Going one step further and allowing |
| marketing and advertising is certainly a consideration. | | | | "fuzzy" searches that will also return matches for |
| But in focusing so much attention on marketing, | | | | common misspellings is even better. |
| many business owners neglect a fundamental aspect | | | | 4. Seamless Shopping Cart. Many e-commerce sites |
| of successful e-commerce: web page design. | | | | lose customers at the critical juncture between |
| If you don't have a professional webpage design, it | | | | selecting items and committing to buy them. An |
| doesn't matter how much traffic you generate to | | | | intuitive and easy-to-use shopping cart is essential to |
| your site because those visitors won't convert to | | | | the online shopping experience. Again, your web page |
| customers. It's crucial to have a website that is | | | | designer should think like your customer and utilize a |
| compelling and that makes visitors want to stay long | | | | shopping cart that makes checkout a breeze. |
| enough to buy. Here, then, are six tips to help your | | | | 5. SSL Certificate. If you're an online merchant, |
| web design transform visitors into customers: | | | | there's simply no getting around the need for an SSL |
| 1. Keep it Clean. A professional web page designer will | | | | certificate. With the problems associated with identity |
| tell you that to keep your virtual storefront clean and | | | | theft, your customers need to have confidence that |
| free of clutter. It should be immediately clear to the | | | | your website is secure. |
| visitor the types of items you sell without | | | | 6. Leave it to the Professionals. When it comes to |
| overwhelming them with dozens of hyperlinks, fonts, | | | | web page design, don't succumb to the temptation |
| and flashing buttons and words. You can certainly | | | | to do it yourself. Even if you have a web design |
| incorporate a flash introduction in your web design, | | | | program, you should hire a business web page |
| but if you do, give the visitor control. He or she | | | | designer to create your web site. Professionals have |
| should be able to bypass or pause the flash so that | | | | a variety of tools that will help your business succeed |
| the annoyance factor is kept to a minimum. | | | | online, and will act as your partner in developing |
| 2. Intuitive Navigation. Your website designer should | | | | e-commerce solutions that will encourage visitors to |
| think like your customer and design a navigation | | | | stick around and purchase your products. |