By now, it should be no surprise that making money online via an ecommerce store can be hugely profitable when done right. In the U.S. alone, consumers spent around $586.92 billion online – a 14% increase from 2018. Worldwide-operating online sites like eBay and Etsy have allowed entrepreneurs to sell online to anyone across the globe, but while it might seem like there’s no room for the little guy out there, rest assured that there’s still money to be made. The trick? Making sure your website is top notch and well optimized in order to see an increase in traffic and conversions. Here are some tips for ensuring your ecommerce store has a great online presence.

Don’t forget to upsell

Just like a fast food restaurant, we’re often asked if we’d like to increase the size of our order or add an extra item for only a small fee. The idea of upselling is the same for an online store, as you should remind customers that a superior product or add-on item exists at checkout. They might not have been aware of these items, but it’s up to you to upsell and potentially increase your sales. Some customers might not want to change the item, but it’s worth a try.

Eradicate cart abandonment

“Cart abandonment” is a phrase that no online store owner wishes to hear – it’s the stuff of nightmares. Being so close to a sale, only to find that the shopper has decided not to finish the order at the last minute is hugely frustrating. However, there’s usually a good reason that the shopper abandoned the cart, such as:

* User had to create an account to complete the order

* Complicated checkout process

* Final cost was much higher than expected after shipping

* Website crashed or couldn’t complete payment

* Didn’t trust the website with credit card information (No SSL certificate)

* Not enough payment options

* Didn’t like the returns policy

If your online store has one of these issues, you’re going to face a lot of cart abandonment. A good way to address this concern is to try going through the checkout process yourself as a user, as this will put yourself in the shoes of a customer and see if there are any glaring errors. Some ecommerce owners send an email to a customer with an account to ask why they abandonment their cart, and ask if they can be persuaded back with a gift or free shipping, for example.

Ensure your website is user-friendly

No matter how great your product or service might be, no customer has patience for a poorly designed website. Broken links, slow loading times, confusing layout, ugly design, and bad photos or descriptions are just of the reasons why a website can fail a shopper. Many hosting websites offer website template designs, which makes things far easier instead of having to start from scratch. Still, if you want to create something unique, then at least learn about user experience design and what developers should know. Remember that your website should be optimized for mobiles and tablets with a responsive design, as more and more users and shopping with handheld devices. And of course, go for a reliable eCommerce platform like BigCommerce. It will make all the process easier.

Filters and a search function

Shoppers can be so annoyed if they know you have a certain product or service, but just can’t find it on the website! A search bar and option to filter is an absolute must if you want your website visitors to find what they need. Your website design plays a strong part in this, with clearly labeled landing pages and a lot of negative space (white space) to help users have a good visiting experience and not struggle with navigation.

More tips to remember

* Add videos that help explain your product or service in action

* Optimize your site with relevant keywords, metadata, and alt-tags for images

* Share new offers on your social media pages to drive traffic to your website (embed links to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at the top of your homepage)

* Create urgency with deals for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, etc.