An ecommerce site can be a valuable expansion to your business. Your site will be available to customers all over the world at any time of the day or night, and as well as a valuable marketing tool in its own right, it can also add considerably to your sales and even outstrip your bricks-and-mortar stores. Proper design is very important for the success of any website, however, with search engine optimisation being a key factor in this. It's no good having a fabulously beautiful and functional site if no one can find it. Really, to compete, you need to be on the first page, or at the very least the second, of search engine results for keyphrases related to your business. A high ranking should be among your top priorities.

An important related point is that you must honestly describe your products or services. There are a lot of dodgy dealers on the web, and you do not want to be branded as one of them. Try to be specific about what your product or service is for, and don't use broad terms that are misleading or will attract a lot of visitors who will turn out not to be interested in what you have to offer – attracting untargeted traffic is a waste of your time. Being honest and upfront will be worth the effort in the long run, as your visitors will feel more inclined to trust you and to consequently buy your products and services.

Improving a site's search engine rankings is more complicated than just shoving a page full of keywords into a backwater of your site and hoping that no real human beings will read it. Search engine algorithms are a lot more sophisticated than they used to be, so you need to provide keyword rich copy which is unique and well-written. Most people browsing the internet are doing so for research purposes. If you can provide your visitors with valuable information, they will feel more inclined to return, and the search engines will favour you. Also, more pages mean better search engine rankings, so long as they contain unique and relevant content. Basically, if you are offering more information for your customers, search engines have more content to index and can send more searchers your way. Ideally, your content should not appear on any other websites. You could write articles yourself, or hire a freelancer.

Make sure that you give as much detail as possible about the products or services you are selling. Customers will quickly go elsewhere if they are told they have to phone you for more information, or if you simply don't provide enough detail. Unlike in a shop, they can't look at and hold your products, or talk in person to your sales team; you need to give them lots of angles if you are providing photographs of your goods, and lots of good copy about what you are selling. An FAQ section is a good idea, and you can add to it as you get asked new questions. Make sure it is easy for your visitors to contact you if they have any questions or feedback. Welcoming customer comments is another way to build trust with your visitors. Regarding contact information, the more you give, the better – you will look more trustworthy if you provide your physical address, full name and telephone numbers, as well as an email address. You need your customers to feel comfortable placing an order with you.

Sell your products! If you're selling something, be upfront about it. People don't like to feel they've been cheated into reading advertising disguised as information. Tell your customers what the benefits and features of your products are, and why they are better than other offers on the market. "Buy Now" or "Order Now" buttons should be on every page that mentions your product. You need to let your customers act on impulses to buy, and it needs to be as easy as possible for them to make a purchase.

By Natalie Catchpole

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