8- Step Guide to Successfully Creating an Ecommerce Website

Buying and selling over the internet have tremendously increased due to the COVID 19 outbreak. To sustain the change, many retailers are creating an ecommerce website to generate high revenue and meet the demands of local shoppers. 

With the emergence of complete ecommerce software, setting up an online store is dead easy for new businesses. We know that when you hear the phrase ‘building an online store’, you might start thinking  of hiring a website developer. 

Would you believe us if we say you don’t need any coding skills and technical background? Yes, you heard it right. We are here to simplify the website creation process that is a roadblock for most online store owners. Many entrepreneurs even make delays in launching their online shop due to lack of internet knowledge.

So, this blog is dedicated to startup business owners who want to know- How to create an epic web store ? 

To be able to create an online store, you first have to choose an ecommerce software. We will guide through the process of selecting the best platform, by evaluating must have features and benefits. Let’s explore.

How to Pick Right Ecommerce Platform for Your Online Shop?

Mobile friendly & Supports Mobile Apps

In 2020, shopping done on mobile crossed $600 billion users. It is crystal clear that mobile-friendliness is vital when creating an ecommerce website. An ecommerce software is perfect, if it offers technical support to build mobile websites. Storehippo is one that builds apps and mobile friendly websites with complete technical assistance. 

Compatible to Every Business models

Are you into B2C selling or B2B selling or both? If both, then your selected platform must allow you to control multiple business verticals, at the same place, same time. 

Easy Customer Login Options

To make the login process successful, your complete ecommerce software must provide 4-5 login options. For example- sign up with Google+ or Facebook account or email.

User Friendly CMS

CMS stands for content management system, through which ecommerce website owners can easily create, edit, and publish their content across the website. Whether you want to update your product pages or add new pages, it is only possible through CMS.

Multiple Payment Options

Your complete ecommerce software should provide multiple payment gateways options to enhance the flexibility of customers in making payments. It reduces the possibility of abandoned carts that may occur due to unavailability of the preferred payment option.  

Integrated Shipping Options

Integrating your ecommerce website with a discounted shipping solution can increase your customer trust. You can process shipments instantly, create shipping labels, organize pickups, and control upcoming shipments. 

Alluring Themes

Having an attractive theme should be the primary objective while creating an ecommerce website. If you have a killer theme, you can impress your customers in seconds, and can even turn them into buyers. 

Social Media Integration

Social sharing buttons, on websites, give customers an option to share product reviews and pictures of their recent purchases directly from the store. It acts as a marketing tool that encourages customers to do word-of-mouth marketing. 

How to create an ecommerce website (high converting) in 8 simple steps? 

1. Choose Complete Ecommerce Software

The right software must offer all a set of inbuilt features to run everyday business seamlessly. It will be a wise decision, if you go for a free trial or a free demo. StoreHippo allows a 14-day free trial of its platform, in which retailers have access to all its premium features. 

2. Purchase a Domain Name & Hosting

Next step is to buy a domain name, SSL, and web hosting. Domain name is the name of your ecommerce website (e.g- mylittlestore.com). Make sure it’s unique. Web hosting is like home to your website, that lives on the internet. Moreover, when you build an online store with  StoreHippo, you will get free SSL, which other softwares offers at an additional cost.

3. Choose Right Plan

Next step in creating an ecommerce website is to decide which plan is supportive to your business model. Storehippo offers a variety of plans suited to every budget and business requirement. Whether you want to sell B2C/B2B products or planning to open a marketplace(like Amazon), Storehippo permits you to update your plan anytime.

4. Select a Theme And Design

When you have signed up and selected your plan, it's time to decide the theme. Go to the dashboard of your complete ecommerce software. Select an attractive theme from the library (In storehippo, you can even blend the elements of an old theme into the new theme). Add your logo, sidebars, menu, header and footer. Modify theme elements, product grid, pages layout etc. Save changes and preview the theme before publishing to check how it will look. 

5. Add products and upload Information

Next is to make product pages to complete creating an ecommerce website. In our ecommerce platform, you can display 360-view of your products through pictures, videos, and swatches. Pages must be highly informative. Mention product’s description, pricing, images, discounts, reviews, and FAQs. Add prominent buttons like ADD TO CART or BUY NOW. Product pages are ready to go live.

6. Set Shipping Channels

Set a shipping channel that can help in delivering your orders. Storehippo offers integrated logistics solutions with wide coverage and discounted pricing. You can also add custom logistics partners of your choice.

7. Set Up Payment Methods

By default, StoreHippo comes with 50+ integrated payment gateways. You can choose any one or more channels based on your location and users preferences. 

8. Check for errors And Make it live

When everything is ready, run a test on your website to check for internal errors. Once tested, make your website live and submit it for indexing on search engines (Google, Bing). 

So this is a simple guide to start your online store with StorHippo. Using StoreHippo complete ecommerce software, you can easily create a high converting ecommerce website. Plus, it has a database of 100+ themes, which helps in creating an ecommerce website design as per your requirements.

To enhance the experience of your mobile shoppers, it uses PWA (Progressive Webs Apps) stores technology. Besides constructing fast loading mobile websites, PWA indirectly helps in faster purchases. 

Thinking of opening an ecommerce marketplace? You said it, we did it. You can build multi vendor shopping stores (just like Amazon) with StoreHippo ecommerce software. 

Final Words

Making a website is as easy as using a smartphone. You just need to follow the correct steps and choose a complete ecommerce software to build your store. 

Researching before buying an ecommerce website builder can be fruitful. So, do your homework properly. Best is to follow the above guide to choose a platform.

Create an amazing ecommerce website with StoreHippo. Learn to make a website for absolutely free. Sign up for a 14-day free trial!