Setting up a webshop or online store is the next natural step for many small businesses. There are some fundamentals to consider though and with access to great freelancers, you can outsource to them for help.
1. Find a logo designer
Surprisingly, many businesses don’t have a logo. This oversight can cost you customers, especially if they used your services before and were happy, but can’t quite remember your name. A logo is an important visual reminder for customers, of who you are and what you do. It can be used across all of your marketing material and should be the focal point of your webshop. Great logo design can be outsourced to a skilled freelance designer and they will collaborate with you to design a logo that clearly conveys your message and your business values. The logo is then the key to your business that the customer connects with. They will see it on your webshop, again on the packaging when their order arrives, as well as on your business cards, social media and more. This branding 101. Given the multitude of ways you will uses your logo, it is definitely worth the investment to get one professionally designed.
2. Get someone to setup your website (the technical stuff)
Of course, if you are planning a webshop, the setup is the most important part! This allows you to list your products or services for sale, enabling customers to get online, read all about them and then buy them. This makes your website ‘ecommerce enabled’.
For this to happen you need to choose the right e-commerce software. Stay with me! Find a skilled webshop expert and they can set up the store for you, and with the right software you can then launch and operate your webshop yourself, regardless of how great your technical skills are.
Setting up a complex system that the staff in your business can’t use is pointless, so doing some basic research about some of the most user friendly ecommerce software such as ePages, Magento or PrestaShop will help you make the right decision.
3. Take care of your Product Descriptions
It’s surprising how many people think it’s ok to write their own product descriptions, completely overlooking the importance of keywords. Great product descriptions are a science and there is so much more to them than just describing the product. You have to provide detail but not too much, you should replicate the same detail with multiple items, but be sure to be clear on what the difference is between the products, such as color, size, or flavor.
Of course you have to use keywords and this requires skilled research and an understanding of SEO to make sure you choose the right ones. You also need to use the keywords with discretion and be creative about your descriptions as well. If you sell organic handmade chocolate stars then there is a level of detail required in your description to make sure people will find your product. However your description also needs to make them engage with the product and want to buy it more than your competitor’s chocolate stars.
Many freelancers and SEO specialists started out writing product descriptions and most of them now have great expertise as a result of years of practice! They know how to describe chocolate stars in more ways than you can possibly imagine!
4. Get your webshop ranked high on search engines
Once your webshop is up and running, you need people to find it and learn more about it, so a little bit of search engine advertising (SEA) and search engine optimization (SEO) is important. You can spend literally days reading and learning about SEA and SEO but for a very reasonable investment an expert can do that for you and put you one step ahead of your competition.
Once a webshop is set up, you may think it’s finished but wait until the SEO expert gets their hands on it! Your headings, sub headings, even whole paragraphs will need to change so that the content is optimized for the web. A well optimized site will not only save you money on advertising, it will improve the performance of the advertising you do invest in, because the content has been styled to fit with what the market is searching for, plus you have paid to enhance this with advertising.
The key is to have your site analysed and then implement the advice that comes from this about necessary changes. You can also benefit from some guidance on how to manage the advertising process, how to manage bids and outline ongoing ad planning so you can continue to promote your business week to week, month to month and develop a consistent optimised marketing strategy.
5. Tell the world about your webshop with a Press Release!
Now that your webshop is setup, your new logo is front and center and sparkling like a jewel, you have some really strong product descriptions (for your great products of course!) and the overall site has been analyzed and optimized, you need to tell the world it’s happening! Undoubtedly you will have existing customers, and important contacts in your network that need to know they can now buy your products and services online. The best way to tell them all is with a great press release, written by a professional. This will of course contain your logo, and give key information about your webshop, such as why you decided to branch into online sales and the advantages for the customer now that they can access your products and services online.
Making the leap into online sales is a big deal and it can really take your business to the next level. But all the time and effort in planning and developing your webshop is totally wasted if it’s not done well. There are so many freelancers out there who can do all the things you need and more to really ensure you get powerful and consistent engagement. The time you will save getting someone who knows what they’re doing to set up your webshop is invaluable and the webshop’s success will undoubtedly make your investment worthwhile.
Do you need to hire someone to do all the above, quickly and at an affordable price?
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Melinda Barlow is an Australian freelance writer and editor, based in Berlin since 2012. Melinda works with print and online media and has a natural curiosity that informs her work. She is passionate about travel and great content. She loves to write most about the world, its people and why we all do what we do.
