Ecommerce Website Development: The Ultimate Guide

Ecommerce website improvement doesn’t person to beryllium difficult. 

Our usher breaks everything down into a clear, seven-part process. With applicable tips passim to assistance you get your website up and running.

But first, let’s research the main options you person for processing your ain ecommerce website.

2 Popular Options for Ecommerce Website Development

Here are a fewer ecommerce website improvement options:

Use a SaaS Ecommerce Website Builder

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecommerce website builders similar Shopify, WooCommerce, and Squarespace are large for beginners. And anyone who doesn’t person extended coding experience.

These kinds of platforms springiness you the foundational infrastructure and tools needed to build, host, launch, and negociate an ecommerce website. And they’re incredibly user-friendly.

For example, Shopify provides a setup usher close wrong the interface aft you log in.

Pros

• Pre-designed, customizable themes: Simply take a website taxable and get started
• Intuitive features: Drag-and-drop builders, colour palette selectors, and font libraries marque it casual to plan your website’s look and feel
• Built-in information measures: Website builder brands grip information aspects similar regular bundle updates, unafraid sockets furniture (SSL)/transport furniture information (TLS) certificates, and adhering to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
• Built-in ecommerce capabilities: Core functions similar adding items to a buying cart and outgo processing are already included
• Integrations: You tin easy link website builders to third-party apps and plugins to adhd other capabilities to your website. For example, Matrixify is simply a third-party Shopify app that lets you bulk import and export store information utilizing CSV and Excel files.

Cons

• Free themes are limited: Free themes lone person truthful galore customization options. For much precocious ecommerce capabilities and plan options, you’ll astir apt request to wage more.
• Restrictions connected coding: It tin beryllium hard to instrumentality customized coding into pre-designed themes, truthful the halfway operation can’t beryllium easy adjusted
• Recurring costs: You request to fund for ongoing subscription fees (which summation arsenic you determination from basal to much extended plans) and hidden costs similar transaction fees for each merchantability you make

Further reading: The 9 Best Ecommerce Website Builders: A Comparative Review

Hire Someone to Custom Code Your Ecommerce Site

Custom coding an ecommerce website involves utilizing antithetic programming languages to make a unsocial tract from the crushed up. 

This makes it imaginable to make a tract with your nonstop specifications. But unless you person extended improvement acquisition (or idiosyncratic connected your squad who does), you’ll request to enactment with a freelancer oregon agency.

If you’re funny successful going this route, usage Semrush Agency Partners to find an agency that does web development. 

Pros:

• Unlimited customization options: When customized coding, you tin tailor each facet of your website to acceptable your business’ unsocial needs
• More precocious features: Custom coding lets you adhd much analyzable features that whitethorn not beryllium disposable with a website builder’s modular tools
• SEO benefits: You tin marque it easier for hunt engines to recognize your tract contented and its relevance to hunt presumption by optimizing astir each applicable element
• Opportunities to premix and match: You tin take your ain hosting provider, incorporated circumstantial technologies, and plan a customized architecture that champion suits your concern requirements

Cons:

• Requires a important clip investment: Custom coding takes much clip than utilizing a website builder with pre-configured options. You besides request to walk a important magnitude of clip connected maintenance. 
• Expensive if you’re not doing it yourself: If you outsource customized coding, you’ll request to wage for a web improvement agency, hosting, domain registration, and more
• Added information responsibilities: Besides making your website look large and enactment properly, you’ll besides request to guarantee it tin support delicate lawsuit information safe. And that immoderate imaginable vulnerabilities get fixed.

Which Ecommerce Website Development Approach Should You Use?

Everyone has antithetic needs for their ecommerce website. So, there’s nary “right” mode to make an ecommerce website. 

The champion mode is whichever 1 works champion for your company.

Make the prime of however to make an ecommerce website wide by asking questions like:

• Can you spend the archetypal concern for a custom-coded website? Or is paying monthly fees to a website builder level much feasible? 
• What customizations bash you request your website to have? Can a SaaS builder accommodate them?
• How rapidly bash you request to motorboat your ecommerce website? Can you hold for a lengthier motorboat done a customized build? Or bash you privation to get it up and moving wrong weeks?
• Do you person the interior expertise and bandwidth to tackle the regular coding and information attraction that comes with a custom-coded solution?
• Does either prime let your website to standard alongside your concern without encountering important show oregon fiscal issues? 

How to Build an Ecommerce Website 

Now, let’s spell implicit immoderate ecommerce website improvement steps that use nary substance which way you determine to take.

1. Pick Your Domain Name

A domain sanction (e.g., semrush.com) is your ecommerce website’s integer address. And it’s an important portion of your online identity. 

Here are a fewer tips to take the close one:

• Keep it abbreviated and memorable: Use a short, catchy domain sanction that’s easier for your customers to remember. For example, the domain sanction “craftingheaven.com” is easier to retrieve than “bestartsuppliesandcraftmaterialsonline.com.”
• Make branded: Make definite your domain sanction aligns with your institution sanction to reenforce marque recognition
• Avoid hyphens and numbers: Avoid hyphens and numbers successful your domain sanction due to the fact that they tin beryllium confusing for your customers, particularly erstwhile work aloud
• Opt for country-specific domain names: Consider selecting a country-specific domain that tin person a stronger entreaty to section customers. Like “busybabymat.in.” 

Brainstorm respective options. Then, cheque the availability of each 1 utilizing a domain sanction registrar similar GoDaddy oregon BlueHost.

If you’re utilizing an ecommerce website builder, you tin usually cheque the domain sanction availability and acquisition it close successful the platform.

2. Create a Clear Vision for Your Website

The frontend of your ecommerce website should convey your individuality and halfway values. To found your marque and amusement users what they tin expect from you.

Using accordant branding besides helps found trust.

That’s important. Because spot positively influences purchasing decisions, according to research from Edelman.

To link with prospective customers from the start, attack your website physique with a wide program for however you privation it to look and feel.

It’s adjuvant to deliberation of this successful 4 antithetic categories:

Design

A visually appealing website helps you marque a coagulated impression. And encourages your visitors to research your products oregon services further.

For example, accessory marque MVMT reflects their motto that “style shouldn’t interruption the bank” with a sleek, minimalist website design. 

You’ll privation to see elements similar imagery, achromatic space, fonts, colors, videos, and more.

And see gathering successful a dedicated abstraction to showcase lawsuit reviews. Which tin boost your credibility.

For example, babe bearer marque Tushbaby prominently displays its mean lawsuit rating, full fig of reviews, and reappraisal excerpts connected its homepage:

Ask the pursuing questions erstwhile considering your design:

• Do you similar a minimalist attack with cleanable lines and ample achromatic space? Or a much elaborate plan with bold colors and dynamic visuals? 
• What assemblage preferences bash you request to consider? 
• What elements volition assistance bespeak your brand's individuality and values? 
• How tin you guarantee your website is accessible to each users?

Structure

A logical site architecture that groups akin contented ensures hunt engines and users volition beryllium capable to easy navigate your site. And provides visibility for your important pages.

Here’s what a well-organized operation looks like:

So, program your main categories. And find what types of subcategories and pages should autumn nether each.

This volition assistance you recognize however to usage interior links (links connected your tract that constituent to different pages connected your site) aboriginal on.

Layout

A well-structured layout makes your website casual to navigate. Which is cardinal for guiding your visitors from their archetypal sojourn to their eventual purchase.

Take a look astatine the navigation paper layout for Azteca Soccer. 

It expands erstwhile you hover implicit 1 of the main categories. And past subcategories and circumstantial merchandise buttons are prominently displayed to marque it intuitive and frictionless for users to find what they’re looking for.

Ask the pursuing questions erstwhile considering your layout:

• What should beryllium the focal constituent connected your homepage? 
• Which elements (e.g., banners, sliders, merchandise grids, etc.) bash you privation to incorporate? And where? 
• Which circumstantial layouts and paper structures (e.g., drop-down, hamburger, etc.) marque it easiest for customers to browse and acquisition products?
• Which categories and filters should you add?
• Should you adhd a hunt bar? Where?

Further reading: Ecommerce Navigation: Best Practices and Examples

Unique Functions

Including unsocial functions that are circumstantial to your marque and products oregon services tin dramatically amended the idiosyncratic acquisition (UX). And marque visitors much apt to buy. 

Let’s accidental you merchantability personalized t-shirts. That means your website should fto customers adhd their substance oregon designs, take from antithetic colors, oregon adjacent upload their ain images. 

Like connected VistaPrint’s website.

Keep successful caput that customized capabilities similar these don’t usually travel successful a pre-designed template. So, they’ll apt request to beryllium coded successful oregon added via a third-party app.

3. Start the Building Process

Knowing however you privation your website to look, behave, and beryllium organized volition enactment arsenic your roadmap for mounting up your website.

Communicate each this to the developer(s) you’re moving with if you’ve opted for a custom-built website. And supply guidance successful the signifier of wireframes, originative assets, and written specifications.

If you’re utilizing an ecommerce website builder, look for a taxable that’ll assistance you conscionable your needs. You tin find these wrong the level oregon connected theme-specific sites similar taxable ThemeForest and Pixel Union.

To constrictive things down, usage filters (like the ones successful Shopify’s Theme Store) to benignant by price, industry, etc. 

Keep successful caput that you person a spot much flexibility erstwhile it comes to landing pages. Because they don’t ever request to beryllium created wrong your platform. 

The Landing Page Builder app lets you get your landing pages conscionable right. And makes it casual to people them connected your site.

There’s besides built-in A/B testing that allows you to spot which variations thrust the champion results. 

When picking a taxable oregon communicating needs to your developer(s), marque definite you besides origin in:

• Navigability: Make definite features similar class menus, hunt bars, and buying carts are each easy accessible and prominent 
• Mobile responsiveness: Opt for a responsive plan (many themes are responsive by default) to guarantee your tract works good for radical who sojourn utilizing mobile devices
• Page speed: Minimize ample representation and animation files toavoid agelong load times that frustrate imaginable customers
• Security details: Convey the request for strict information measures if you’re having your tract custom-coded. Or, marque definite your taxable is regularly updated for show improvements and information patches.

4. Write and Optimize Your Website Content for Search

Once you person your website’s model acceptable up, it's clip for written content. 

Start with these foundational pages: 

• Homepage: Draw visitors successful by highlighting your halfway products and unsocial concern attributes
• Product pages: Convince customers to bargain with compelling product descriptions and images
• About page: Tell your marque communicative to link with your people audience
• FAQ page: Save visitors clip by addressing communal lawsuit inquiries successful 1 spot
• Privacy argumentation page: Outline however your marque uses lawsuit information and keeps it safe
• Contact page: Make it casual for customers to link with lawsuit service 
• Blog posts: Provide informational contented that tin pull caller prospects and present them to your brand

Keep SEO successful caput erstwhile penning your content. To fertile higher connected hunt motor results pages (SERPs) and thrust much postulation to your website.

Here are a fewer ecommerce SEO champion practices:

Perform Keyword Research

Keywords are words oregon phrases users participate into hunt engines to find accusation connected a peculiar topic. And optimizing your pages for them tin awesome to hunt engines that your contented is applicable to those hunt terms. 

To find strategical keywords for your business, usage the Keyword Magic Tool.

Enter a wide word related to your business, take a country, and click “Search.”

Next, you’ll spot a database of related keywords with accusation like:

• Intent: The information down a searcher’s query
• Search volume: How galore times a keyword is searched each period connected average
• Keyword trouble (KD %): How hard it is to fertile successful the apical 10 hunt results for a fixed keyword connected a standard from 0 to 100

Look for keywords that are circumstantial to your niche. And due to the fact that you’re starting out, absorption connected debased trouble scores (less than 50) for the champion accidental of securing rankings.

Use the left-hand file to constrictive down by antithetic subtopics.

For example, if you merchantability adust canine food, you tin prime “dry” to spot much circumstantial keywords wrong that subtopic.

Create High-Quality Content

Creating quality content that’s helpful, relevant, and focused connected users’ needs helps you found credibility with readers. And tin positively interaction your rankings.

Once you’ve written contented for immoderate of your pages, caput implicit to our SEO Writing Assistant instrumentality to fortify it.

Click “Analyze my text.”

Add astatine slightest 2 keywords you privation to optimize your contented for successful the substance tract beneath the “Keywords” section, prime your people audience, and paste successful your content.

Then, click “Get recommendations.”

Next, the instrumentality volition people your contented successful the pursuing areas:

• Readability
• SEO
• Tone of voice
• Originality

And you’ll spot circumstantial tips connected however to amended each category.

Apply the suggestions to amended your content. Once you’re satisfied, you tin adhd it to your site.

Connect Relevant Pages Together

Reinforce your website architecture by utilizing interior links that amusement the narration betwixt antithetic pages. 

For example, link your homepage to class pages. And past link these class pages to idiosyncratic merchandise pages.

Chewy does this well. 

You tin spell from their homepage to their merchandise pages successful 2 clicks. 

A thoughtfully planned navigation paper volition marque a batch of this elemental and straightforward. 

But don’t hide to see applicable links successful different places. Like from your blog posts to applicable merchandise pages.

5. Add Payment Methods

Ecommerce website builders usually person integrated outgo solutions that marque it casual to acceptable up and judge payments from customers. 

For example, Shopify’s built-in outgo gateway lets you judge payments via recognition paper and different fashionable options similar PayPal. 

The downside with ecommerce builders’ outgo functions is they mightiness not judge each applicable outgo type. 

You person much flexibility and power with a custom-coded website. And you tin judge immoderate outgo supplier of your prime utilizing API integrations oregon third-party plugins.

6. Set up Shipping and Delivery Functions

You’ll request to put each your shipping and transportation specifics good earlier launching your website. 

This includes determining the shipping interest benignant (free, level rate, etc.), deciding however to fulfill orders (packing and sending yourself, utilizing a third-party logistics company, etc.), and more. 

Then, you’ll privation to marque each the specifics wide connected your website. So, marque definite you:

• Define shipping zones successful your ecommerce platform
• Make it casual for customers to way their orders
• Implement a shipping calculator

And see a wide shipping and delivering argumentation connected your website. Like this 1 from Moy Studio:

7. Test and Publish Your Website

Before your tract goes live, trial it to marque definite it looks arsenic it should and functions properly. To forestall issues aboriginal on.

Put yourself successful the customers’ shoes. Look for areas that could negatively interaction their acquisition getting to cognize and buying from your brand.

Pay particularly adjacent attraction to:

• Mobile responsiveness 
• Product searching and filtering
• Adding and removing products from the buying cart
• The checkout process

Once you’re satisfied, it’s clip to spell live.

But proceed to acceptable speech clip to reappraisal your site’s show and code immoderate issues.

Use Site Audit to velocity this process up.

This instrumentality tin observe implicit 140 method issues related to your wide website health.

Just travel the prompts to configure your settings based connected your needs.

And click “Start Site Audit.”

When the instrumentality is done scanning your website, you’ll spot an overview of your website’s method health. 

Next, click the “Issues” tab.

Site Audit volition springiness you a wide study of issues to address. Along with elaborate recommendations connected however to hole them erstwhile you click “Why and however to hole it” adjacent to immoderate issue.

Start by addressing errors, which are the astir severe. Then, determination connected to warnings and notices.

Further reading: 14 Ecommerce Tools for a Successful Online Shop

Start Your Ecommerce Website Development Journey

There’s a batch to see earlier creating an ecommerce website. But cautious readying present sets you up for a creaseless motorboat aboriginal on.

Investing successful the close tools on the mode volition assistance you implicit each step.

Semrush offers galore options wrong a azygous platform.

Sign up for your escaped relationship contiguous to trial it out.