Starting Out in E-Commerce? 5 Essentials You Need to Know

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Access to E-Commerce December 20, 2000

Want to sell your wares online? Well, sit back and take in some e-commerce wisdom that will get you away from eBay and in control of your own web store. Take a look at these essential tips for e-commerce newbies.

Make Your Site Secure

First things first, make sure you have a bulletproof security plan in place for your site to protect not only you and your brand, but your customers. You need to have adequate privacy, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation measures in place for your site.

If you don’t have security, your site will be vulnerable to cybercrime like phishing and technical attacks. New brands need advanced penetration testing on their sites to make sure they can continue to grow.

Take Action with SEO

It pays not to ignore SEO – it’s a fantastic tool for driving in traffic with relatively little effort. Search engines bring in the bulk of e-commerce traffic; optimise your site with onsite content, an onsite blog, clickable links on guest blogs and an active social media presence.

Keeping an eye on key search terms and trends can help you identify what your SEO plan needs to incorporate. Playing an active part in e-commerce forums will help you stay on top of trends in your niche, allowing you to identify key words and incorporate them.

Adhering to SEO best practices are essential to make your SEO campaign worthwhile – so get clued up with Google’s rules here.

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Your Web Platform

If you’re on a limited budget, e-commerce stores can easily be created on many different platforms; sites like Shopify, and even platforms like WordPress can be used. Choosing a platform is important as switching later along in the life of your business is time consuming.

Pick a platform wisely, taking into account your business needs; if your site’s going to be graphic, video or image heavy, you’ll want a more advanced platform.

And Finally: Social Media

It goes without saying these days that new businesses really need social media to help them get off the ground and brand build. But simply having a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account isn’t enough to help your e-commerce store get the attention it deserves.

Create a content calendar that ensures regular social updated, and importantly track and analyse your social media activity. Make sure your pages really sell your brand with regular content that engages followers and involves them personally in your brand – take action where you’re falling short.

Get your business up and running with these tips to stay on top of your niche and succeed in the e-commerce world.

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Jeremy Kaplan

A 50-something year old lifestyle, career, and education blogger based in Atlanta, Georgia. Years of experience in the office setting working with others and still loving it year-after-year.

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