Looking to take your business online? If you want to expand your reach, this is a smart move – more than 86% of Australian consumers search for products and services online.
According to a 2016 Sensis eBusiness report, 60% of small businesses with websites believe that having an online presence has improved their overall effectiveness, primarily by increasing their exposure, followed by being able to provide customers with valuable information.
Whether you’re transitioning your bricks-and-mortar to an online-only business, or embracing online as an extension of your physical store, you can never be too prepared, says Head of Digital & Data Driven Marketing, Brendan Cooling.
“With a physical store, naturally you’d be required to learn about leases, staff and stock, but as an online retailer you also need to think about visual design, usability, navigation, and SEO tactics, to begin with.”
Here is a quick checklist to ensure you set yourself up for success:
“Your domain name is your website address or url that gives you an online identity,” says Cooling. “Ensure your domain name is original and represents your brand and your business.”
You’ll need to check it’s availability before your register it.
If your website is functioning not just as an advertising tool, but as an online store, here’s how to decide on the right selling platform, according to Cooling.
Imagine walking into a store to find the products thrown about, the paint peeling off the walls and the staff looking bored and disinterested. What would your first impression be?
Being online doesn’t always mean you plan on selling. If you are creating a website to act as an online shop front, the number-one consideration is still your customer, says Cooling.
That means showcasing your services or products with high quality photography, engaging content and information to build confidence and trust.
If you are selling, encourage the path to purchase by enduring fast page loading times on all devices, easy returns and great customer support, he/she advises.
“Rather than crowding your web pages with the entire product range and multiple categories, every page should be intuitively easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing.”
“If you want to boost growth and reduce cart abandonment, anticipate and reduce frustration from errors at checkout time. This means good UX [user experience]!” Cooling says.
Make it clear that you use a secure online checkout service by using strong SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) authentication. Adding a trust seal can also increase your conversions.
Once your website is in good shape, ensure customers can find you in the first place by devising a search engine strategy from day one. SEO increases your website’s traffic leading to a growth in your customer base.
Spend some time determining your site’s keywords and keyword phrases so it attracts relevant traffic, advises Cooling.
This will save you time later on and avoid you having to redevelop elements of your website in order to be found and ranked highly according to Google’s ever-changing search engine algorithms.
ANZ’s Business Ready Tool can help you achieve your business goals with easy-to-use tools that set your business up for success.
Written by: Thea Christie
This material does not take into account your personal and financial needs and/or circumstances, and you should seek appropriate advice (which may include property, legal, financial and/or taxation advice) before making any decisions or acting on any of the information contained in this material. To the extent permitted by law, all members of the ANZ group of companies disclaim liability or responsibility to any person for any direct or indirect loss or damage that may result from relying on the information contained or this site, or any act, omission or error, by any person in relation to the material contained on this site.
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