CREATE TERMS OF USE

One of the most important requirements for an e-commerce website is a professional, well-written Terms of Use document that users can easily find on your website. This document describes the rules for using your e-commerce and is essential for your legal protection.

WRITE A PRIVACY POLICY FOR YOUR STORE

Another necessary legal document that you should have on your website is your privacy policy. This policy helps to establish trust with your users and to protect yourself legally.

Some third parties also require that you have a privacy policy before they can trade with you. Make sure customers can easily find this document on your website.

ADD A RETURN POLICY TO YOUR E-COMMERCE WEBSITE

In addition to your privacy policy, it is also crucial that you have a return policy on your website that outlines the rules and procedures for returning purchased products. A customer-friendly return policy can help encouraging customers to buy because they know it is easy to return an item that does not suit their needs. You can usually find documents such as terms of use, privacy policies and return policies in the footer of an e-commerce website.

MAKE SURE YOUT WEBSITE IS PCI COMPLIANT

You will also want to make sure that your website is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Major credit card companies require organizations that accept their cards to adhere to this standard, which aims to secure and protect credit card information. Your e-Commerce platform can provide everything you need to be PCI compliant.

Make sure your website meets these requirements for an e-commerce website because if you do not comply, you may not be able to accept some credit cards and may face fines if a data breach occurs.

GET A BUSINESS LICENSE

Another legal aspect to take care of is your business license. The rules and processes for obtaining a business license vary depending on your location and the type of products you sell, so check your local and state laws. You will need a state license or permit if a state agency regulates your business activities.

OPTIMIZE YOUR ONLINE CHECKOUT PROCESS

Your checkout process is a key consideration when designing an e-Commerce website. The process should be as easy as possible for the user to reduce cart abandonment. Make sure that customers can easily add products to their cart and get the information they need, such as delivery details.

Also, minimize the amount of information customers need to enter.

SET UP INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Inventory control is essential to e-commerce success, as it allows you to secure inventory and to not miss out sales due to low inventory. Some e-commerce platforms offer features to help you manage your inventory.

MAKE SURE YOUR DESIGN IS CONSISTENT AND PROFESSIONAL

Your website needs to look professional so that visitors get a good impression of your business. Make sure your website has a consistent style that speaks to your unique brand. This means using the same color palette, fonts and design elements throughout the website.

The design of your e-commerce website should also be responsive, allowing it to appear and function properly on a variety of devices, including desktop, tablet and mobile devices. The templates provided by your e-commerce platform can be a good start, but you can also work with a professional web design company that knows how to create an e-commerce website that gets results.

ADD MASTER PAGES TO YOUR WEBSITE

Your e-Commerce website should also include at least these standard pages:

• Home Page

  which is often the first page people see

• About Us Page

  which helps establish trust with potential customers

• Contact Page

  which makes it easy for users to get in touch with you

Also, pay close attention to your product pages, as they play a vital role in your customers’ purchasing decisions.

OPTIMIZE YOUR SITE FOR SEARCH ENGINES

As you design your website and write your copy, keep search engine optimization, or SEO, in mind. SEO is a broad set of strategies aimed at helping your website rank higher in search results. You will want to naturally integrate the keywords you want the search engine to rank you for and make sure you have the necessary HTML tags on every page.

Choosing an SEO-friendly e-commerce platform can help with this.

SET UP ANALITYCAL TOOLS

Before you launch your e-commerce website, make sure you have an analytics tool set up. Your e-commerce platform may have built-in analytics, but you can also use a tool like Google Analytics. These tools are important for monitoring the performance of your website and learning more about your website visitors.

CONFIGURE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS

Email is a useful tool for following up with your customers, providing customer support, increasing sales and repeat purchases, and keeping your business top-notch. Sign up for email marketing software and set up some basic emails, such as:

• Welcome emails

• Order confirmations

• Accounts

• Delivery updates

DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN

Before you launch your website, create an online store marketing plan that will support your launch and help your business grow. Your marketing plan can include a wide range of marketing channels, including:

• Email marketing

• Pay Per Click (PPC)

• Advertising

• Marketing content

• Marketing on social networks

There is a lot to consider when starting an e-commerce website, but this e-commerce checklist can help you to take care of the basics. If you want to maximize the success of your e-commerce store, consider working with an experienced e-commerce marketing company and provide expert web design and e-commerce marketing.