9

Common

Ecommerce

Mistakes

If your ecommerce store

is your business lifeline,

you know that a well-

optimized site is key.

Mistakes here can be

damaging and costly. At

the same time, running a

successful ecommerce

site can be a daunting

task.

Are you making some

common ecommerce

mistakes? Let’s take a look

at the things that many

ecommerce sites get

hung up on, and how to

remedy them for the best.

Mistake

#1Depending on Only One Traffic Channel:

If you don’t believe in diversifying your traffic

channels, you’re really missing out

Focusing on only one channel, like organic

search, puts you into a box that may be hard

to get out of if you’re effected by an algorithm

update

This singular approach limits your long-term

growth and ability to cover losses

The

Solution:

Creating a multi-channel approach to gain

more traffic will make your site more diverse

This will also help spread your authority and

reach

A great social presence, a good blog,

weekly newsletters, etc. create a multi-

channel plan

Your potential for growth is much greater

Mistake

#2:Never Updating your Site’s Design:

If you still have the same site design as you did in

1996, you should probably consider a redesign

We understand it can be hard to revamp an

entire site regularly, but:

Clean, modern designs and new, interesting

features are engaging

Clunky, outdated sites tend to decrease

customers’ trust

The

Solution:

There are some easy, regular changes you

can make to keep customers engaged:

Try to freshen up your site once a season if

possible

Experiment with new homepage designs –

feature different best sellers or new

products in different areas

Remove and replace any out of date

information

Mistake

#3:Not Monitoring Performance:

Data is so necessary in order to drive any major

business changes and decisions

If you’re not monitoring your Google Analytics,

you may be missing valuable insights

Year over year metrics, seasonal trends,

purchasing behaviors, and much more can be

found here for no cost

The

Solution:

Enable Ecommerce Reporting in Google

Analytics – this is the most important

feature GA offers for online stores

Make a goal to check on your most

important data daily:

Store traffic

New visitors

Referral channels

Revenue

Conversion rate changes

Cart & checkout abandonment rates

Mistake

#4:Ignoring your Competition:

Chances are, you’re not the only one in your given

niche

Ignoring your competition is a fatal mistake – you

can be sure they’re looking at you

We don’t suggest copying your competitors, but

staying ahead of them

The

Solution:

Use some free SEO tools to figure out who is

ranking ahead of you for your money

keywords

Monitor pricing and product trends

You don’t want a customer to go

elsewhere because your product is not as

competitive as another sites

Mistake

#5:Providing Poor Customer Service:

Exceptional customer service should really be a

given – your customers are your lifeblood

A poor customer experience leaves no chance

for customer loyalty to develop

Remember, word spreads quickly, especially

on the internet

Poor reviews can really impact your trust and

authority

The

Solution:

Delight your customers at every stage of their journey

Turn them into brand evangelists!

Be responsive to customers’ questions & concerns

Try to stay on top of Facebook posts and

comments on your business pages, DM’s on

Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Offer rewards programs, unexpected sales, etc.

Show your customers you love them!

Mistake

#6:Having Lackluster Product Images:

Nothing is worse than not being able to see the

product you want to buy

Poor quality or non-existent product images are

an almost guaranteed loss of sales

Customers need to see the product from as

many angles as possible before making the

decision to purchase

The

Solution:

Add dynamic, appealing product images

Hire a professional photographer to ensure

you get the best quality images possible

If you don’t have a budget for professional

photos, reach out to the manufacturer for quality

images if possible

Mistake

#7:Poor Product Descriptions:

More often than not, consumers need to be totally

informed before making a purchase

They can’t hold the product in their hands to help

decide

Poor or missing product descriptions simply equals a

poor experience

The

Solution:

Write concise but informative descriptions for every

single product

Every description needs to be unique to avoid

duplicate content issues

Do not rely solely on manufacturer descriptions

This can be a daunting task

Work through pages with the highest impressions

first

Mistake

#8:

Not making use of the blog on your site is a huge

missed opportunity

Customers need to trust who they are buying from

There’s no better way to build trust and authority

than blogging about your industry knowledge

Not Using (or having) a Blog:

The

Solution:

Dedicate one day a week to write something:

Educational

Fun

Interesting and informative

Remember not to be overly promotional every

time – you need to provide value

If you can’t find time once a week, ask friends,

neighbors, colleagues to contribute

Mistake

#9:Having a Confusing, Problematic Cart & Checkout:

If customers can’t easily see what they put in

their cart or have to jump through hoops to

make a purchase, they will go elsewhere

Each lag and step between conversions is

another reason for a customer to bounce

The

Solution:

Optimize this process:

One page for checking the order, making edits,

and entering billing/shipping info

A second page for a confirmation to submit the

order

This isn’t a step by step guide to

creating the perfect ecommerce site.

Instead, it’s some food for thought. Are

you doing all of the above (and more)

to the best of your ability?

If not, dig in and see what mistakes you

can fix!

For even more common

ecommerce mistakes, check out

our blog series:

27 Ecommerce Mistakes

Ecommerce Mistakes, Part 1

Ecommerce Mistakes, Part 2