Did you know that as many as 73% of Internet users in the world shop online? This result is 11 percentage points higher than in 2019. This is largely due to the pandemic, which in a way forced consumers to use online channels. Many of them, once tried, stayed longer. There is no wonder – online shopping is becoming more convenient and safer than visiting crowded shopping malls.

That’s why now is the best time to start your online store, especially since the e-commerce market is not saturated yet. However, in order for everything to function as expected, you need to know how to handle it in practice. Calmly. Although it may seem like a challenge at first – especially if you haven’t had much contact with the digital world – all you need is a bit of determination and an open mind to learn the basics and … learn how to run an online store.

How to set up an e-shop?

Before you start running an e-shop, you have to … set it up. What do you need to start? These are the elements that must be taken care of.

A. Business plan
The concept is absolutely fundamental. You need to know what you want to sell, to whom and in what model. For example, the e-shop, which is an extension of the stationary activity, will look different, and the dropshipping model will function differently (when the e-shop does not deal with the physical distribution of goods, and after completing the transaction, it transfers the order to the warehouse that is responsible for sending it to the customer).

At this stage, it is also worth developing:
– brand name – and check if it is already taken in the domain registry. Remember: short domains are the catchy ones. So it’s worth taking this into account when planning your store name. It must be easy for customers to remember;
– visual identification system – and therefore the logotype, fonts and colors to be associated with the brand. This information will come in handy when creating the landing page layout.

Of course, you should also define the budget that can be allocated to start an e-shop. It is worth being aware that the greater the number of products distributed and the more customers you plan to serve, the more advanced (and more expensive) technological solutions will become justified and needed.

B. Logistics
Before an online store starts to appear, it is necessary to specify exactly what the purchasing process will look like. Take care of:

– adequate stocks of products to be distributed,
– a place for their storage (you may need to rent a warehouse),
– completing business formalities (if necessary, setting up a business and a bank account to which payments from customers will flow),
– agreeing on the rules of cooperation with contractors,
– selecting payment methods made available to customers,
– selecting delivery methods.

At the beginning, you may be able to handle the e-shop on your own – especially since the first months will be a time of investment, and the time for profits is yet to come.

C. Technical facilities
These are all issues related to setting up an e-shop from the “digital” side. In this area, tasks such as:

– buying a domain, and therefore the address of an online store – it is also worth investing in related addresses to redirect from them to your e-store,
– selection of an e-commerce platform – you can choose from open-source WooCommerce platforms and a convenient (especially at the beginning) SaaS model, in which you buy a service package that suits your needs,
– choosing a hosting server (when the store is based on an open source platform, not on the SaaS model),
– ordering the design and implementation of an e-shop – so that its appearance is unique for the brand and legible for the customer, and the mechanics are intuitive and helpful to the buyer and you as the seller. It is best to entrust the task of preparing the layout and implementation to specialists who will make sure that everything works as expected.

D. Preparation of products
When your e-shop is ready, it’s time to fill it with products. So you will need:

– content – both on the website’s home page and category pages, as well as product descriptions,
– good product photos.

Do you sell goods from external producers? If so, you probably received promotional material from them. And while the use of product photos will be a good idea, when it comes to content … it is worth thinking about introducing unique ones as soon as possible. Why? Because copies from the manufacturer’s website can potentially reduce the SEO value of your website. And this will translate into poorer visibility and poorer positioning results.

Finally, you should also take care of legal issues – it will be necessary to draw up the store regulations. The e-shop will process customer data, therefore a safe management procedure must be developed. At this stage, it is worth consulting a lawyer or using the help of an e-shop operator. If you choose an e-commerce platform in the SaaS model, you can usually count on support and a rich package of tips in this regard.

Ready? Then you can start your shop.

How to run an e-shop?

Running an online store after fulfilling the basic obligations described above requires constant work to provide customers with the most comfortable shopping conditions. Remember that along with the demand for e-commerce services, their supply also grows. Therefore, to beat the competition, you simply have to be better than it.

What will influence the quality of customer service and the popularity of the website? There are also many elements to take care of.

A. Efficient current customer service
It is important that orders are sent to him at the agreed time, and the flow of information about the status of each of them – transparent. And in this regard, it is worth supporting yourself with appropriate software. It will largely automate the process of handling each order and, as a result, avoid mistakes and delays.

Efficient customer service also means quick response to incoming inquiries. This process can also be partially automated, e.g. with a chabot that will answer frequently asked questions.

B. Treating Customers Fairly
Reliability and honesty are features that are extremely appreciated by modern consumers. What to do to be seen in a positive light? First of all, it is very important to inform customers about the features of the offered products and their properties – promising stars from heaven will result in disappointing the buyer and a negative review.

Secondly, the way you deal with customer objections, complaints and returns is important. If there is any mistake on your part in the handling process, do not hesitate to apologize personally and offer the buyer, for example, a discount on subsequent purchases or a shopping voucher. This will erase any negative impression and build the image of the e-store.

C. Joining the Opinion Network
When looking for information about a given e-shop, customers very often refer to portals with opinions. Positive reviews in such a place strengthen the credibility of a given website and serve as “social proof” – the more there are, the greater the trust of new customers.

That is why it is worth encouraging customers to leave reviews on review portals – this can be done through mailing. For issuing a short review, it is worth offering the client an additional bonus, e.g. a discount code to be used during the next visit.

D. Brand
Remember that customers are more and more often prompted to buy not so much by the product itself as by what it communicates or what values are behind a given brand. You can shape it freely.

Marketing is important, that is, get noticed!

Good customer service that leads to more and more positive reviews is just one side of the coin. The second is the promotion of the website on the Web. Remember: your online store is not the only one on the web, but one of many. Therefore, you need to increase its visibility. Necessarily as part of a coherent marketing strategy, but implemented through several channels. What can you do to strengthen its position in search results on the one hand and increase conversion on the other?

Website optimization for SEO

Optimization and positioning of the website is the first important issue that should be taken care of. If you think about your business in long-term terms, then this issue is definitely worth looking at. In this aspect, elements such as:

– optimization of the website code and mechanisms of its operation – so that the website opens quickly, works without delays and barriers,
– content optimization and meta-content – again, let’s remind you about the unique content of products, but above all about the content on the category and subcategory pages, written in accordance with the SEO principles (including headings, keywords, bullets, and above all substantively!),
– website responsiveness – and therefore the possibility of using it also on mobile devices,
– good User Experience, i.e. a convenient store service mechanism that guides the customer through the entire purchasing process and … will make the user stay longer on the website,
– URL optimization – so that they contain keywords adequate to each of the categories and subcategories.

You have a very wide range of advertising tools to choose from. What to use? The most popular solutions are:

– Google Ads- including sponsored links that will appear in shopping suggestions after the user enters specific queries or product ads – that is, those mini photos with products and prices that you sometimes see next to or above the search results,
– remarketing advertising – banners displayed to recipients on various websites (both on the Google advertising network and, for example, on Facebook), referring to the products they saw during the previous visit to your store,
– advertising in social media – you can use, for example, various forms of promotion available on Facebook.

Also, do not forget about acquiring leads for the newsletter – it can become a good tool that will allow you to be in constant contact with customers and make them come back to your store from time to time. To subscribe to the newsletter, it is worth giving a benefit in the form of a discount code or free shipping at the entrance.

Image-building activities

It is good for your online store to have a fan page on Facebook and profiles on other social media relevant to your target group. For example, a shop with beauty or fashion products may appear on Instagram, and a shop operating on the B2B market, e.g. with spare parts for professional gastronomic devices – on LinkedIn.

Articles published on valuable external websites with linking to the e-shop can also be a good idea about the image and SEO potential. Larger online stores also increasingly cooperate with influencers. It’s also a good way to increase interest.

A lot of everything? On the one hand, yes, but on the other … in many cases you can use the help of experts. Professional support will allow you to automate many processes, including marketing ones, and thus – leave a lot of time for the development of your business.

How to present a product in an online store?

Internet users like shopping online because they can make their consumer decisions at home. Nobody asks them “how can I help you?”, Nor do they have to prepare or dress before going shopping. Online stores are available 24 hours a day throughout the year, so even late at night or during public holidays you can opt for even the most extravagant items available on the internet. If you run your business in the e-commerce industry, you are probably aware of the importance of properly presenting products on your website and continuous use of quality marketing strategies. It is worth organizing this knowledge to sell more effectively online and record new profit records.

Optimizing your site for SEO is a must

You can have revolutionary product descriptions on your website and a content management system compared with the seventh wonder of the world, and the competition will still eat the whole cake if you do not adapt your texts to SEO principles that allow for better positioning in google. Category and product descriptions optimized for SEO is the first step to enter search modes and be a viable option for customers interested in a given type of product. Key phrases, relevant headers, a link system should also be used in the blog section, where it is worth regularly placing articles from your industry that will interest and engage the recipients. Content marketing is based on these types of texts, in which compliance with SEO goes hand in hand with interesting content that lays the foundations for establishing a longer relationship with the client.

Unique and engaging content

However, just saturating texts with keywords is not enough. It used to be easy to outsmart google algorithms to create schematic content, or so-called “pretzels,” but now technology has moved ahead and simple excuses do nothing. The basic sin for which the machines of the largest search engine in the world severely punishes is “duplicate content“, which is copied content that appears in many places on the Internet. You should not download product descriptions from the manufacturer’s website, at best be inspired by them.

Pasting the same content to different bookmarks and subpages is just as bad for your site’s ranking. Unique content is the basis and it is worth using the services of professional agencies, whose daily bread is to provide high-quality texts that meet the principles of SEO, are original, well-written, engaging and compatible with the sales system.

Of course, you can try to color your site on your own, but in this matter it is good to rely on the experience of specialists who quickly produce interesting content. Such material conveys basic knowledge about the product, presents its advantages and is a call to action for the customer who after reading such a description will be more willing to buy.

Unique texts written by content agencies are also appropriately targeted. Experienced copywriters adapt the style to the group of recipients, choosing a loose, direct style in content intended for example for young people, and substantive and professional in texts supporting serious business industries.

Appropriate product photos

In addition to unique content, it is worth taking care of the aesthetic appearance of the page and the intuitive interface that will make your customers feel at home on your website. Pictures of your products are very important – it’s not worth saving in this matter. Each item for sale should be photographed from many sides in professional conditions. For many customers, much more important than reading the description is the ability to view the product from different angles in high resolution to see different construction details. To optimize images according to the search engine requirements, it is worth supplementing the title and alt attributes.

You can’t forget about the reviews and reviews section on your website, where customers will be able to express opinions about your products. Also, the newsletter, an efficient search system inside the page and linking it to accounts on social networks are very effective ideas to tie the recipients to the brand.

It is very important for customers on the product page not to look for a purchase, but to see it immediately – the CTA must be very clearly visible and is usually located on the right side at the height of the product photo, which is on the left.

Social media is power

There is no self-respecting company operating in the e-commerce industry that would also not function on social networks. Sites like Facebook, Instagram and Youtube offer huge opportunities for promotion and the use of innovative advertising forms. One of them is live video marketing, thanks to which you can present your products in real time, thus engaging your fans. This type of marketing is most often used among online stores selling clothes. The construction, furniture and cosmetics industries can successfully opt for video content marketing in the form of guides. Unobtrusive forms of knowledge sharing are highly respected by the recipients. Giving something from each other, you can always count on reciprocity from customers. This is important because you can use this type of video both in social media and on individual product cards. Before the e-commerce industry, fat years, if not decades, but in this very competitive business only those who present their product in the best possible way will survive and earn. A functional and aesthetic website, reliable descriptions in line with SEO principles, well photographed products and efficient operation on social networks are the first step to success in this difficult industry.

SEO billing models and their consequences

The SEO service requires investment, especially at the start, just after signing the contract and auditing the website and links. These investments in the case of a positioning agreement relate to, among others preparation of new content by copywriters (both those that will reach the client’s site and those that will find their use during linking) or planning and performing linking. It will not be a betrayal of the secret that the most of this expenditure is at the start of the contract. This does not mean, however, that they are missing or becoming minimal at further stages of the contract. High-quality positioning facilities are also a permanent position on the expenditure side. Specifically understood savings in this area, expressed in, among others, placing poor quality texts in small amounts or in small quantities or linking from one client site to many clients’ sites (in addition not necessarily thematically related) is a shortcut and it is not for success.

It cannot be denied that the first activities with a fresh contract must be carried out on a grand scale. At this point, the question may arise: will the positioning company stand for such a momentum in the case of a contract that depends on the effect? The first, very low invoices (or lack thereof) mean the need to “credit” the positioning service and the associated tendency to limit positioning work to the economically calculating minimum. It does not have to be synonymous with the needs of the website and the effectiveness of positioning work.

Price means quality

For this reason, we prefer a clear approach to our potential clients. SEO is a service for which the price is linked to the quality and scope of work performed. Our packages clearly and unambiguously present the scope of activities performed, determine what is included in the package chosen by the customer, and what additional activities mean additional costs. There is no reason to believe that SEO, unlike other services, is a charity activity in which the provider of this service has no right to earn. In the case of mobile operators, the customer, choosing the lowest subscription package, will not receive a “no limit” offer and the latest flagship smartphone for a dollar. You can look at the positioning service in a similar way.

Does this mean that these lower SEO packages do not bring value and benefits to their customers choosing? No. We encourage our clients to choose packages that are most adequate to the needs of their businesses and budget options at the same time. Therefore, by presenting SEO packages from the Paraphrase-Online.com offer, we suggest which package works in the context of which website and type of business (local SEO, for online stores, etc.). We treat it as a convenient signpost among a packet of packets, a hint as to which solution works in certain circumstances.

Preparing the subscription offer, we give our clients transparency, predictability of expenses and a certain level of service. The subscription settlement formula also gives you the freedom to work long-term with more difficult phrases that are included in the positioning contract. In this situation, a set of phrases may correspond to the real needs of the customer, effective promotion, and not a focus on quick reimbursement of incurred costs, which is often achieved in the contract for the effect of using simple and weak in terms of advertising potential phrases that are quick and easy to position.

Currently, the subscription model is gaining popularity, and settlement for the effect is losing importance. This can be associated with, among others with a move away from positioning to a few phrases or treatment of positioning services on the principle of “we will add some links and the effect will do itself”.

Website optimization and optimization for keywords

Website optimization differs from keyword optimization. Performing optimization of the website, we take actions that are aimed at eliminating errors affecting the entire website, such as (examples of relatively common problems):

– website duplicate
– duplicate home page,
– duplicate subpages,
– difficulties in indexing the page (modifications in the robots.txt file, meta robots, canonicals, etc.),
– sitemap.xml file is missing or the situation where the file is, but requires corrections,
– unfriendly subpage addresses,
– incorrect use of Hx headers,
– no nofollow in outbound links,
– no alt descriptions for graphics on the page.

Also problems related to the speed of displaying a website or problems with the mobile version affect the website globally, although they affect positioning. Website optimization aims to increase its overall “quality result” and can have a positive impact on the positioning process; however, it is something other than optimization for specific keywords. Of course, this overall website optimization affects the visibility of the website – a better website is a way for robots to visit and index it better. However, these are not actions that are precisely targeted at specific keywords, which our customers particularly care for and for this reason they decided to include them in the positioning agreement. Activities that are directly aimed at optimizing the website for specific keywords can be considered activities carried out within the website such as (examples of popular activities):

– meta title optimization on subpages related to keywords,
– meta description optimization on subpages related to keywords,
– introduction to subpages associated with keywords of optimized and unique content,
– implementation of Hx headers using keywords,
– running a blog and placing content related to key categories and points of the offer on the client (although proper running of the blog is also an activity strengthening the entire website),
– internal linking based on blog entries,
– entering keywords to the URLs of selected subpages thematically related to these keywords (which is not synonymous with making them friendly, because the subpage can have a friendly URL without using keywords),
– entering keywords in selected menu items (changing the name),
– creating new subpages dedicated to those points from the offer that are related to keywords,
– entering the address of the registered office, stationary store, subdivision, etc. on the website (this is important in the context of positioning for specific cities). Also, linking a website can be targeted more to strengthen specific subpages and related phrases or the entire website.

What does website optimization give?

Its effect is overall strengthening of the website and elimination of errors that hinder the positioning process. As a result, the visibility of the website may increase – overall, for any phrases that Google’s web robots can associate with a specific website. These phrases can be keywords for which we want to position our website, related phrases – so-called “Long tails”, but also for example personal details of company bosses, often appearing in the content of the page characteristic phrases, etc.

When deciding on positioning done with the help of the optimization of your website alone (without optimization for specific phrases) you should be aware that the impressive visibility results achieved by our website (e.g. over 4,000 phrases related to our website placed in the top 50 – this is the result of Paraphrase- Online.com) are partly the result of associating it with such rather few (to put it mildly) sales slogans. In the case of such optimization, however, you can actually talk about the lack of limits – no one assumes and rigidly sets the maximum number of keywords that can be associated with a given website.

What does optimization do for specific keywords?

In this case, we have activities focused strictly on strengthening specific phrases and those that are quite closely related to them. Illustrating this with an example: if we position our website for the keyword “wooden kitchen furniture in Los Angeles” and the descriptions of products and categories will often show the term “modern” in the context of our offer, there is a good chance that our website will appear quite high in the search results after entering the term “modern wooden kitchen furniture Los Angeles”, despite the fact that the password is not on the list of positioning keywords included in the contract and there are no dedicated activities carried out for them by the positioner. Well-positioned positioning can give us visibility of phrases with “long tails” and provide it even before the main phrases of the contract are in the top 10.

So what is worth betting on?

As you can easily predict – the best solutions are given by combining website optimization with optimization for specific keywords. Both types of optimization work well together and bring the best results. The positioning packages proposed by Paraphrase-Online.com contain information on the number of phrases for which the given website is positioned. In addition to those saved in the package, the total number of passwords that can be found on our website is also increasing.

Online store advertising – the main benefits

Online store advertising can bring measurable benefits – provided that it is based on a carefully developed strategy and is well thought out. Therefore, it requires considerable skill and sensitivity – it is important because the slightest mistake can have the opposite effect to the intended one.

– You become visible to network users – Online store advertising has no time limits, therefore you become visible to network users. This is a huge opportunity, considering the fact that every day over 4 billion people use the Internet worldwide.

– You are visible without time limits – Online store advertising can be displayed around the clock – 7 days a week. There are no time limits here, e.g. related to the opening hours of the store. Thanks to this, potential customers can see your offer even when the store is closed. What’s more – if it is an e-store, they can make purchases as soon as they become familiar with the content of the advertising message.

– You adjust the cost of advertising to the budget – Store advertising on the Internet is very flexible in terms of costs. You can customize each campaign to your budget – even the most limited budget. While, for example, $250 is not enough for advertising on the radio or television, such an amount spent on advertising on the web can bring satisfactory results and convince you to in-depth investments in the selected channel.

– You can specify the target group with more precision – You can tailor online advertising to your target group. Using the right tools, you are able to direct the message exactly where it will bring the best results, e.g. increase in sales, increase brand recognition, etc. (If the store’s offer is addressed e.g. to men in the 30-45 age group, the message will reach them In its creation, you can use their preferences or use it to speak “their language”).

– You constantly monitor the effectiveness of advertising – Online store advertising is completely measurable. It is possible to constantly monitor the course of the campaign, which allows you to assess the effectiveness. This way you know which channels bring the best results, and which ones you can opt out because they don’t translate into traffic.

– You can modify your campaign – Online store advertising is characterized by great flexibility. The message can be quickly and easily modified if it proves to be ineffective.

How and where to advertise a store on the Internet?

Online store advertising offers many possibilities. Choosing the right channels depends not only on the budget available, but also on many other factors. An important role may be played by, among others whether you run a stationary store or do online sales.

– SEO
SEO is a series of activities that make a store visible in an internet search engine. However, the point is not to be in the search engine at all, but to get there high enough positions for relevant phrases. Statistics show that the majority of network users pay attention only to addresses of sites occupying TOP10 search results. This means that the positions on the following pages reduce the chance of reaching potential customers.

Taking high positions in the search engine is easier when you sell by mail order. You can do, among others store optimization, among others by modifying category descriptions, creating unique product descriptions, creating content within the blog. Publishing articles on external websites is also helpful.

– Google Ads
Google Ads is a paid advertisement that has two options.

One of them is AdWords campaigns based on sponsored links for specific keywords. When a user types a specific phrase, an advertisement for your store will appear above the organic results.

Another option is the so-called banner campaigns on external websites. The store’s advertisement will be displayed on various portals – when the user clicks, he will be directed to the website of the online store.

– Advertising in social media
Running a Facebook fanpage is one of the elements of online advertising. However, it is worth going a step further by opting for paid advertising campaigns. Facebook offers increasingly broad methods of promoting its products due to the growing pressure of monetizing the whole environment. You can not only start various posts and formats, but also invest in remarketing, abandoned baskets, lead ads, promotions on messenger or instagram.

Store advertising on the Internet – alone or with experts?

Nothing prevents you from running an advertising campaign yourself. However, you need the right knowledge and various tools can be useful. Lack of experience in this field may result in … throwing money away.

So if you are just starting your adventure in implementing advertising campaigns, rely on the help of experts. By choosing cooperation with an experienced agency, you will better choose the target group, set the optimal duration of the campaign, and choose the right tools. Remember that the budget devoted to cooperation with experts does not have to be larger – aiming at the right actions can translate into savings. With specialists, you won’t go astray and randomly test specific advertising tools.