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.

What exactly does the SEO (search engine optimization) service that Paraphrase-Online.com provides to its clients? Do you have to pay extra for something extra for additional SEO activities? Why positioning is not an instant service and the SEO contract itself lasts up to 12 months? We take a closer look at popular questions that our account managers meet.

SEO: Positioning – what are we dealing with?

Website positioning service is more than just a one-off website review – audit, even in the extended variant combined with the preparation of optimization recommendations. The positioning performed by SEO specialists from Paraphrase-Online.com begins with an audit of the website itself and the links. The information obtained during them becomes the basis for preparing a positioning strategy including elements such as:

– website optimization, e.g. in terms of speed of operation,
– optimization of meta tags for the keywords entered in the contract,
– preparation and implementation of unique, optimized and appropriate length content on the website,
– linking divided into stages and diversified in terms of type and source of links,
– redirection,
– introducing improvements and changes suggested by Google Search Console.

The above list of works is not closed, but contains only examples of activities. A set of positioner works is created for a specific case – the individual needs of a given site. The type of access to the page at the disposal of the SEO specialist is also significant. Full access to the website is very useful for the comprehensive provision of SEO services.

The positioning strategy may change during the contract period. This is due to, among others from observing changes in the algorithm, the website’s response to actions applied by its SEO specialist, or the quality of competing websites. If the positioner observes that the competitors of the website they are dealing with increases the amount of content on their websites, they may, in response, recommend the introduction of larger pools of text also on the website which is under his care. It may also propose the creation of new subpages, e.g. a blog on a website, which will serve as a space for systematic publication of new texts supporting the positioning process.

SEO activities – what do we have in the price of the service?

We are aware that surprising additional expenses during the term of the contract is not what our customers want. To spare them such unpleasant surprises, already at the stage of presenting the offer and packages for SEO activities, we indicate what activities fall within the scope of a particular package. If our client is interested in a selected package, but would like to add something extra to it that is included in another package, then it is worth contacting the client’s representative who will provide a quote for this additional activity. Our goal is to offer SEO services tailored to the needs of our clients as much as possible.

We follow a simple rule that if something has a direct impact on the positioning service, it appears in the package of activities performed as part of the service. That is why we prepare new content for subpages directly related to keywords – this happens as part of the service. However, if our client would like to have texts written by the copywriter for all subpages, including those not affecting positioning, it will be treated as an additional service and as such an extra priced.

It is not possible that we will do some additional work on the website, and only after a while we will inform the customer that this is an extra paid item.

Why can’t SEO services be called instant?

One of the main differences between Google Ads and positioning is that in the case of the SEO service comes to wait for the results (on the other hand, they are more durable than in the case of Google Ads). Depending on the website we are working on, the existing link profile, the extent of optimization, competition, selected keywords and many other factors, we have to wait for the results for several weeks, several months or even a year. Unfortunately, positioning is not an exact science and there are no simple and guaranteed “10 added links = 5 positions increase in results”.

It happens that the very introduction of optimization brings satisfying results in the form of an increase in position. In practice, we can also deal with situations in which e.g. the next round of links brings results and increases occur. This does not mean, however, that previous actions were unnecessary – it is more about the cumulation effect. Due to this certain unpredictability inscribed in the reality of the positioner’s work, we avoid unequivocal declarations and assurances that the client will have to wait 5 weeks for results.

Just as certain actions translate into position increases, so removing them can mean declines. One of the most common cases in this category is removing meta tag optimization. The introduction of appropriate meta tags is one of the foundations of the positioning process.

During the duration of the positioning service, there are necessarily changes in the Google algorithm. Given the dynamics and frequency of their implementation, there is no way that a 12-month positioning contract would not come across them. Positioners don’t know about these changes in advance about the algorithm. Only after a while they can react to them and implement changes on the website adapting them to new realities. The changes in the algorithm should not be associated only with declines in position. It happens that such an update is a chance for quick promotion in search results (and it does not have to be only a temporary increase). The changes in the algorithm are generally geared to supporting high-quality websites – extensive, interesting content, user-friendly (see e.g. the issue of page speed). If our website falls under this trend, then updates can be its ally.

CEO basics – what do they include?

Can you talk about a kind of SEO primer, something that contains the basics of SEO in relation to each page? Certainly, it is something like a website audit, which we presented in more detail in the section “SEO: Positioning – what are we dealing with?” Of this blog article. This meticulously performed SEO audit provides solid foundations for SEO strategies. While the SEO audit is focused on examining a certain pool of “necessary” (it is difficult to imagine SEO activities in this area, e.g. without evaluating meta tags, the presence of various types of duplicates, the amount of published content or the possibility of indexing the site by Google network robots – these are absolute SEOs basics for internal auditing), then SEO strategies may differ.

SEO strategies – why these differences?

There are many sources of differences when it comes to SEO strategies. In this case, we will focus on a few basic and common ones. Of course, there is also the fact that the SEO industry is not exact science. How SEO services are provided by individual positioners depends on their experience, know-how, tools used, etc. SEO strategies will vary depending on whether:

– we are dealing with a new page or history – a good website history is an undoubted advantage when it comes to SEO services;
– if the page has already collected links, and if so – what are the links, where do they come from, in what quantities does the website have them etc .; the current link profile is important when it comes to preparing an SEO strategy;
– SEO optimization – has it already been made, is it the correct optimization, or the desired changes can be applied safely and without problems to the website; the time spent on website optimization for SEO must be included in the SEO strategy;
– whether the page has not been punished by Google (we are talking here first of all about manual penalties – we are able to act to remove such a penalty from the website by appropriate actions).

It is also worth considering that SEO strategies are spread out over time and divided into stages that are performed in a logical order. SEO optimization, and thus its internal improvement, is usually done before linking. Similarly, even the best optimization will not produce results if the website continues to be penalized by Google.

Website optimization for SEO – compulsory driving

One of the first activities in the positioning process is the implementation and implementation of its optimization on the website. Do you dream of effective positioning?

Optimization is the point that cannot be missed. Specific websites need to be optimized at various levels; not all sites allow the same. Let us expand on these rather enigmatic statements.

Not every page requires optimization to the same extent – this means that there are pages that do not have, for example, errors in the head section that make positioning difficult, have a well-built menu and internal linking, do not have problems with duplicates. In this case, the positioner does not force on related modifications – because he does not have to. This site gets points right from the start. Therefore, it is worth consulting a SEO specialist when planning a new website and then positioning it. He will certainly suggest what to look for and implement at such an early stage. If the current website has already worked out results and e.g. positions in the top10 or close to this top, then it is worth moving to the new version of the website so as to minimize the risk of declines in already developed positions (and this risk always occurs). Here also an SEO specialist can help.

Not every page allows you to perform optimization to the same extent – it is related to access to the website, as well as the technology in which it was made. Positioners receive access from their clients to allow different levels of freedom of action. Not every change can be implemented by an SEO specialist in such a situation. You may need help from the client or a statement that we consciously abandon its implementation and the potential benefits of it.

Website positioning – SEO supported by tools

Positioners benefit from the support of various tools that provide useful data in their activities. An overview of popular tools from the positioner’s bag has already been presented on our blog in this entry and this entry is still valid. The list of 8 tools mentioned there is of course not exhaustive. An interesting case among the tools listed there is Google Search Console. They are distinguished by the fact that it is a free tool (just like Google Analytics) and … it was not created for positioners (Google does not create any tool for SEO specialists), but for webmasters. It is worth connecting them to your website. It provides information about website traffic (although not as extensive as Google Analytics), and also detects errors in the operation of the website. These errors are important not only in the context of SEO. The presence of subpages with 404 errors on the site may adversely affect the behavior of potential customers on the website and discourage them from making purchases. It is worth introducing redirects in this case, so that the potential customer had a reason to stay within the website and get acquainted with the product range that is close to interesting.

It is similar in the case of problems with adapting the website to display on mobile devices. Given the growing importance of mobile traffic and the number of transactions carried out in this way, it is not worth discouraging these customers from a hostile website that is not adapted to mobile devices. Google Search Console indicates which problems the website faces in terms of mobility (if any, in its case).