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.

Conversational marketing, what is it?

First, let’s correct what is conversational marketing also known as conversational commerce (or conversational commerce). In short, these are all activities focused on establishing contact with the customer and building a relationship with him, which is the basis of a modern approach to sales. It is a method of transferring to the digital ground the habits known mainly from smaller traditional shops, where the seller knows his customers, often greets them by name or puts away favorite products for them, and at the same time willingly engages in friendly chats and can advise on purchases.

Conversational marketing, however, is much more than talking freely with customers. It is a tool that provides both consumers and brands with a lot of benefits! At the same time, it is a more complicated process. The need to communicate with many people at the same time means that various methods of conversation automation and other helpful tools are used.

Tools used in conversational marketing

In order to support conversational marketing techniques, chatboxes and chatbots are primarily used, which allow you to automate many conversations and speed up answering customer questions. In addition, it is used:
– live chat located on the company’s website,
– messengers: Messenger, WhatsApp and other similar applications,
– e-mails,
– SMS,
– live broadcasts enabling dialogue with participants,
– video calls.

These are systems that significantly facilitate two-way communication. Their availability from the levels of various platforms is important. Thanks to this, the client can always get an answer to the question that bothers him. However, the multitude of these tools may also present some difficulties. One of them is the continuity of the conversation. When using multiple channels, it is difficult to maintain. Meanwhile, customers expect to be able to resume the conversation at any time and using the most convenient method at the moment. This is especially important in today’s times where the possibilities for physical interaction are limited. Therefore, it is necessary to use systems that will help in the integration and synchronization of conversations conducted in various channels. As a result, communication is much more effective and satisfactory for the consumer. This solution also improves the work of the customer service department, contributing to its greater efficiency. It is also worth noting that the aforementioned limitation of the possibilities of communication “face to face” means that more and more people appreciate the advantages of online tools. This, in turn, determines that the role of conversational marketing will probably increase in the near future.

Conversational Marketing – How Does It Work?

How to use conversational marketing in practice? In order for it to be effective, it is not enough to launch the company’s Messenger and add live chat functions to the website. If communication with the company is not going to be a chore for the customer, the first thing to do is to have the right resources – both IT facilities and staff. What is worth paying attention to?

Automation
When investing in conversational marketing, you should ensure that your company’s customers can quickly get answers to their questions. This, in turn, often requires many conversations at the same time. Thanks to chatbots, you can limit the customer service department to just a few employees, which will significantly reduce the costs of its operation. The advantage of the vending machines is that they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which, according to research, is very important for consumers. Bots turn out to be extremely helpful also in periods of increased user activity, which are often difficult to predict.

It is true that chatbots will not solve all customer problems, but they significantly relieve the work of the department responsible for their service. They can be used primarily to answer frequently asked questions and direct users to consultants dealing with specific types of cases. Thanks to them, the client never waits long for a reply and knows that his problems are not ignored. In addition, chatbots can also be used for other purposes – for example, conducting consumer surveys (for example on the quality of customer service) or giving discounts or informing about promotions.

It is worth remembering, however, that consumers appreciate the naturalness of conversation. Therefore, the construction of the bot should be carefully thought out. Long and very vague responses can create frustration, so make sure that they are as personalized as possible.

CRM ensuring contextual conversations
As mentioned earlier, being able to continue the conversation without having to redraw your problem is very important from the customer’s point of view. It can be ensured by using an appropriate CRM system. Its task is to collect the most important information about the conversation in a way that allows consultants to quickly familiarize themselves with the matter. Such a solution significantly increases the quality of customer service and consumer satisfaction.

Analytics
It is also worth thinking about the analysis of data obtained through conversations with customers. This can significantly improve the quality of service and thus increase conversion. It often turns out that consumers ask similar questions or encounter the same problem at a specific stage of the purchasing process. Eliminating obstacles that generate doubts can improve UX, and thus increase the number of orders.

Conversational marketing – it pays off

In line with contemporary marketing trends, customer satisfaction is a brand’s success. Conversational marketing fits perfectly into this model, improving the company’s image and allowing you to build relationships with consumers at the personal level. The implementation of tools and techniques related to conversational marketing brings numerous benefits. Primarily:
– higher quality of customer service,
– building lasting relationships with consumers,
– possibility of faster detection of technical page errors and UX errors,
– valuable information about the needs and expectations of customers,
– convenience of communication.

According to research, more and more people willingly use online tools to get answers to bothering questions. Chatbots themselves are also gaining popularity. More brands are using them, and at the same time, systems of this type are constantly being improved, creating wider possibilities of use and enabling more natural conversations. This contributes to customer satisfaction with this form of communication and encourages them to talk with a given brand or ask questions.

This is an extremely valuable source of important information. Properly used, they can help to refine the offer and adjust it to the expectations of consumers, and thus to increase conversion. That is why the aforementioned analyst is so important. Thanks to messages from customers, it is possible to recognize many frequently recurring problems and objections regarding products or services. Often times a small change can produce great results. That is why it is worth reading carefully the information provided during the conversation. They can also identify errors in the construction of the website itself or various technical problems. Research shows that users of certain websites are often frustrated because they cannot find the basic information about a company or functionality they need or answer simple questions. This way, you can lose a lot of customers and not even know it!

Consumers encouraged to communicate and having access to many of its channels will quickly inform you about any faults or obstacles preventing conversion. If you do not give them this opportunity, they will rather leave the non-functional side fully dissatisfied, and sometimes they will also decide to leave the company a negative opinion on the internet or tell their friends about the negative experience.

Relationship with the consumer as the basis of modern marketing

Conversational marketing is, above all, a great tool for building a relationship. This is what modern consumers expect from brands. They want to feel important, valued and treated individually. Thanks to a direct conversation with a company representative, they get exactly what they need. Thus, their liking and trust in the brand increases.

A positive relationship with customers is something that cannot be overestimated these days. It is the brands that know their identity perfectly and are able to build a community around it that are the most successful. Understanding the customer’s needs is easiest thanks to the direct interactions provided by conversational marketing techniques. They can be used not only to respond to problems, but also to actively strengthen ties with consumers and increase sales. Currently, it is the domain of the most innovative, modern companies. It is worth joining them as soon as possible to stay ahead of the competition and build a strong position on the market.

Hosting is a service that is responsible for the round-the-clock maintenance of websites on the web. Such a service is possible thanks to servers that are constantly working, and thus are constantly available in the network. Of course, there is no problem to set up a website on your own computer, but there are many barriers to it. Therefore, it is a rather temporary solution, good for local project work. Servers must meet stringent requirements related to round-the-clock work. There are many types of hosting on the market, or rather ways to keep your websites online. The hosting includes:

A. Shared hosting – usually the cheapest type of hosting. We only get a certain pool (usually not too large) of physical resources of the server. In most cases, there is no advanced server configuration option. The website will have so-called neighbors, i.e. websites of other people who have also purchased shared hosting from the same provider. Unfortunately, often due to the large number of pages on one server, the performance is sometimes poor. Services of this type are good for private clients or small and medium-sized companies that do not have a lot of traffic and thus do not need large server resources. This solution is good for people who are not familiar with the technical configuration of the server.

B. VPS server (Virtual Private Server) – as the name suggests, it is a virtual server, and in fact a separate part of the server on which a virtual machine is running. In the case of this type of service, we have full access to a separate part of the machine. The virtual machine guarantees us the purchased server resources such as: disk, memory, processor cores. Which will be associated with greater page efficiency. Of course, as it’s a virtual machine, we still share server resources with other people, but it’s safer. To operate a VPS server, technical knowledge is required to properly configure and monitor the service. The cost of such a service is usually greater than that of shared hosting, of course, it all depends on the resources of the server you buy. The service is good for larger projects, i.e. rather for medium and larger companies.

C. Dedicated server – in this case, by purchasing the service, we get the entire server. The entire physical machine located in the server room will be at our disposal. Thanks to the full possibility of any configuration, this type of service offers the greatest possibilities. Of course, as in the case of a VPS server, everything depends on the purchased resources. If we are looking for high performance, this type of service needs attention. Technical knowledge is required for the correct configuration of a dedicated server. This type of service is aimed at demanding users who are able to pay much larger amounts for both the service and administration. A dedicated server is dedicated to large projects with high traffic.

D. Cloud server – is a kind of alternative to dedicated servers. Thanks to the advanced capabilities of the cloud, it is possible to scale the resources that are needed to service the website. It is a kind of a network of dedicated servers (cluster) based on the infrastructure of a selected company. Due to the complexity of the service, good knowledge is required. The price varies greatly, it all depends on the resources currently used. In most cases, it is more expensive than shared hosting or a VPS server. Destiny is usually very popular and demanding projects.

What are the SEO characteristics of good hosting?

I will also try to refer to all of these features in the context related to SEO. Virtually every feature in some way affects or may affect the evaluation of the page by the Google robot or other search engine. The features that are worth including are:

– High availability time (Uptime) – we care about the highest possible reliability of services. Uptime shows the availability of services as a percentage, ideally it should be 100%. We want the website to run continuously. External service monitoring tools are used to check the server uptime.
SEO Context: Robots check the availability of the page. When a page is unavailable, it may be temporarily hidden or even removed from the index.
– Infrastructure – we are talking about both the connection speed and the specification of the device itself, which will affect the speed of the hosted service. The selection, of course, depends on the requirements of the project and the traffic that the service will have to handle.
SEO Context: Regardless of the volume of traffic and the complexity of the project, everything has to be fast. This affects the positive feeling of using the website and promoting it in free search results.
– Fast disks – nowadays it is worth investing in the fastest SSD disks. It is very important to have quick access to files that are placed on the website. SSDs do not have heads that have to search for the correct sector on the disk, as is the case with HDD disk drives.
SEO Context: It is important that the visitor to the website does not have to wait for the resource to load. This affects the so-called Page Experience, which is an important ranking element in Google.
– The latest and configurable versions of the software – it is worth being able to change the software version or configure it. This includes selecting the PHP version and any add-ons that the project may require.
SEO context: The speed and security of the website are closely related to the approach that Google forces on webmasters. The website must be reliable and secure.
– SSL certificate – we are talking about both the configuration of such a certificate and the possibility of obtaining it for free. In the case of small websites or those that do not process a lot of user data, free LetsEncrypt or CAcert certificates are quite sufficient. The data between the server and the visiting user’s computer will be encrypted.
SEO Context: Having an SSL certificate is one of the ranking factors. It is mainly related to the safety of users using the website.
– Access to logs – this is a completely basic thing related to checking how users (including robots) use our website. Based on the error logs, we can fix the page. However, access logs can be used to create statistics that will be used to analyze the website.
SEO Context: Constant verification and analysis of traffic flow helps in fixing bugs and improving the design. It is related to both speed, readability and security, which is pointed out by Google.
– Spam and anti-virus filters – as in the case of computers, servers should also be protected. Of course, a lot of security comes from the application code itself. The danger may also come from a poorly secured server.
SEO Context: Search engines value user safety extremely. Bad security measures can lead to the substitution of the content of the page, which can ultimately result in a complete blockade of the page in search engines.
– Fast and 24/7 support – in case of any problems or breakdowns it is extremely important to act quickly.
SEO Context: If you want to avoid penalties or large position fluctuations, it is extremely important to act quickly in case of problems.
– Backup copies – in the event of a breakdown or hack, it is extremely important that the website is returned as soon as possible. With frequent backups, this is possible.
SEO Context: In addition to the server-side availability of the website, it is also important that everything works properly from the website functionality side to avoid penalties from Google.
– Trial period – thanks to the possibility of testing the services, we are able to check whether the service is sufficient for us. It is worth testing both the speed and possibilities of services, as well as their personalization. It is also important to check the support in order to act as quickly as possible at critical moments. In fact, it is worth testing all the above-mentioned issues.
SEO Context: All the above-mentioned features will provide a good Page Experience, which Google pays for, among others.

I tried to write the above-mentioned features in a rather general way. It all depends on the technologies used and the project requirements. Each project should be approached separately to know the exact requirements.

Does Web Hosting Affect Core Web Vitals?

Basic Internet Ratings are closely related to the user experience of a website that Google believes is very important. Core Web Vitals consists of three main pillars:

– Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – this is the loading time focused mainly on the largest element that is immediately in view after the user enters the site. Google is committed to ensuring that every page is loaded as quickly as possible. The LCP should not exceed 2.5 seconds.
The impact of hosting: Fast page loading is closely related to the server hosting the page.
– First Input Delay (FID) – this is the time after entering the page, after which the page loading process begins. The FID should not be greater than 100 milliseconds.
The impact of hosting: Page response time is related to the infrastructure that supports the website and its load. Choosing the right service for your project requirements is important here.
– Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – while loading the page, there should be no element shifts that could mislead the user (e.g. by clicking on an invalid link). This ratio should not be greater than 0.1.
The impact of hosting: This metric is largely influenced by the coding of the page. Hosting can only be affected when a loaded item is not able to load quickly enough for some reason. In these cases, there should be a (code-side) placeholder to prevent unwanted shifts.

Ensuring the quality of all the above pillars will result in a higher website quality in the eyes of the Google search algorithm.

Does the choice of hosting affect website optimization?

Choosing the right services has a great impact on website optimization. Of course, ultimately everything will depend on the person implementing the optimization. In some cases this can be made easier by the use of technology on the server that will facilitate the optimal optimization of the website. In the case of the popular CMS system – WordPress – it can be support for special plugins optimizing the website. It is important to be able to run the cache on the side of both the website visitor and the server itself. This will significantly speed up page loading and command execution. Another issue is the ability to scale resources when the traffic on the site will be much higher.

What is SEO hosting used for?

When looking for good hosting, you may come across so-called SEO Hosting. This service is aimed mainly at clients dealing with positioning of websites. The main difference between regular hosting is the availability of additional IP addresses. Placing pages on different IP addresses will help to create a larger database of pages (back-end) on one service, which will be somewhat in a different location due to a different server address.

Will an investment in good hosting affect SEO?

Good hosting is certainly one of the factors that will positively affect the position of a website in organic search results. This is just one of many components that should be taken care of before Off-site activities. The service should be properly selected for the project being implemented. In the event of a rapid increase in traffic, you need to react quickly to maintain the upward trend.