An e-commerce website is like magic, it:
- Works 24/7, nurturing your customers and converting them, even while you’re tucked up in bed.
- Makes your sales & marketing teams more efficient.
- Helps to upsell your products and improve your margins.
- Encourages repeat purchases through data capture and automation.
- Converts (on average) 2.5-3% of traffic.
However, get your e-commerce website wrong and it’s unlikely that you’ll see these benefits. In this blog, we’ll tell the story of an (anonymous) client who, unfortunately, had an e-commerce website that wasn’t delivering results.
We’ll discuss why it didn’t work and move onto how you can build an e-commerce website that sells well and helps grow your business.
What happens when e-commerce websites go wrong?
We were approached by a client who had just spent a lot of money on an e-commerce website that was failing to meet their needs.
They overpaid for their new website; it wasn’t driving or converting leads. Their e-commerce was stagnant, and they were stuck in a rut.
Why was their e-commerce website not working?
There were several reasons why their new website failed to produce results:
- It had a poorly mapped out user experience, making the website very difficult to navigate.
- The website design and template was outdated and didn’t represent a modern business.
- There was little-to-no search engine optimisation (SEO) performed on the website, meaning that it was practically invisible to search engines.
- It was very difficult to edit, meaning that the client was unable to easily rectify errors.
What did we do to rectify their e-commerce website?
Unfortunately, their existing website was unsalvageable; it was more cost-effective to rebuild a website from the ground up.
We did this for a third of the price they paid for their initial website.
By using proven templates, we were able to build them a website that was fully functional, immediately improved SEO and improved their lead generation greatly.
Is a templated website right for you?
A templated website is a website that is built using predetermined (tried and tested) templates. This means that modules have been used and tested across multiple websites. However, this doesn’t mean that your website will look the same as other websites, as any templated website is rebranded to match your business.
Opting for a templated website means that your new website will have a strong, predefined user journey. It can also be built much quicker as there is less design and development required.
All website copy and branding will remain unique to you. It’s a cheaper way to build a successful e-commerce website that sells.
Here is what a templated site could look like for you:
As your website is branded, your customers will not know that you have a templated website. Not only this, but if you require specific functionality or want to build custom modules, this can be done as required.
It is worth noting, templated websites can vary quite dramatically in quality.
For example, the templated websites that we offer have been designed by our highly experienced designers and programmers. Together, they’ve created a foolproof outline that delivers e-commerce success time and time again.
Often, templated websites are sold for cheap without any thought. To avoid the fate that our anonymous client suffered, ensure that anyone providing you with a templated website can demonstrate that their templates work in real-world scenarios.
Would a bespoke website be better suited to your e-commerce business?
Your other option for an e-commerce website is having a website built bespoke from the ground up.
While this is more expensive, you can get exactly what you want and need from a bespoke website build. This is great if you have specific e-commerce requirements. Bespoke, generally, is better, however it’s not necessarily mandatory if you’re an SME looking to get their digital presence started.
Want to learn a little more about the bespoke website building process? Click here.
Need e-commerce website advice?
At Catalyst, we have a team of experienced, specialist website designers, developers and content writers.
We create both templated and bespoke websites for businesses across the UK. Rather than just taking our word for it, check out some of our bespoke website builds here:
1,400% increase in website enquiries for Parking Facilities.
12% increase in conversion rate for Tonic Weight Loss Surgery.
401% increase in website traffic for Lauralu.
It’s okay to be unsure about what you need. If you have any questions, we’re here to help. Get in touch with our friendly website specialists today. We’re on hand to run through your requirements. We only ever make suggestions that have your business’ best interests in mind. After all, when you succeed, we succeed.
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