So let's assume someone has found it, but products are difficult to locate because of confusing navigation. Sales and revenue are lost. But the lesson here is simple, and I found the answer when recalling an instructor's words — 'KISS is the key to success: Keep It Simple, Stupid'...
He was right, of course! This very simple premise is what must be followed if your eCommerce business is to succeed! It is well documented that if someone can't find what they're looking for within three clicks, they leave and go somewhere else. Great site organization — the navigation and information architecture — are critical factors. Then design comes into play.
Problems common to many sites on the internet today begin with the design premise of ‘more is better.’ Everyone seems to want flash and glitz — except the viewer. Layouts are often cluttered and complex, and it is difficult to quickly locate the information you are seeking. We have seen and experienced this ourselves, and therefore base our designs on a ‘less is more’ premise, wherein the site’s success need not be sacrificed for beauty, nor beauty sacrificed for functionality. We create sophisticated, attractive and user-friendly sites that don’t require use of a crystal ball to navigate.
The final step is eCommerce itself — the nuts and bolts of making the site work and pay off. This is where the often overlooked Search Engine Optimization component comes into play.
We all want our sites to be on top of the major search engines — Google & Yahoo in particular. However, for small to medium-size retail venues, a top search engine position could, in fact, overwhelm you. We offer the following example of what can happen when a company brings in an SEO group that gives them all of the physical tools for eCommerce success — an optimized site and shopping cart — but does not otherwise help them prepare for the reality of what top placement can bring:
A small retail venue with specialized merchandise, they made over $40,000 in their first year of online operation — without benefit of top search engine placement — but management wanted to triple that number in the second year. Their shipping department consisted of two elderly women — one of whom worked part-time & the other who was opposed to change — one 'expediter' & an eCommerce Director cum expediter who they fired when they decided to bring in a big-gun SEO organization to put them on top. When they reached the top 30 on Google the expediter could no longer keep up &, since many of the items they offered online came from the retail floor, merchandise ordered by customers was very often no longer in stock. Because of this, orders had to be turned away & revenue was lost — to the tune of over $10,000! The shipping department could not keep up — orders piled up & took up to a week to mail out. Sales did not increase to the level management had hoped because they simply weren't prepared. In fact, they fared worse than in their first year of operation!
This doesn't have to happen to you! Our eCommerce experts will not only optimize your web site & provide you with the tools you need to keep it in the top tier of search engine listings, but will also assess & guide your organization to make sure you are prepared for success — from the ground up!