5 Ecommerce Solutions for Small Business Success
Running a small business requires a combination of risk tolerance, endurance, and money sense. It gets more complicated when you jump into ecommerce because of the extra technical hurdles.
It’s not only supply chain management and payroll. You also worry about website management, real-time database updates, and server loads. If you aren’t trained for it, all those technical demands can make you second guess yourself.
Fortunately, there are ecommerce solutions for small business. While you can’t avoid all the technical stuff, there are ways to narrow it down to manageable chunks.
Let’s jump in!
Third-Party Platforms
A lot of people like and use third-party platforms because they’re simpler to manage. The platform integrates payment processing with a shop that makes listing products simple.
Most provide a limited amount of customization to the look and feel of the shop, such as adding custom headers, logos, and even backgrounds.
Say that learning the technical aspects of running a website and integrating payment options seems too daunting. These platforms serve as one of the best ecommerce solutions for small business in terms of getting you up and running.
Category Pages and Keywords
Search engines are sophisticated, but they aren’t necessarily smart. They use rules to assign importance and it’s easy to run afoul of their category rule.
Say you make custom chainmaille products. You’ve got the overall site, category pages, and product pages. To search engines, category pages are more important than product pages.
If you use “chainmaille bracelet” as a keyword on every bracelet product page, they steal juice from the category page. All without helping your site rank.
Instead, use keywords on the product page that specify the bracelet style or weave. Build links from the bracelet product pages to the category page and let it take all the credit for the keyword “chainmaille bracelets.”
Market Your USP on Your Own Site
Your unique selling proposition or USP is something that makes you a better option than your competitors. Some businesses shy away from talking about their USP because it feels too much like bragging to them.
Don’t fall victim to that trap!
The only way people can discover what makes you good is if you tell them about it. This fulfillment service does it by promoting that their customers qualify as seller fulfilled prime.
Fast shipping becomes part of both their and their customers’ USPs.
Mobile-Ready Site Design
Mobile searches outstrip desktop searches, so Google is reworking its algorithms. The big takeaway is that the mobile version of your site is becoming the default for page rank.
That means your website and all your other ecommerce solutions for small business must prove mobile-ready. You either need a responsive or dynamic serving site, whether it’s custom built or third-party.
Spread Your Online Content Around
You should be posting content to your own blog on a regular basis, but it’s not the only way to get your name and product out into the world.
You can also write guest posts for other, related blogs. Submit articles to industry or topic relevant magazines. One method that doesn’t get as much attention is working with a third party company to research, write and publish content.
In many cases, they even help you outsource the writing duties.
Parting Thoughts on Ecommerce Solutions for Small Business
Growing an ecommerce business takes the same personality traits as growing a brick and mortar business. It just comes with an extra helping of technology.
If technology isn’t your bag, you can outsource much of it by using ecommerce platforms and content creation services. You will still need to take an active hand in promoting your USP, managing keywords, and content creation.
For more tips, check out our post on promoting your ecommerce website.