Category: Digital Branding

Digital Branding

6 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your eCommerce Sales

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If you want your eCommerce business to succeed in 2019, you should craft an excellent social media marketing strategy. Today, it’s not enough to just produce share-worthy content. It’s also important to utilize sneaky marketing tricks to improve brand awareness and customer loyalty.

In this article, you will find recommendations on how to use Facebook, Instagram, and Tweeter to boost your eCommerce sales. Follow them, and you will take your business to the next level.

Collaborate with influencers

It’s always challenging to make your first online sale. When no one knows your brand yet, no one wants to buy your products.

If you have just started your eCommerce business and want to get first orders immediately, you should collaborate with digital celebrities in your niche. They can easily influence the opinion of your target audience and make people believe that your product is worth buying.

If you can’t afford collaboration with influencers, which have more than 100,000 followers, you can collaborate with micro-influencers. The services of micro-influencers, who have around 15,000 followers, will not cost you a fortune.

Run giveaways

People love freebies even more than you can imagine. Can you guess what the simplest way to draw the audience’s attention to your brand and boost sales is? All you need to do is to provide people with a chance to get something for free.

So, why don’t you run a giveaway on social media? It will help you to raise brand awareness and generate enormous sales. To run a successful giveaway, you should make four simple steps:

  • Offer a valuable prize. It can be a new product, gift card, huge discount, etc.
  • Craft a catchy post to inform followers about the giveaway. If you have no idea how to write winning captions, you may check writing services company reviews and get help from a professional writer.
  • Ask influencers in your niche to inform their followers about a giveaway. The more people will participate in your giveaway, the more returns you will get.
  • Utilize reliable social media contest tools to make sure that the process of winner selection is fair and transparent.

Generate social media buzz

Do you know how to launch a brand new product successfully? You should make people talk about your product everywhere: on social media platforms, at parties, and even in Starbucks’ toilet queues. You should make people feel excited about getting a new product and encourage them to place pre-orders as soon as possible.

To hit this goal, you should generate social media buzz and make your brand irresistible. Every post related to the new product launch should intrigue your followers. Try not to reveal any specific details, but to drive curiosity. Here are a few ideas, which you can use:

  • Start countdown 30 or 50 days prior launch. Mention in every new post how many days have left. Make people wait for your new product as impatiently as they wait for Christmas.
  • Collaborate with bloggers in your niche. Allow them to “leak” some details related to the new product launch on social media
  • Add countdown sticker to Instagram stories

Ask questions to get feedback

If you need to get feedback from your target audience, don’t waste your money on running surveys. In the digital age, you can get answers to your questions using social media.

Let’s imagine that you operate in the fashion industry. This spring, you are going to sell a vintage style dress available in five colors. You need to forecast demand for different colors to avoid inventory stockouts.

To create a demand forecast, you need to be neither a financial expert nor a fashion guru. You just need to use the Instagram carousel. Upload five photos of the dress in different colors and ask your followers to comment on which one they like the most.

That’s all! Now you just need to check the answers. If you know that the green dress gets 2,000 “votes”, and the blue one only 500 “votes”, you can forecast demand easily.

Share user-generated content (UGC)

Another great way to boost eCommerce sales is to share user-generated content on social media. As you know, people tend to trust real customer reviews more than the advertisement. For this reason, user-generated content attracts more potential buyers than any paid ad. Also, UGC costs no money.

It’s worth mentioning that people like to interact with companies. And they feel happy if someone finds their photos and videos share-worthy.

If you want to base your marketing strategy on user-generated content, here is a short guide for you:

  • Create your branded hashtag
  • Invite your followers to share their opinions about your brand on social media
  • Remind them that they should use your hashtag and tag you on photos and videos
  • If you have just started your social media profile, it’s highly likely that you have no followers. In this case, you may send your customers an email to invite them to follow you on social media and share their reviews.
  • Never forget to mention the content creator, when you share UGC on your business profile

Share behind-the-scenes

Let people know more about your company. Reveal information about the technologies and materials you use. Show the team of professionals behind your business.

If you want to build a trustful relationship with your customers, you should share behind-the-scenes photos and videos. It will help to explain to your audience how your company actually works. Absolute honesty will boost customer loyalty and, as a consequence, sales.

In conclusion

As you can see, social media can help you to increase eCommerce sales in numerous ways. You just need to choose a marketing strategy, which perfectly suits your business concept.

Author’s bio.

Daniela McVicker is a blogger with rich experience in writing about UX design, content planning, and digital marketing. Currently, she is the chief contributor at RatedbyStudents where she helps individuals and organizations improve their web content writing, design, and planning skills.

Digital Branding

The Micro Voice Recorder Can Help You to Secure Your Home and Office

In this day and age, one of the most pressing concerns with any big company is that of security. Security is, in fact, a major concern not only for big companies but also for personal use also. One of the main aspects that every household and every office invests heavily in is in the security methods and technologies that are equipped to protect it. A good security system will ensure better protection for your home and office. The rapid progress and development of science and technology have enabled the invention of more such amazing security services equipment. In this article, you will be learning about getting a micro voice recorder and how it will also increase the security of your place.

Micro audio Recorders

In today’s world of ultra-modern spy technology, perhaps the most popular equipment out there is what is known as the audio bugging system. You must have often wondered about what this audio bug is and what it entails. It is a micro audio recorder. It is a very small and tiny device, and it will be recording high-quality audio from the surroundings. Such a device will enable an individual, and nobody will be either seeing it or even suspect that it is a little audio recorder. It will be useful for different purposes. Generally, people will be not aware of where they can get such a micro audio recorder.

But you are lucky because devices like this and other cool secret security gadgets are easily available in the market. These secretive devices are of immense importance and utility because of the help that they can provide. A micro audio recorder will be looking just like regular USB pen drives or flash drives. However, in reality, they are mini voice recorders.

Who are the people who can make use of these micro audio recorders?

  1. Students in school and colleges – Often we hear of students who are tired or are unable to keep up with the pace of a lecture and successfully take down notes. Also, some students are afraid that they may suddenly miss any essential part of the lecture in the class. A micro audio recorder will be quite useful in these cases, and it will ensure that you do not miss any single word ever. It is, of course, obvious that you can also go on to use these devices when you are going to absent from your class because of some reason, you can keep it in your class and get the entire lecture recorded, and you can listen to it later when you can.
  2. People who are business owners – You can use these micro audio recorders efficiently and keep a detailed recording of all the important meetings that you hold with your clients and your employees. These meetings generally involve discussions of important matters and company policies, and it will do you good to be able to go back to the recordings to check the discussions later on to help you in brainstorming or for any other purpose. Your employees can also use this in the event that they do not want to take handwritten notes and would rather record the entire meeting. The fact that the recorder looks like a tiny USB drive will make it quite inconspicuous too, and nobody will even think that it is a recording device.
  3. People who work as private investigators and in the law enforcement departments – these devices are quite useful for people who are working in the police department or are detectives. These micro audio recorders can be used for gathering essential evidence and especially when you are required to take interviews and testimonies of various people. Also, these devices can be used to catch various criminals talking about the next potential crimes which they are going to commit and can also be used to catch them in their act. They will never be suspected that they had been recorded secretly.

What are some popular features that you need to be aware of these audio recorders?

Some of the high tech features which make the mini audio recorder such an effective security device are as follows:

  1. One touch for recording – All you need to do is to press a little button that is on the side of the device, and you will then have it start to record audio in high quality and digital sounds automatically. You will not need to be aware of any specific scientific tech knowledge to be able to operate these devices.
  2. Secret and covert – These mini audio recorders are completely secretive in their appearance. They do not have any form of lights, sounds and other such types of indicators on them and hence they will never be giving you away and will keep your secret safe. No one would know that you were recording audio and hence you can leave it inside your desk or wherever you want to, and then it will go on to record the audio and not let anyone become alerted.
  3. Will work like a normal USB drive – These mini audio recording devices will not only appear like regular flash drives, but they would also function like one too, and hence you will be able to store all the essential files on this drive too and access them whenever you want to.

For more information on where and how you can get these mini audio and voice recording devices, it is crucial for you to visit https://spycentre.com/products/micro-voice-recorder and get the best deals at the best prices. Everyone has varied requirements and you will surely find something that suits you best.

Conclusion

A mini voice recording device is an effective device for security purposes and other reasons like taking notes. These devices can be used by a lot of people from varying professions like students, business owners, and law enforcement officials. Hopefully, the information mentioned in this article will have helped you.

Ecommerce branding
Digital Branding

3 Steps To Branding Your New E-Commerce Business

There is no doubt to the fact that we are currently living in the digital era because right now if you look around, you will see that most industries and businesses are getting digitized as products are not only shown and described online but sold there as well. All of this is justifiable because the number of customers you can get to your local store is nothing as compared to the quantity that you can get online. Now everyone has a phone and almost everyone is using the internet, instead of going door to door to sell your products and services, wouldn’t it be better to use the internet and reach out to the masses that too without any physical efforts? Going online is one wise choice to make so long as you  pay attention to e-commerce branding concepts.

Now, if you are someone who just recently started your e-commerce business and if you want to know how to establish your brand and then promote it then, yes, you are at the right place, reading the right content. You see, you might be selling the best quality products and your services can be extremely amazing but if you aren’t visible to your audience, there’s no point to be on the internet in the first place. Long story short, your visibility is all that matters and that should matter.

Tips For E-Commerce Branding

Here are a few tips that can come in handy to you for branding your e-commerce business:

Select your logo carefully

1- Creating a brand identity

It is but very obvious that to start with the branding process, you first need to create a brand identity for your business which means that the first thing you need to do is to get a logo. Not just any logo will do; in fact, you need to make a proper investment on your logo and hire a professional because your logo will be representing your e-commerce store so make sure to take logo selection seriously. Once you are done with the logo, you then need to focus on your branding guide which includes the color palette you have to follow, the typography, and the style that you will always be following.

2- The story of your brand

People love it when they get to hear the story behind a brand. You need to create a story for your brand too and make your audience hear that story out. From your core values to your missions and goals, you need to mention each and everything in your story. Above all of it, you need to tell and show people that they matter to you and you are there to make an improvement in their lives.

Develop a social media presence

3- Get your hands on social media

Yes, having an e-commerce website of your own is imperative, but what’s more important is the fact that you need to be on social media platforms. You see, right now, every single individual is using social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are a few most important platforms to be on because believe it or not, you can make millions of customers just by being on these sites. Long story short, you cannot just overlook the fact that social media is supposed to be a part of your business and you need separate marketing strategies too for being successful there.

Conclusion

These are some of the steps to e-commerce branding that you need to follow in order to be successful. So, use the tips we just gave and make sure to give the best of your efforts to your business if you really want it to reach new heights of success.

Digital Branding

A Guide to Marketing your CBD Business on the Web

One of the fastest industry growths seen in 2018 is CBD. With sales up and more and more people recognizing the benefits of CBD, it has well surpassed $500 million in revenue.

However, with such growth trends come competition. There are many who are trying to corner the market and take advantage of the fast growth of CBD companies. Thanks to online marketing, more and more customers who are seeking organic products are searching out and buying CBD products daily, and those numbers are continuing to rise.

There are a variety of methods in which businesses are using to grow their CBD online businesses. Here, we’ll show you how you too can market your CBD business online and improve your return on investment as well as your leads and customers.

Social Marketing and SEO

No marketing plan is complete without a focus on social media and SEO according to Greens Canna Care. Everyone who’s anyone is on some form of social media today. If you’re trying to improve your website traffic, you’ll want to have a steady social media presence.

There are a variety of social media platforms to consider. However, you only have to focus on the larger ones in order to gain more traffic. If you’re seeking a great ROI, be sure that you’re using these social media platforms for your benefit.

Instagram

With well over 400 million active users on a daily basis, it’s easier than ever to utilize such a platform to improve the traffic flow to your website.

It’s not difficult to grow a following on Instagram and you will just have to make sure that you’re including plenty of good content and value. The traffic flow will increase dramatically and you’ll gain a lot of new followers.

Automation

Everyone knows that automation is a great way to improve growth. This allows you to continue on something else while you’re improving your traffic flow to your CBD website.

Many of these tools have schedulers for posts as well as auto correct and other special deals that will allow you to streamline your work while still getting more traffic. Instagram includes the following automation tools:

  • Combin
  • Hootsuite
  • Gramto
  • Use Your Hashtags

Include at least 15 to 20 hashtags in your posts as keywords. This way, you’ll be targeting the right audience. Many hashtags that work well would include:

#CBD Coffee, #CBD tincture, # CBD, #CBD Skin Care, #CBD online, #CBD oil, #CBD Vape, #CBD benefits, #CBD Crystal,

#CBD Love, #CBD for dogs, #CBDU, #CBD for pets, #CBD life, #CBD gummies, #CBD heals, #CBD deals, the list is endless and you’ll find many great ideas if you just sit and think about them for a few moments.

Your profile for all of the social media platforms should also contain a full description of the CBD business as well as links so that potential customers can go directly to your site. This way, you’ll have more traffic flow. Be sure to include the hashtags in all of your posts as well.

Digital Branding

All You Need to Know about Link Wheel

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All website owners want their site to have high visibility in search results and a steady influx of traffic. They mostly employ services of a search engine optimisation agency to achieve these goals. Creating a link wheel is an effective SEO strategy that enables you to promote your website, get backlinks and add a substantial amount of traffic coming toward your site. Let us first discuss what exactly is a link wheel and then we will talk about creating a link wheel and does it really work.

What is a Link Wheel?

In order to get better visibility, your site has to have a good page rank. You may achieve a good page rank by having a considerable number of links that lead to your website. SEO techniques that we apply indirectly to our site are called offsite techniques. Link wheel is primarily an offsite SEO technique. You create a number of sites, or ‘web 2.0 properties’, which are simply pages hosted on well-known sites. Then you link them in such a way that one site is linked to the other. These links must eventually lead to the site that actually needs promotion. This link pattern forms a ‘wheel’, such that every site is linked to the one next to it and eventually to the main site to be promoted. In this scenario, the ‘web 2.0 properties’ make up the ‘rim’ and your site is the center of the wheel where each link coming to it is a ‘spoke’.

How Do You Create a Link Wheel?

In order to create a link wheel, first, you need to create a dozen or so mini-sites or blogs. You can create your page on sites like Hubpages, WordPress, Tumblr, and so on. On each of these mini-sites, you will have to create some original and creative content, using appropriate keywords placed strategically throughout the content. Now, each of these mini-sites contains a link to another mini-site and a link to your money site, hence completing the link wheel.

Do They Work?

Now that you know what is a link wheel and have a basic idea of how to create one, you might want to understand if all the efforts are worth it. The truth is, some might work and some won’t. However, if you know what you are doing, then your link wheel will surely enhance your page rank.

Is it Black Hat or White Hat?

This is becoming an increasingly controversial subject as link wheels are being discussed on many sites, blogs, and forums. The omnipresence of positive reviews by people makes them assume it to be ethical rather than Black Hat. In my opinion, link wheels are somewhere in-between and have the potential of being either Black or White Hat, depending on the purpose and method used.

Link wheels aren’t completely ethical. Though Google’s guidelines do not mention them specifically, yet they do state that anything done with the purpose of hoodwinking the crawler and manipulating the PageRank, i.e. performing an action with the purpose of getting a better rank than for the benefit of your visitors, is against their rules and may have an unfavorable effect on your rankings. Link wheels can be completely Black Hat, if you use automated programs to create articles and interlinked wheels, RSS directories etc. On the other hand, if you pick good web 2.0 sites, write engaging content and promote it on social media channels, it will not only bring you traffic and good ranking but will also improve your sales.

Digital Branding

How to Create Your Own Brand on Amazon

How would you like to open an Amazon store filled with products bearing your own brand labels? The thought is literally intoxicating because you know that Amazon is the world’s largest consumer marketplace and the ultimate place to find the greatest number of consumers interested in what you have to sell. If you are sincerely contemplating opening an Amazon storefront, the following information can serve as a guide to why you would want to sell your own brand, private label products and then how to go about ensuring maximum profits. After all, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? You want to make money and lots of it. Here is how it’s done.

Why You Want Your Own Brand

The very first step is to fully understand and appreciate the benefits of selling your own brand products. Sometimes referred to as private label products, these are simply products manufactured by a company and sold to you generically without a label. However, you don’t want to list generic products because consumers expect to buy them at rock bottom prices.

This is why you want to create your own brand so that you can build that brand and price your inventory accordingly as your brand becomes well-established. In other words, you don’t need to manufacture your own merchandise, you just need to build a brand with products manufactured by companies of your choice.

What New Merchants Should Know About FBA Benefits

At this point, it would be in your best interest to understand the benefits of letting Amazon fulfill your orders. Referred to as FBA listings, these products are housed in Amazon warehouses and all orders are fulfilled by Amazon, hence the FBA listing. The major benefits include warehousing and fulfillment. You don’t need to operate a large warehouse and you don’t need to pull orders, pack or ship any products. The best benefit of all is that FBA products are eligible for Prime free shipping which is a huge perk on the customer end.

Unfortunately, you should also know that mistakes can happen and sometimes those mistakes can be costly to a merchant’s bottom line. Many times Amazon owes their merchants money over mismanaged orders, improper stocking or even for products damaged in the warehouse or in shipping. If you want to minimize losses, you might want to consider software like AMZRefund that can help you track any Amazon errors which are affecting your bottom line.

Find Your Niche

This might be one of the most difficult aspects of opening an Amazon storefront unless you know exactly what market you’d like to enter. Consumer goods come in all categories from electronics to pet foods and everything in between. If you don’t know exactly what you’d like to list, it’s imperative that you know which products are hot so that you can find your niche. Much is written on finding a profitable niche and there is an actual science to it from researching to finetuning your sales marketing approach. Expect to spend a good deal of time with this step of your journey unless you have a passion you’d like to pursue.

Sourcing Products & Own Brand Labeling

This is another step which may take some time and research. Check out sites like Alibaba that list suppliers from all around the globe. Many manufacturers specialize in the private label ‘generic’ products and it’s up to you to choose the manufacturer that offers what you are looking for. Remember, a niche isn’t everything when sourcing suppliers and manufacturers because consumers are looking for the highest quality at the lowest cost.

Many new merchants look overseas for manufacturers because their cost is lower but the quality isn’t always inferior. Once you’ve found a supplier, it’s time to create your brand, design your labels and then work with a labeling company to produce your own brand private labels. If you find the right labeling company, they can also assist you with graphic design including eye-catching logos that will help build your brand.

Last But Not Least – It’s Time to List Your Products!

Once you have gone through all the above steps to creating and selling your own brand products on Amazon, it’s time to create a merchant account and start listing your products. Here is where you’ll find another benefit of FBA listings because you are not limited by the amount of merchandise you can warehouse.

Amazon will warehouse your products and fulfill orders so that you can continue working on building your brand and growing your inventory. This is just a snapshot of what it takes to build your own brand on Amazon but once you’ve caught the fever, there’s no end to what you can do or obtain. It’s not a cliché because as an own brand Amazon seller, the sky really is the limit. See for yourself.

Digital Branding

Pros and Cons of Kodi Usage for Watching Digital Content

Kodi was formerly known as XMBC, which is now one of the most popular media players, offering an optimum user experience with easily available content, user-friendly interface, and optimum security.

Kodi can be used with a wide range of devices including Windows or Linux PCs, Android or iOS smartphone, Android TV boxes, streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV and so on. Kodi is not coming with a default content in it, but you can add content of your choice to Kodi or stream content from the internet.

People use Kodi to stream live TV, sports, music, and other entertainment content through it. For Kodi content streaming, you need to get Kodi add-ons. There are thousands of add-ons available at the site about Kodi to watch almost anything you like as Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Hulu, Amazon Video, ESPN, FX, BBC, AMC, and the list is endless.

Kodi review

Kodi has a very loyal and wider user base, but it comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. For newcomers, Kodi could be somewhat confusing. There also a lot of confusion among people about the security and legal issues related to Kodi. So, here we are trying to have an overview of Kodi and some of its pros and cons.

The pros

Cost: Kodi is free to download and use. Most of the Kodi add-ons are also free.

Compatibility: Kodi is compatible with a large number of devices including Windows, Linux, Mac computers, Android and iOS devices, Amazon Fire TV, etc. to name a few.

User experience: Kodi is a cool, sleek platform which a friendly user interface. You have the option to customize the home screen to your comfort.

The cons

Security and privacy:  Security is a bit of concern with the unsolicited add-ons available to use with Kodi. Users who have not protected themselves with a secure VPN are vulnerable to digital threats.

Support: There is literally no technical support for all, but there is a huge online community where you can get an answer for any Kodi related issues.

VPN for betting

Here is a list of best free VPN for sports betting ideal for the online gamblers to enjoy a secured and private online betting experience.

NordVPN

It is a premium VPN, but you can enjoy the advantage of its money back guarantee to try it for free. It has the top rating among the VPNs used for betting, which offers anonymous access to blocked content too.

Ivacy

The subscription starts from as low as $1.33 per month, and it has an average rating of 9.7/10 in terms of online betting. It has a very simple user interface and offers IP masking and secured connection.

PrivateVPN

A free trial is available, and the premium version also costs very low at $1.89 per month. It is another best choice for online betting enthusiasts from across the globe. The averaging rate is 9.3/10, which brings PrivateVPN into the top 10 listing of VPNs of all times.

BestVPN.com

With a rating of 9.3/10, BestVPN is a favorite choice of sports betting enthusiasts. It offers optimum privacy and anonymous access to blocked websites too through servers at various destinations.

These VPNs are suggested for betting and gambling based on their ratings in terms of speed, reliability, security features, locations of their servers, and the ease of use. Each of these VPNs listed here can help you safely access the leading gambling sites you wish to and get you placed on to the betting tables in no time.

Digital BrandingLocal Branding

5 Things That You Need to Invest in When Starting Your Business

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Starting a business is hard, but fun. It’s a dream for many people who want financial freedom and a vehicle to express their creativity while making a living. Whatever your goals area in launching a new venture, here are 5 things that you need to invest in right away early in your journey.

1. Invest In Yourself

New entrepreneurs sometimes forget that they are their business. It’s a direct expression of who they are as people and as business owners. Your business will reflect your values and your level of competency.

Leadership expert John Maxwell talks about the Law of the Lid. It’s a principle that essentially states that your organization’s effectiveness cannot exceed the leadership ability of the leader.

One area you should invest in yourself in first is in business acumen. That is the ability to understand finance and make good business decisions.

Many entrepreneurs are really great at their market and product. They know exactly what kind of styles their apparel customers want in their niche market. They know what kind of widget the companies in their industry needs. But they don’t often know how to run the finance side of running a business.

Roughly half of all startup business in the US fail in the first 5 years. Most don’t fail due to lack of demand for their product or even from not making a profit.

Most fail because they run out of cash. Essentially, these business owners don’t know how to manage their cash flow. Cash management is a real skill set, and it’s something that can be learned.

In addition to business acumen, other areas for investment include marketing, sales, leadership, and communications. Even as you grow, leaders should be readers. Never stop learning.

2. Invest In Your Team

Great companies are built on great people. That means you must invest in your people.

Developing and training is a vital part of employee engagement. You don’t want robots working for you. You want human beings that can problem solve, come up with creative ideas and make their own good decisions for the benefit of the company. That doesn’t happen without development.

Ongoing coaching is invaluable as well. People need regular feedback, encouragement, and direction. If you want your employees to grow and contribute well, you must water them with training, coaching, and affirmation.

3. Invest In Quality Branding

Investing in good graphics and marketing material early on will pay great dividends as you launch. A great logo can do wonders for making your business look credible, professional and reliable.

Even if you have to pay a graphic designer a lot of money, it’ll be well worth it. This is especially if you’re doing a consumer retail business.

For example, if you start an apparel business, good design is a baseline need. You can just consider it the startup costs of starting a clothing business, because your company can’t even launch without good graphics.

Shoddy graphics is a sign of a company that operates haphazardly and an indication that the business won’t last long. No one wants to do business with a loser.

4. Invest In Social Media

Social media has leveled the playing field for small businesses. It provides a very inexpensive way for brands to get their message out to the masses.

Investing in it early on will get you started on the long journey of gaining followers and becoming an influencer. It takes time for brands to get recognized and trusted on social media, so starting early is important.

5. Invest In Website SEO

Another aspect of marketing you should invest in right away is a website with good SEO. It takes time for Google and other search engines to trust a website enough to rank it. It also takes time to gain page authority for search engines to rank it high on the first page.

The age of the website matters when it comes to SEO. As Sewport CEO Boris Hodakel likes to say, “Starting small and niche doesn’t mean your business will stay that way.”.

When you have this type of long term view of your business, you’ll want to start building your SEO right away. You’ll instinctively know that getting ranked high on Google, although won’t pay off in the short term, will have lasting effects as you grow.

Early Investments Pay Off

There are a few things that can’t wait for later. These are the things that are foundational to the success of your new business and well worth your time and investment early on. It’ll set you up for short and long term success.

Digital Branding

12 Things to Check Before Choosing an eCommerce Platform

If you are planning to build an ecommerce store, then one of the most important things that you should plan beforehand is which eCommerce platform you should choose. There are numerous platforms online with multiple features, so it becomes important that you choose one that provides you with a greater range of options, flexibility, and scalability as per your needs.

In this article, we have provided a list of features that you should look at before you choose an ecommerce platform for your ecommerce store.

1. Compatible with a mobile phone

Nowadays, people use mobile phones regularly to browse the internet. The number of people using the desktop for Internet browsing compared to mobile browsing is going down significantly. Therefore, if you want to improve more traffic to your store make sure that the platform you are choosing allows your website to be viewed on a smartphone with compatible resolution.

2. A wide range of features

When you are choosing an ecommerce platform make sure that it has a wide range of features that will allow your commerce store to function smoothly. Some of the features that are essential for any ecommerce site or mobile app are; shopping cart plug-in and add-ons, different payment options, shipping methods, templates and themes, website security, content creation and so on.

3. Optimized for search engine

If you look at how people look at things on the Internet, then you will realize that the most common way is going through the search engine. Search engines have become virtually the gateway to the Internet. Therefore, it has become important for you to choose the right ecommerce platform with SEO features so that your ecommerce website gets higher ranking on the

search engine result page.

4. Cost effective

When you are looking for an ecommerce platform you should choose one that will allow you to pay as per your usage. There are many ecommerce platforms that give you a bouquet of options that you can use. While it has many advantages, the big negative of such an ecommerce platform is that it is very costly. Besides, you may not use all the features that are available on the ecommerce platform. Therefore, choose a platform that allows you to pay for only those features that are essential for your online business and you use. In this way, you have to pay only for those services which you have chosen and not for those which you don’t use.

5. Amazing user experience

Research on consumer behavior shows that people who have a negative experience in a website or mobile app will less likely to visit it again. Thus, it is very important for any ecommerce store to provide a good experience to their clients as any negative impact on the user experience will seriously harm their reputation online. Therefore, before you choose any ecommerce platform, carefully compare it with other such platforms to figure out which one of them will give your buyers the best user experience.

6. A wide variety of themes

As an ecommerce store owner, your primary aim is to start your business very quickly so that you can reach out to your clients and sell them your products to recoup the cost you have incurred in starting the business. However, if you spend most of your time building your website from the scratch itself, then It will take a lot of time and cost (it has its own benefits too) which you could have otherwise invested in expanding your business or improving your brand image online. Therefore, we suggest that you look for an ecommerce platform that gives you a wide range of ready-made template from which you can select the one that will satisfy the needs of your online business.

7. Highly customizable

When you are looking for the right ecommerce platform that will host your online store, choose one that will allow you to customize your website or ecommerce app according to your needs. There are many ecommerce platforms that allow store owners to add additional features by downloading plug-ins from the online marketplace. There are also ecommerce platforms that allow custom development so that you can use a unique and highly attractive UI and security features to give your buyers the best experience and secure payment service.

8. Functionality

When you open your ecommerce store to sell products online, then you need to provide adequate functionalities so that the different needs of your customers are met. There are some customers who like to buy products from brick and mortar shop that are in close proximity to where they live, then there are some who like to buy goods using filters like the size of the product, the price of the product, the quality of the product and so on. Your ecommerce platform should offer various functionalities that will allow you to fulfil the buying needs of your customers so that they get a great experience visiting your store and buying products from it.

9. Regular security updates

While the Internet platform provides you with an unlimited reach throughout the globe, it also allows people sitting in different parts of the world to hack your site and ruin your business. Therefore, you need constant updates of security patches that will plug-in any loopholes through which hackers can attack your store. Therefore, choose an ecommerce platform that provides you with a regular update.

10. Provides help in analytics

You need to subscribe to an ecommerce platform that provides you with in-depth analytics that will help you to market your products in a more targeted manner. Web analytics are of prime importance for web marketing and it will give them an in-depth idea of what is working and what requires further effort.

11. Easy checkout option

If the checkout option is very slow on your ecommerce store, then you will find that the rate of cart abandonment is very high. To reduce cart abandonment rate, ecommerce platform must provide the checkout option in such a way that the customer does not feel any hassle and it is done quickly and efficiently.

12. Provide social media integration

Nowadays social media has become very important for marketing reasons. If you want to reach out to the right people in the right way, then you must leverage the power of social media. Therefore, when you are choosing for an ecommerce platform select the one that comes with social media integration (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more).

These are important things which you need to keep in mind when you are researching for the right ecommerce platform for your ecommerce store. A well-planned ecommerce business always succeed. You must know how to start an ecommerce business before you actually start it.