1. High-quality photography

High-quality photography is your online showroom, the first impression that grabs attention and fuels desire. Crystal-clear images aren’t just snapshots, they’re detailed narratives that let customers virtually touch and feel your products. Remember, a picture speaks volumes, and in the world of e-commerce, it can turn curious browsers into loyal buyers. Invest in professional photography to elevate your brand, build trust, and create an immersive shopping experience that resonates deeply with your audience.

2. Product Reviews

In the digital era, consumers heavily rely on the opinions of their peers. Product reviews serve as valuable social proof, offering insights into the real-life experiences of others. They build trust, credibility, and influence purchasing decisions. Positive reviews can act as endorsements, while constructive criticism provides an opportunity for improvement. Implementing a review system on your e-commerce site not only engages your community but also fosters transparency. Encourage customers to share their thoughts, and actively respond to reviews to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.

3. Easy Path to Purchase

A streamlined and user-friendly path to purchase is the cornerstone of a successful e-commerce website. Customers should be able to navigate effortlessly from product discovery to checkout completion. Minimize steps in the purchase process, implement a clear and intuitive shopping cart, and optimize forms for simplicity. The goal is to reduce friction and enhance the overall user experience, ensuring that potential buyers don’t abandon their carts due to complicated procedures. Prioritize a seamless path to purchase to boost conversion rates and foster customer loyalty.

4. Shipping & Returns Policies

Transparent and customer-friendly shipping and returns policies are integral for building trust and satisfaction. Clearly communicate shipping costs, delivery timeframes, and return/exchange procedures. Customers appreciate knowing what to expect and are more likely to make a purchase when they feel confident about the logistics. Offering flexible and hassle-free returns builds credibility and shows that you stand by the quality of your products. Consider using this information as a marketing tool, emphasizing the convenience and reliability of your shipping and returns process to set your e-commerce site apart from the competition.

5. Prominent Search Functionality

A robust and prominent search functionality is a critical component of user experience on an e-commerce website. Many customers prefer to search for specific products rather than navigating through categories. Implementing an effective search bar with smart filtering options helps users find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. By prioritizing search functionality, you enhance user satisfaction, reduce bounce rates, and increase the likelihood of successful conversions. Investing in a powerful search engine ensures that your customers spend less time searching and more time shopping.

6. Product Descriptions and Details

Compelling and informative product descriptions are essential for conveying the value and uniqueness of your offerings. A well-crafted product description provides customers with crucial details, specifications, and benefits, helping them make informed purchasing decisions. Consistency in presenting information across your product catalog establishes trust and credibility. By investing time in creating detailed product descriptions, you not only assist customers in understanding your products better but also contribute to improved search engine optimization (SEO), making your products more discoverable online.

7. Product Recommendations

Enhance the shopping experience by implementing a product recommendation engine on your e-commerce site. By analyzing customer behavior and preferences, you can suggest related or complementary products, encouraging upsells and cross-sells. Personalized recommendations not only increase the average order value but also create a more engaging and tailored experience for your customers. Whether through a “You May Also Like” section or personalized email recommendations, leveraging data-driven suggestions can significantly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty.

8. Blog Posts

A well-maintained blog can be a powerful tool for your e-commerce business. Blog posts allow you to showcase your expertise, share industry insights, and provide valuable content to your audience. This not only establishes your brand as an authority but also attracts organic traffic to your site. Use blog posts to highlight new products, share customer stories, and offer tips or tutorials related to your products. Engaging and relevant content not only keeps your audience informed but also contributes to improved SEO, driving more traffic to your e-commerce site.

9. Customer Support

Efficient and accessible customer support is vital for maintaining customer satisfaction and resolving issues promptly. Incorporate live chat, email, and possibly phone support to cater to different customer preferences. A responsive customer support team can address queries, provide assistance during the buying process, and handle post-purchase concerns. By offering excellent customer support, you build trust, enhance the overall shopping experience, and encourage repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

10. The Right Platform

Selecting the right e-commerce platform is the foundation of a successful online business. The platform should align with your business needs, scalability requirements, and technical capabilities. Whether you choose hosted solutions like Shopify or WooCommerce for WordPress, ensure the platform offers customization options, security features, and integrations with payment gateways. A well-chosen platform provides a stable foundation, simplifies management, and allows for seamless growth as your e-commerce business expands.

The post 10 Must-Have Features for eCommerce Websites appeared first on Grafix .

1. Take an online course 

Sign up and take an online course to sharpening your skills or educate yourself with a new skillset. Check out this list of 450 Ivy Courses that you can take online right now for free. 

2. Launch a NEW website 

Having an online presence is now more important than ever. We have to fully embrace this new normal and make the best of it. If your brand doesn’t have a website now is perfect time to invest in one. If hiring a professional isn’t in the cards, take the time and learn how to build your own DIY website.  

3. Revamp your existing website 

If you already have a website that hasn’t been updated in a while and things are feeling stale, use this time to give it a make over. Update it with new images, replace outdated text with more relevant copy, play around with some new animations or try adding some new features. 

4. Build your email list 

Make an effort to grow your mailing list or start one if you don’t have one just yet. Offer discounts or free downloads for opting in to entice potential costumers to subscribe. 

5. Utilize your blog

Reflecting on everything you’ve learned in the last year or so and start building a list of blog topics. Write down as many ideas as you can and get started on writing your blog posts and sharing your knowledge with your tribe. 

6. Upgrade your home office or workspace 

If you’re suddenly working from home and don’t have a dedicated space for work, go ahead and create one. Already have a set up? Try sprucing up your space by cleaning up any clutter or by completely rearranging & reorganizing the area. Any improvements to the space that can increase productivity or comfort will go a long way.  

7. Plan out your social media ahead of time 

Plan ahead with your social media posts and put together a content calendar for the next few days and weeks. This method will allow you to be much more productive than planning and posting social content every single day. 

8. Find an online community

Following social distancing guidelines has likely brought all in-person networking to a standstill. Utilize an online community to network with your peers in your industry. They’re likely experience very similar situations as you right now and this could be a way great to discover new resources, connect with like minded people, and gain some insight. 

9. Automate your business where you can 

Improve upon some of your business processes with automation where you can. Create templates for emails, contracts, or billing agreements. If you have an e-commerce business, consider adding some sort of subscription model. 

10. Plan & create an online course 

Take your time and create an e-book or online course that you believe will be helpful for people to succeed. Your insight could go a long way to helpings others in your field, please pay it forward. Remember, we’re all in this together. 

The post Social Distancing: 10 Activities for Growth While Working From Home appeared first on Grafix .

1. Yoast SEO 

Every single day Google handles over 9 billion searches alone, and if you want a piece of this organic traffic pie, developing a SEO strategy is a must. Of course there are wide selection of SEO plugins on the market but it’s easy to see why Yoast SEO is one of the most popular tools in the space. For newer sites and those with smaller budgets, the free version will provide you with all the capabilities you will need to get started. There is also a premium version that comes with additional features that you can use right away or add on later as you scale. You will need to perform basic keyword research the Yoast plugin will guide you step by step through the process of optimizing your new content for the search engines.

Key Features: 

• Title, keyword and meta description templating to better optimize WordPress post and pages.  
• Simplifying advanced XML Sitemaps functionality with the push of a button.
• Improvements made easy by see just how well content is optimized. 

2. WP-Rocket 

WP Rocket is by far my favorite caching tool on the market. Nobody likes visiting website with slow loading times and having a caching plugin is going to help you speed up loading times on your website. WP Rocket will create cached copies of each dynamically-generated page on your site, leaving less work for your servers. What really makes this plugin stand out from the rest is just how simple the setup is compared to other cache tools in space.  

Key Features 

• Caching creates an ultra-fast load time, essential for improving SEO and increasing conversions.
• Improves user experience 
• Enables lazy loading 
• Integrate with (CDN) Content Delivery Network’s like Cloudflare 

3. Contact Form 7

If you want to convert site users from visitors to customers providing a contact form is something you see on almost all websites today. Contact Form 7 will allow you to seamlessly create and manage multiple forms. This simple and easy-to-use plugin will not only allow you to quickly create forms but also allow for easy integrations with other tools like newsletter opt-ins. 

Key Features

• use reCAPTCHA verification to filter out spam (Integrate with Aksimet) 
• integrate with mailing list like Constant Contact & Mailchimp 
• Lots of third-party extensions to add additional functionality

These 3 essential plugins were selected because they will work wonders for all websites no matter the size or niche. Additionally, there is a clear funnel created by installing these plugins. Yoast SEO to create organic traffic, WP-Rocket to create a better user experience with faster loading times, and then finally converting those organic users with a contact form.

The post 3 Essential Plugins for WordPress Websites appeared first on Grafix .

1. Proofread Your Copy 

Whether you decide to write all the content yourself or work with a copywriter, be sure to double and triple check the text for any typos or grammatical errors before launching your site. If you’re working with a website template, make sure you have replaced all the dummy text with your own content. Be sure to have an extra pair of eyes handy to review. I would suggest either using someone on your team or get a close friend if you’re solopreneur.  

2. Use High Quality Images 

Make sure your website uses high quality images, do not use any blurry or pixelated graphics. Try to use original photos taken by a professional if your budget allows for it. 

3. Follow Copyright Regulations 

Do not use any images or music unless you have secured the appropriate rights. Securing rights for  stock photos typically requires purchasing the license for the photos. Do not just copy photos from a random google search or social media without the appropriate permissions.  

4. Test Your Links 

Ensure that all your links on every single page are working properly and there are no broken links. This includes all site navigation and social media links. 

5. Test Your Contact Form.

Test all of your contact forms, newsletter signups, or opt-ins. Make sure those are properly setup and your contact forms are replies are not hitting your spam folders. 

6. Update Your Footer 

Add your copyright info to the footer and remove the “Powered by WordPress” line. Considering adding your contact information, and your location if your business is location-based, as well as any social media icons. 

7. Test Your Website Responsiveness 

WordPress themes are responsive but be sure to review your site on a mobile device and multiple desktop monitor sizes to make sure it’s loading properly and all the text is easy to read on all browsers and devices. 

The post 7 Things to Check Before Launching your Website appeared first on Grafix .

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These are my personal picks and I use most of these apps on a daily basis. Soon you will too!

1. Mailchimp

Sign up for free at mailchimp.com and take advantage of their mobile app on your smartphone or tablet. Everything you need in an emailer in one place. Manage subscribers, send emails, and track result. Take the guess work out of your marketing and use analytic driven data to drive sales and reach your customers. Use templates to build out great looking email campaigns. Easy integration with your business’ website to help grow your list. I could go on and on about the benefits of the platform but follow the link below and check it out for yourself. The free version is a very powerful tool on it’s own but check out their website to learn more about the added benefits of the paid version as your business and mailing list grows.

Download for iOS

Download for Android

2. Forms

A free app by LegalShield that gives you the ability to create, send, and sign legally binding agreements. Forms combines the simplicity of a handshake with the security of a legal contract. Use one of their many contract templates or upload your own. Electronically sign your agreement on either your smartphone or tablet in person or send to be signed by another party on their own device.

Download for iOS

Download for Android

3. Insightly

A very simple to use customer relationship management (CRM) and project management tool. A great way to organize interactions with clients, but also keep track of projects, emails, notes, leads, milestones, and much more. Keep detailed notes to convert leads to clients and upsell and cross sell current clients. There are really cool features that are not available in the free version but you can sign up for a 14 day free trail of the pro version to test out some of the paid benefits of this app.

Download for iOS

Download for Andriod

4-6. Google Drive (Google Docs & Google Sheets)

If you’re anything like me then you have multiple devices or maybe more (I use an iMac, MacBook, iPhone, and an iPad) and you always need access to your files no matter the device. Google Drive allows you to store files on the cloud, synchronize files across devices, and share files. Google Docs and Sheets go hand and hand and are essentially extensions of Google Drive. It has the ability to edit and sync all of your word documents and spreadsheets from any of your devices.

Google Drive (Download for iOS)

Google Sheets (Download for iOS)

Google Docs (Download for iOS)

Google Drive (Download for Android)

Google Sheets (Download for Android)

Google Docs (Download for Android)

7. Google Analytics

The assumption here is that your business is already online and if that’s the case your website should be integrated with Google Analytics to track and report your website’s traffic. If that’s not the case, what are you waiting for? Download this app today so you can check key metrics and monitor your business on the go.

Download for iOS

Download for Android

The post 7 Must-Have FREE Apps for Entrepreneurs appeared first on Grafix .