Achieve Ecommerce Success

If you have ever thought of starting your own online store, you might be surprised to learn that it’s easier than you think! In fact, with so many established companies selling their wares over the web, ecommerce has gone from a novel idea to an industry powerhouse in just the past few years. If you’re thinking about joining in on the fun, read on to learn more about what it takes to start your own ecommerce business.

Overview

Starting your own online store is a great way to make some extra cash on the side and build a sustainable business. It’s also a great platform for selling products that you create or find. One of the best platforms for setting up an ecommerce site is Woocommerce, which is free and easy to use.
First, you’ll need a domain name and hosting for your website. If you already have a website, it should be relatively easy to add an ecommerce store through plugins or extensions that come with it. If not, we recommend Canhost as they provide both domain names and hosting services that are easy to set up.

Step 1 – Registering your domain name

Registering a domain name can be the first step for a new ecommerce store. This is typically done through an EPP code. Be sure to understand the nuances of your desired domain name, including if it’s already taken or not available. Once you’ve registered your domain name, you’ll need to find a hosting service and register that with the same EPP code. A hosting service will keep your website live on the internet, while the registration will ensure that nobody else can steal it! Hosting services are typically inexpensive, but they have options based on what type of website you’re creating. If you’re planning to create a lot of content on your site, then make sure to choose a plan that has sufficient storage space (most hosting plans come with 10GB free).
In addition to domain names and hosting services, any ecommerce business should have security measures in place as well. Fortunately there are several reliable companies who provide inexpensive SSL certificates for just this purpose. You want these certificates so hackers don’t get into your site and expose sensitive information about customers like their credit card numbers or passwords!

Step 2 – Choosing a niche

Choosing a niche is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in starting an ecommerce business. It’s often a difficult decision, as it will determine the success or failure of your store.
Niche selection should be based on three key factors: The products you want to sell, your financial resources, and the target market for those products.
When making this decision it’s important not only to consider how many competitors are already in that niche, but also how much traffic there is for that type of product. A high demand for your product means more traffic and potential customers for your store!
The best way to get started with choosing a niche is with Google Trends.

Step 3 – Create an attractive website

The first step to start your ecommerce success is to build an attractive and easy-to-use website. To do this, you can use WordPress, which will make website development much simpler. At Rad Websites we love word press. Our suggestion? You can also use a self-hosted WordPress site or purchase hosting from a company like CanHost. Just make sure that your store meets the expectations of your target audience, as we have seen that some millennials prefer mobile stores and others desktop stores, so having both options will increase customer satisfaction.
The next step is Setting up your Google Analytics account and promoting your site on social media networks.

Step 4 – Google Analytics Setup

Set up Google Analytics on your website. This is a free tool that allows you to track how people are using your site. You can find out what pages they’re visiting, where they’re coming from, and how long they’re spending on your site.
This will help you see what’s working and what’s not so you can make adjustments accordingly. It’ll also help you know where the majority of visitors are coming from so you can set marketing dollars in the right places. If you want to get really advanced with this, add tracking codes for every ad campaign or link that sends traffic to your website. If one campaign gets more clicks than others, you’ll know which campaigns work best!
Now all you need is inventory! The third step would be setting up an inventory management system. With WooCommerce, Shopify Plus, Magento Community Edition and even WordPress e-Commerce plug-ins like WOOFox, it’s easy to import products directly from manufacturers like Amazon or Ebay. These systems provide templates for designing catalogues as well as front end shopping carts for customers who purchase items through your website – without any coding knowledge required! They allow customers to buy products at the time of order and choose when they receive their purchases instead of having them delivered automatically after ordering – saving you money on postage and packaging fees (and making sure each customer receives their purchase as quickly as possible).

Step 5 – Choosing Payment Methods

One important thing to know when starting an online store is the payment methods. There are two main types of payment methods, with a few subtypes. The two main types are b2b and b2c (business-to-business and business-to-consumer).
B2C is most common, since it’s direct between customer and the store. Subtypes include traditional credit cards, PayPal, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, etc.
B2B is less common but can be advantageous in certain situations because it allows for invoicing or purchase orders. Subtypes include accounts payable and eCommerce platforms like Shopify or Magento.

Step 6 – Launching your store

Launching a store is one of the most exciting parts of starting your own online store. You should make sure your website is developed by a professional website development company that knows how to create an ecommerce site using Woocommerce, which is the leading e-commerce platform. This will ensure that you have an easy-to-navigate site that provides a great customer experience. Additionally, it’s important to set up your business so that you’re able to start getting orders as soon as possible. Once you launch your store, promote it on social media and other channels so customers can find out about it!

To Conclude – Summary

To summarize, starting an ecommerce business is a big undertaking and requires a lot of planning. For example, you need to identify your niche, research and develop ideas for products and services, decide on pricing points, find suppliers, determine what technology will work best for you, create a website design, choose the store’s look and feel based on your target demographic. If you’re ready for the challenge but don’t know where to start or what steps are involved in the process of starting an ecommerce business then this post has hopefully been helpful. We discussed everything from identifying your niche, developing product ideas and choosing suppliers to determining how much inventory to order, setting up payment options and building a website that’s engaging with great content. We even shared some tips for hiring a web designer and social media manager!
In conclusion – A successful ecommerce business starts with solid groundwork. The more research you do before launching your site the better prepared you’ll be when it comes time to take orders. Set realistic goals for yourself by mapping out all the important aspects of launching an online store such as branding, inventory levels, marketing budget etc. Once you’ve done that it’s time to get creative!

The post How to Start Your Own Online Store appeared first on Rad Websites.

E-commerce stands for ‘electronic commerce’ or ‘internet commerce’ which occurs when people buy or sell things through online services/the internet. E-commerce can be done through a variety of technologies and ways such as simply buying a pair of brand new shoes from your smartphone, selling your services to customers online, downloading a paid for song and more. E-commerce is broken down into four main categories including:

Business to business (B2B)
Business to consumer (B2C)
Consumer to consumer (C2C)
Consumer to business (C2B)

When looking at electronic commerce, it’s easy to believe that it just entails simple transactions such as a business selling their product online to a consumer. For instance, Amazon is selling you your favourite cookbook. While this is an example of ‘business to consumer’, e-commerce spans over many more types of transactions as long as the web is being utilized for at least part of it. A simple way to look at the lifespan of an e-commerce transaction is the transfer of services and/or goods, the transfer of funds and then finally the exchange. Whether this occurs only between consumers, businesses or both depends on what type of model the transaction is. E-commerce has become one of the biggest and fastest growing industries across the world especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when people resorted to shopping online even more.

Business to business e-commerce

B2B e-commerce occurs when businesses carry out transactions with one another without involving consumers. This can happen when a manufacturer sells their products to a retailer or wholesaler. This is a very popular e-commerce model as many businesses order their goods online and have left traditional in-person transactions behind. The reason for this all comes down to convenience and what saves a business time and money. B2B e-commerce takes away stress and time by providing a business with a safe and reliable way to restock merchandise, access services and get quotes on items. This means a B2B wholesaler will sell their products online in bulk to other businesses and retailers. And in recent years many wholesalers have invested in creating online platforms to sell their products and services, widening their reach and utilizing the positive effects of B2B e-commerce. Other ways a business can involve themselves in B2B commerce is selling their online services to companies in need, just like what we do here at RAD Websites! The variety of B2B commerce models is large and the opportunities are endless. Other examples of B2B include websites like AliExpress, Rakuten, HubSpot, Amazon Business and Salesforce.

Business to consumer e-commerce

This type of e-commerce is the most popular model as the average person has purchased items or services online through e-commerce giants like Amazon, Knix, Spotify, Walmart, Adidas and even Netflix! Let’s say you are an average consumer looking to purchase an item such as a new blender or a service such as movie streaming online. You carry out an online transaction to achieve this good or service and then you finally receive your goods or services. Boom, you’ve just participated in a B2C e-commerce transaction! Having access to business to consumer e-commerce alleviates the need to physically go somewhere in order to purchase goods. This has allowed for convenient spending while turning many consumers away from traditional shopping at brick-and-mortar locations. Because of this, many brick-and-mortars have invested in creating online websites for their customers to use while also vastly increasing their brand awareness. B2C e-commerce gained even more popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were told to stay home and limit their in-person contacts. Now that lockdowns and mandates are no longer affecting people, consumers have more of a choice on how they get their goods and services although many have realized how easy it is to shop online.

Consumer to consumer e-commerce

C2C e-commerce is simply a model which sees two consumers engaging in online business with one another. If one person decides they want to sell a used coffee machine and they decide to list it for sale on a third party website for $20 and you buy it, you and the seller have engaged in C2C e-commerce. Some third party sites will charge sellers a small fee in order for them to sell their items but others are free. Depending on the quantity and frequency of the items you sell, you may find paid-for sites are the way to go. Some great examples of C2C e-commerce websites include eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Esty. Lots of people love this form of e-commerce because it’s less costly than buying new products, it’s easier to sell things because of the lower price expectations, it’s extremely convenient and it’s good for the environment. However, there are some things to be aware of when engaging in C2C e-commerce. You cannot guarantee the quality of products which means people can misrepresent the product they are selling. It’s also important to note that scammers will sometimes use C2C e-commerce to take advantage of buyers. Never make an online payment before receiving your item and always exercise caution when it comes to providing payment.

Consumer to business e-commerce

Last but not least, C2B e-commerce flips the script when it comes to the ‘business and consumer’ relationship. This happens when the consumer offers a business a service or product. The exchange involves payment to the consumer through funds or other benefits. A freelance writer who writes copy for a business in turn for payment is a perfect example of C2B e-commerce. These individuals are considered consumers and not businesses because they create their own terms and they negotiate their own transactions when offering a service and/or product to a business. This model is great for individuals who want to provide products to businesses without making a business of their own. It allows consumers to pick and choose who they want to provide their services to for whatever benefits they decide and it offers great flexibility to both the consumer and the business. This idea has grown exponentially through social media and social media influencers who promote and showcase a company’s products on their platforms in turn for free products, money and or experiences.

Conclusion

E-commerce can be a tedious subject but once you familiarize yourself with the different categories, it won’t take long for you to understand the processes and benefits it can have for your business. RAD Websites is a great starting point for you to grow or start your own online presence. After being awarded the Best E-Commerce Website Agency in Western Canada and the Best E-Commerce Design Agency Canada-wide, it’s obvious that we have all the tools you need to achieve your goals.

The post What is e-commerce? appeared first on Rad Websites.

Rad Websites has been providing clients in Medicine Hat, Calgary and surrounding areas with award-winning ecommerce website design services since 2004. We are passionate about helping businesses succeed online through the right combination of stunning design, user friendly functionality and sound strategy. Founded on the idea that websites should be both effective and beautiful, we believe that our definition of rad can help your business to prosper in today’s digital marketplace. Here are some reasons why you need a rad website, built by Rad Websites!

What does rad mean?

Rad is a term that is said when something is so cool there isn’t a word to describe it. Rad is an adjective that means excellent or awesome and it can also mean powerful or intense. AJ Frey say’s rad means cooler than cool, and we think this is the best way to describe what a rad website is.

A rad website has all the latest SEO tools, so you can rank high on Google search results. It also has modern ecommerce with an interactive experience for your customers. Rad Websites builds rad websites for businesses like yours!

Our team is Canada’s Award Winning Ecommerce Website Design Agency located in Medicine Hat, AB. Get your company seen by more people by having a rad website built by us!

When it comes to web design and SEO, less is more

Website Design and SEO are two highly important aspects of every business. We take pride in building websites that are not only functional, but also beautifully designed with search engine optimization in mind.

Businesses in Medicine Hat have a unique opportunity with its proximity to Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge. With our help, you can be found on the web by customers from all over the province. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important factors when it comes to getting new customers for your business. The importance of a website is evident for anyone who’s looking for new or better opportunities for their business. If you’re looking for an award winning company to design your website and manage your SEO, look no further than us!

Rad Architect and SEO Director of Growth Aj Frey says less is more. “It is important to focus on using the right keywords and phrases that will not only help your search ranking but also provide value to your visitors” he says.

Originality and copywriting can make or break your brand

Every day, you’re competing with new businesses popping up and the ever-changing SEO landscape. This makes it more important than ever to have an online presence that’s original and relevant. To do this, you need good content and copywriting. Publish consistently on your website or blog to keep people coming back for more. If you want your site to be among the best SEO in Canada, then you should use words that are fun, short and memorable. Keywords like: ‘rad’, ‘sick’, ‘awesome’.

When you are in business, it’s important to stay on the cutting edge and be creative. Which is why we recommend and work with Ghost Writers and Co. We have been working with them for years, and their copywriting is top-notch.

Is creativity worth paying for

At Rad Websites, you can expect to know what things cost. Our website designs are priced based on how complicated they are. We want to make sure you know what you’re getting for your money and that you’re not overpaying for something that’s too simple or paying for something way too advanced for your needs.
No matter what kind of design you’re looking for, we’ll create a package that’s perfect for you at the best price possible!

Rad also has some of the most affordable SEO in Canada, with packages starting as low as $699/month! But we don’t stop there: our company specializes in internet marketing and digital advertising strategies, PPC, Social Media Management and award winning Ecommerce so if you want more than just SEO services, Rad is the right place for you, we’ve got it all!

At Rad Websites, you will find creativity worth paying for – whether it be through retainer hours, blocks of development time or even by individual hourly service. That’s why people come to us time and time again for their project requirements because we set ourselves apart from other agencies.

We believe that good design should be accessible to everyone, regardless of budget. With rad pricing plans, high quality and affordable services – Rad Websites is definitely the best choice for any project requirement.

Brand consistency through web design

Brand consistency is an essential part of any successful online business. Your website should be aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate and have the same feel as your other marketing materials. You need to look professional and trustworthy to win over new customers.
Good web design is essential for winning over new customers. Your website needs to look professional and have a trustworthy feel if you’re going to win clients online. Customers aren’t going to pick your site over another just because it has brighter colours or more interesting fonts. That being said, you need to think about how your website looks as well as how it works. People shop with their eyes first, so make sure that whatever you put on your site makes your business look good.

How we use technology to stand out from our competitors

We use technology to stand out from our competitors in the web design industry. In addition, we offer rad pricing that is more affordable than other similar agencies. We are one of Canada’s most trusted and successful companies offering rad website services with award winning Ecommerce.
Rad Websites provide clients with top notch solutions and leading edge features by constantly staying on top of the latest trends and always striving to make our clients business lives easier.

Why Every Business Needs a Rad Website Built By Rad Websites

A rad website is a necessity for any business that wants to stand out and maintain strong online position. Having a rad website built by Rad Websites will give you the tools and skills to keep up with the latest marketing techniques and keep your brand top-of-mind with customers.

Rad Websites is Canada’s Award winning Ecommere Website Design Agency, Located in Medicine Hat, AB. We Build Rad Websites! Why you need a rad website built by Rad Websites: A rad website is a necessity for any business that wants to maintain online visability.

A rad website will give you the tools and skills to keep up with the latest marketing techniques and keep your brand top-of-mind with customers. It doesn’t matter if it’s a family owned or operated small business or multinational corporation, everyone needs some help these days when it comes to keeping their site fresh, engaging and updated regularly.

For years, Rad Websites has been helping businesses like yours create stunning websites using the latest web design technologies, while staying within your budget. With so many different types of web designs available today (responsive/mobile-ready/Ecommerce) we can help you find a solution that fits your specific needs best. No matter what kind of site you’re looking for – whether it’s informational only or integrated with advanced ecommerce features – our team is always happy to help get things started from scratch or build on an existing framework.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or just don’t know where to start, reach out to us and let us do what we are good at, so you can do what your good at. Your rad website should be more than just something pretty. It should also be functional, innovative and easy-to-navigate as well as load quickly no matter the device being used.

Rad Websites offers responsive templates that automatically adjust to fit whatever screen they’re displayed on, meaning users will never have to worry about viewing content across multiple platforms again – it all looks great no matter what device they use. Whether you are considering building an Ecommerce store or blog and require a robust CMS system or not – call now or book an appointment for your free consultation.

The post What Does Rad Mean? The Importance of a Rad Website appeared first on Rad Websites.

We’ve been asked that question countless times over, and frankly, there’s no direct answer.

The leading issue in trying to answer that question is that there are plenty of things that factor in – including but not limited to, the type of business, industry, marketing strategies, and web design.

Simply put, figuring out how long it takes for ‘SEO magic’ to work is relative to how it is done in the first place.

We’ve dealt with several businesses in the past who already had impractical expectations before coming in; they ask head-on if we can help them produce results in a couple of months because that is the ideal time frame they hear from their peers.

Sadly, for them and any future client, we tell them that SEO doesn’t walk on a straight line. In other words, there’s no uniform system or set of rules that govern how strategies should work and what methods should be avoided.

Where does the SEO magic come from?

Key in the term “SEO tips” in Google, and you are bombarded with thousands of opinions from everyone claiming to be experts. While there is nothing wrong with the overabundance of information, we take issue on those who cash in on misinformation, particularly about ‘SEO magical campaigns’ that produce results in no time.

You’re here because you want to know the truth. Don’t get me wrong – We’re not dissuading you from investing in SEO. You’re here for a reality check, and that is what we’re giving you. Don’t worry if you this confuses or scares you.

Everyone feels the same way when they ponder how long it’ll take for SEO to work. But before we delve on to the factors that affect the timeline and results, let’s make sure you know the basics of SEO.

What is SEO?

SEO deals with the optimization of the pages of a website in a way that achieves favorable rank in the search engine results pages (SERPS). It stands out from all other strategies with the same objective because it involves the use of free or “organic” methods.

SERPs contain links to pages, listings, videos, and other stuff that are relevant to a specific keyword phrase or search term. The results are ranked using an algorithm designed based on the search intent of the user.

SEO has the most impact on a website’s ranking, but it is a broad concept that is better understood by two attributes – on-page SEO and off-page SEO.

On-Page SEO

The only way to understand on-page SEO is by learning how a search engine like Google operates. Earlier, we said that search engines embrace an algorithm to examine content and rank pages through them. Google gathers content by using spiders or crawlers.

Search engines use a database (indexes) to save pertinent website info, including URLs. So, when someone searches “signs of a roof replacement,” Google displays results based on its indexes.

On-page SEO deals with optimizing a page on a website. The search engines take multiple factors into account when ranking pages. These factors include keyword use and stemming, internal links and anchor texts, mobile responsiveness, and distribution of page authority, to name a few.

Off-Page SEO

It also often receives the name of “link building,” and it obeys a good reason. Off-page SEO describes the process of creating a reputable inbound link profile for a website, using high-authority, relevant, and trustworthy links from other websites.

The reason why it receives the name “off-page” is that the work done is outside of the website. An excellent example is when you ask an authority site in the roofing industry to link to your blog post about the signs that a roof needs replacement.

When Will You See Results from Your Campaign?

Irrespective of the chosen SEO strategy, it takes time to see the results after the implementation. If you’re desperate to know how long you should wait, then the most sensible projection is four to seven months. This is the period when you begin to see results. In other words, we’re not saying you achieve utter success in less than a year.

The reason why we’d always come up with this modest projection is that there is a bevy of factors that affect the development of your campaign. We discuss these factors below:

Age

Being a newbie is the biggest challenge for every website trying to climb up to the search engine results pages. It’s like when you’re vying a job straight out of college, and everyone looks at you as an inexperienced prospect with a lot of risks and a few upsides.

For the most part, it takes Google a couple of months to index a newly published site. In other words, age plays a crucial factor in figuring out how long you have to wait for your website to appear on the first page of SERPs.

There are ways to help speed up your progress, i.e., obtaining links from authority sites (off-page SEO). Doing so means convincing high-ranking and relevant sites to link to you. If you’re successful in getting these links to your pages, you’re telling Google to index your site quicker.

History

Age and history are two different things SEO’s perspective. The former refers to the time that your site has been published on the web, while the latter talks about your site’s interaction history with the search engines.

Google hands out a score on every page of a website based on factors such as trustworthiness and reputability. This score or rating exemplifies your site’s propensity to climb in the search engine rankings.

Hence, the higher score your page gets, the more likely faster the climb to the first page of Google will be.

Penalties

We said earlier that there is no set of strict guidelines or rules in SEO, but don’t think Google and other search engines won’t penalize black hat strategies. Google hates websites that break its rules, although there’s no existing document that details these rules.

Any decent individual with minimal background in SEO knows what it means to break the rules, i.e., procuring backlinks from shady and spammy sources, posting duplicate content, and keyword stuffing.

If you’ve engaged in any of those black hat techniques before, it means your site has a tainted reputation online. Google and other search engines won’t forget previous penalties when they rank pages. But like everything in life, there’s always a second chance to redeem yourself.

SEO Magic: Final Words

As you see, doing ‘SEO magic’ is a lot more complicated than most people think, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Instead of probing into how long it’ll take for it to show results, the best approach is to set realistic goals and then establish an effective plan based on them. Instead of focusing on the time frame, you should weigh on the factors that affect your campaign.

The post How Long Does the ‘SEO Magic’ Take to Work? appeared first on Rad Websites.