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Online store development in 2021: Top 5 mistakes during website creation
Creating an online store is a long and painstaking process, in which it is difficult not to make mistakes. Especially prone to errors are entrepreneurs who are just getting acquainted with the creation of sites, and do not yet have a sufficient set of skills and experience to create an ideal resource that does not require edits.
It is difficult to make an online store, but to create an intuitive structure and eventually bring your resource to the top of the search results, this is almost an unrealistic task, of course, if you do not take into account all the points where you can make mistakes in advance. In this article, we will tell you about the top 5 mistakes during the creation of an online store that will help you make your online store and your business successful in the future. We will take a detailed look at each of the errors, understand the reasons for their appearance and tell you how to avoid them by creating an online store, let's get started!
"How to make an online store right”: Top 5 mistakes when creating an online store
We created this top specifically so that after reading it, you know where you can be trapped by failures, and avoid the errors listed by the side. However, if you have not previously had experience in creating a website and online stores, or if you consider your skills insufficient to create a high-quality resource, we recommend that you turn to professionals. This way you can avoid mistakes and you don't have to spend time constantly editing the created resource. If you decide to make an online store yourself, then the top 5 mistakes that creators make during the development of commercial resources are as follows:
1. Choosing a CMS
Choosing an engine for a website is the first thing you will encounter on the thorny path of creating an online store. One of the most common mistakes is choosing a CMS that is not initially suitable for commercial resources. Choosing the right CMS may result in you not being able to contribute most of the features you wanted to add to your resource. Also, if you plan to create a large online store, but your choice fell on the wrong CMS, we recommend that you change your mind and develop an online store site on a CMS that will allow you to maintain all the desired functions. The fact is that using an unsuitable CMS can not only lead to a reduction in the site's capabilities, but also to its slow and incorrect loading, which can subsequently increase the duration of indexing and worsen the further ranking of the online store.
In order to avoid such a situation, before starting development, read the CMS specifications that you are considering and choose the most suitable one for your needs. Remember that the CMS is one of the most important components of the resource, which you will have to work with for many years to come, so be scrupulous about the selection process and take into account all the factors before starting development.
2. Creating the site structure directly during development
When planning to make an online store, you need to take into account that most of the actions, such as creating design layouts, creating content, and sketching the structure, must be done in advance. This need is caused by the fact that if you decide to make an online store alone, there is a very high risk that during the creation of the structure you will simply forget some of the important tabs. If this happens and you start developing the design — then after discovering the error, you will have to redo the structure and design again, it is possible that more than once.
Creating an intuitive online store structure in advance will allow you not to worry about forgetting to add some important tab. Having a ready-made structure in your hands, you can easily use it during the development of the site, which means that you can save time and nerves. Also, this approach will allow you to further consider the intuitiveness of the resource, which in the future can have a positive impact on the results of optimization and give you ideas about contextual advertising.
In addition, having created the structure in advance, you can check on prototypes how your structure looks together with the created design, which parts need to be replaced, and which ones should be abandoned altogether. Try not to overload the site unnecessarily with unnecessary pages, because the more such pages — the lower the chance to achieve a good ranking and rapid promotion for your resource.
3. The desire to make the site " more complex”
On the Internet, you can often find resources that, due to the desire of entrepreneurs to stand out, become a set of incomprehensible pages that are also not popular with potential customers. The thing is that an attempt to stand out with creativity and the use of a number of pages for functions that would fit on one, often confuse users, without causing any other desire than to leave this Internet resource faster.
Also, the use of a large number of pages and the lack of intuitiveness in the structure can lead to the fact that users getting to your site will not be able to understand what the target action is. This, in turn, can affect the performance of the resource, which means that the online store made for you will be poorly ranked, and you should not talk about rapid promotion.
In order to avoid this situation, follow the “easier-better " rule. In this way, you will not only save potential buyers ' time, which they will certainly be happy about, but also unload the site. This will make it load faster, and it will become more preferred for search algorithms.
4. Excessive emphasis on the design of the resource
On the Internet, you can often find resources that have clearly been designed more than their structure. This error is quite popular, because according to marketers of the "old school", customers buy with their eyes. In fact, the current realities have added to this statement the convenience of the structure, detailed characteristics, good pictures of goods, and much more. Nowadays, consumers are extremely scrupulous about money, and therefore, in order to make an online store really popular, it is necessary to make a lot of effort. It takes effort not only to develop the design, but also the structure, content, and many other aspects that can somehow influence the client's decision.
In order to make an online store in demand and popular among representatives of your target audience, you need to evenly distribute your efforts over all important aspects of development. Otherwise, you will be able to make a beautiful online store, but its traffic and turnover will leave much to be desired.
5. Post-content preparation
Content for an online store, as well as for most web resources, is a key factor for the successful promotion and further development of the business. Due to the constantly changing algorithms of search engines, your content must meet their requirements and at the same time be useful enough for consumers. Of course, the creation of content after the launch of the online store will delay your resource from a full-fledged launch, and this is unacceptable in the current competition.
In order not to make content for the site at breakneck speed and take advantage of all the opportunities that it provides, you need to develop it even before the start of creating a site. The reason for this is that before creating content, you need to conduct a number of studies about your target audience, their preferences and desires.
Such research will help you find out where the lion's share of your customers is located, what search queries they use, how old they are and what they are interested in. This data can help you not only identify a specific target audience segment, but also help you create the semantic core of the site. Starting from the semantic core of the site, you can create content that, in addition to expertise, will also be quite attractive for search algorithms, which will undoubtedly affect the ranking of your resource. Also, if the keywords from the semantic core that you have created match the search queries of potential buyers of the online store — the growth of the resource indicators, as well as the turnover, will not take long to wait.
Content optimization is not built solely around keywords. In fact, to create content that is attractive to search algorithms and potential buyers, you need to take into account dozens of parameters. You can learn more about them by visiting our blog and reading the relevant articles.
Each of these errors often causes long indexing, poor ranking, and as a result, business failure. The most common reason for such errors is the inexperience of entrepreneurs who do not have the proper skills to take up the creation of an online store with their own hands. They certainly manage to make an online store, but due to a large number of critical errors, their resources do not achieve the desired results, which often leads to complete bankruptcy. But how can this be avoided? How to make an online store and successfully launch a business without having the necessary skills to develop a website?
Where to order a turnkey online store
If you have never been involved in creating online stores, but are planning to expand your business or, on the contrary, launch your first business on the Internet, and for this you need to create a high-quality website-contact the website creation studio Gloss.
We have been creating online stores and developing corporate websites for organizations from all over Ukraine for more than 12 years. Thanks to perseverance and the highest quality, we take the first place in the top of the best studios in Ukraine. That is why, if you need a website, you should contact us. Web studio Gloss provides a full range of services related to the development, creation, launch and promotion of Internet resources of any complexity for all available niches. Our team receives prestigious awards more than once. You can find examples of the resources that we created by visiting our portfolio.
In order to order the creation of an online store, or the development of an advertising campaign to promote a creative site, you just need to visit the corresponding tab in the site menu, fill out a questionnaire and send it to us. After processing your application, we will contact you to find out about your wishes and your vision for the future of the site. Immediately after we discuss all your wishes and draw up a contract, our specialists will start working. In the shortest possible time, you will be able to get a website that will be created taking into account all your requirements and wishes, but in addition it will also be developed taking into account all current trends. Thanks to this, the promotion of the resource will be much faster, and the effect of a competent advertising company you can feel a week after the launch.
In order to learn more about the services of the Gloss design studio and make the online store of your dreams come true, just fill out an application for the service that interests you and send it to us. If you have a number of questions to our specialists — you can always use the “contacts " tab or contact our manager via an online chat located on all pages of the site.
If your business needs a high-quality website that can attract the attention of the target audience and help your business become even more profitable-order it from the Gloss web studio!
Website autotesting: bug control and system stability
Maintenance of a Drupal website. Automatic testing of website functions
Website testing is a tool that allows you to detect errors in the work of the site before they are noticed by the visitor. This is especially important for online stores and corporate websites, because even one failure in the order form can cost you a lead or a sale.
As part of Drupal website maintenance, Glyanec implements automatic testing of key functions. The program regularly simulates the behavior of a real user - for example, adding a product to the cart, proceeding to checkout, submitting a form. In case of errors, we receive notifications and respond promptly.
This allows us to maintain a stable website, especially after updates or the launch of new modules.
Website autotesting: checking the order form, shopping cart, performance
In Drupal, autotesting is customized for the key stages of the user journey. We check:
- the availability and operability of buttons, forms, filters;
- the logic of the shopping cart and checkout;
- the speed of page loading.
The autotest can cover standard and advanced scenarios - it all depends on the specifics of the project. It is an ideal solution for eCommerce websites where every click counts.
Autotests for Drupal website: a flexible solution within the framework of technical support
Drupal allows you to flexibly customize autotests for any functionality. If you have complex logic, a non-standard form, or deep integration, we can add customized test scripts:
- testing document generation;
- checking authorization or accounts;
- data integrity control after integration with CRM;
- checking multi-level forms or API requests.
This increases reliability and avoids failures at important moments: during an advertising campaign, promotion, or content change.
Do you want to know if autotesting is right for your website? Leave a request on the contact page, and we will tell you about the possibilities of Drupal maintenance with customized solutions.
Website development for the Polish market!
We are your reliable partner in setting up and developing your business in Poland. Our company offers a full range of services for the launch and successful operation of your company in this country. We specialize in the development of websites in Polish, adapted to the needs of the local audience. Our web development professionals have many years of experience in designing and optimizing websites for the Polish market, which will allow your business to compete effectively and attract customers.
Our services include:
- Polish website development: Our website development professionals will create an effective and attractive Polish-language website for you that will attract the attention of local customers.
- Marketing services in Poland: We will develop a marketing strategy for you that will allow you to set up effective advertising campaigns and attract your target audience.
- Rebranding your business: Our rebranding experts will help you update your company's image and emphasize your strengths to attract new customers.
Cooperation with us covers a wide range of services for entrepreneurs and companies expanding their activities in the international market. We offer professional translation of documents and information, advice on local banks and financial procedures, assistance in registering a business and opening a branch, as well as support in choosing a payment and delivery system. In addition, we can provide you with contacts for registering a legal entity in Poland, office selection, accountant contacts and other services. We make sure that your business initiatives are successfully implemented in the new market conditions.
Address of the office in Poland: Biuro 315, Regus Equal Park 3rd Floor, Wielicka 28, 30-552 Kraków
Don't waste time - choose our company for a successful start in Poland. We know how to make your business competitive in this market!
For a successful start in Poland, please contact us:
📞 Phone: 0 (800) 750-751
📧 E-mail: [email protected]
How a website audit can transform your business
A website audit is not a simple check, it is a necessity that allows you to deeply understand both the technical and marketing aspects of your site. Is your website optimized for search engines? Does it communicate effectively with your potential customers? The answers to these questions can radically change your approaches and strategies. Ordering a website analysis can reveal hidden issues that are holding back your site's lead generation and customer acquisition potential. Whether you're looking to improve your site's search engine rankings or increase user satisfaction, an audit can provide you with the tools and guidance you need.
We will look at how a carefully prepared audit can significantly improve your website and make it more competitive. We will discuss what aspects of a website are checked during an audit, what benefits it can bring to your business, and how you can order a website audit from professionals to ensure the best results.
Why does your business need a website audit?
Excellent website usability is not just a nice bonus, but a critical condition for ensuring online success. A website audit allows you to analyze in detail how conveniently and efficiently users interact with your site, and how this affects your business's ability to achieve its goals. Here are some reasons why it is important:
- Increase user satisfaction: An audit reveals navigation and interface issues that may prevent users from easily and intuitively finding the information they need or performing the actions they want on your site. Improving these aspects can significantly increase your visitors' satisfaction.
- Reduce bounce rate: When users find it difficult to navigate the site or perform the necessary actions, they are more likely to leave the site without converting. An audit helps to identify and fix design elements that can lead to a high bounce rate.
- Increase conversions: Website optimization can have a direct impact on your conversions. For example, simplifying the checkout process or improving the visibility of a call-to-action button can significantly increase the number of successful transactions.
- Search engine optimization: SEO audit and optimization is part of the overall website audit and focuses on aspects that affect your website's visibility in search engines. Analyzing keywords, meta tags, URL structure, and other SEO practices will help to push your website higher in search results.
- Improving accessibility: The audit also assesses how accessible your site is to people with disabilities. Ensuring accessibility not only expands your target audience, but also emphasizes your responsibility as a business.
- Optimization for mobile devices: Nowadays, it's important that your website is optimized for mobile users. An audit will help ensure that your website works efficiently on all types of devices, improving the overall user experience.
Ensuring a high quality website is an investment in customer satisfaction and the efficiency of your online space. Ordering a professional audit can help you identify critical issues and resolve them before they negatively affect your business. You can read more about SEO promotion in the article "Features of SEO optimization of an online store"
How the audit is conducted and what we offer
Website audit is a complex process that includes several key stages. Each stage has its own specifics and requires a detailed approach. Our team of specialists uses advanced technologies and techniques to ensure the highest quality of services. This is how we work:
- Audit planning: First of all, we identify your business goals and website features. This helps us to prepare a personalized audit plan that takes into account all the necessary aspects: from technical analysis to user experience assessment.
- Technical audit: At this stage, we check the technical component of the website: coding, information architecture, compliance with SEO and web accessibility standards. We identify technical errors that may prevent the site from being indexed by search engines or impair overall performance.
- User experience (UX) audit: We analyze how visitors interact with your website and evaluate the usability of the interface. In this context, we can also put a heatmap on the site. Heatmaps allow you to visualize where users click most often, how long they stay on certain segments of the page, and how they scroll through the page. This is very useful for improving page structure and content.
- Report and recommendations: At the final stage, we compile a detailed report that includes all the issues we found and specific recommendations for fixing them. We provide practical advice that can be implemented quickly to improve your website.
- Support and optimization: After the audit, we also offer website maintenance and optimization services. This can include regular updates, monitoring of website performance, and additional checks for compliance with changed requirements or technologies.
Our goal is not just to identify problems, but to provide you with the tools and knowledge to solve them effectively, so that your website not only works at full capacity, but also helps you grow your business.
Glyanec provides professional website audit services that include technical audit, usability testing, SEO optimization, and analysis of your website's accessibility and security. We use advanced tools, such as heatmaps, to analyze user behavior in depth, allowing us to offer targeted and effective solutions for each client.
If you want to ensure that your website functions at the highest level, meets all modern requirements, and works as a powerful tool for your business, contact us. Order a website audit in Glyanec today and take the first step towards improving your online space. We guarantee a professional approach and dedication to achieving your business goals.
What are the advantages of websites over mobile apps?
Different companies are faced with the choice between developing mobile apps and websites every day. While mobile apps may seem convenient and innovative, it's important not to ignore the numerous advantages of websites. Ordering a website is not just an investment in an online presence, but a strategic decision that can significantly reduce development and maintenance costs, provide a wider audience reach, and improve search engine rankings.
We'll take a closer look at why websites compare favorably to mobile apps, analyzing their functionality, accessibility, and maintenance costs. The importance of websites in today's digitalized landscape cannot be underestimated, as they play a key role in attracting customers, expanding the market, and optimizing the user experience.
What is a website and a mobile application?
Websites and mobile apps play vital roles in promoting a business, but they have significant differences. A mobile app is a program downloaded and installed on a mobile device that can use the phone's system capabilities, such as a camera, GPS, or gyroscope. They can offer a more personalized experience, but they require significant investment to develop and maintain.
Therefore, choosing between website development and in-house development usually turns out to be a more profitable and effective solution.
Main advantages of websites
Websites offer a number of benefits that make them an attractive choice for businesses of all sizes. Let's take a look at a few of the key benefits you should consider when considering a website for your business.
- Universal access: One of the main advantages of websites is their accessibility. Visitors can access your site from any device that has an Internet connection, regardless of the operating system. This provides a wide audience reach and the ability to attract more potential customers.
- Cost-effectiveness: Ordering a website is often much cheaper than developing a mobile app. The cost of developing and maintaining a website is lower because you don't need to create separate versions for different platforms, such as iOS and Android. In addition, updates and changes to the site can be implemented faster and easier, which reduces overall maintenance costs.
- SEO and marketing benefits: Websites provide better opportunities for search engine optimization (SEO). This means that your website can rank higher in search engines, increasing the chances of being discovered by potential customers. Optimizing your website for search engines helps to increase its visibility and attract more organic traffic.
- Improving the user experience: Websites can offer a rich and user-friendly user interface that is adapted for different devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and desktops. With a responsive design, users can easily navigate the site, which improves the overall user experience and can increase conversion rates.
With these benefits in mind, building a website is a rational choice for businesses looking to maximize the benefits of their online presence. Not only do websites save money and resources, but they also provide ample opportunities to scale and grow your business.
Why do users abandon mobile apps?
Despite the significant development of mobile technology and the increase in the number of available apps, many users still prefer websites. This is due to a number of reasons that point to certain disadvantages of mobile apps and limitations that can affect the user experience.
Most users do not see the need to install mobile applications when they can easily access the same services or information through a website on their laptop or smartphone via a browser. This is especially true for those services that users use infrequently or sporadically.
Additionally, users emphasize that mobile apps often take up too much space on their devices, which can be critical for those with limited storage space. There are also concerns about battery and mobile data consumption, especially when apps are running in the background or transferring large amounts of data.
Privacy and security issues
One of the biggest concerns that pushes users away from mobile apps is the issue of privacy and security. Many apps require extensive permissions to access personal information such as contacts, location, social media data, and even personal files, which raises concerns among users about how this data is collected, stored, and used. There is also a fear that mobile apps may be vulnerable to hacking, especially those that store sensitive financial data or personal information. Data breaches at large companies that have made headlines only reinforce these concerns.
These factors contribute to the fact that many users prefer to use websites that do not require a download and provide quick access to services without the need to install resource-consuming applications. This confirms that websites can be a more convenient and secure solution for many users. However, for many companies, creating a website will prove to be the most optimal solution to effectively attract customers and provide high quality service with minimal costs and complexity.
To summarize, a careful choice between website and mobile app development should be based on the specific needs of the business, its target audience, and available resources. However, for many companies, ordering a website will prove to be the most optimal solution that allows them to effectively attract customers and provide high quality service with minimal costs and complexity.
What are progressive web applications and what are their advantages
Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) are changing the way we think about what websites can do. This technology combines the best of the web and mobile applications, offering speed and usability that was previously only possible in apps. In this article, we'll take a closer look at what progressive web apps are, what technologies are behind them, their benefits, and key implementation considerations. We will pay special attention to how progressive web applications can transform your business by providing a better user experience and increasing productivity.
What are progressive web applications?
Progressive web applications are a type of software that is split into a website and a mobile application. This allows users to install web applications on their devices and use them in a similar way to regular mobile applications. An important feature of PWAs is that they use web browser technologies but offer functionality that is usually associated only with mobile applications.
The PWA concept was first introduced by Google in 2015. The goal was to make the web experience as convenient and fast as possible. Since then, the technology has gained significant development and support, especially from companies seeking to improve the mobile user experience without losing the versatility and accessibility of the web.
Technologies used in advanced web applications
Progressive web applications use a number of modern web technologies to provide users with an experience that is as close as possible to mobile applications. The most important of these technologies are:
- Service Workers - scripts that run in the background, independently of the web page, and allow you to manage network requests, cache resources, and use push notifications.
- Manifest file - a JSON file that allows developers to install a web application on the home screen, set the icon and the start screen.
- Using HTTPS - ensuring the security of user data and the reliable operation of web applications.
Why progressive web applications are better than traditional sites
Improving the user experience
Progressive web applications are characterized by extremely fast loading speeds and high responsiveness, which is ensured by data caching and intelligent management of network requests. This means that users are able to access content instantly, regardless of the quality of their Internet connection, which significantly improves the overall user experience.
Offline access and support for push notifications
One of the defining features of PWA is the ability to work offline. This is achieved thanks to Service Workers technology, which allows web applications to cache important content and provide access to it without the need for an Internet connection. In addition, PWAs can use push notifications to inform users about news, updates, or special offers even when they are not using the web application.
Increase engagement and conversion rates
Thanks to better user experience and offline capabilities, PWAs demonstrate high rates of user engagement and increased conversions. The ability to load quickly and run smoothly on any device ensures higher customer loyalty and a higher likelihood of completing targeted actions, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form.
Steps to implement progressive web applications in your business
Implementing progressive web applications may seem daunting, but with the right approach, the process can be efficient and smooth. Here are the basic steps to integrate PWA into your business:
- Audit the current state of the website - check if your site is ready for conversion to PWA. This includes ensuring HTTPS compatibility, site responsiveness on different devices, and the availability of all necessary technical aspects.
- Developing and configuring Service Workers is a key component of PWA that allows the website to work offline and use push notifications.
- Creating a web app manifest - a manifest allows users to add your app to the home screen of their devices, providing easier access and a more native experience.
- PWA testing - ensure that your PWA works properly across all devices and browsers, with special attention to offline mode and loading speed.
- Monitoring and updating - once your PWA is up and running, it's important to keep it up to date and make updates to resolve any issues or improve functionality.
To illustrate how easily and quickly users can install a progressive web application on their devices, we have prepared an animated GIF. This GIF shows the process from the moment a user visits a website to the moment they install the web application on the home screen of their mobile device. This demonstrates the simplicity and ease of use of PWAs, as well as their ability to offer a native experience through a web browser.
Progressive web apps are a powerful tool for business development, offering speed, convenience, and an enhanced user experience comparable to native mobile apps. They allow you to achieve a high level of customer engagement, provide the ability to work offline and send push notifications, which is critical in today's dynamic market. Thanks to their ease of installation and efficiency, PWAs can significantly increase conversion rates and improve the overall user experience.
If you're looking for a way to make your web experience more efficient and engaging, progressive web applications can be a great solution. Remember that proper implementation and ongoing updates are essential to the success of any technology solution. Don't hesitate to bring in professionals to help you optimize your website to turn it into a responsive web app and take full advantage of its capabilities.
Just one step to your perfect website
