The world of ecommerce is becoming more competitive by the day. If you hope to not only attract customers to your ecommerce site, but also get them to stay, browse and buy, here are some common website design mistakes it’s essential to avoid. Here are 5 ecommerce “don’ts” you may be guilty of:

1. Don’t be inconsistent with your branding. Does the look and feel of your ecommerce site harmonize with that of your other marketing materials and your brick-and-mortar store, if you have one? Colors, fonts and logos should all be consistent within all of your marketing, from online ads to product packaging to email marketing messages, so that customers recognize your brand and feel comfortable making a purchase.
2. Don’t overload your site with graphics. Offering a wide range of product photos and videos is important to help customers make buying decisions. However, if your photos and videos are not the appropriate size and resolution for your site, they can delay load times, which can drive impatient shoppers away. Keep in mind that these days, shoppers are very likely to be on a tablet or smartphone, and on these mobile devices, speed is of the essence.
3. Don’t oversimplify. Simplicity rules in websites today, but when it comes to ecommerce, streamlining your site too much can backfire. Shoppers expect utility, and that means key features they have grown to expect, like information about shipping and returns, product categories and the ability to sort products by price, popularity or color, needs to be displayed. If your website is so minimal that customers are reduced to clicking on photos or icons without knowing what they’re going to get in return, your sales will suffer.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for action. Every page of your ecommerce site should be focused on getting users to take some specific action. That might be viewing a product, adding it to the cart, contacting your business for help or getting alerts or mailings. Each page should have a call to action—“Buy Now,” “View Cart,” “Check Out” or what have you. If you don’t ask for the sale, your ecommerce site won’t serve its purpose—making sales.
5. Don’t leave them hanging. Often, ecommerce shoppers need help to make the purchase decision. Provide all the customer service options shoppers could wish for, from help-yourself tools such as sections on shipping, returns, taxes and frequently asked questions (FAQs), a live chat feature, a toll-free phone number or an email to contact your business. Answering customers’ questions in real-time can make the difference between making the sale … and losing it.

 Let Web.com build a custom website just for your business. Find out more at Web.com.