As the digital evolution is disrupting the ‘high-street’ retail model, more and more businesses in Canberra are finding the need to move their commerce platforms online. The rush to evolve and innovate is leading to errors in web design and eCommerce platform structures that Canberra businesses are struggling to rectify, costing them customers.

When moving a business online, a business in Canberra first needs to identify the best web design that Canberra has to offer, then utilise that company with a large focus on the most vital aspect of their website – their online store. The online store should be the most important aspect of a website build for any company. In order to enhance the chances of consumers clicking through the website and purchasing from you, there are several vital things your online store must include:

1. Icons

Social media use is rapidly expanding on a global scale. With so many consumers currently online and connected through social channels, it is vital that it is easy for them to follow the business. Using snappy and engaging posts that contain a direct link between social media channels and the target audience, to the online store, is the best method to drive consumers directly to the end goal – making a purchase in the online store.

2. Terms and conditions

Even though the digital world moves so fast, people still want to know their rights, and they want to see them documented in written form. Things like return policies, conditions of purchase or service rules should all be linked and easy to find a link to on the online store. Formal documentation increases consumer trust and loyalty.

3. Rates and shipping

No-one likes to think that they are making a quick ‘bargain’ purchase, filling in all the mandatory details for the sale, then realise after completing all the steps that there are additional charges. Shipping rates, taxes and any additional charges should all be included in the initial purchase screen, so your customer knows exactly what they are expected to pay. This will further increase brand loyalty and promote the business in a transparent and favourable light.

Canberra Web are renowned for their web and eCommerce platform builds, which have been helping businesses located in Canberra increase their online sales. Expert and savvy, Canberra Web use Joomla and WordPress designs to increase consumer experience and encourage positive and loyal reflections of the brand or business.

Choosing the right e-commerce platform when setting up your online store can often be overwhelming, as there are so many different alternatives available. If you are uncertain which platform to choose, Magento is generally a smart, all-round choice. Currently ranked as the number one e-commerce platform globally (https://magento.com/), Magento offers has a large number of key benefits which are the basis of its international success. We've highlighted five key benefits of using Magento for your e-commerce store below:

Magento was built for online retailing

Because Magento has been purpose-built for online retailing, it is specifically designed for listing and selling products. This means the CMS offers a range of tools to manage product listings such as stock, availability, specials, product categories and shipping costs.

User-friendly dashboard

Magento's dashboard has been designed to be user-friendly and to ensure it's a simple and easy process for sellers to be able to track their sales. With advanced data visualisation tools, sellers on Magento are able to identify how they can increase the performance of their online store, as well as the products which could be marketed to the digital audience more effectively.

Single dashboard for multiple online stores

As Magento has the functionality for sellers to be able to manage several stores from the same dashboard, it is more efficient than many other types of CMS. It also means that administrative and hosting expenses are reduced, so it's very cost-effective.

External system connectivity

With the convenience of having external system connectivity with many payment gateways, such as PayPal and AfterPay, Magento offers the functionality for many payment options to be added to online stores built on their platform.

Shipping

Magento allows sellers to be able to manage shipping online and offers a range of options, including flat rate, table based and even free shipping.

If you'd like to find out more about Magento or you're interested in having an online store built using this platform, contact Canberra Web today. Experts in Canberra web design, we specialise in Magento e-commerce sites for all types of online retail applications.

As digital platforms and capabilities speedily evolve, the global business economy is moving rapidly to keep up with changing trends. Because of this, many businesses, even those in Canberra are turning to savvy digital marketing techniques to enhance the usability of their online presence – their eCommerce platform.

While many eCommerce platforms such as WooCommerce (a WordPress design) or Joomla are straight forward and easy to implement, it is necessary to call in eCommerce experts such as Canberra Web to provide recommendations and build an eCommerce store for an evolving business. These experts will be able to identify key factors that every online store must need, which may not be considered by business owners or the eCommerce novice. Five things that every eCommerce store should contain are:

1. A call to action

Every online store must have a CTA on every page, such as a ‘find out more’ or ‘buy now’. If a CTA is not included on every page, the consumer will fall short on click throughs and not purchase anything.

2. Secure Sockets Layer

An SSL will provide the consumer with a relief of security when purchasing online. There are countless horror stories of fraud and card skimming, and an SSL certificate provides the added security of encrypting data.

3. User experience

The online store design must be built with the consumer at the forefront of the developer’s mind. It must be clear, attractive and easy to navigate. The shopping cart should not create confusion and the payment gateway must be fast, easy to use and secure.

4. Search

Most companies will want their consumer to be able to see all of their products in their store in the hope that it will encourage them to purchase more than one. This tactic and an overload of products on one page can prompt consumers to become intimidated and not follow through with a sale. All online stores must contain a search bar to simplify the process for consumers.

5. An attractive offer

Whether it is deals, promotions, or specials, consumers are more likely to buy if they feel like they are picking up a bargain. All eCommerce platforms must be able to incorporate a deals or specials call to action

You know how some people are fully focused, zoning in on a specific task or situation with absolute clarity? Then there are others whose minds seem to flit from here to there, full of different ideas, heading off in a wide range of different directions at the same moment?

When looking at web design, Canberra Web team members often note that the latter idea seems to be alive and well across a range of e-commerce sites. Now, as an example, you may run a store selling a wide choice of reasonably priced Christmas gifts. Therefore, visitors might like to browse for a while, uncertain on arrival what purchases they intend to make. And that's fine...

But what about 'specific searchers'?

These are individuals who have entered clear parameters into their search engine, know exactly what they want, and expect to be swiftly taken to that exact product location. Arriving at a generic, product-laden page is likely to frustrate them, and can often lead to them returning to their search and trying another option. As a client once said: 'That's a very easy way to lose customers I never even knew I might have had!'

Using carefully targeted landing pages

To better deal with the situation highlighted above, it pays to craft specific landing pages, SEO-optimised to the key terms likely to be entered when searching. This simple step can lead to substantial increases in conversion rates. The searcher is directed to closely targeted information, ready to meet their needs, and thus quickly and seamlessly encourage them down the conversion route. These pages might feature a single product, or act as an introduction to a specific range of similar items. Either way, a choice refined to what the customer is seeking is always likely to gain a higher response.

Making even more of landing pages

With such carefully targeted pages, it also pays to add links to allow visitors to quickly share such information through social media. This makes sense because, on many occasions, someone searching for a specific item is likely to know others who might be looking for a source for the same, or highly similar products.

If you'd like to discuss how landing pages can deliver response across your ecommerce site, please talk to our Canberra Web team today. You'll find us at 02 6223 2222

Our web design team here in Canberra appreciate that it's likely that your website will attract two different types of visitors - committed and accidental. The former have undertaken a fairly specific web search using key terms, and effective SEO activities have delivered them to your site. The others just happen to be there, for a variety of reasons which we'll assess later. Let's start with...

The committed visitor

This person knows, at least fairly well, what they are looking for. Your product needs to solve their problem, meet their need, and perhaps reduce an anxiety. Some of these visitors will be so ready to buy that they will simply want to check some key technical information about the product, assess the price they are being asked to pay, and understand delivery terms - then they will be ready to place that item in their shopping basket. Others will require reassurance that this product can solve their problem, and also have the confidence that your product (and company) is the one to choose. Here, additional content can explain how doubts are groundless, alleviate worries, and encourage the visitor into a similar state of readiness as the previous one.

The accidental visitor

These individuals arrive at your eCommerce site through a variety of ways. An original search for something else has headed off on a tangent, as their mind or imagination takes over, and they end up on your pages. Perhaps they have been provided with a link to your page by a work colleague, friend or relative. Or they have clicked a link to you from another site, a shared blog post, a tweet - there are so many ways. When they arrive, they may have little initial interest, compared to that committed visitor. Here, your copy needs to explain why it's a good idea to purchase your product(s). This might involve talking about different uses, perhaps its value as a gift, or even how it solves problems people might not yet even realise they have!

Increasing response to web content on your eCommerce site

What the above aims to show is that creating effective eCommerce web content is not simply about: 'Here's the product, buy it'! It is about expanding a customer base, persuading those who do visit the site to buy, and giving them the confidence needed to make that purchase. Our web design and hosting experts, based here at Canberra Web, build many online shops using proven builders such as Magento, Woo Commerce, OpenCart and Mojo Shop. At the same time, we work with our clients to make sure their content is as persuasive as it can be. If you'd like an obligation-free chat about this, simply call us on 02 6223 2222.

Ensuring good quality SEO across your eCommerce store is important in helping you to drive quality traffic and to increase your store’s sales. However, eCommerce SEO is by no means simple. In fact, one of the most crucial elements of the puzzle is having a store that is fully SEO-friendly from the ground up. So, if you’re in the process of looking to get a store built, here are the four top ways in which a web developer is your best choice for building it.

1. Ensuring an SEO-friendly architecture

When you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of products, you can't just go ahead and add them all in and then deal with organising them afterwards. Instead, a web developer can ensure your site has an architecture that is fully scalable and allows you to quickly and easily add new products. More importantly, your site will be easily crawlable by Google bots who need to rank the content.

2. A focus on keyword optimisation

Keyword optimisation is what helps your store to rank for product searches similar to what you stock. This will be a key element in your ongoing eCommerce SEO efforts but is very important from the start. Any good eCommerce developer who understands SEO will be able to assist you in including keywords in important pages and organising your content accordingly.

3. A mobile-friendly solution

One of the biggest Google ranking factors these days is how mobile-friendly your store is. More searches begin on mobile devices than on desktop, so any successful eCommerce store needs to be fully responsive across all devices. An experienced developer can help you achieve exactly this.

4. Helping to minimise file sizes

With so many products to include and lots of multimedia, it’s easy for your pages to become very large and slow to load. Properly minimising file sizes is crucial in eCommerce SEO success. Nobody wants to wait around for slow product pages to load and Google picks up on this when deciding where to rank content.

Essentially, by hiring a professional web developer to build your eCommerce store, you can ensure that your site has a strong SEO-ready foundation from which you can build on. That’s where Canberra Web comes in. Our design agency has spent years building custom eCommerce solutions for companies across all industries. By working with Magento, WooCommerce, Opencart and Mojo Shop, we can ensure all of our solutions are 100% bespoke and SEO friendly from the start. To find out more about our web design Canberra service, contact our friendly team today.

This may sound like an unusual starting point to talk about doing business online. Surely e-commerce is going to increasingly take the place of having to make a physical journey to shop around or buy a specific item. We'd agree with that premise, but there are still similarities between a web presence and an actual store in a shopping centre. Or, to put it another way, it's always good to learn from the past...

What attracts you into a store?

There are two possibilities: either you are visiting that store for a specific reason or you are, to use the old term, window shopping. For the latter, many retailers would employ window dressers to make the outward appearance as eye-catching and attractive as possible, grabbing the attention of passers-by and enticing them inside.

Online, the latter still holds true, providing such a welcome for those people who are browsing rather than searching. For searchers, who have input key criteria to find your business coming up in the search results, providing landing pages designed to catch those visitors by talking specifically to their needs is vital.

How do you find your way around a store?

In a physical store, you'd look for effective signage, or staff to help direct you to where you need to be. Online, skilful web design for your Canberra business, including easy access points to click through to different pages, gain extra information through drop-downs and so on, carry out the first of these roles. A chatbox, or similar facility, can offer the instant, human help to deliver answers to any query or provide directions.

How easy is it to pay?

Physical stores can lose business by having a lack of payment locations, or by being unable to cope with large numbers at any one time. Online, the payment process should be as swift and simple as it can be, and as easy to access.

Have a nice day!

You would hope that a person in a store, while not necessarily using this infamous phrase, would indicate their thanks for your being a customer. There are still online businesses who don't bother - an impersonal 'payment complete' doesn't exactly encourage any future contact.

So, through an attractive welcome, a helpful attitude, swift payment and a personal touch, your online store can take the positives of a brick and mortar shop into a web-based future. To discuss how to achieve this, and more, for your e-business, please talk to our experienced web design team here at Canberra Web.

In the period of time since you either first set up your company or created an initial website for it, how much has changed? It's likely that your business has grown faster than you originally imagined. It may have diversified into new geographical, demographic, or product or service areas that you weren't originally contemplating. It might even have become more specialised or niche than you intended it to. The one thing that is certain is that it won't have remained exactly the same!

Matching your web presence to those, and other, changes

When considering that original web design, Canberra businesses would have an initial idea about who they were talking to and what they wanted to say to them. Time and experience often means that these messages now need to be amended to reflect changing public tastes or perceptions, as well as to cover the points raised earlier in this blog. You may well have found that your clients make different uses of either your products or services than you originally imagined would be the case.

Managing your eCommerce site as circumstances change

As well as the information areas already mentioned, if you have an online store, it's worth considering whether it has changed as your product ranges have. For example, one category of items might originally only have offered a few options. Over time this may have increased substantially. Therefore, will it now be wise to separate these out into some sub-categories? This would help visitors quickly find exactly what they are looking for, rather than them having to wade through a range of possibilities.

Making the most of those FAQs

Another area where greater information will have become available over time is through the questions prospective customers ask when they contact you. While these can be handled in a FAQ section, how much of the information would be better placed elsewhere on your website? Adding requested content to specific product or service areas makes your site more user-friendly and responsive.

More than simply content amendments

As well as these key information areas, websites also need to change to reflect how they are accessed across an increasing range of different devices.

If you'd like to discuss all options for improving your digital marketing Canberra-wide, please talk to our experienced team by calling 02 6223 2222 now.

The Diffrence Between MijoShop and MiwoShop

Our team are experts in designing and developing Joomla Mijo and WordPress Miwo websites. We can also maintain your existing Mijo or Miwo websites, as well as customise or add new extensions for different functionalities and features. Here are some of the many reasons why Mijo and Miwo websites are a popular choice for our clients.

Miwo Shop

A powerful and efficient shopping cart plugin, Miwo Shop offers a range of different and very functional features and extensions, along with being user-friendly for beginners through to the more advanced. With over 35 plus language alternatives available and more than 30 payment gateways, it is suitable for all types of online businesses.

What makes it such a viable alternative as a shopping cart for WordPress websites is that it's a turn-key e-commerce platform that's ready to go as soon as it's installed. Miwo Shop also has a very intuitive administration interface, enabling you to have ultimate control when managing your online store. The interface even gives you access to a range of different sales reports, that will help you understand your online business in-depth so you can increase your sales margins.

Mijo Shop

Recognised as the leading e-commerce application for shopping carts on Joomla websites, Mijo Shop is versatile and has a variety of features offering different functionalities. With so many extensions available, you can have your Mijo Shop website updated to provide your customers with a better user experience as your business develops. This includes adding other payment gateways or up to 35 language options if you are expanding globally. Whether you have an existing Joomla website and want Mijo Shop integrated or you would like a new Joomla site with the shopping cart application installed, this can be done quickly and seamlessly. This e-commerce platform is all-inclusive and can be used as soon as it's been installed on your site. The interface is very easy-to-use, making it suitable for beginners through to the more tech savvy users. It also has numerous sales reports that you can access which are invaluable for growing and understanding your online business.

With an experienced Canberra Mijo Developer and Canberra Miwo Developer in our team, we can build a WordPress or Joomla website that will get results! Contact our friendly and professional team today to discover more about our websites, as well as the many additional features and extensions offering different functionality available.

Using Open Cart E-commerce Platform

We specialise in designing and building Open Cart websites for all types of e-commerce requirements in Canberra and Sydney. Whether you prefer to utilise Open Cart as a stand alone e-commerce platform or have it integrated into your Joomla website using applications such as E-Shop or Mijo, our Open Cart developer has the expertise to seamlessly deliver this service. We can also integrate Open Cart into your existing WordPress website.

Some of the many reasons why you should have our developer design and build you an Open Cart system are outlined below.

Simplicity of use

Open Cart is a simple and easily accessible e-commerce platform with a user-friendly administrative dashboard. The menus are straightforward so that beginners through to more technically savvy operators can use them with ease. With Open Cart 2 you are also able to use your administration panel on mobile devices such as a tablet or smartphone via the mobile-first interface.

Easy for development

With Open Cart, additional functionality can be incorporated by developing extensions or through customising, either during the initial build or later. This is an easy development process with background knowledge of PHP or MySQL.

Heaps of extensions and modules available

As Open Cart has thousands of different extensions and modules available, such as marketing tools and modifications, it's a versatile e-commerce platform. The benefit of using Open Carts extensions and modules is it enables the platform to evolve with your online business.

Multi-language functionality

One of the many benefits of Open Cart is you can set it to whatever language you prefer as the platform has a language-neutral CMS. This means that selling your products or services internationally is easy using an Open Cart platform.

Open Cart is SEO friendly

Open Cart can be optimised for SEO too, helping you place higher in the search results. It has Google Analytics as a dashboard extension in the administration panel, along with several other features that will increase your website's visibility to online consumers.

Multi-store Mode

With Open Cart, you can manage several different online stores from a single administration panel, saving you from having to access multiple sites singularly. The time and money you'll save from having this functionality make it a smart choice for e-commerce platforms.

To find out more about our wide range of Open Cart services, contact our team today. We offer all-inclusive packages for Open Cart integration, from existing websites through to fully customised Open Cart website design and development.

What To Think About When Setting Up An E-Commerce Business

With the rapid growth of e-commerce and with online shopping at an all-time high, now’s a great time to begin an online business. Here are some tips to get you on the right lines to successfully trading online.

First steps

The first thing you’ll need to do is to draft a business plan. This will help to ensure that you don’t omit anything important in your preparations. An important part of your project plan will include practical items such as the offices you're going to operate from, what you're going to sell and who you're going to target.

Setting up an online presence

Once you’ve sorted out the basics, you can turn your attention to your online presence. Select and register a domain name for your business and create a website. Although you can do this yourself using one of the many packages out there on the web, it’s often better to use a web developer, such as us here at Canberra Web, who will design you a bespoke site that’s specific to your business.

Before you launch your business, you must ensure that you’re PCI compliant. If you are going to be handling or storing client’s debit or credit card details, this is the security standard set by Visa and MasterCard. If your business is non-compliant, you could be fined or even have your processing facilities suspended.

Fraud is a major issue for online traders. Be aware of the security risks to which you could be vulnerable and choose a risk management platform that reduces these risks. It’s vitally important for customer confidence that you are able to process payments quickly and securely.

Marketing

You need to get your name out there somehow. Ensure your website is optimised with relevant keywords, so you show up in Google. Register business social media accounts on the platforms your customers are most likely to frequent and ensure you make it a priority to engage with them from day one.

In conclusion

It’s true that there are potential pitfalls you’ll need to overcome en-route to achieving your online business dream, but making sure that your web presence is in place early on is vital if you are to succeed.

For more information on setting up a website for your new e-commerce business, contact Canberra Web.

Like in the old adventure movies you may well have enjoyed as a kid, imagine you had just bought or found a map showing you an island where hidden treasure had been buried. You are excited and enthusiastic, yet on opening the map, you are disappointed or frustrated to find only an illustration of a large island itself, perhaps with a few dominant features and points of interest.

Sadly, the one thing that is missing, crucial to any search you wanted to mount, is the fabled 'X' to mark the spot where the actual treasure is buried! You'd probably throw the document away in disgust; you'd be unlikely to take the time or make the effort to head to that location simply on the off-chance that you might get really lucky!

What has this to do with your ecommerce website?

A Wordpress or Joomla designed website for your Canberra business, whether you have a Magento, Woo or another ecommerce platform, is, in a way, like that treasure map for those who arrive through an online search. All too often potential customers who visit such a site and are looking for a specific product or service will be greeted by nothing more than a fairly bland map of some random key elements of that business on a generic homepage. Some simply then leave in frustration - depriving that business of a customer they didn't even know they had managed to lose!

Clearly marking the location of your treasures

The answer, like the 'X' on the map, is to provide a clear location for the searcher's visit. Using individual landing pages, each designed to respond to specific search terms, be they product, service, or even location-based, gives the visitor the best chance to easily unearth the treasure that they personally are looking for. Again, like a map, you can provide simple instructions - or steps to follow - so that they can quickly complete the acquisition that their search quest has been designed to gain.

If you'd like to discuss how best to improve your navigation, content and design to make sure that your ecommerce website always hits the spot, please contact our team of graphic design and digital marketing specialists Canberra Web.

eCommerce platforms such as Squarespace, Wix, Weebly and countless others can be very tempting because on the surface they appear to offer a one-stop shop for setting up your online store. However, the limitations of such platforms are plentiful and you should consider these before signing up for their services. A one-size-fits-all solution is probably not going to cater for the specific needs of your business in the way that a custom built website can. Consider these factors and make the right choice for your brand!

No flexibility or ownership

With ready-made platforms you never really own your website. You pay an ongoing premium for the right to use the platform which comes with inherent risks. Ultimately, you are paying a lot of money and investing a lot of time into a service you are leasing. In addition, there is no flexibility to negotiate the rate or tailor the platform to your needs. When you eventually decide that the platform isn't right for you, you have nothing to take with you, and have to start all over again.

You cannot easily edit content

It is natural that you should want to be able to edit any and all of the content on your eCommerce platform. Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly all have their own platform and interfaces. While you can click through sections of the menu or page to add or change parts, not everything is editable. In addition, the editing options can be extremely difficult to navigate, not to mention it is extremely time consuming to figure out how to make the changes you want.

Transaction fees

Not only do you lease a service from these eCommerce platforms, you also have to pay THEM transaction fees for selling YOUR products unless you pay to upgrade your plan. If you build your own custom platform, more money stays within your business, and you are making an investment in your brand.

If you would like to discuss the best option for your business, or find out more about building an eCommerce platform specifically suited to your needs, get in touch with Canberra Web today!

Obviously, the official answer is 'electronic'! But our web design team, based here in Canberra, reckon there are other possibilities. Here are five of them...

E for Easy

This is how customers should feel. Working their way from an initial interest to a buying action should be swift and clear; an effective e-commerce website will make the journey as painless and simple as it can be. This can range from clear explanations of the products offered through to simple descriptions of any delivery options or, occasionally, restrictions.

E for Enthusiastic

You've probably visited some real-life stores where the staff don't seem particularly interested in serving you, have little knowledge of the products on sale, and are reluctant to make the effort to convince, or even sell to, you. Some websites can also seem to suffer from the same lack of enthusiasm.

E for Engaging

When considering buying a product, whether in a physical store or online, you often have questions to be answered, worries to be dealt with, confidence in your purchase decision to be welcomed. Physically, you can ask; so when visiting an e-store, the same facility should be provided. The simple addition of an effectively managed chatbox can be the difference between a sale made or potential long-time customer lost.

E for Extras

When completing a sale in your e-store, do you offer other products that the customer might be interested in or extras that pair with the purchase being made? For example, a customer buying a lamp, even with a bulb included, might well also purchase a pack of spares to save any future hassle. This back-end or add-on sales effort can result in a healthy increase in overall takings.

E for Endgame

When the purchase is completed, e-stores don't always make the effort to show that the custom has really been valued. Consider the following: adding a genuine thank you message, with contact points for any further questions; perhaps a discount voucher code for future use; even a link where the customer might pass on the details of the product purchased to a friend they know might be interested. All of these can add value to that initial single purchase.

As WordPress and Joomla design Canberra experts, our team would welcome the chance to discuss the above, and any other elements of the creation of a truly effective e-commerce site for your business. You'll reach us here (https://www.canberraweb.com.au/index.php/contact-us).

As 2020 arrives, many people make such resolutions. In terms of your ecommerce website, be it a Wordpress, Joomla or other design, our Canberra Web team have come up with a few possible resolutions to help make the most of your online shop. Which of these might be useful for yours...

I'd like my site to be easier to navigate

It's important that potential customers have a smooth transition from arrival to spend! As an insider, you understand the processes they'll be following; it can be easy to forget that their understanding of finding their way to a purchase can be less expert than your own.

I want my online shop to be more effective across all devices

There are still many sites around which look great on a desktop, laptop or even tablet, but haven't been effectively configured to be as welcoming, navigable and impressive on increasingly relied upon mobile devices. Whether your shop is built using Magento, Woo Commerce, Open Cart, Mojo Shop, or other options, its appearance and functionality need to be right for all different access possibilities.

I need my online welcome to be more targeted

Searches are undertaken using the criteria that are important to the searcher. Appreciating these, and assessing how they'll be expressed in the terms and phrases used, it's possible to create specifically designed landing pages to gain an instant connection with their needs or wants. In such cases, this is likely to be more productive than simply directing arrivals to a homepage or general category introduction.

I want more people to be aware of my online presence

Having an effective digital marketing strategy, from carefully targeted email campaigns to a vibrant, constantly refreshed, and engaging presence on Twitter or Facebook, allows a business to make more of all the efforts to craft a responsive web design. Such avenues allow an exponential sharing of information, rapidly increasing and diversifying the reach of your communications.

How can we help?

For the above, and other possible online business-building resolutions, we are ready to help. From app development to digital marketing and web design Canberra wide, our team are ready to discuss your needs. Please call us, obligation-free on 02 6223 2222. Finally, can we wish you a Happy and Productive New Year!

Well, probably there are some folks who would! But, even then it wouldn't be something they would accomplish on their own. Plans would have to be designed, submitted and approved before one physical piece of work was started. Experts in all construction and fitting disciplines would be brought in. And so on...

Can we be honest?

Having made the above point, our web design team here in Canberra do sometimes feel frustrated when people tell us they can build their own eCommerce website and presence. Yes, there are 'free' website builders out there that can help create a range of basic pages. But, is that enough?

Back to bricks and mortar

Such a store in a town or city street would be designed with much more care than that. A wide range of considerations would be brought together. These would include how visitors would most easily (and profitably) find their way around the business. Before that, considerable thought would have been given about the type of customers to be attracted, and how best to achieve this, both through shop window design and in-store ambience. Care would be taken in accessing how best to present the products to gain maximum impact. Probably, a customer service department would be available to deal with questions, problems, handle returns and the like. By the way, can you believe some stores actually used to call these a Complaints Desk - that's surely just asking for trouble!

If there, surely here

All the principles and points just covered are surely equally true of an online store. In fact, they are probably of greater importance, considering there are no human staff members standing there to help direct 'lost' customers or answer any questions (although a chatbox on a website can certainly help).

This is why we believe it is essential to ask experts to craft a web presence every bit as substantial in design and achievement as you'd want a bricks and mortar store to be.

The same principles of effective navigation and winning presentation are vital; otherwise web searchers could simply walk past your 'shop window' as they might on the street if they didn't find the presentation or layout attractive, welcoming or helpful.

To make sure of a powerful and effective website for your eCommerce business, contact our Canberra Web design team for an obligation-free discussion now.