Setting up and managing an e-commerce website to sell your companys products involves a lot of work and knowledge of what might boost or bust your bottom line.

While specific features and functionality requirements may vary depending on your type of business, some considerations are universally important.

A few of the must-have characteristics of an e-commerce website include:

According to data from Custoras E-commerce Pulse, the share of mobile orders (phone and tablet) out of all e-commerce increased to 31 percent in 2016 (up from 29 percent in 2015).

With more potential customers using mobile devices to buy products, its increasingly important to ensure your e-commerce site will deliver ease of use to desktop and mobile users alike.

The easier you can make it for your website visitors to find and buy the products theyre looking for, the more likely youll convert those product searches into sales.

Structure your e-commerce website so potential buyers can easily find what they want in as few clicks as possible, and make sure the checkout process is simple and straightforward. Also make it easy for visitors to find your refunds and exchange policy.

Studies have shown that approximately 56 percent of shoppers abandon shopping carts because they discover unexpected costs at checkout. Consider disclosing shipping options and costs earlier rather than waiting until near the end of the checkout process.

You might also think about finding a way to provide free shipping. With an increasing number of e-commerce sites offering to ship products for free, you may be at a disadvantage if you dont extend this courtesy to buyers.

Brief, clear, well-written content with relevant key words will help visitors find your products quickly and learn whats most important about them. Keep in mind content that consists of more than a few sentences may seem to go on forever on a smartphone screen.

Make sure youve included product descriptions that give enough detail without becoming redundant and boring.

A picture is worth a thousand words. How often have you heard that? For an e-commerce website, a picture can mean thousands of dollars.

An image can make or break the sale online. Shoppers want to have a visual sense of what theyre buying online.

Youll want to share images that bring out the best of your products. Consider contracting the help of a professional photographer who has experience in taking photographs for e-commerce websites.

If youre looking to create an e-commerce website for your business, you can benefit from consultation with a website development and design professional who has experience with all that they entail.

Also consider talking with a mentor at your local SCORE chapter. SCORE mentors have experience in all aspects of starting, managing, and marketing small businesses.

Call the local branch at 269-925-6100 or visit http://www.swmi.score.org to request SCORE help with your business.

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Anatomy of an effective e-commerce website - Herald Palladium