Follow These 8 Simple Steps to Set Up Your Own Webshop

Have you always wanted to work for yourself, running a business that allows you to sell products and services you're passionate about offering to the public? If so, you're not alone. The pandemic appears to have motivated millions of people around the world, to start businesses while resigning from their traditional 9-5 positions.

Although running a business may be a dream you've wanted to accomplish for years, you probably think setting up an eCommerce shop is too complicated. The good news is that while it requires effort, it's easier than you might think to bring your vision to life and create a professional website for consumers to visit, shop, and purchase what you're offering.

Check out our eight simple steps that will help you get started on your entrepreneurial journey in no time!

1. Choose Your Ideal Niche

Before starting a business, you need to identify a niche. Knowing what you want to provide to the world and who you want to cater to is important because this will be your bread and butter. It doesn't matter if you're going to sell baked goods, beauty supplies, clothing, or anything else as long as you have a passion for it.

After selecting your niche, choose a name that you feel represents your brand. Create a simple, straightforward name for your business that people can remember. If it's too long, it's less memorable, potentially preventing people from coming back to your site later.

2. Develop a Business Plan

Always create an in-depth, detailed business plan that covers essential details, such as a description of what your company will offer, where you plan to purchase your inventory, how you plan to market the businesses, etc. It outlines all the steps you'll need to take to turn your business into a success and is one of the most important things to have before building it.

3. Create Accounts on Social Media

While your shop is in the works, create accounts on social media platforms under the name of your business. Diversify your reach to connect with a broader audience by having an account on various platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. You can use these to; communicate with your audience organically, build up more of a following, and create a greater sense of anticipation for the opening day of your eCommerce business. In addition, to creating the accounts, start posting and getting to know people on these platforms. This can help build a loyal fanbase before opening the doors to your online shop.

4. Get a Dot Shop Domain

Have you ever visited a website with an incredibly long domain name? Those sites are hard to remember, which can lead to less website traffic in the long run. However, with options like Get.Shop, you can keep your domain short and straight to the point for visitors. It allows you to create a brandable domain name for your business that sets it apart from the competition and helps you gain an edge over others offering similar products or services. Many companies are making the shift from the traditional .com domain to .shop, including leading fashion brands, software companies, beauty brands, and more.

Take advantage of our .SHOP price promotion by clicking here.

5. Design Your Site

Once you have your business name selected and your domain set up, it's time to focus on the website's design. Brainstorm different ideas that you feel would work best, highlighting the products and services provided to consumers, while making it easy to navigate from one spot to the next on the site. You might even want to draw up a draft of the design you have in mind. You can work on the web design process yourself or hire a professional to help. If you don't know much about web design, it's not hard to find an experienced designer online, who can take your site to the next level. The designer can utilize their skills to craft the perfect layout, while implementing creative designs and a gorgeous color scheme representing you and your personality.

6. Add Photos and Product Details

Even after having your website designed, you need to choose which photos of products you'll post online for consumers to see. Although, the visual is important, a short yet detailed description of the product is worth including next to each photo. It gives shoppers an idea of what the product can do for them, ultimately encouraging them to add it to their carts before checking out. If you can't write these descriptions yourself, hire a freelance writer to complete these tasks by creating compelling short descriptions of products that will entice the consumers to buy from you.

7. Learn to Upsell

Set yourself up to make even more from every purchase through the power of upselling. You can set your site up to offer product suggestions to shoppers, when they reach the checkout page. For example, the page could say something along the lines of, "If you love [product], be sure to check out [other product]. These two items create the perfect combo!" Of course, you can get as creative as possible with the suggestions. You can also offer complementary products at a discounted rate to get your customers to buy more from you. It's an excellent way to run an eCommerce shop.

8. Test Your Site

Don't forget to test the site multiple times before it goes live. You want to make sure everything is running smoothly and looks its best before you allow people to start visiting your site and buying products from you. Let your followers on social media know when they'll finally be able to see the site and use it for online shopping. You can include the link in your bio on social media to make it easy for your followers to visit your site when the timing is right.

Becoming a successful entrepreneur who owns their own webshop might seem like a challenge, but taking the proper steps can make this dream come true for you. Setting up a webshop involves detailed business planning, using social media for connections, and even choosing the right domain before designing a site that will get the traffic you want and need. If you're serious about starting your entrepreneurial journey, use these tips to guide you on the path to success.

If you have any questions or would like to see how we can help you succeed with your online business, please reach out to your Account Manager or contact our Sales team at [email protected]

This blog was created in collaboration with GMO Registry.