eCommerce Checklist: Tips to Launch Magento Online Store
When it comes to establishing an eCommerce site from scratch, there are plenty of platforms to choose from, each with hundreds of unique features and functionalities that set them apart. As a result, as an eCommerce business owner, you must establish a store that includes all of the necessary features. This is to ensure that your store runs efficiently and provides an excellent shopper experience.
You’ve probably heard and seen that Magento is the most popular platform to set up Magento 2 multi-store with ease. It can handle everything from designing to development and testing to ensure a successful store launch. Besides, its incredible features make it an excellent alternative for enterprises looking to provide a consistent customer experience. After all, the purpose behind switching to eCommerce stores from brick-and-mortar shops is to meet customer satisfaction.
Now let us dive deeper into the comprehensive Magento 2 eCommerce checklist to recognize any hassles before the site goes live.
Ultimate eCommerce Checklist to Launch Magento Store
#1. Ensure Store is Running on Latest Magento Version
Running the store in the latest Magento version is vital to make the store run efficiently. No doubt, Magento 1 still is the viable choice for website development. However, using Magento 2 is a more ideal option to achieve optimal page performance and to maintain the webpage in the future as well.
#2. Create a Sitemap
When converting a physical business to an eCommerce site, the most important task is to ensure that visitors can view and communicate with it. In this case, creating a sitemap allows the information to be updated more quickly. To improve indexing, Google SEO’s minimal requirements are required. The sitemap tool took the role of the Submit URL feature in the search console, which had significant drawbacks for new site launches.
Below are ways to efficiently optimize sitemap:
- No-index URLs should be avoided.
- Versions with canonical URLs should be included.
- In the sitemap, concentrate on high-quality pages.
While you should focus on building precise backlinks and a consistent experience, sitemaps assist web crawlers in finding your company.
#3. Invest in SSL Security Certificate
When consumers interact with your online business, especially when they’re considering making a purchase, they want to know that their personal information will be safely handled, stored, and protected. For instance, address, payment information, and so forth.
Users are more confident in making purchases when they see versions of the ‘secure’ badge. Thus, reducing the chances of cart abandonment.
#4. Ensure Your 404 Page is Ready-to-Go
Broken links harm the site’s reputation. It is not uncommon for such annoyances to arise. If you need more time to relink the material to that page, you can use the under-construction webpage in the meantime. After all, the main goal is to enhance user experience, and this method will assist you in that effort.
Finally, there are a variety of responsibilities to complete, including designing, wireframing, conception, writing, development, and more. When it comes to website launches, it is normal for problems to arise at any of these stages. However, keep in mind that every issue has a solution.
#5. Test Core Customer Actions
Now comes the time to examine what exactly a customer is about to do with the website and experience customer habits in shopping.
For this, you need to consider the below-given elements:
Shipping: Increase customer confidence by providing an estimated shipping time. Provide as many methods as your company can handle. When customers make large purchases, they often expect free shipping.
Payment Confirmations: This is an important step to remember because shoppers spend a lot of time inspecting their purchases. Here, make sure the confirmation you’re using is working properly, such as:
- OTPs via phone or emails
- ReCaptcha
#6. Update Valid Phone Numbers and Provide Live Chat Options
When a consumer has a question, having an up-to-date phone number on the site can help to fix the problem. Furthermore, it provides the website with a sense of trustworthiness.
Additionally, customers may exit the site if they are having difficulty purchasing on your eCommerce site. Furthermore, when a company takes too long to answer emails, the experience suffers. Here, live chat options must be implemented to make it easy for people to contact you and have their problems fixed right away.
#7. Make an Interesting Newsletter
Businesses are changing at a quick rate, and customers are receiving new benefits across the board. You may continue to strengthen your brand voice, notice brand loyalty, and target new customers. This can be done by engaging and creating a newsletter to draw customers’ interest in your brand.
You can also promote the goods or services. It will help in boosting the overall store conversions.
#8. Ensure Employing Actionable CTAs
The call to action (CTA) is the starting point for eCommerce sales or conversions. Users expect detailed steps bout the next steps they must do. This means convincing and pressuring customers to add products to their cart and then moving them to make a purchase must be a top focus.
#9. Integrate the Shipping Choices
We all addictively monitor any free shipping updates for items we’ve had our eye on for a while. Make sure you have a variety of delivery options, ranging from the most affordable to the most time-consuming and expensive ones.
Integrate the shipping options and place an estimated delivery date in the hands of the customers. Allow customers to track their goods as it is being sealed and dispatched to their preferred location. This will provide the consumer with a sense of uniqueness and satisfaction, causing them to come back to your store again and again.
#10. Cross-Check the Payment Gateways
When it comes to taking online payments, we already covered the need of investing in SSL security. You can, for example, accept all of the popular payment methods. However, make sure you optimize the site for both one-time transactions and visitor checkouts.
Magento is a platform that includes safe payment methods as well as plugins. All of them are well-known for building customers’ trust and comfort to the site, prompting them to make a purchase.
Finally, today’s online buyers demand a simple checkout experience. As a result, eliminating those unnecessary check-out stages helps in securing the purchase that is confirmed. They will also be more assured in returning items or purchasing more goods or services.
The best of all is to hire Magento eCommerce development services to get professional assistance with your Magento store launch.
Summing Up
This eCommerce checklist merely illustrates that launching a Magento website is a large task that requires all of the elements to work together for it to function properly.
Besides, you can hire an expert Magento developer from Magentofx. We have a team of certified specialists who can provide services and support 24*7 to fulfill your eCommerce development to launch and post-launch needs.