Details Matter - Let's Start Building Your Site

 Identifying the Host/Platform

I’m going to be very personal with you when it comes to finding the right platform. It might sound like my position on this is very skewed in one direction, but I’m going to outline a few details on why, so you can get the whole picture.

In 2013 Your Oil Tools launched our website on WooCommerce. We thought we were going to be able to launch the site right away and start selling products. After approximately two weeks of working on it, we realized things were not going the way we had hoped. It took a long time to create products and list them in the collections correctly.

That’s not to say that WooCommerce is a bad platform, it just wasn’t the platform for us!

We decided to search around and found BigCommerce. We tested BigCommerce for one day and realized that the features that we needed to really grow our business were not there. We needed bulk pricing and inventory that could kit different products together in real time. We had multiple products that could have multiple variants so it was very tough to find something that fit our needs.

Finally, we landed on Shopify after a few weeks of research. The platform seemed like it had everything that we needed, so we went all in. Let me tell you, it was the best decision we ever made for our business.

Why was it the best decision? Because as we have grown, Shopify has grown with us. Not only have they stayed up with the current trends and what’s going on in the market, but they also made it so we don’t have to.

They have you covered with everything from sales channels, SEO, Google, Facebook, and everything in between. They also have great information on how to build your website.

Watch The Official Shopify Tutorial

Now as you can see, my viewpoint is a little bit targeted toward Shopify. With that being said, for the rest of this module, I will give you details related to Shopify and share information directly from a Shopify admin. If Shopify is not the platform you choose for your business, pay attention to the details and figure out how to duplicate the process in your platform.

A lot of the platforms I have listed below have caught up and offer a lot of the same features. I have worked with a lot of other platforms, so I have experience with them.  I will touch on a few of their features as well.

Before choosing a platform here’s a checklist of the top five things that I think are most important to know about your platform.

1. Integrations - Will your platform connect to all the big integrations like Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Walmart, eBay, and everything in between?
2. Built-in SEO, optimization tools, and editable content for your product and collection pages.
3. Order management and editing capabilities - Are you able to edit the orders in the admin?
4. Returns - Are you able to process returns in the admin without having to refund the order through another platform?
5. Inventory management - Are you able to edit your inventory based on location or even customize it to your needs?

These are just the main factors that I feel are very important to have when starting an eCommerce business. There are a ton of other features that you might want to look for, so make a list and figure out what exactly you think you need to get started to create your amazing brand. 

The right platform and the right strategy will help you build solid SEO. Let's talk about how you can do just a few things to make a big impact.

Adding keywords to your website in strategic ways is one of my favorite tricks. You can add them to your product collections in the heading, descriptions, and even product pages. You can add targeted keywords to your Collection pages and Product descriptions to boost your SEO. Let's look at some of the places and different ways you can add this to your site.

Product description can help your SEO. 

Let's say you have a heart-shaped necklace. There are so many ways you can list this product to make it searchable. There are a few ways to look at SEO to make your product stand out and be found online and on your website easier.

The first is to match your listing based on what others are doing for similar product listings. You just need to search Google to match the product based on the material, finish, and any other attributes.

You can also create your own style and make something new with your own flair. You still need to put as much detail as you can in the description. For your products to be easily found, you need to make as many relevant keywords as possible in your description. This means you need as much relative information and targeted keywords as you can. You can also use Google Keyword Planner to help. https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/

Here is an example for you to think about

• 14k Gold Heart Shaped Necklace

You can go with a basic direction and list the main attributes and not focus on a lot of keywords. You might want to keep it simple and not list out a lot of details.

• United Heart 14k Gold Vermeil Cremation Jewelry - Engravable

You might want to give it a special name for your brand. Then add it to your website or brand name in the title description. 

• 14K Solid Yellow Gold Heart Necklace, Minimalist Heart Necklace, Floating Heart Necklace, Dainty Heart Necklace, Gifts for Her
• 
  

This is what I call the Amazon approach, you can find it on Etsy as well. You add every keyword that you can think of in the product description. This is not a bad option, but on a website, it can look messy so keep that in mind when listing your products.