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We all have different ideas of what makes a website not only look good but also work well. In the end though, what we’re all trying to achieve is pretty much the same in that we’re striving to engage users so they interact with your business and at the same time do a bit of drum-banging by telling others about how good it is.

Our opinion is that you don’t need to create the best website in the world in order for it to work. But what you do need to is to make sure that whatever it is your website is about, that it captures the users imagination and makes them want to find out more.

Visual appeal goes some way to achieving that and the level you take it to depends on what your website is about - but Coca Cola, as an example, have used some neat tricks so that when you take a look at each product in their range (http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/default.html) the screen zooms around to give a little flashy presentation.

You might not want to go to that level, but using techniques like Coca Cola have done means you can get a  lot more info on your website without overloading it. With only so much space on websites and impatient users that want things and they want them now you need to think very carefully about what your most important user-engaging features are and hit them with it straight away.

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Using web analytics tools isn’t as daunting as you might think, and by understanding how people are using your site, you can develop and improve your website, which in turn should lead to more inquiries, more sales or higher levels or traffic. Whatever your goals are, analytics tools can help achieve them.

Looking at the failings of your website is just as important as looking at your successes.  In order to keep ahead of the game, it isn’t enough to just be happy with the users that actually “converted” (that is someone who bought something or downloaded from you, or made an enquiry). You need to know why those users who didn’t get as far as buying from your store left at a certain stage, or why they fell short of clicking the “download now” button.

And what that means is taking a cold, hard look at what you have put online as representative of you or your company. What you have said, how you have said it, the way you have presented yourself, your company or your products online requires evaluation and re-evaluation in order to get the best results.

Many people simply don’t like to admit that they got it wrong.

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Internet Explorer 6 was released over 7 years ago in August 2001 so why do people still use it?

Users are entitled to use whatever browser they wish but IE6 has many limitations and it’s old, it has lots of compatibility issues, it lacks useful features we’re used to using in modern browsers and it doesn’t even have tabs!

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If the first part of this series wasn’t enough for you and you’ve been waiting with baited breath for the next exciting instalment then your wait is over!

Here’s the final part of rules & tips to help make your ecommerce website a success.

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Ecommerce has, for the most part, evolved far beyond the late 1990’s cliches of hair-wrenching, sanity-shattering slogs through yet another “clever” designer’s take on how shopping on the web should be.

Standards prevailed, usability won out, and we’re now free to spend our collective billions of pounds per year online.

That said… It can still get better. Online shopping is in, if not infancy, at least a toddler stage. The advances that brought us to where we are have made the process simpler and easier than ever, but some sites still haven’t caught on.

This is part 1 of a 2 part series that will provide you with some great tips for successful ecommerce design.

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