eCommerce Website Design vs Standard Web Design: Know the Difference

Working in eCommerce in Toronto can be difficult without a stellar business website. But what makes an eCommerce website different from a standard website, and why are those differences important? Whether you are designing your first eCommerce website or are considering commissioning a site redesign, here are six key things to look for that set this type of website apart.

6 Differences Between eCommerce Website Design & Web Design

1. Hosting vs Self-Hosting

While a regular website must be hosted by a larger hosting service, most eCommerce website design tools are self-hosted. This gives companies who create eCommerce websites one less thing to worry about. The digital storefronts they assemble will come equipped with the payment gateways and selling interfaces needed to open for business right away.

2. Visibility vs Sales

Regular websites are marketing tools above all else. They aim to spread the word about your business and what you have to offer. To do this, they must be highly visible. Effective SEO is a must, and your layout should be smooth, streamlined, and easy to navigate.

With eCommerce websites, the goal is to make as many sales as possible. While visibility is still a concern in this scenario, your main priority should be conversion optimization. Crafting web pages and product descriptions that carefully guide the user toward making a purchase will significantly boost your website’s revenue and ROI.

3. Intuitive vs Informative

Most people who visit a standard website will not find what they are looking for right on the home page. Business owners must make it as easy as possible for their users to find the information they are looking for. A clear and detailed sitemap is a must-have design tool when building these sites. From there, you should devise a layout that allows users to navigate intuitively from one page to the next.

eCommerce websites, however, exist to provide more information on specific products that the user is interested in. Each of your eCommerce product listings should offer a full and detailed description of that product in addition to an intuitive navigation scheme.

4. Secured Transactions

ECommerce websites are built to handle online transactions between your customers and your store. Choosing a secure and reputable payment gateway is critical to winning your customers’ trust and avoiding expensive cybersecurity problems.

Standard websites do not perform monetary transactions, but they often collect user data that must be secured for privacy reasons. This means that security should still be a top design consideration.

5. Content

Regular websites can host just about any kind of content you can think of. From landing pages and About Us blurbs to blog posts and multimedia content, companies use a variety of different formats to give their users more information on who they are and what they have to offer.

ECommerce websites generally follow a much more rigid structure. They include things like product pages, pricing and shipping information, and other details that users would need to make a purchase. They also tend to include many more images than a standard website, offering users views of their products from a few different angles to help them evaluate the product’s size, features, and quality.

6. B2B & B2C

Both standard and eCommerce websites can be made for either B2B or B2C audiences. This makes little difference for basic company websites, but this is not true of an eCommerce interface. Any website that sells directly to its users must be formatted according to those users’ needs. B2C eCommerce websites must list their products in a way that makes it easy to find exactly what the user wants. Users also need the option to order in bulk.

Contact Us for Award-Winning eCommerce Website Design in Toronto

Selling successfully online requires you to compete with the best of the best. To get that competitive edge, you will want to work with an experienced and proven eCommerce website design company that knows the local market well. WSI Comandix is an award-winning web design agency with over 20 years of experience serving businesses in various industries across the GTA. Contact us today and give your eCommerce website the expert touch it needs to thrive.