Overall layout or design is a chance to make an excellent first impression on your eCommerce website. It can directly impact how long users stay on the website and how much they are about to purchase from you. eCommerce website design is not just about how your website looks, but how it performs. Since your eCommerce website provides an opportunity to build a strong brand, connect with your target audience and sell products, it must have an appealing yet easy-to-navigate design that stands out from competitors.

In this guide, we will elaborate on the best web design tips for eCommerce websites so you can reach online customers more effectively.

Put Emphasis and Maintain the Visual Hierarchy

At the top of your home page should display the blocks with the most important information. A standard home page of an eCommerce website shows basic elements/blocks in the following sequence:

• Brand logo and business name in the header
• Search bar
• Navigation menu bar
• Contact details
• A slider or the main image
• An area for website copy or main content
• Call to action
• Footer

An eCommerce website that sells has a clear visual hierarchy, and it helps visitors navigate through the website conveniently to find what exactly they need. A strategically placed CTA allows them quickly see where to click to proceed with the buying process.

Use High-Quality Visuals

When shopping online, consumers usually rely on the product images or video to make final buying decisions. This is the reason you must use high-quality visuals on your eCommerce website to present your products in the best way possible. A better product presentation with high-quality images or videos can go a long way to grab users’ attention and turn them into repeat customers. Low-quality visuals on your site can also cause page abandonment. Instead of using stock photos, capture real-life images to add realism to your products or services.

Add Search Bar, Search Filters, and Easier Navigation

Convenience is the key in this digital world as modern consumers are impatient and want to find required things or results quickly. Especially when they are searching for ideal stuff for online purchases, this is why try your best to make users feel comfortable on your website by providing them with plenty of search features and options. For example, suppose you are an online store allowing your customers to buy prescription sunglasses online. You should make it easier for them to submit their prescription details conveniently to make a quick purchase. Along with adding a search bar, provide your users with search filters to narrow down the search results to find the desired products services instantly. An easier-to-navigate website design makes the life of online customers easier. Everything on your eCommerce website should flow smoothly from one point to another. A search bar allows users to find required products or things on your website quickly without going through all website pages.

Keep it Consistent and Branded

Your website design should correspond with your brand & products to reflect and complement them. It creates a unique and enticing feeling for the products listed on your website. Since an eCommerce website is a key element of your brand's online presence, you should keep it consistent and branded to convey the real brand value to the users. Branded designs are memorable and stay longer in consumers' minds. To stand out from competitors, you should use logo, slogan, brand colors, and fonts across your website to help customers recognize your brand quickly.

Add Social Proofs

Your eCommerce website must have enough elements and information to build customer trust and credibility. Adding social proofs is a great way to gain customer trust and confidence. Social proofs may include:

• Social profiles and number of followers
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Security certificates
• Awards
• Mentions in popular magazines and websites

Strategic use and placement of social proofs make your website trustworthy and credible. However, you shouldn't overdo it to give your website a self-righteous appearance. When adding customer reviews and ratings, choose the most relevant and positive reviews and add them with sufficient details to be transparent.

Keep it Responsive and Fast Loading

A fast loading and mobile responsive eCommerce website not only improve user experience but helps you secure a visible position in the search results as well. Since many internet users use their mobile devices to find and buy stuff online, a website with a non-responsive design can lose that big group of customers. This is why you should choose a responsive and mobile-friendly design for your website to grab the attention of more mobile customers and provide them with an excellent experience on your website no matter what device they are using. If you are not sure how to make your website responsive and mobile-friendly, hiring a reliable web designing agency would be a wise choice for you.