Shopify is easily the easiest website builder for an online store for various key reasons. Off the bat, Shopify offers an intuitive, drag and drop and user -friendly online store website builder, robust inventory management, and over 100 payment gateway options.
How to Choose The Easiest Website Builder for An Online and Shopify is the Best
eCommerce is a grand equalizer when it comes to opening up business opportunities and possibilities to entrepreneurs that do not always have the massive resources that big corporations have.
In tapping this advantage of ecommerce it is crucial to settle for an easy to use website builder. Choosing the easiest website builder for an online store is crucial for a number of reasons that we cover below.
Before we get into the meat and bones of why Shopify is the easiest website builder for an online store, it is important to stress that an easy to use ecommerce website builder is a game changer especially for small business owners and beginners.
In the world of ecommerce, simplicity in an online store builder, beyond the importance of convenience, it’s a strategic edge.
E-commerce platforms like Shopify are designed to empower entrepreneurs and small businesses by providing user-friendly interfaces that streamline the entire process of building and managing an online store.
This means you can create a professional and fully functional e-commerce website without the need for extensive technical expertise or coding skills.
Shopify’s online store builder interface doesn’t require any technical coding and design skills. Experienced users and beginners can easily navigate the platform and set up high end and professional online stores within minutes.
Why the Choice of an Easy to Use Website Builder For An Online Stores is Important
Save Time and Effort
The rationale for choosing an online store website builder is to avoid the hassles of building an ecommerce website from scratch.
Choosing an online store website builder that is straightforward and user friendly saves you time and the efforts it takes to get a professional and secure online store up.
A wrong choice of an online store builder will cost you time and effort as you will have to grapple with the technicalities of your online store.
This will also take away the valued time you need to focus on the developing your business, marketing and optimising your product/service offering.
With easy to use website builders platforms like Shopify that will allow you to set up easy to follow, navigable and searchable product catalogues, you have most of the technicalities cut out – and therefore allowing a short time to market for your ecommerce venture.
A Seamless Experience
A seamless user experience is critical for your online store. Imagine trying to build an online store where the look and feel, user experience and the entire end user experience is entirely up to you, and yet you are not an experienced designer or programmer.
This would sap the energy out of you and dampen your spirits to get your business off the ground. However with user-friendly online store builders such as Shopify you can literally get a high end front store up in minutes without having to fiddle with a lot of design and layout aspects.
The good part is that you can achieve this either with premium Shopify themes or even the free high ends templates the platform offers.
Catering to Non-Technical Users
Easy to use online store builders go a long way in democratising access to resources and technologies that drive and enable entrepreneurship.
Ecommerce platforms such as Shopify make it possible for non-technical entrepreneurs to get started with ecommerce without having to worry and wrap their heads around the intricate technicalities of building and maintaining a user-friendly and secure online store.
The easiest website builder for online stores is therefore inclusive as it reduces barriers to entry and allows entrepreneurs of different backgrounds and competencies to get started in ecommerce.
Why Shopify is the Easiest Website Builder for Online Stores
Customizable Templates
One of the important factors to consider when identifying the easiest website builder for an online store is the breadth and depth of the collection of templates/themes.
A good online website builder has a wide range of themes, free and paid that cater to different niches, product types and styles.
This is exactly what Shopify offers. Also, Shopify templates are highly customisable, meaning you are not only limited to the default settings of the theme, you can customize the look and feel of your chosen template according to the aesthetics of your brand.
While you do not need any technical coding and design expertise to do this, Shopify gives you access to the source code for advanced users that may want to tweak things at a granular source code level.
Product Management
Solid product management is the backbone of ecommerce. A good online store website builder must provide features and tools for adding, editing and showcasing your inventory (products), seamlessly. With its robust inventory management system, Shopify excels in this aspect.
The best part is that if Shopify’s default inventory management apps don’t satisfy your business needs, you can always leverage various Shopify inventory management plugins, apps and addons from the platform’s app ecosystem.
Secure Payment Processing
If your customers can’t pay securely online to get your products, then you don’t have an ecommerce business. Secure online payments are what enable and drive ecommerce.
In choosing the easiest website builder for an online store please consider an ecommerce platform that offers a good range of reputable payment gateway options that cater to the different preferences and locations of your customers.
Shopify has over 100 payment gateways, including Shopify’s own Shopify Payments. The payment gateway options cater to credit and debit cards as well as various digital wallets.
This integrates seamlessly with your Shopify store giving you as the store owner and your customers peace of mind.
SEO and Marketing Tools for Beginners
Off the bat, Shopify provides Search Engine Optimisation features that enable it to optimize product page URLs, title, meta tags, product image alt tags and descriptions according to your product keywords.
This makes it easier for search engines like Google, to find, index and rank your product pages –increasing the traffic and sales prospects of your online store.
Digital marketing and visibility in search social engines and social media platforms is central for the success of ecommerce.
eCommerce is essentially selling stuff in the cyber world and therefore this approach requires a strong digital marketing strategy. You will need to leverage Shopify marketing tools and features for:
- Email marketing
- Social proofing and reviews
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Discounts and promotions
- Social media integration
- Blogging
- SEO
- Product recommendations
- Multi-channel selling
On the Shopify App Store you can find several apps and addons to take your marketing to the next level. The apps cover different functionalities such as email marketing, social commerce (where you can sell your products on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram).
Tips for Starting Your Online Store with Shopify
Now that you have seen why Shopify is the best and the easiest website builder for an online store, it’s time to get started and take some action. Below are the steps you need to follow to build your online store on Shopify.
1. Domain Registration: Running your online store in your custom domain is crucial for branding. Register a short, memorable and brandable custom domain within Shopify or with external domain registrars and hosts like Bluehost. You will then connect this domain to your online store within your Shopify admin portal.
2. Template Selection: From Shopify’s vast free and paid theme collection, choose a theme that resonates with your branding, product type and niche. Customise the theme according to brand colours and aesthetics.
3. Product Setup: Make use of Shopify’s catalogue builder to add, edit and showcase your products. Also leverage SEO features to insert clear and relevant titles, meta tags and descriptions.
Create user Friendly Catalogues
4. Payment Integration: Choose a generous set of payment gateway options that meet the needs and locations of your customers. Make sure at the least, your payment options are such that your customers can pay from the credit/debit cards as well as digital wallets.
5. Security Measures: Shopify takes care of the security of all its online stores. The platform implements the following security measures:
- SSL encryptions
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance
- Fraud analysis
- DDoS Protection
- Two factor authentication (SFA)
- Data Encryption
- Regular Security Audits
- Secure hosting, Access control
- Auto Updates
- Data backup and recovery
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
- App security
- Customer data protection and security education
However, you need to be prudent in your use of the ecommerce platform. Make use of strong passwords and update your store and plugins regularly.
6. Customer Support: Should you need any help, Shopify has a 24/7 support channel available via live chat, email and telephone. The platform has a comprehensive knowledge base and a vibrant community of users ready to answer your questions at each and every step.
7. Marketing and SEO: Setting up a secure and professional online store is one part of the equation. You then need to make maximum use of the SEO and marketing tools, features and addons to give your new store maximum mileage online.
Final Thoughts
As you have seen, if you make the right choice of the easiest website builder for an online store you will save a lot of time, effort and cost in building a professional online store.
If you are keen to get started in the lucrative and booming sector of ecommerce, Shopify has what you need to turn your e-commerce dreams into reality.
Remember, Shopify has a 14 day trial in its premium plans, after which you will pay only $1 per month for the first three months. This gives you ample time to test drive the online store website builder and to pilot your business model risk free.
So what are you waiting for? Get started with Shopify’s free trial, now!
