Creating An E-Commerce Website With Google Web Designer

Google Web Designer is a tool that allows you to create engaging videos, images, and HTML5-based designs for your business. It is intended for business use only and gives you the power to create beautiful and compelling videos, images, and HTML5 ads. When designing an e-commerce website, it is important to keep in mind the website's overall design, mobile-friendliness, security, and reliability. Additionally, it is crucial to select an appropriate e-commerce platform, create and optimize product pages, set up shipping and delivery options, and choose a domain name. Testing and launching the website, as well as marketing and promotion, are also key steps in the process.

Verify site ownership with Google

Verifying your site ownership with Google is a crucial step in the process of creating an e-commerce website. This step ensures that you have access to your website's private Google Search data and can influence how Google Search crawls your site.

• Access your Google Search Console dashboard: Log in to your Google Search Console account and access the dashboard.
• Add a new property: From the dashboard, click on "Add Property" to start the process of verifying a new website.
• Select a property type: You will be given the option to choose between a domain or a URL prefix. If you select the domain option, you will be able to verify your website via DNS. The URL prefix method offers four verification methods, giving you more options.
• Choose a verification method: Depending on the property type you selected, you will have different verification methods available. For the URL prefix method, the four options are:

• HTML Verification File: Upload an HTML file to the root directory of your website. You will need access to your server to upload the file using FTP/SFTP clients or a file manager.
• HTML Tag: Add a meta tag to your site's section.
• Google Analytics: If you have Google Analytics set up on your site and have edit permissions, you can verify your site using the Google Analytics tracking code.
• Google Tag Manager: If you are already using Google Tag Manager and have the container snippet active on your site, you can verify with a single click.

• Follow the instructions for your chosen method: Each verification method will have specific instructions provided by Google. For example, if you choose the HTML Verification File method, you will need to download the verification file from Google, upload it to your website's root folder, and then click the "Verify" button in Google Search Console.
• Verify your property: Once you have completed the steps for your chosen verification method, return to Google Search Console and click the "Verify" button. Google will then check for the presence of the verification code or file on your website to confirm your ownership.

Remember that Google periodically checks your site's verification, so it is important to leave the verification method in place even after confirmation.

Ask Google to index your site

Once you've built your website, you'll want to make sure it's visible on the internet. To do this, you'll need to make sure it's indexed by Google. Google indexing is the process of analysing, organising, and filing webpage information in Google's index, a massive database.

There are two main steps to getting your site indexed by Google:

• First, Google's search bot, Googlebot, needs to find your site.
• Then, it needs to determine if your content is worth indexing.

Here's how to ask Google to index your site:

• Log in to Google Search Console: Use your Google account to log in to Google Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools). If it's your first time, you'll be prompted to add your domain, which is the main portion of your website URL. Enter your domain and click "Continue".
• Verify ownership of your website: Follow the instructions to verify that you own the website using a domain name system (DNS) record. You'll copy the TXT record from the pop-up window, log in to your domain registrar, paste the TXT record, and click "Save".
• Add your domain to Google Search Console: Once you've verified ownership, add your domain to your Google Search Console account.
• Request indexing: Visit the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console and select "Request Indexing".
• Create and submit a sitemap: Googlebot constantly crawls the web for new pages or updated content, but it can take some time to find a new website. To speed up the process, submit an XML sitemap, which lists all the pages on your site. Sitemaps help Google identify the most important pages, which can improve your search performance. You can find your sitemap by typing your domain followed by "sitemap.xml" into your browser's address bar. Copy the URL, return to Google Search Console, navigate to "Sitemaps", and paste the URL under "Add a New Sitemap".

It can take Google anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to index your site once you've submitted a sitemap. You can check your index status by typing "site:" followed by your domain into the Google search bar. If Google doesn't return any results, your site hasn't been indexed yet, so try again in a few days.

Make your site mobile-friendly

Making your site mobile-friendly is a crucial step in ensuring your users have a seamless experience. In today's mobile-driven world, it is no longer optional to have a mobile-friendly website or app. With most users accessing the internet through their smartphones, optimising your digital presence for mobile devices is key to staying ahead of the competition. A mobile-friendly design improves user experience, boosts engagement, and enhances your search engine rankings.

Make it Mobile Responsive

The first step is to ensure your website has a mobile-responsive design. This means choosing a mobile-friendly theme or template. Many popular website builders such as WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix offer mobile-friendly and beautiful templates. A mobile-responsive design dynamically adjusts to any screen size, providing a consistent experience across devices.

Optimise for Speed

Speed is essential when it comes to mobile-friendly design. According to statistics, 47% of visitors will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. To increase your website's loading speed, compress your files, such as images and CSS, to make them lighter and faster to load.

Clear Call to Actions (CTAs)

Call to actions are commands or actions that guide your visitors to take specific actions. Place the right CTAs on your website to strategically guide your users. However, avoid overwhelming your users with multiple CTAs that may confuse them.

Easy Navigation Interface

Easy navigation is one of the top mobile-friendly website tips. When a visitor lands on your website, they should easily understand your website's structure and be able to take the desired actions without confusion. Keep the navigation simple and intuitive, allowing users to find products easily and have the necessary information at hand.

Minimise the Menu

Minimising the menu section can help optimise your website's performance and make it more mobile-friendly. Instead of displaying all the menu options, you can hide them behind a single bar, making it easier to arrange the options and increasing the loading speed.

Add a Search Function

Adding a search function is a crucial element of a mobile-friendly website, especially for e-commerce sites. Studies show that around 30% of visitors use a search bar when it is available. It helps enhance the user experience by allowing them to find what they are looking for quickly and easily.

Test on Real Devices

Finally, once you have made the necessary changes to make your website mobile-friendly, it is essential to test it on real mobile devices. Use tools like BrowserStack Live, which offers testing on thousands of real mobile devices and browsers, to evaluate your website's interface, performance, speed, and navigation system.

Choose a platform with security measures

When choosing a platform for your e-commerce website, security should be a top priority. Here are some key considerations to ensure the platform you select has robust security measures in place:

• Select a secure platform with built-in security protocols: Opt for a platform that prioritises security and has built-in security features. For example, WooCommerce offers key security functionalities such as SSL encryption and role-based access control.
• SSL certificates: Ensure the platform provides SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates. SSL encrypts data transmitted between a user's browser and the server, including credit card details and login information. This safeguards sensitive user data from falling into the wrong hands.
• Firewall protection: Choose a platform that includes firewall protection. A firewall acts as a gateway between networks, allowing secure connections while blocking harmful threats and unauthorised traffic. Application gateways and proxy firewalls are particularly effective for e-commerce websites.
• Regular security updates: The platform should provide regular security updates to address vulnerabilities and introduce new safeguards. This is crucial to staying one step ahead of potential threats.
• Data backups: Ensure the platform offers data backup solutions. This will enable you to recover data in the event of breaches or system failures.
• DDoS protection: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a common threat to e-commerce websites. Choose a platform that provides DDoS protection to safeguard your site against these overwhelming traffic attacks.
• PCI compliance: The platform should facilitate compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is a set of requirements designed to protect credit card information and maintain security standards.
• Secure payment gateways: Avoid storing credit card information directly on your servers. Instead, opt for a platform that integrates with secure third-party payment processing systems such as PayPal, Stripe, or Skrill.
• Antivirus and anti-malware software: The platform should offer or allow for the integration of powerful antivirus and anti-malware software to detect and prevent various cyber threats.
• User access security: Implement careful user role assignments and permissions to secure user access to your website. Adhering to the principle of least privilege is recommended, granting users only the necessary permissions to fulfil their specific roles.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): Consider a platform that supports two-factor authentication for an additional layer of security. This requires users to provide something they know (a password) and something they have (a code sent via email or SMS) to access the system.

Design your homepage

The homepage is your first chance to make a good impression, so it's important to get it right. Here are some tips to help you design an effective and engaging homepage for your e-commerce website:

• Keep it simple: A cluttered and complex homepage can be overwhelming for users. Stick to a simple design that is easy to navigate.
• Visual hierarchy: Arrange the elements on your homepage based on their importance. Place the most important elements, such as your logo, call-to-action (CTA), value proposition, and navigation menu, above the fold and make them stand out.
• Call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should be visually prominent and easy to find. Use a button instead of a link, and make sure it is colour contrasted and surrounded by white space.
• Navigation menu: Make your navigation menu visible and easy to find. Use a banner, box, or colour contrast to draw attention to it.
• Value proposition: Clearly communicate your value proposition above the fold on your homepage. Tell your customers why they should buy from you and how you are different from your competitors.
• Images: Use high-quality images that showcase your products in use. Display thumbnails or pictures next to product categories to help users find what they are looking for more easily.
• Content blocks: Use white space or minimalistic lines to visually separate content blocks and make the page look tidy and organised.
• Site promotions: Avoid placing site promotions directly above product lists to prevent confusion. Use visual cues to distinguish between promotions and product lists.
• Secondary CTA: If you have a secondary CTA, make it less noticeable than your primary one. You don't want to overwhelm users with multiple calls to action.
• Trust and transparency: Include contact information, such as an email address, phone number, and mailing address, as well as policies for shipping and returns. This helps build trust with your customers.
• Mobile-friendly: Ensure your homepage is optimised for mobile devices. Most people shop on their phones, so a mobile-friendly design is crucial for a positive user experience.

Frequently asked questions