One of my personal goals for 2011 was to develop a repeatable plan for launching e-commerce websites across a variety of niches. My goal was to get every step of the process down on paper so that I could outsource the task of launching an e-commerce website to just about anyone. Ideally, these documents/videos would empower a low-skill employee to follow step-by-step instructions and release a website. While the employee may not have a complete understanding as to “why” they are completing each step or the technical reasoning behind it, they would still get the same end result: an attractive online store.
This information has taken me months of hard work to accomplish and documenting some of the steps was extremely painful/time consuming at times. However, I believe the process was extremely worthwhile and I learned a lot during the process. If you’re a competitive webmaster that plans on releasing multiple websites in the next couple of years, I strongly urge you to do the same with your own business.
Below is a very high-level view of the e-commerce website process that I developed. I encourage you to take the skeleton of this plan and use it for yourself. This has sped up my website launch process considerably and allowed me to get involved in more markets than I could without these steps.
- Market Research Process: I actually don’t outsource this step in the process. I still identify the different markets that I’m going to enter and invest resources to attain. Before I enter a market I make sure that I’m targeting a group of 2 – 3 related keywords that get at least 1,500 exact match searches per month. I also use common sense to identify whether or not this is an informational or transactional market. (Hint: If there are other e-commerce websites selling products for a specific keyword phrase then it’s probably a transactional keyword phrase.)
- Select Content Management System: If you plan to automate the launch process for multiple e-commerce websites, you need to select a content management system or CMS that will be used for all future websites and stick with it. By selecting one content management system you will begin to understand the strengths and limitations of each specific system. Whatever CMS you choose, make sure it has the flexibility to edit title tags, meta descriptions, H1 headers, and other elements that are important to SEO. I’ve found it very helpful to record videos when outlining each step in the process set up process. The CMS I selected for creating my e-commerce websites is called CRE Loaded.
- Select Web Host: If you’re launching multiple websites, you’ll want to find a web host that is affordable, fast, and reliable. You’ll want to build using one specific web host into the website launch process because set up will be a little bit different depending on the service you choose. Personally, I use HostGator.com for my e-commerce websites. They are affordable, easy to use, and provide exceptional customer service.
- Find Outsource Partners for Completing Specific Tasks: There are some specific tasks that I always off load to other businesses. One project that I always outsource is the logo design. I’ve had about 5 logos created by a company called LogoNerds.com and always been satisfied. This company creates attractive, custom web logos for about $27 a piece. Typically the turnaround time is about 5 – 6 days. I also have a specific outsourced employee that I use for writing product descriptions. I use the same employee every time for this task because I’ve already trained him in on the writing style I like. Having someone else write product descriptions will expedite the launch process considerably.
- Document Everything: Finally, you just need to take the time to record everything you do to launch a website. I’ve recorded videos for everything: how to register for hosting, how-to upload specific files with FTP, how to upload images into the CMS, etc. Then I simply organize the videos and documents in a step-by-step process so others can follow along.
Author Bio: This article was crafted by Brett Alan of the SEO consulting website Start SEO Company. In addition to search-engine marketing, Brett is interested in things like e-commerce websites, affiliate marketing, and just about anything else related to the internet marketing.
