How you can optimise your online store

Content presented from a customer’s perspective

Many companies present their services on their website as they would like to be perceived by the outside world – as the biggest, the best, the most efficient. Or to put it another way round, instead of explaining the benefits of their product or service to customers and offering them a solution, they focus on themselves. Any company that wants to be relevant to its target audience must offer content that interests it. In concrete terms, this means answering questions such as: Why is this modular furnishing system particularly suitable for small apartments? Which chair is particularly good for the back?

Know your target audience

Before you can target potential and existing customers online, the first step is to get to know them. The following questions are crucial here: is my target audience predominantly male or female? How old are my customers? What are they interested in? Your own customer data will provide an initial overview. To get deeper insights, including insights into customers’ search behaviour, you can turn to services such as Google Analytics. For example, if my website visitors are often looking for a "designer couch made of leather", it is worth optimizing product texts. Another useful, practical step is to create buyer personas. They can help you to understand your own target audience better – and to map their user journeys more accurately.

Create trust

Trust elements are a good way to win customers’ confidence, especially for furniture online stores. After all, buying online is still beset by many uncertainties. Furniture is being bought online more and more often, but there are still hurdles such as the lack of haptics or the complex return shipment if the piece of furniture does not please. Store operators can build trust by integrating elements such as a trust seal or customer ratings to make customers feel secure purchasing from their website. Offering a range of payment methods can also reduce the percentage of abandoned shopping baskets. And it goes without saying that adhering to security standards for credit card payments is crucial.

Regular news

If you hide your light under a bushel, no one will know what you have to offer. It is optimal when furniture companies regularly post on their own blogs. Here they can offer a look behind the scenes or point out interesting promotions and special discounts. These activities not only drive traffic to their website. Also from the SEO point of view, regular news on a website are advantageous. They offer insights into the company, creating transparency and building greater customer loyalty. But beware: Here too, it is important to tailor the content to suit your target group. For this purpose, you need to know your target group well.

User friendliness

The best content can achieve nothing if a website isn’t user-friendly. This is why creating an excellent user experience is one of the biggest challenges facing online furniture stores. A clear website structure, visible calls to action and short loading times will encourage users to spend more time on the website – and, in the ideal scenario, to come back.

Also interesting for you: SEO trends 2018: Tips for online furniture retailers.