Rebuilding an eCommerce website

6 Signs when your Ecommerce Website requires a new rebuild.
A website rebuild can be justified by any number of reasons, including the need to update your website with new technology, improve usability for mobile browsers or to change the overall design. If the design is starting to look dated and unappealing, it's time to give it a fresh new look.
However, if you are considering a website redesign because of a drop in conversion rate (low site visitors), then it is time to take action.

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When to start rebuilding an existing eCommerce website

A drop in conversion rate can indicate that your visitors are not getting what they expect from your site and that they aren’t completing the desired action. If you're seeing a drop in conversion rate and low site visitors, that's the telltale sign that it's time to take action and rebuild your website.

Review the list below to determine how likely you are for a new eCommerce website. An online store's appearance, usability, functionality, look and feel, security and credibility convert clients into sales.

If your e-commerce site experience any of the following issues, it's time to reconsider a complete rebuild.

1. Your eCommerce website is slow

Test via Google Page Speed Insights

Customers hate slow loading websites it will effect the conversion rates or time a user spend on your site.

Page load speed is an official Google ranking factor. Just a 400-millisecond slower time difference resulted in 0.44 percent fewer inquiries. The average retail mobile site loads in 3.9 seconds, according to the most recent data, 40 percent of consumers that experience a loading time longer than three seconds will leave the site.

And 79 percent of buyers who are dissatisfied with performance of the site say they are less likely to buy again from the same site. For retailers key engagement metrics such as average time on site, pages per visit, and bounce rates relate to conversion rates. Test your page speed visit Google Page Speed Insights. If your site is slow, it might be time for a new site, or at least some site improvements or look for a faster hosting solution.

An e-commerce website needs to be scalable to handle an increase in users and transactions; otherwise, it will result in a poor user experience. Upgrading the server's resources can help in the short term, but changing the platform may be needed for long-term scalability and performance at its best.

2. Your site is not mobile responsive

Test via Google mobile friendly test

A responsive website automatically changes to fit the device you're viewing the website on. Responsive design adjusts to widescreen desktop monitor, the smaller desktop (or laptop), tablet and a mobile phone. You'd have much better results with your mobile traffic if you think in advance about the needs and wants of mobile users.

More than 35 percent of all online shopping purchases is now done on mobile phones. To test your website visit Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. If your site is not responsive accessible, you will need a change. Mobile usability is a must in today's world, and if your website ain't cutting it, it's time to revamp it.

Developer needs to update your website to access the code just to change a banner

3. Your site is difficult to update

Old eCommerce Platform

If changing the home page banner or updating the product information on your site requires a developer or otherwise difficult, you may need a new website.

eCommerce platforms has many features, not the least of which is to manage content - or that the content is the product information, an information page, or a blog post. Your business should be able to to make quick changes.

new ecommerce framework to rebuild existing ecommerce website

4. Your Code Base out of Date

Replace with new version or upgrade

Web development keeps evolving new APIs, new frameworks, or new libraries always needs to be updated sometimes some upgrades is not compatible. Your website will stagnate and new features or performance will not be available.

eCommerce sites require regular maintenance, safe code and latest stable released software. If your site has an old code base, you may need to have the site rebuild.

5. Website security

Is your website's security adequate?

Think about it: If your website's security is lacking, it's not only risking your own business but also your visitors' personal and financial information.
Here's a checklist to help you identify security areas that need improvement:
1. Is your website secure enough?
2, Encrypting critical data with the latest security methods?
3. Is your website's vulnerability scanned regularly?
4. Are you protecting yourself and your guests?

If you answered "no" to any checklist questions, your security needs improvement.

ERP-POS-ecommerce-system-integration conflict errors

6. ERP-POS Systems

Integration issues between your current website?

Integration issues between your current e-commerce website and an ERP-POS and cloud Accounting system:

1. Compatibility issues between your legacy systems and the ERP-POS system
2. Incorrect configuration settings, such as API keys and endpoint URLs
3. Firewall or security restrictions blocking communication between the systems
4. Data synchronization issues between the website, the ERP Accounting and POS system
5. Conflicting third-party plugins or extensions on the ecommerce platform

If you have any of the above integration problems upgrading to a modern e-commerce platform may be a solution to think about.

Summary of 6 Indicators and Solutions for Rebuilding an E-commerce Website

6 Reasons to Reconsider a Complete RebuildPossible Solutions
Your eCommerce website is slowTest via Google Page Speed Insights. Consider upgrading hosting solution, improving site speed, or rebuilding site.
Your site is not mobile responsiveTest via Google Mobile-Friendly Test. Consider rebuilding site with responsive design.
Your site is difficult to updateConsider upgrading to a new eCommerce platform that is easy to manage content and make quick changes.
Your Code Base is out of dateReplace with new version or upgrade to the latest stable released software.
Website securityEnsure your website has adequate security measures in place to protect personal and financial information of visitors.
ERP - POS Systems IntegrationConsider upgrading to a modern eCommerce platform if you are experiencing integration issues between your current website and an ERP-POS system.

6 Reasons to Reconsider a Complete Rebuild	Possible Solutions
Your eCommerce website is slow	Test via Google Page Speed Insights. Consider upgrading hosting solution, improving site speed, or rebuilding site.
Your site is not mobile responsive	Test via Google Mobile-Friendly Test. Consider rebuilding site with responsive design.
Your site is difficult to update	Consider upgrading to a new eCommerce platform that is easy to manage content and make quick changes.
Your Code Base is out of date	Replace with new version or upgrade to the latest stable released software.
Website security	Ensure your website has adequate security measures in place to protect personal and financial information of visitors.
ERP - POS Systems Integration	Consider upgrading to a modern eCommerce platform if you are experiencing integration issues between your current website and an ERP-POS system.

What else can I do before rebuilding my current website? How can I increase sales so they convert on my eCommerce website?

The following are some popular methods for improving your conversion rates on your eCommerce website:
1. Including new features or functionality to increase website speed and performance.
2. Making your site more up-to-date and SEO-friendly
3. Using a modern image format like WebP to improve the quality of your product photos or change the size of large images
4. By writing in-depth blog posts about a product, you can create new content and more convincing product descriptions.
5. Increase sales by promoting your website through marketing campaigns or social media.

Older websites may lack essential features for improved browsing, searching, and purchasing on older websites

Older eCommerce websites may lack key features like:
Wish list: Customers can save things they want to buy for later. This can benefit clients who aren't ready to buy or want to share their wish list (e.g., for birthdays or holidays). BigCommerce found that 84% of consumers would buy more from a website with a wish list.
Product reviews: Customers can share their product experiences to help others buy. Power Reviews found that 63% of buyers are more likely to buy from websites with user reviews.
Shopping cart: Customers can add numerous products and checkout with a shopping cart. An eCommerce website needs this capability to let clients buy many items at once. According to the Baymard Institute, the industry average for abandoned shopping carts is 75.6%. A well-designed shopping cart should be easy to use, clear, and motivate buyers to complete their purchases.

By rebuilding and updating its website, a business can improve its online presence, boost sales, and make customers happier by giving them a better user experience, more features, and a safer, more compliant platform.

eCommerce websites may need to integrate new systems or technologies like:
1. Payment gateway: A payment gateway secures credit card transactions on eCommerce websites. If the present payment gateway does not accept certain credit cards or has high fraud rates, the firm may need to move to a new one.
2. New shipping companies: An eCommerce website may need to integrate with new shipping companies if the business grows to new locations or if the current shipping companies don't meet the business's needs (for example, by not delivering items quickly enough or by not being reliable).
3. New marketing tools: As the online market grows more competitive, eCommerce websites may need to integrate new marketing techniques to increase traffic and revenue. Email, social media, and SEO tools are examples . According to eMarketer, 66% of marketers think SEO is the best digital marketing strategy for website traffic.

Rebuilding an existing e-commerce website may be essential to improve certain aspects, including obsolete technology, bad user experience, restricted functionality, lack of scalability, misalignment with branding and marketing plans, security concerns, and noncompliance with digital rules.

When you rebuild your website, it's important to choose a platform that can handle your business's needs and has good integration tools. Work with an experienced e-commerce developer to make sure the integration goes smoothly and that your new website does everything you want it to. Contact us