An online business lives and dies according to its customers. They are what keeps the company running. In order to keep your clients happy and keep them coming back it is important to put them at the centre of everything your business does, from support to the way your website is built.

A good website with a personal touch that makes people feel like you actually care about them will not only help acquire new customers, but keep the ones you already have coming back.

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that there is no one solution that works for everyone. Every business is different and every audience has different needs. How do you find out what these needs are? You ask. Gathering feedback is a crucial step of creating a user centric experience. So, create a little form that allows your visitors to tell you what they think. Avoid anything that’s a “yes or no” question. The more detailed the information you receive, the better.

Ease of use should be something that is always be on your mind when building a site. Every page must be clean and well organised. People should know exactly how to find what they are looking for and there should be nothing distracting the customer from their browsing experiences.

This means no pop-us, and if you rely on ad revenue in order to cover your hosting charges, you have to make sure the ads are not invasive. If you have an auto playing video that covers the whole screen, for example, the second people reach your site they may be annoyed. A good percentage will just leave.

Performance should also be at the top of your list of priorities. Recent studies show that people expect a website to load in about two seconds. If it takes more than four, then they will either leave or get what they want and never come back again.

You need a good web hosting service; VPS if you are a smaller business, or a dedicated server if you already have thousands of visitors at any point in the day. Having the right hardware backing up your site is very important.

In the world of business, any business, many unpredictable things happen. It is impossible to prepare for every possible user case out there. The best way to face these kind of problems is to create an solid customer support structure. This means having a number of channels for clients to come to you with their questions; everything from e-mail to social media, and having the right infrastructure to answer these queries in a fast and satisfactory fashion.

Shopping centres have soft music and a layout that makes them easy to navigate while making you look at as many shops possible. They do their best to make visitors feel comfortable and truly enjoy their experience.

Your website should do the same. The better the experience, the better the business. It is that simple. Get the VPS or server that is right for you, ask your customers what they want and build up your support structure. Soon you will be on the road to e-commerce success