Today, every business has an online presence. It is the successes of the online platform that largely defines the success of any given business. In the near future, the online presence will be the only thing that determines the success and existence of any business. It is no surprise that e-commerce websites are cropping up in thousands every day. Unfortunately, not all the upcoming websites meet their intended purposes. If anything, only 4% of websites are visible on the first page of search engines. While the remaining 96% are referred to as the deep web. While that should not be a worry, the fact that only 50% of the deep web is reachable via keyword search should be a cause for worry. The success of every website starts from the design. Designing an e-commerce website that meets the needs of your clients needs a lot of thinking and considerations. That is the reason why you need to ask your self some questions.
“Should I Use Saas or Build My Own Website?”
Using Software as a Service (SaaS) means that, you are building your website based on a software that someone else has designed. There are plenty of website building tools out there that you can use to build an e-commerce website. However, before you decide to choose a software tool to build your website, there are also questions you should ask your self.
“Has Anyone Else Ventured Into What Am Doing?”
Is there a solution that can precisely feet my specific requirements? To get the answer to this question, you have to do extensive research. Check the available SaaS templets, tools and options. Check most of the leading web design options and see the available options. If you find a design that is similar to what you have in your mind then you will be required to move to the critical question number 2.
“How much experience do you or your organization have when dealing with other products that are designed to meet your needs?”
To answer this question, you will also have to check at your past experiences. Have you tried implementing a software that was built by another person successfully? Have you tried building a website before? How did things turn out? If you are positive about the outcome, you can settle on using SaaS to build your e-commerce website. If you are not sure at this stage, you need to Ask Yourself the third Critical Question. However, before you move to the third Critical question, you should look at these advantages of using a SaaS website.
“It Is Best To Use An Already Available Solution?”
When you are designing an e-commerce website, chances are you are offering a product that thousands of other people are offering online. This means that research has been done and tools that can help in designing and marketing your site have been optimized. When you choose to use SaaS, you give yourself several advantages. Here are some benefits of using SaaS.
-You get to use products that have been tested and proven to work with other websites.
-You do not need to have much programming knowledge to get started.
-You get to share cloud resources with other users hence making the entire project cheaper.
-You get a chance to see what you are purchasing and even have a trial period before you spend your money. Most SaaS website designers will always show you a Demo or give a trial period.
-You read customer reviews and get to know customer experiences with the specific SaaS website builder.
After deliberate consideration of a SaaS software and you are still convinced you to want to go your own way, it is advised you try looking at one of the SaaS software that is more close to what you want. Then ask yourself the third critical question.
“Why Doesn’t This Product Fit My Needs?”
The reason why the available product does not fit your desired need maybe because it does not blend well with your brand or products. However, before completely dismissing it, look at the platform and see if it has a future. Try reaching out to the manufacturer and see if the update has the features you are looking for. It is also advisable that, you try reducing your specifications and expectations so that you can work with what is available.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Building Your Own E-commerce website.
Advantages
-You get freedom for customization according to your specific details.
-You have a chance to introduce new ideas to the market.
-You can sell your ideas to other interested parties.
-You can consult with other members of the organization and decide on key features of the website.
Disadvantages
-You are not sure whether clients will like what you are building.
-It will take more time and resources to get it working.
-It may not work efficiently and you may be forced to spend more money streamlining the site.
-Lack of integration with most used online tools and platforms.
Conclusion
The choice of whether to create your own website or use SaaS in designing an e-commerce site lies with you. You need to look at the pros and cons and decide what fits you most. While it is recommended that you choose SaaS, there are business models that may be very difficult to integrate with the available options. If you are sure you have the manpower and financial ability to design your own website from scratch, then you are free to go that way.
A SaaS website makes the work easier for you by managing your contacts, emailing needs and in some cases employee management. You can choose a software that offers you exactly what you need when starting out an e-commerce website and within no time you will be ranking high. Most importantly, a SaaS website will provide you with statistics that you can use in management and implementation of marketing strategies. If you are new in the world of marketing and want to venture into e-commerce, SaaS is definitely the way to go.