1. Navigation and menu structure
- Clear menu structure: Categorise products logically and ensure clear main and subcategories.
- Consistent placement of menus: Always place the main menu in the same place (usually at the top) and use recognisable labels.
- Breadcrumbs: Use breadcrumb navigation (breadcrumbs) to make it clear to users where they are within the website.
- Search function prominent: Place the search bar in a clear and fixed location (usually at the top right) and make it easily visible.
2. Search functionality
- Autocomplete: Add automatic suggestions when a user starts typing so they find what they are looking for faster.
- Tolerance for spelling errors: Make sure your search function can catch spelling errors and show alternative search results.
- Filters and sorting: Provide options to filter search results (by price, brand, colour, etc.) and sort (by relevance, price, date, etc.).
- Search results page: Display results with clear product titles, images and prices, allowing the user to make a choice quickly.
3. Product pages
- Clear layout: Place the product image(s) on the left or top and the most important product information (name, price, short description, call-to-action) immediately visible.
- High-quality images: Use sharp, high-quality images. Ideally also additional photos, zoom function or 360Β° view.
- Clear call-to-action: Buttons such as "Add to cart" or "Order" should stand out by colour and position.
- Product information: Show (technical) specifications, available variants (size/colour), delivery time and stock status clearly and in a structured way.
- Reviews and ratings: Give users the opportunity to read and write reviews. Positive as well as negative reviews increase credibility.
4. Shopping cart and checkout
- Cart overview: Show clearly which products are in the cart, with subtotal, shipping costs and any discounts.
- Gradual steps: Break the checkout process into clear steps (e.g. enter data, check, pay). Show clearly which step the user is in.
- Guest checkout: Offer the option to checkout as a guest, without mandatory account creation.
- Suggested products: Subtly offer relevant upsell or cross-sell in the cart or at checkout, without overloading the user.
- Shipping & returns information: Be clear about shipping and return costs, delivery times and return policy.
5. Payment methods and security
- Various payment methods: Offer known and trusted payment options (iDEAL, PayPal, credit cards, post-payment, etc.).
- Safety symbols: Use an SSL certificate (https) and display clear security and hallmark symbols (e.g. Thuiswinkel Waarborg) to inspire trust.
- PCI Compliance: Ensure compliance with the secure payment system rules (PCI DSS) when processing credit card data.
6. Mobile optimisation
- Responsive design: Make sure the webshop adapts to different screen sizes (smartphone, tablet, desktop).
- Touch-friendly: Make buttons big enough for one-finger operation and keep enough space between clickable elements.
- Loading speed on mobile: Optimise images and scripts to avoid long load times on mobile devices.
- Limited number of steps: Keep the whole ordering process compact and clear on smaller screens.
7. Speed and performance
- Optimising images: Compress images and use modern file formats (e.g. WebP).
- Caching and CDN: Use caching and/or a Content Delivery Network to make your site faster.
- Technical optimisations: Minimise HTML, CSS and JavaScript; avoid unnecessary plug-ins and scripts.
8. Accessibility
- Alt texts: Add alternative text to images for blind and visually impaired users (and for SEO).
- Colour contrast: Provide sufficient contrast between background and text so that everything is legible.
- Scalability: Users should be able to enlarge your site without breaking the layout.
- Clear labels: Make forms and buttons have clear, descriptive labels that are also picked up by screen readers.
9. Customer service and contact
- Contact: Offer multiple options for help, such as live chat, e-mail, phone or a contact form.
- FAQ page: Provide a Frequently Asked Questions page where users can immediately find answers to simple questions.
- Response times: Give an indication of the expected response time if someone contacts you.
10. Trust and credibility
- Customer reviews: Show reviews and testimonials from existing customers. This increases trust in your webshop.
- Company information: Make it clear who is behind the webshop (about us page, company address, Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number).
- Warranty and return policy: Be transparent about warranty terms, return policy and customer rights.
- Social proof: Show, for example, the number of products sold or the number of current users, if relevant.