Although the competitive realm of e-commerce can be most easily gauged by quantifiable sales, other measurable considerations have to be made, for instance, your website visits. More and more brands are improving their online presence as a means to generate greater traffic, hence more business and greater success overall. Certain brands are leading the internet with their grasp of how to most effectively invite visitors and encourage action within their space. Internet-using consumers are looking for something in particular with their online experience, and these companies are bringing that to users through different features, functions, and integrations of value to web users.
But first, what brands are leading the pack? According to Tech.co, the top 5 websites, in terms of their popularity, are technology media company: Yahoo (#5), online sale extraordinaire: Amazon (#4), social media whiz: Facebook (#3), leader in visual streaming: Youtube (#2), and search engine guru: Google topping off the charts as the number one most visited website….Okay, now, what do these brands do that is so exceptional as to place them in such high regard online?
Responsiveness
All of these websites have one initial thing in common that has landed them a spot at the top. As we, as consumers, delve further into our regular use of smartphones, tablets, and even more recent smart technology, we require something that can keep up and work across platforms. The ability to do this is something that all five of these websites are providing. In the same fashion that you are seeing this top-five in the rankings for websites, they all possess a spot at the top for mobile applications as well.
What this ultimately translates to is responsiveness. One primary objective of websites migrating into hand-held, mobile territory, is to take the fast-paced, accessible nature of the internet and make it faster and even more accessible. Offering such applications designed to work in different ways, on different devices, given different needs or circumstances gives brands a leg up to fulfill needs. Although having responsive applications fit for different devices and platforms is especially useful in building strength in numbers, it also establishes an advantage of reliability for your brand. Consumers acknowledge the freedom to access your information without limits and see you as dependable. Mimicking what the top 5 websites are doing to provide optimal responsiveness is key to their success.
SEO
In addition to responsiveness, these websites have absolutely nailed search engine optimization. When you search the specific name for any of these websites or even a general keyword with close association, you will most definitely be returned with these names at the top of our search rankings. They all possess the clout within their industries as well as the execution of digital business practices to make them most prone to visibility and best equipped to compete in e-commerce. Furthermore, these five powerhouse websites have found ways of spreading themselves across and by means of other websites, oftentimes other top-ranked websites, so as to develop links and increase brand attention.
Leading the pack by far in this regard is the Google company. In all respects, it is the winner or search rankings and search engines in general. Put it this way. When people are looking for something online, their search generally starts with a search engine. Subsequently, when a web user is looking for a search engine with which to conduct their search, Google is the most prominent search engine and most likely to fit the bill of anyone’s search needs. According to Imforza, 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine, and Google owns 65-70 percent of the search engine market share. Similar in SEO prominence to Google is Yahoo. Operating much like Google, Yahoo provides a platform for many different functions for news, entertainment, and quick reception of valuable information. Although these two companies bear their own distinctive differences, they both certainly are exemplary in terms of SEO.
Also, while websites, or specific companies with websites can increase their SEO by means of sharing across digital platforms with different forms of media or information presentation, another way to accomplish this is to simply own the different platforms. For instance, Google, the number one ranking website, has recently come into ownership of Youtube, number two ranking website. What this means, is that instead of relying on links with other unassociated companies for your visibility online, you are using your own brands in tandem with one another to mutually boost visibility overall. To possess the powerhouses of multiple multi-media industries is to ensure high quality SEO.
Social and Blog Attributions
While people migrate further into digital territory, we reinforce what we here at Rave Retailer have said before: people still wish to have a social element to their online interactions. Some people enjoy consuming in-depth takes or perspectives on matters that they find of interest. Others like the ability to leave their insights on the media that they see or hear and get excited at the notion of others having a something to say in response to the comment having been left initially. The list goes on and on, and it is evident that having a personal tie to a website, from the consumer’s end, is most key in wanting to form or maintain that tie, period.
Facebook is practically synonymous with the term ‘social media’…heck, even just the word ‘social’. As e-commerce has stretched further and further in its globalization reach, so too have the bounds of personal relationships. Whether for business or pleasure, a personal touch is vital. With 1.94 billion users worldwide, the popularity of this site is utterly indisputable (CNN). It has managed to become a platform for all things sharing, a media hub of sorts that allows normal people to connect with anyone or any brand with a great deal of ease and accessibility unlike any they have ever had before.
Youtube has also managed to make a very sizable splash in the digital-social world, with 1,300,000,000 users (Fortune Lords). An additional adherence to brands is achievable thanks to the type of media that this platform supplies as well as the way it operates. Two very apparent scripts that people apply with Youtube videos are entertainment orientation and informational orientation, although it is not limited to only these two formats. In either sense, users can gain something from Youtube usage. In regards to entertainment, people can watch videos conducted by channels they enjoy, share those videos, or even make their own videos to entertain others. With informational videos, you can use it for educational purposes with great ease. What you end up finding is a sort of blog portrayal. People speak out or you speak out to people, conveying messages or insights via visual media. To easily obtain information like this, and a wealth of information at that, is massive!
Shopping Cart
People love to shop. They love to shop in the real world and through the digital gateways available to them. As a matter of fact, within minutes of being online, through any website, for any reason, you will become aware of the apparent consumer focus that is present all around you. You will see ads before your Youtube videos, promotional emails sent through your accounts with Google or Yahoo, or brands sharing cool new product descriptions onto your Facebook feed in hopes that you’ll make that product yours today. So the goal in the end is to consume, to sell, to buy, etc.
While all of these companies have found a way to make their websites optimal for selling, no company has brought the power of the shopping cart to fruition quite like Amazon. This website accounts for the majority of all online sales. In 2016, Slice intelligence released an analysis with findings that 43 percent of all US online retail sales, in some form, were done through Amazon, and this number is not yet finished growing (Business Insider). Furthermore, in a sample analysis of 4 million purchases, Amazon was found to account for 53 percent of the US e-commerce sales for 2016 (http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-accounts-for-43-of-us-online-retail-sales-2017-2). To be able to gain attention and popularity through brand acknowledgement is a great feat, but to have ‘selling’ as your brand’s selling point changes the game.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these websites have a lot to offer. While the topics ranged from basic responsiveness all the way to complex selling capabilities, there is still so much more to offer from each of these top website popularity contenders. By using features such as those outlined above, these websites have managed to take the internet and e-commerce realm by storm. By implementing such practices into your online business strategy, you will be equipping yourself with the means to succeed and gain the popularity you know your website and your brand deserve. To learn more about these features, implementing them into your plan, and watching your recognition skyrocket, contact Rave Retailer today!