An independent website refers to a website established and operated by an enterprise or individual on its own, featuring an independent domain name, server, etc. It has a high degree of autonomy and can independently control the website’s content, data, operation rules, and marketing strategies, etc. It is one of the important operation models in cross-border e-commerce. The following are the steps to create an independent website:
- Preliminary planning
Clarify goals and positioning: Determine the target market, main products and differentiated competitive advantages of the independent website, analyze the shopping habits, payment preferences, logistics demands, etc. of consumers in the target market, and provide a basis for subsequent website construction and operation.
Conduct competitive analysis: Study the website design, functional layout, product display, marketing strategies, user reviews, etc. of independent websites of peers, learn their strengths, avoid their weaknesses, and identify market blind spots and competitive differentiation directions. - Select the website-building tool
Shopify: Easy to operate, suitable for beginners, offers a rich variety of theme templates and plugins, supports multiple languages and currencies, is powerful and flexible, and can meet the needs of different types and scales of cross-border e-commerce businesses.
WooCommerce: An e-commerce plugin based on WordPress, it is highly flexible and suitable for sellers with a certain technical foundation. It can deeply customize website functions and interfaces, is highly integrated with the WordPress ecosystem, and has a vast array of plugins and theme resources, enabling rich functional expansions.
BigCommerce: Suitable for medium and large-sized enterprises, it comes with built-in SEO optimization tools, supports multiple languages and currencies, is powerful, and can meet the complex business needs of enterprises, providing excellent performance and stability guarantees.
Magento: An open-source system with powerful functions but high technical requirements, it is suitable for enterprises with strong technical teams. The website’s functions and interface can be highly customized, featuring powerful e-commerce capabilities and scalability, and capable of meeting the complex business processes and high traffic demands of enterprises. - Register a domain name and a host
Domain name registration: Choose a simple, easy-to-remember, and brand-related.com domain name, and avoid complex spellings. Registration can be done on well-known domain name registrar platforms such as GoDaddy and Namecheap.
Host selection: Stable overseas hosts such as SiteGround and Bluehost can be chosen. If you use a SaaS platform like Shopify, there is no need to purchase a separate host as the platform comes with its own hosting service. - Website design and development
Design website structure and UI/UX: Reasonably plan the page layout of the website, including the home page, product page, category page, shopping cart page, settlement page, etc. Ensure that the website design is simple, beautiful, easy to navigate, highlighting the brand tone, core products and promotional information, and providing a good user experience.
Carry out functional development: According to business requirements, add necessary functional modules, such as multi-language switching, multi-currency support, user account management, order management, inventory management, marketing tools, etc. - Configure payment and logistics solutions
Payment method integration: Integrate internationally recognized payment methods such as PayPal, Stripe, credit card payments, etc. In some regions, local payment methods such as GrabPay in Southeast Asia also need to be supported.
Logistics and distribution setup: Cooperate with reliable logistics service providers such as DHL and FedEx, or use overseas warehouses such as FBA and third-party overseas warehouses to enhance distribution efficiency. - Website testing and optimization
Functional testing: Conduct a comprehensive test of all the functions of the website to ensure that the processes of registration, login, product search, order placement, payment, settlement, etc. are smooth and error-free.
Performance optimization: Optimize the loading speed of the website. This can be achieved by compressing images, optimizing code, and using CDN acceleration to enhance website performance.
Compatibility testing: Ensure that the website can display and run normally on different browsers, devices and operating systems, providing a consistent user experience. - Website launch and promotion
After completing the testing and optimization, the website is officially launched and released.
Carry out promotion activities: Develop a comprehensive promotion strategy, integrating various means such as SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising to increase website traffic and popularity and attract potential customers.
If you are a global seller of independent websites like Shopify or woocommerce, and you are operating your own personalized brand or providing services for customized goods, and need to find a high-quality supply chain in China to handle your procurement and fulfillment on your behalf, then you can contact us at Smartdropping.