E-Commerce Optimisations That Hosting Experts Recommend for Retail Sites

E-Commerce Optimisations That Hosting Experts Recommend for Retail Sites

Optimise the retail site for mobile by limiting the menu item number and using larger buttons and auto-filled forms; tools like Pingdom help improve speed; optimizing database queries and index frequently used columns. AI tools can analyze past purchases and social signals to predict demand.

E-commerce is predicted to account for 41% of retail sales worldwide by 2027, up almost 130% from 2017. Although 60% of online purchases take place using a mobile device, not all stores deliver in terms of user experience, speed, and convenience, compelling visitors to bounce off. 40% of online shoppers use their smartphones throughout the shopping process. What’s more, 57% of internet users would not recommend a retail platform with a poorly designed website on mobile.

Mobile optimisation tips include limiting the menu item number to make it easier for visitors to find what they’re seeking on smaller screens and opting for a collapsible navigation drawer or hamburger menu to save space. E-commerce platforms should use clear, concise labels for navigation items to make sure mobile users understand them easily.

Touch-friendly navigation, larger buttons, and auto-filled forms enhance the user experience on smartphones and tablets. Accelerated Mobile Pages can further improve page speed on mobile devices by reducing unnecessary scripts and optimising content for fast loading. Google makes mobile-friendly sites a priority, so mobile optimisation is a key SEO ranking factor.

Monitor performance

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom to assess speed and provide recommendations for improvement. New Relic and other uptime monitoring services send instant alerts if the website goes down. Heatmaps help identify friction points in the user journey, allowing you to refine functionality.

If the retail site is on WordPress, like half of all sites on the internet, optimal WordPress hosting will ensure high performance and security. The right hosting provider will improve the website’s uptime, speed, and scalability.

The site’s efficiency will improve if you optimise database queries, index frequently used columns, and limit how many sessions have been stored. The database remains lightweight when you clean up old customer records, abandoned carts, and expired discount codes. A logistics company whose database contained unoptimised queries reported delays in delivery updates. Using execution plans and rewriting complex joins, it managed to reduce query times by 40%.

Query optimisation ensures efficient execution of database queries, reducing resource use. Execution plans identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks in SQL statements.

Partitioning divides bulky tables into more manageable segments, improving scalability and query performance and limiting contention on frequently accessed data.

Implement best SEO practices

SEO statisticians predicted that generative AI would take a lot of traffic away from Google in 2025, but Google continues to dominate. In fact, the monthly queries per user on generative AI platforms are a minute portion of those on Google Search. 99% of GenAI users continue using search engines as of February 2025.

Use optimised URLs, meta tags, and alt text for images to help search engines understand page content. Internal linking improves navigation and encourages customers to explore related products. Businesses earn over $22 on average per dollar spent on SEO, and e-commerce happens to be one of the top-ranking industries with SEO returns of 317% and a 16-month breakeven. By 2040, retail e-commerce could reach $14 trillion.

Consider using AI agents to streamline processes

Digitally influenced sales are over 60%, and that percentage will only increase as AI agents streamline decision-making, personalize recommendations, and perform auto replenishment tasks. Some hosting providers offer handy AI tools, such as AI-powered website builders. AI tools can help retailers analyze past purchases and consumers’ social signals. Their predictive aptitude enables retailers to predict what customers need before they start shopping, improving loyalty and satisfaction. Retailers can use AI to optimise inventory, streamline operations, and accelerate product design.

Retail sales worldwide are expected to exceed $31 trillion, and retail e-commerce sales will reach $7.4 trillion in 2025. That’s a lot of competition. The tools and optimisations mentioned in this article can help you gain an edge over your competitors.