Because of my job, I have run across many e-commerce stores in the past year. Some of them are great, while others prove to create a terrible user experience. For all of you business owners out there, here are six quick steps to running a successful online shop:

1. Make sure your customers can find your products

You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find a product on some websites. Take for example, the newly redesigned hbc.com store. It can sometimes take up to four mouse clicks to get to a certain section of the store. This might not be so bad if I originally knew where to click, but it took me forever to figure out that the subcategories were listed in tiny text along the left-hand navigation.

By taking the time to create an easy navigation solution, people will be much more likely to browse your store and buy your products.

2. Include pictures with your products

And this includes large pictures. Electronics sites are particularly bad with this one, as they often don't take the time to locate the picture online or take the picture themselves. Users want to see what they are buying, especially if its a high priced item. By not including pictures you could easily lose a sale.

3. Include a detailed description of your products

Just like the pictures, people don't want to buy something unless they know what they are getting. Include as much extra detail as possible, and don't skimp on your descriptions. Search engines also like detailed descriptions, so the more detail you provide, the better your Google rank can become.

4. Develop a professional looking design

A poorly designed website is the equivalent of a pawn shop in the shady part of town. When a company relies on default e-commerce software templates, rather than taking the time and money to develop a proper design, they make themselves look unprofessional.

Customers are weary of using their credit card online, and when the website they are browsing looks unreliable, they will take their business elsewhere. Because of this, it's important to hire professional designers to properly build and maintain your e-commerce store. The right designer will know how to make you look good in the public's eye, and will pay off in the long run.

5. Make sure your products are always in stock

Recently I purchased an item online from Sears.ca that was listed in stock when I ordered, but was actually unavailable once my order was processed. This was a big mistake on Sear's part, and caused alot of wasted time between both parties.

It's understandable that some items will be sold out. If your product is out of stock, let your customers know that by making it unavailable. If you provide a date of when you anticipate stock to arrive, post it on the product page for your customers to see. If they want your product badly enough they will most likely bookmark the page, and come back to check it's status.

6. Make sure you have good customer service

It doesn't matter if you are a one man band or a team of 100– good customer service should always top your list. By providing a friendly and helpful customer service for your customers, you can create an amazing shopping experience for your customers. Not only will they be happy with their current purchase, but they are more likely to come back in the future, and even tell their friends about your website.

Bad customer service (which is an unfortunate case for lots of e-commerce sites) results in unhappy and unfriendly customers. With the power of the internet, bad customer service can also result in the demise of your store – as bad public relations about your company spread throughout various blogs and news sites like a virus.