Starting an online business is easily positioned as a great option for today’s entrepreneurs. It’s significantly cheaper than setting up physical premises, requires no expertise or qualifications, and can be done from anywhere with internet access — meaning, for instance, that someone disillusioned with conventional employment in the midst of a pandemic can try self-employment.

The low barrier to entry isn’t solely positive for any given entrepreneur, though. Yes, it makes it much easier for them to start a business, but it also makes it easier for everyone else, leading to an online marketplace that’s remarkably competitive. Once a business becomes established, it can do very well, but many never survive the startup phase because it’s so hard to stand out.

You need to cover all the essentials, naturally: have a good business model, target the right audience, get your pricing right, etc. But that only gives you a chance to cover your costs. If you want to flourish, you’ll need to find ways to outperform your competitors, and it’s ultimately the little touches that make all the difference. Here are five touches that you should focus on:

Styling tweaks

Every business site needs to look good, and the great thing about modern web development is that template-based theming makes this relatively easy. Simply choosing the right theme while putting your website together can do most of the work for you, ensuring that every part of your website’s structure looks professional regardless of the device used to access it.

That said, you mustn’t stop there. Themes — great themes, at least — are designed to be broadly customizable, allowing you to make significant changes to everything from the ordering of the panels to the color scheme in use. Given that there will inevitably be other sites out there using the same theme you’re using, it’s vital that you make some key tweaks.

You don’t need to go overboard by changing every single setting. Instead, consider your site relative to its competitors once you’re satisfied with how it looks. If it stands out sufficiently well, you needn’t make further changes, since that’s the entire point of making those tweaks.

Packaging inserts

Much is said in business about “going the extra mile” — doing what’s expected of a competent and reliable company, then doing slightly more just to show that you care about providing an exceptional service. One of the best ways to go the extra mile is to throw some minor extras into your product packaging (without notifying the recipient beforehand).

Some online sellers put in small bags of candy, for example, or discount coupons to be used for further orders (or even purchases through other sites, arranged through brand collaboration). Others throw in basic accessories (such as simple cases to go with phones), or even random products they have overstocked — it’s a good way to offload what isn’t selling.

If you find something to add, you can also take advantage of the unboxing excitement to market your business more. Throw in a business card the buyer can share with their friends when recommending your business (making business cards is something else made easier by using templates), perhaps, along with a pamphlet featuring your latest products to tempt them.

Thank-you emails

Too many online businesses view the purchase as the final step of the marketing process. You get someone interested, lure them to your site, convince them to buy, confirm the order, then move on to the next prospect: your job there is done, right? Well, it isn’t that simple. In truth, instead of always moving on, it’s better to focus on making that purchase memorable.

If you can do that, you can earn that customer’s loyalty, and customer loyalty is essential: one loyal customer is more valuable than numerous one-off buyers: they’ll spend large sums with you, be more accommodating of any mistakes you make, and drive most (or all) of your referrals. Something small that matters more than you might think is the basic thank-you email.

A well-written thank-you email leaves the buyer with a positive view of your store, however perfunctory their buying experience may have been (not every online order is exciting: they could have bought some toilet-cleaning equipment).

Authentic copy

Now, you might wonder why authentic copywriting is something I consider a small touch: well, the truth is that most website copy is always going to be similar because it needs to be functional. As much as you might like the idea of having unique product categories, what matters is making your site easy for users to navigate — and they’ll want familiarity.

In some places, though, you have the chance to let your personality shine through. Take your homepage and your “About Us” company page as the primary examples of viable areas to express some informality (if that’s reflective of your personality, of course). Instead of running with generic statements or comical braggadocio, write something unique. People like to support companies that aren’t afraid to be radically different from others.

Thoughtful visuals

I use the word “thoughtful” here because it isn’t enough to say “high-quality”: yes, you need to use images that are clear and high-resolution, but that won’t help very much if you fill every corner of your site with bland stock images. We’ve all seen sites that just wheel out generic smiling faces and scenic vistas, and it’s always boring. You should do better.

One way to manage this easily is to use photos of the team behind your business. If you’re not comfortable with that, take your own photos of things relevant to what you do: your products, your office, the area (or areas) you work in. You can also design some interesting graphics to use for panel backgrounds and even your hero image if you deem it useful.

You could create a website with a 100%-unchanged theme, leave your packaging as it is, send nothing but a confirmation email following each order, and pack your site with generic copy and visuals — and it would look passable. But that isn’t enough. You need to stand out, and that means getting the little touches right.