| So I'm in month 2.5 of my web site
launch and after over a year of preparation, research and site
development I'm still feeling like a complete novice, daily
discovering something new that I'm wishing I had known right
off the bat. So from this perspective I'd like to share some
wisdom discovered on my path to e-commerce superstardom that
may help you as well.
Practice Patience
It takes time to build up web traffic because the majority
of web site traffic comes from search engines and word-of-mouth.
Since it can take up to several months for the search engines
to index your web site and much longer to build up word-of-mouth,
you are in for a long haul. Don't give up after 2 weeks thinking
it isn't working - it really takes commitment. And great sales
don't kick in until you start getting repeat business - another
thing that takes time.
Focus on Your
Conversion Rate
Woo hoo! You've got major web site traffic - so what. Most
of them aren't buying are they? Research shows that the average
conversion rate (converting browsers to paying customers)
is 2% - that's only a little bit better than doing a direct
mail piece. Find out why people buy and don't buy when shopping
on-line. Conduct a usability test - have your friends report
any problems navigating; can they find all the information
they need to make a buying decision?
Find the Right
IT Person
It's hard to weed through the wannabe's to find an IT person
who knows what they are doing, won't overcharge you AND can
communicate clearly with you in layman's terms without you
feeling like an idiot. Find some sites that you like and explain
in detail what you want your site to be able to do and get
a detailed quote form them. The most difficult IT issue is
getting a database together that works for you and interacts
well with whatever shopping cart you may be using.
Skip Mailing
Lists & Banner Ads
Never buy mailing lists because no matter what they say they
are really just spam brokers. You have to build up your own
mailing list from scratch by offering an e-newsletter or some
other way to interactively collect e-mail addresses on your
site. And banner ads don't provide enough bang for your buck;
they just LOOK and FEEL to much like obnoxious advertising.
Try Pay-per-click keyword ads; I've had the best luck on Google
(www.google.com)
Add Information
to Your Web Site
When you set up your web pages to be dynamic (using a database
to call up the pages as needed) you lose out when it comes
time to optimize your site for search engine placement. It's
difficult for the search engines to index the web site if
the pages are not actually there at the time they are indexed.
So you need to add lots of text pages that are not part of
the database. And when you do set up your database, change
your products often; people like to see new things.
Update Your
Photos and Descriptions
Customers are relying completely on your photos to make a
buying decision so make sure you have clear, quality close-up
views. Find someone with a good digital camera or scan them
in (scan at the highest resolution and cover the sides so
the light won't get in when objects are not flat). Are your
descriptions too cutesy? People are more interested in specific
product details than anything that may cause a gag reflex.
Add exact dimensions. It is really hard to tell size on-line.
Let People Know
Who You Are
In an age where our email accounts are bombarded with ads
for Viagra and scam artists from South Africa - people get
a little weirded out when they don't know anything about the
people they are buying from. Be safe but let people know important
business information; many sites don't even have an address
listed - get a PO box and list it! If you have a storefront
or participate in craft shows, let people know that as well.
Price Appropriately
The higher the item is priced the more difficult it is to
sell on-line because if someone is going to shell out more
than $100 they are likely to want the security of touching
it. So save your high end items for a store or local craft
show and sell the rest on-line. Is your pricing reasonable?
I know it takes a long time to handcraft items but if your
competition is selling an earring out of the exact same products
you've used but at half the price you may need to rethink
your pricing strategy.
Commit to Marketing
I had a client one time who had put her web site up, did some
basic startup marketing during the first month and then announced
that she was glad that was over and now she could sit back
and wait for sales to come in... but they weren't coming in.
YOU CAN'T STOP MARKETING - EVER...... yeah it's yucky - most
of us don't like doing it - but you have to commit the time
and money to market all year round.
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