We’ve developed a free contribution for OS Commerce, allowing the easy integration of LinkConnector’s affiliate code. OS Commerce is a popular free eCommerce system with excellent features. Get Setup:
Signup for a LinkConnector Merchant Account
Download the OS Commerce LinkConnector Contribution
Tags: denver web design, seo, website design, search engine optimization, website development, denver web development
We just developed a free contribution for Zen Cart, allowing the easy integration of LinkConnector’s affiliate code. Zen Cart and LinkConnector are an excellent match:
1. Both help eCommerce store owners avoid the sizable fees associated with opening and operating a store.
2. LinkConnector offers a two month grace period for setup and recruiting affiliates before they charge their low ($50/mo for self managed) fee.
3. Their “Naked Link” technology helps INCREASE your search engine rankings.
Get Setup:
Signup for a LinkConnector Merchant Account
Download the Zen Cart LinkConnector Contribution
11-21-2007 UPDATE: Changed Link Connector Fees
Tags: search engine optimization, website development, denver web development, website design, seo, denver web design
There was an excellent story in the San Francisco Gate in May about Lake Champlain Chocolates, and the lessons they’ve learned with Pay Per Click Advertising. The story title is “PAY-PER-CLICK PROBLEMS: Emeryville gourmet chocolate company has a rough go of it“, but the real value of the article is the PPC secrets it gives away. The article discusses two chocolate retailers: Lake Champlain Chocolates and Charles Chocolates. Lake Champlain Chocolates has experienced successful growth due to their PPC campaign, but Charles Chocolates did see any measurable growth from theirs.
1. Use negative keywords
In the article, words like “cheap” and “free” were used as negative keywords to avoid showing ads to less affluent searchers. Every time you show an ad it’s like holding out a dollar bill for your searcher to snatch away. Be sure to get a prospective customer in return!
2. Refrain from using the content network
Google AdWords users expect that the content network will show ads in all the right places. In a perfect world, new customers would see your ad and keep you in mind for their next purchase. But it isn’t a perfect world(Don’t even get me started!). Consider:
- Visitors probably will not click. Content ads are like billboard ads. How often do you see a billboard and pull off of the highway to make an immediate purchase? It’s highly unlikely. Like the company in the article learned, “The return was never there.”
- Visitors who click your ad won’t buy that day. They were reading, not shopping. At best, they will signup for your newsletter or bookmark your page. Is the landing page converting them into bookmarking or signing up? Probably not. Either fix that, or turn off the content network for now.
- Clickfraudsters will click your ad and keep half. Click fraud is a plague of the content network. Last June, Outsell estimated that click fraud could be as high as 14 percent. The real estimate is probably a little lower, but click fraud does exist.
3. Use large sets of focused keywords
The successful Lake Champlain Chocolate seller had a keyword set as high as 70k at one time, and now has it trimmed down to 30k. That’s a big keyword set!
4. Use advanced keyword features
One of the issues Internet Marketing Consultant Lael Sturm found with the struggling Emerville Chocolate Retailer Charles Chocolates was that they “hadn’t modified the ad text to match each specific keyword.” Be sure to use the advanced keyword options that PPC engines like Google AdWords provide. In Google AdWords, the code is {keyword: your keyword}. This option shows the keyphrase your user was searching for in the text of your ad.
5. Measure and adjust
Is money being wasted in your campaign? You won’t know unless you are measuring. Lake Champlain saw they spent money attracting a searcher for “Chocolate covered scorpions,” something they didn’t sell, and decided not to let that happen again. Along with measuring what ads are the most effective, be sure to measure what you are paying for and remove/adjust the ads lacking good ROI.
6. Outsource your campaign to professionals to dramatically increase your sales
Even with Lake Champlain Chocolate’s success inhouse, they were able to DOUBLE their sales by outsourcing their PPC management to professionals. You just can’t beat having the right help. Get to your friendly neighborhood search marketing agency today!
Tags: seo, website development, website design, denver web design, search engine optimization, denver web development
I’m still getting two copies of Search Marketing Standard magazine, but I’m not reporting it. First off, it’s so good that I don’t want to possibly miss an issue by having anyone mess with my subscription. With other magazines, I’ve found that fulfillment centers sometimes get confused, and it’s usually months before I realize a certain issue isn’t coming. I just can’t risk it. Every article is good.
Secondly, I’ll probably read through it twice. Might as well have a fresh crisp copy the second time. I wonder if I’ll even dog-ear the same pages?
Here are four excellent resources for anyone interested in SEO, internet marketing, ecommerce, and the affiliate scene:
1. Search Marketing Standard
2. Practical Ecommerce
3. Revenue
4. Internet Retailer
It is essential that web designers and web site developers start paying attention to the many facets that can make or break an online business. These publications can help get you serve your clients!
Tags: denver web development, website design, website development, search engine optimization, seo, denver web design
Many view the worlds of Pay Per Click Advertising and Search Engine Optimization as opposites. While they are certainly very different, the goals are similar: bring eyeballs(with wallets) to your site and make it easy for them to buy. Here are 5 tips to improve your SEO based on lessons from PPC.
1. Converting keywords
Some keywords convert into sales better than others. Use your analytics to discover which keywords are bringing you sales, then target them with your SEO campaign. PPC(Pay-Per-Click) ads are a wonderful testbed to discover those converting keywords if you are pressed for time.
2. Your title and metadescription are your ad
When composing your titles and metadescriptions, remember they will be shown in the search engine result pages. It’s like having an advertisement to click, but without Google’s AdWords rules. Always remember you are competing against the other pages in the SERPS(Search Engine Result Pages) - who will get the click?
3. Landing pages
It’s great to optimize for your homepage, but setup some (even more relevant) landing pages and be sure they get some of the inbound links you are building.
4. Optimize landing pages for different steps in the buying process
As visitors reach your site, think about what step they might be at in their buying process? Are they conducting preliminary research? Give them links to bookmark your content, send it to a friend, or signup for your newsletter. Is their search so specific that they are probably ready to buy? Now is the time to wave the free shipping!
5. Split Test
Internet marketing is measurable. Why not setup split tests when you design your web pages? Create a couple of similar pages(avoid duplicate content) and use your analytics to measure performance. When your sample size tells you which one is better, adjust the worst of the two and measure again. Or create a third page. Hey, why not? HMTL is still free.
Tags: seo, website development, denver web development, website design, denver web design, search engine optimization
According to a recent study, Shoppers will wait four seconds for a page to load. The study was commisioned by a company that provides high bandwidth services, but seems about right.
Recent blog postings have talked about “page rage” and “mouse rage” occurring in surfers who do not feel their page is loading fast enough. These are the same people who honk in the Wendy’s drive-thru when the line is long. We live in an ever-impatient society. If you want to keep these customers - who may not take time to comparison shop or ask presales questions - make sure your pages load quick!
There are several strategies to decrease your page loading time:
1. Get better hosting, or a dedicated server
If you have the budget, consider a dedicated server or a third party solution. Or go with a smaller hosting company like VI-Solutions.
2. Optimize your graphics
Make sure any graphics on your site are at 72 or 96ppi, and the exact size they are being used at. Many novices accidentally save graphics at resolutions way too high.
3. Load graphics after your page loads
Use a little javascript to load graphics after the page has loaded, if needed.
4. Clean up your HTML
Use external files to load Javascript and CSS files. Use CSS-based layout, and fewer HTML comments.
Tags: website development, seo, website design, search engine optimization
You are currently browsing the archives for the eCommerce category.
