Ecommerce: April 2009 Archives

Most Web sites are not built with SEO in mind.

Tips for Using Keywords in Key Areas

The first step should be to examine your code. Certain code detracts from the way a search engine will rank a site for relevancy. Cascading Style Sheets (CCS), for instance, don't mean anything to search engines. Where possible, move the CSS code off individual pages of your Web site and into a separate folder. Then, use a single line of HTML to reference the CSS code.

At least 80-percent of your main page should be text, with the balance being code. Your site should also be W3C-compliant to ensure that people can view your site correctly--and don't use code that works only in some browsers.

The second step for new Web shop owners is to work on their site's metadata --everything that fits in between the and tags on the page--such as the Title, Description, Subject and Classification.

See the full story at: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/advertising/article.php/3816911

So you own a small ecommerce shop and are wondering how to expand your business? As you may or may not know by now, search can drive an incredible amount of traffic to your site. Whether you are selling products or services to your customers online, the concept is typically similar.

It is best to approach search as a key driver to your online business. If you are a typical "bricks and mortar" store, you will find that most of your successful offline tactics have little or no meaning within your online business model. For example, if your store sold electronics, you may consider the overall presentation of your products based on either price or popularity. While most online shoppers are looking for a very specific product or class or product, many of these buyers will use the credibility of the store as a key buying factor over price.

For a brick and mortar site, it's important to start working with a development group who understands SEO and SEM, and will work with you to help prioritize your top products and categories within this process. Web sites that are well developed toward all markets, including users who may be disabled or visually impaired, will substantially increase your overall chances of domination within search engines.

See the full story at: http://searchenginewatch.com/3632227

As you know, Facebook can be an invaluable source of marketing for your ecommerce business. However, keeping up with the ever-evolving social bookmarking service is a challenge. Facebook has rolled out changes to Business Pages that directly influence how you use them and how your fans can interact with you on Facebook.

To help you adjust, we take an in-depth look at recent changes made to Business Pages. Plus, we offer tips on how to use new features, such as status updates and Wall feeds to better connect with your Facebook fans.

The New Wall and Tabs Layout

The new Business Pages are designed to make your page look more like a personal profile page on Facebook. If you think of the new Page layout as being divided into three columns, the left-most column is where your brand logo, information, fans, links and admin tool links are located.

The center column, like the new personal profile pages, is the largest by width and importance. This center column is divided into tabs, with the Wall tab being the default. Here the Facebook mini-feed and Wall have been merged into a Twitter-style update feed that puts an emphasis on "what's new" updates on Facebook.

See the full story at: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/advertising/article.php/3812101

When you spend thousands of hours on search engine optimization and thousands of thousands of dollars on paid search or display advertising, you better be absolutely sure that not only are you converting visitors but that you've got strategies in place to ensure you retain those customers so they buy from you, the merchant, in the future. Let's look at a one essential Web customer retention tactics in loyalty programs.

While you may already be employing many customer retention techniques and tactics like personalized emails or triggered coupons, the majority of e-commerce merchants and Internet retailers are not using loyalty programs due to perceived (and real) complexities of implementation. In the end however, the value is clear and the investment low. Engaging users with loyalty programs for the sake of retaining business has been shown to yield a positive impact on a business time and time again - but not how you may think.

See the full story at: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/loyalty-programs-as-a-customer-retention-tactic.aspx