Website marketing is all about using the broad fundamentals of traditional marketing strategies -- engagement, interpretation, and adaptation. Web analytics tools have made it easier to gather data and make that data work for your business, so it's just a matter of knowing what to do with the information that's at your fingertips. Below are five trends in digital marketing that have become keys to success online today. These trends should be considered pointers on how you can make the most out of your ecommerce website business and its untapped potential. Follow the Data Footprints of Your Consumer When a person browses the web, he or she will leave a data footprint behind. This just means that they accessed your site in a certain way (e.g., via search engine, via banner ad, via social media), there are certain interests reflected in their browsing patterns, and there are certain brands or products that appeal to them most. You can trace these footprints on your...

Marketing your ecommerce business on the web can be a real challenge, especially since it's may be difficult figuring out how to start and where. Knowing both the how and the where can get your business off to a good start, or help unlock the full potential of your online business. There are three basic kinds of website marketing that ebusinesses need to master: Owned Paid for Earned Let's look at all three and what they mean for your business. Website Marketing That Uses Media You Own Owned website marketing is basically your ecommerce website , the blog or blogs associated with your ecommerce business , and your business' social media channels (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, etc.). It's your space on the web that you control. All of these elements are an essential part of building your brand identity and revealing the values your eComerce business stands for. First of all, your ecommerce website is the virtual store that provides goods...

If you're running an eCommerce business, your long term success relies on your ability to build a loyal customer base. These are the people who will keep coming back to you for their needs and will also recommend you to friends and family members. Establishing this sense of brand loyalty can be difficult early on, however, and sometimes there are no second chances when it comes to creating repeat business . Here are seven tips that will help you generate return customers and build an identity for your brand that these customers can get behind. 1. Offer Customers Something Unique Your eCommerce website may sell similar products as your colleagues and competitors, but there's got to be something unique that distinguishes you from them. Sometimes the unique thing that you offer is the brand itself, which means your reputation and your site's reputation. What is it that you can provide customers with that no one else can? By thinking of your eCommerce site in terms of...

Search engine optimization (SEO) can mean the difference between getting found on Google and getting lost in the vast information landscape of the internet. If you're a small eCommerce business, having an effective SEO campaign is crucial for getting a good start, but you may be intimidated by selecting and hiring a professional firm to handle your SEO duties. Thankfully there are a few things that you can do on your own for free that can help improve your site's SEO. Here are five tips that will help you improve your SEO on a limited budget: 1. Assess Your Current Site Using Free SEO Tools First things first, you need to figure out where your site stands right now. This is known as an SEO audit. While you can hire an SEO agency to perform this audit, you can actually use free SEO audit tools available online to check on-page/on-site SEO elements and will also examine various off-page elements to see where your site can be improved based on current SEO standards. This...

One of the most common pitfalls of blogging for eCommerce businesses is sheer blandness. Many blogs become dumping grounds for press releases, reports, and minor bits of news without any sense of personality or purpose. It's content without a reader in mind, and who wants to read that? Even if you are a corporate brand, your blog needs to provide some sense of your business’s voice and vision. That's why it's important to consider what makes certain blogs successful and (more importantly) shared, while others go unread. Below are five tips for blogging which will help you develop stellar content that will attract repeat readers and inspire social media sharing. Let Your Brand Have a Voice A good blog is one that has an actual personality. This is what keeps readers coming back. Personality is also what helps you define your brand. Given, not all eCommerce blogs will be bursting with energy or full of extremes, but you can craft a brand image and brand voice...

Studies suggest that in 2014, more people will be accessing the web through their smart phones and tablets than through their desktops or laptops. Given this trend, businesses now have to make an important decision to remain competitive: create a separate mobile website or develop a responsive design? If you're unfamiliar with the term, responsive website design (RWD) refers to how a site adapts to the width of a device's screen. That means that a single site can be viewed on all devices, though the experience will be modified to the user's device whether it's an iPhone, an Android, a tablet, a netbook, or a desktop computer screen. Our team at Web Shop Manager believes that adopting a responsive web design is the best way to go for all eCommerce websites, which is why we now offer RWD among our innovative offering of website features and services. Below are just 10 reasons why a responsive web design is a great idea: 1. Google Recommends Responsive Web Design As...

If you want to find out how well your eCommerce website is performing, you need to track your numbers. Looking at your search engine rank and your traffic isn't enough, though. You need to consider your conversion rate , how those conversions are coming through your website, and how you can gear your site toward increasing conversions. One of the great things about Google Analytics is that it can help you do more than just track standard website traffic numbers. There are tools in Google Analytics that will help you understand the behavior of your site visitors and how you can improve their experience and grow your business in the process. Let's look at how eCommerce Tracking, Event Tracking, and Standard Goal Tracking work. About eCommerce Tracking and What it Means You can set up eCommerce Tracking in Google Analytics by selecting Admin > Profiles > Profile Settings > eCommerce Settings. Additional code will be needed for the sales confirmation/receipt page....

If you're looking to improve your current eCommerce website , it's important that you take time to figure out exactly what needs to be changed and how these changes can be properly implemented. This process isn't something you should rush into. Rushing to a launch a new and improved version of your online store can lead to more headaches down the line (and possibly another relaunch), yet many online business owners have trouble knowing exactly how to start and where to focus their energy. We'd like to give you four tips on what to consider when realigning your website. These tips will help you develop a strategy that works for you and benefits your customers as well. Each Page Needs to Have a Purpose One reason that many eCommerce business owners decide to relaunch their websites is because the current sites are not meeting their sales goals and needs of their customers. It's important to come back to the fundamental questions surrounding your existing business:...

It should come as no surprise that the web has completely changed the way that marketing works. Old strategies no longer apply in a world that is interconnected. In fact, new companies that try to apply old marketing strategies will most likely fail, especially small businesses. Let's take a look at the old form of marketing and compare it to marketing in the Internet Age . We'll also explain why this change is a good thing for your business. "Broadcast" Marketing - How Things Used to Be Done Broadcast marketing meant that the company was in total control of their brand and the consumer experience. There were three basic components to the broadcast marketing strategy: Create a product or provide a service that can reach the widest number of potential consumers Use a marketing message that reaches out to as many potential consumers as possible Build a brand name that can then expand beyond the initial product to other kinds of products Why Broadcast...

If you want to get your business noticed, making and incorporating videos into your website marketing strategy can be a worthwhile endeavor. Not only does a great video say a lot about your eCommerce business and the products and services you offer, but if made right your videos can be a tremendous asset to your overall marketing strategy. As many business owners find, making a great marketing video is easier said than done. I'm sure we've all seen well-meaning businesses try to make their own videos but come up short. There's no one formula for making effective marketing videos, but we think the 10 tips below will give you some good direction when making your own. 1. Light your video right While there is a charm to quick point-and-shoot videos, one thing that can make your video look more professional is good lighting. Bad lighting never looks good, even with the most expensive camera. Even an inexpensive lighting kit can mean the difference between a video that looks...

eBay remains one of the most popular ways to sell products on the web. Many online businesses began as eBay ventures, growing over time into successful full service eCommerce websites . Having both an eBay presence and an eCommerce site on its own is a great way to reach as many potential customers as possible. However the fees associated with selling through eBay can take a significant toll on already slim profit margins – for many online retailers transitioning the majority of their sales from eBay to their eCommerce site is a necessary step in growing and expanding their business. Transitioning from an eBay-based business to an eCommerce business can be tricky, and so can building an eBay presence for an established eCommerce site. It doesn't have to be, though. Here are five pointers on how to do it right. Send Follow-Up Emails on eBay Purchases Keeping in touch with your customers is an important way to build repeat business and establish yourself as someone...

So we all know that effective use of social media is a great way to make your eCommerce business flourish. But what a lot of people don't know is how to make social media work for them. Simply having a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and other social media outlets isn't enough to build out your website marketing strategy . For that matter, irrelevant or non-engaging updates aren't enough to build a social community around your brand, no matter how consistent. Since many businesses struggle to get the most out of their social media strategy, we want to give you five tips on how to use social media right. These strategies will help you grow your business while engaging customers in the social media experience that's great for them. 1. Your Updates Shouldn't Sound Like Ads Your business shouldn't be using social media as a mere billboard. The best way to engage with consumers is by giving your business a human presence and personality through social media....

Big brands have major advantages over small businesses when it comes to search engine performance. But small businesses shouldn't feel down or defeated. There are many ways that you can build a brand and get your name out there, allowing you to compete with major companies and competitors in the ecommerce marketplace . What Makes a Brand? There are multiple factors that go into making a brand, and it can actually take years to effectively implement them. But as with any related to starting your own business, building your brand will take time. Google will look for certain signals to determine if your business is an actual brand. By knowing what they're looking for and what to do, you can get your ecommerce website off to a good start. Here are four tips for building your brand and keeping up with your competition. 1. Leverage the Power of Social Media If your business isn't social, it needs to be. Not only does social media signal to Google that your business is...

If you want to establish a presence for your ecommerce website on the internet, it needs to get found on search engines for the products you sell. This can be easier said than done, but there are some easy SEO elements that you can incorporate into your site to make sure that your business gets found. If you've never heard the term before, SEO stands for "search engine optimization." It basically refers to ways that you can make your site more competitive on Google, Bing, and other search engines. SEO is more of an art than a science since there's no one formula for getting found. With all that in mind, these 10 easy tips should help out your ecommerce site immensely. 1. Develop unique content on every page We can't stress this enough: your content should be original and unique on every page of your ecommerce site. Avoid copying and pasting content from other sites since search engines are placing greater value on content that is well-written and user-friendly. 2....

Converting website traffic into paying customers is the main goal of any ecommerce website. The conversion rate is calculated as the percentage of visitors that become customers (number of visits divided by the number of purchases or leads generated). If your online store is suffering from low conversion ( calculate your conversion rate ) or you need a conversion boost to meet your revenue goals for the year, here are 10 steps you can take to achieve greater ecommerce success: 1. Define Your Ideal Buyer Take the time to compile a profile of your ideal buyers. Who are they? What do they want? Why do they want it? Who do they want it from? Pinpoint the demographic characteristics and key motivators that define your customer base. Be sure to clarify the needs, pain points, and behaviors that inspire your ideal buyer to become a customer for life. 2. Develop a Laser focused Niche and Brand Make sure the focus of your site is clear, highly selective, and...

Yelp boasts over 71 million unique viewers per month and if you haven’t begun to harness the power of Yelp with your business listing – get started now. With proper management and the right elements in place, your Yelp page can persuade even the most discerning consumers to spend money with you instead of with your competitors. In your arsenal of social media marketing tools, Yelp is a direct link to savvy consumers who are ready to be dazzled by doing business with you. Spending the time to build your presence on Yelp and effectively interacting with your customers through your business can be a tremendous asset to your internet marketing strategy and sales as a whole. Step 1. Create Your Yelp Business Account Yelp for Business Owners -  https://biz.yelp.com/support  - is your starting point for creating your Yelp page. Whether you have already started your listing or are starting from scratch, Yelp provides you with easy to follow, step by step...

Ok…start your stop watch….now! Here is the five minute read with six ideas to help increase your bottom line from now until the end of the year. No fluff, just value here. 6 Ways to Increase Revenue this Holiday Season Grab Bags. Include products you are trying to liquidate along with samples of popular products, all for a bargain basement price. This way you can sell product you want out of your sale section and your customers are sampling products that they will come back and purchase again. Your customers are thrilled because they receive great products at a phenomenal price. Free Shipping. Free shipping is the quickest way to customer’s hearts. Nothing makes their hearts go pitter-pat pitter-pat any faster. If you do not feel comfortable with free shipping for all, restrict it on orders over $50, for example. Set the limit where you are comfortable and encourage a little more spending to increase the average order size. Cross-Sell/...

There is so much that can be done on the web to promote your eCommerce site and your online products, but often business owners will forget one of the easiest and most cost efficient product marketing tactics. So what is the simple way to sell more products on your website? Write original, keyword rich and unique product descriptions. Although the effect of these changes may not be as instant as putting up some pay-per-click ads, the effect is a proven, long term online product marketing solution. Why Product Descriptions Are So Important For Online Sales If you are selling products from a manufacture then you probably have available to you the product description provided by them. It is tempting to populate your site the fast way, simply copy and paste the description into your product page. However, when you take a minute to think about it you will realize how many other online store owners are likely to follow this same path. This results in hundred if not...

Adding Videos to Your Product Pages Is Easy & Effective As eCommerce website developers, we often get asked the question, “What can I do to make my website stand out from the competition?”. While there are many ways that we can suggest for our clients to proceed in differentiating themselves, we often suggest that they add videos to their product pages because of its effectiveness and relative ease. However, we find that this advice rarely gets acted upon! My assumption is that many people think that adding a video to their product page is something very technical that they would not be able to do. Well, my goal of this blog post is to have you posting videos in your sleep. What Can Product Videos Do For My eCommerce Sales? Before I proceed with the explanation of HOW to add videos, I think I need to start with the WHY. Here at Web Design Solutions, we know that product videos will help your sales because we have seen it work for many of our clients...

Content Driven eCommerce - Create and Manage Search Engine Optimized eCommerce Content Lifestyle brands and enthusiasts alike come to us at Web Shop Manager (WSM) because they are passionate about what they do and need a vehicle to translate that passion to fellow enthusiasts. Their dream may be to turn that ‘hobby’ that keeps them up all night into a legitimate revenue stream. It is one thing to have a phenomenal eCommerce website designed for conversions, for fellow enthusiasts, but it is also incredibly important to articulate that passion in a way that helps the consumer make the decision to trust your brand. Whether you are in the Automotive Aftermarket , Action Sports Retail , Travel and Adventure , Pet and Animal , or Powersports industry it is important to not only sell products that you feel passionately about in a beautiful branded package, but you will need to back that up with substance/content too. Why would I focus on content for...

Your new ecommerce website is attracting visitors in droves and you are getting more sales than you ever did before. This will keep you busy for awhile but eventually you will want to raise the bar even more. You can always increase you marketing spend to try and bring more visitors to your site, but what if you can just get more sales from the visitors that are already there? The more information that you can gather from the visitors of your site, the more you can make your decision based on facts and less on intuition. As an e commerce website your #1 goal is to sell products! So wouldn’t you love to know how many of your visitors intended to purchase a product, but for some reason ditched their filled cart? A sales funnel can disclose this exact information to you.  Understanding where within your funnel the sale was lost can help you understand where you should re-word content, improve images or lower prices. The remainder of this article will outline how to...

What is Google PR and why should I care? In a nutshell PageRank, often referred to as Google PR, is Google’s way of determining the “importance” of a web page by looking at what pages are linking to it, or the quantity of backlinks.  PageRank is defined by a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the highest possible score. Google PageRank determines the position of your eCommerce website on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). PageRank is based on a complicated algorithm, with importance weighted on backlinks.   From Google “in general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages.” Building links with high quality, relevant websites is where you should concentrate. Yes, this is time consuming but so is updating your fantasy football league and you find plenty of time to do that! Be sure to stick to best practice guidelines when partaking in link...

Fashion eCommerce is a large and continuously growing market.  It is easily accessible for anyone with Internet capabilities.   This saves customers time and allows them to find things worldwide that they would not normally have access to.  Anyone can sell their fashion retail products online once they have an established website.  For more details on how to start a fashion website, please refer to our previous fashion blog post, “ What to Know Before Starting Your Own Fashion Website ” Once you have a fashion website established, it is time for you to start thinking about how to market your products online and bring customers to your site to purchase those products.  Not only do you want to have your products listed, but you also need to find a way to set your products apart from similar products on other websites, for we all know there are many brands and businesses in the fashion industry. What Features Help Sell...

Request A Consultation With An eCommerce Expert! PLUS free download "7 Easy Steps To Online Sucess" A $250 Value! Close Window First Name * Last Name * Phone * Email * Your Role Company Website Street Address City,State,Zip City State Zip description ">Company / Project Summary Interested in a fashion (or fashion planning) website? There are many reasons why someone may be interested in starting a fashion website , and all reasons are relevant.  Since the Internet is the fastest way to...

Deciding that you want to sell your products or services online is exciting. Trying to figure out what you need to make it happen can be exhausting. Finding the right eCommerce solutions company and Content Management System ( eCommerce CMS ) for developing your site can be frustrating and expensive. I experienced all of these feelings and more when assigned the task to create an eCommerce website for my employer. If you sell a product or service developing an eCommerce site may be critical to the continued success of your business. Businesses today can no longer afford to think locally. Instead, businesses must think globally, and an eCommerce site expands your business into the global marketplace like no brick and mortar business ever could. Your eCommerce solution must be easy to use for the company and the customer. Find a program that will create a storefront, shopping cart and will process credit card payments with little or no web development on your...