As much as we do not want to admit it, Christmas is right around the corner and your Yahoo Store needs to be ready.
Two things you want to make sure of:
1. Your website is ready to convert
2. Your website is SEO ready
What does this mean?
The visitors that are coming into your website, are they going to buy from you?
Your shoppers will be visiting soon and with so much competition out there; you want to make sure those shoppers will turn into buyers!
How can you make sure that those visitors will convert into sales? First you need to gain their trust. Do you have a toll free number in your header? They will want to know that they can contact you. Do you have an "About Us" page that tells them about you?
Do you provide information about the process of ordering through your website? Do you provide information about returns, shipping prices, and frequently asked questions? Do you have trust logos on your website that people are used to seeing and understand what they mean?
Is your website professional looking? Is it easy for your customers to find exactly what they are looking for? Do you provide them an easy way to add more products to their cart? Do you provide customers an easy way to search for more items? If you do not have what the customer is looking for, can you partner with other companies and make money from a referral? (Check out our new e-books for help with this)
How can you encourage shoppers to stay on your website and purchase from you? Should you offer free shipping? What dollar amount should you use for free shipping? Will offering free shipping help increase your sales?
Do you provide your customers a chance to join a newsletter so that they can keep up with your website?
If you need help� we are here for you and can have your website finished in usually 2-3 weeks.
For more great tips on how to convert your visitors into buyers, make sure to check out our interview with Rob Snell, author of Yahoo! Small Business for Dummies. Rob Snell was a guest on our Yahoo Store Power Hour Radio Show and provided our listeners with excellent tips on how Yahoo Store owners can make small changes to their website to increase their sales. 5/19/08
Show - Increasing Conversion Rates w/ Rob Snell
Second, your website needs to be found in the search engines. If you were opening a store out in town, the first you think about is you have to be on Main St. where people can find you. Online, you either have to pay to be on Main St. or you have to optimize your website for the search engines.
How can you get your website found on the search engines? Content! You need unique relevant content on your website for keywords people are looking for.
Can we help add more relevant content for you? YES
Our packages will automatically optimize your head tags with unique relevant information for each page of your website. We can make sure that your breadcrumbs are enhanced for super friendly SEO. Adding text based links for related items can greatly enhance your relevancy on item pages. Left navigation bars that expand to show subcategories can also help to add relevancy to your web pages.
PLUS� We use the latest techniques in programming to make sure that all coding is clean and loads quickly. This will help your search engine rankings as well.
Whether you use us, someone else, or do it yourself� Just make sure YOU DO SOMETHING to prepare for Christmas. It is just right around the corner!
Make sure you are subscribed to our blog! Over the next few weeks we are going to expand on each aspect we discussed in more detail. We have lots of choices to keep up with our blog. You can subscribe to our
RSS feed or get email updates. If you use Twitter, you can get to know me
and get updates on new blog posts too.
Our first Affiliate e-book taught you the basics of Affiliate Marketing. In our second e-book, we learn which affiliate programs would be a right fit for your website. We also learn how to look at the different programs and add the links to your Yahoo Store. Download your free copy of ABC's of Affiliate Marketing Part 2.
Affiliate Marketing can also be a tad confusing at first. Most store owners
are not sure which way to go or even where to start.
BUT Affiliate Marketing can and will help you to increase your bottom line.
Aunesty Janssen, VP of Marketing for
Rolet explains, "Affiliate
Programs can create a large and effective sales force with minimal expense. Not
only is it a way to generate additional revenue, it is a powerful way to market
your business on the Internet, to drive traffic to your site, and gain new
customers." 1 Choice wants to help you learn the ABC's of Affiliate Marketing.
First make sure to listen to our radio
interview with
Aunesty
Janssen as she explains some of the basics of Affiliate Marketing.
Next, we are going to show you how to become an affiliate with our new
FREE e-book
ABC's of Affiliate Marketing Part 1.
It also contains great secrets I use for getting TOP rankings!
Speaking
of getting top rankings, I love the new Mentor Program!! It is really
helping store owners to see results! I am so proud of one our students who
went from no ranking at all in Google for a major keyword phrase to number
10 within a few weeks of joining. In MSN they went from number 56 to number
6 with that same keyword phrase. That is awesome!
How did they do it? They followed the steps in the Mentor Program and
learned how to add great content to their website!
"I am amazed by going from off the radar on some of them to the top
20."
"For one of my keyword phrases which I am working on
in the mentoring program, it is #1 on MSN! It was #80. Wow! and thanks.."
Whether you are brand new to ecommerce or you want to take your Yahoo! store
to the next level, the Mentor Program will help you achieve the results you are
looking for.
6 Common Website Mistakes That Are Costing You Money
As I'm reviewing company websites to prepare for our August SEO Training Class, I'm struck by how often I see the same website mistakes.
Since we've been offering the SEO classes over the past 7 months, we've reviewed over 40 websites. In each class of 6 online marketers, there's never a dearth of problems to point out to them. I'm not talking about minor glitches here, but stuff that prevents the website from reaching its full potential with the search engines. In other words, as long as these problems exist, they're not going to be able to gain all the targeted search engine traffic that they could be.
To put it into terms that anyone can relate to--the company is basically losing money every day they don't fix their website.
Here are 6 common website mistakes that could be costing you money:
1. JavaScript or other crawler-unfriendly navigation that may impede indexing. Most newer sites don't have this problem, but there's almost always at least 1 site we review in every class that has its main navigation pretty much invisible to the search engines. If your navigation basically doesn't exist as far as Google is concerned, then it's very difficult to get all of the pages of your website indexed.
2. Navigation that buries important pages within the site architecture. The deeper that pages are buried within the website, the less importance they are given. For SEO, as well as usability purposes, it's often helpful to showcase important sections of the website up an additional level in the site's hierarchy. This can usually be achieved via a search-friendly CSS mouse-over menu.
3. Duplicate "pages" getting indexed under multiple URLs. While Google has, for the most part, worked out many of their canonical issues of the past and now generally realize that www.example.com/index.php is the same as www.example.com, many content management systems (CMS) take things a step further and provide a whole array of URLs for any one particular page of content. Sometimes this is done purposely for tracking reasons, as with session ids or tracking links appended to the end of URLs; but other times, it's simply done because the CMS was never designed with search engines in mind. This is not a good thing, as it can cause the spiders to be so busy indexing the same content that they miss the more important stuff.
4. No keyword phrase focus in the content or conversely, keyword phrase stuffing. It never ceases to amaze me when people claim to have optimized a page, but there are no keyword phrases anywhere to be seen within the content. I suppose this might happen because they've put them in the keyword meta tag and assume they've optimized. (It's a good thing they've come to our class when this is the case!) On the other side of the coin, there are those who seem to think that 4 instances of a keyword phrase in one sentence must certainly be better than just one! The fix, of course, is to provide a balanced focus on the optimized keyword phrases so that a trained SEO would know what the page is optimized for, but the average reader wouldn't find the copy repetitive.
5. An optimized home page, but that's it. While optimizing just the home page is better than not optimizing anything, it's not going to increase the website's search engine traffic by that much. Without fixing all the issues on inner pages and optimizing a number of them for their own set of keyword phrases, the site will basically be leaving money on the table.
6. Additional domains owned by the company are not properly redirected. In the old days, it was fine to park any additional domains that the company owned as an alias of the main website; however, today it's much better practice to 301-redirect all additional domains to the main website. This enables the company to control which domain is the one that the search engines index, and avoids any splitting of link popularity between the different domains.
These 6 are by no means the only website mistakes we see. When going back through the sites we reviewed, I found tons of additional mistakes which I'll save for a future article. My hope is that at least one of these may ring a bell to you as something that needs to be fixed on your own website. Once you take the time to correct the issue, you should find that your website will start gaining a lot more targeted search engine traffic, and ideally start making you more money!
Jill Whalen, CEO and founder of High Rankings, a search marketing firm outside of Boston, and co-founder of SEMNE, a New England search marketing networking organization, has been performing SEO since 1995. Jill is the host of the High Rankings Advisor search engine marketing newsletter. The 100% Organic column appears Thursdays at Search Engine Land.
Recent Blog Tips
Make sure you are subscribed to our blog! Over the next few weeks we are going to expand on each aspect we discussed above in more detail. We have lots of choices to keep up with our blog. You can subscribe to our
RSS feed or get email updates. If you use Twitter, you can get to know me
and get updates on new blog posts too.
1 Choice 4 Your Store is proud and honored to host the first and only
radio show for Yahoo Store owners. You can catch us live each and every Monday
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Eastern (3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific) on
WSRadio.com
If you have missed any of our shows, you can
click on the links below (Our Top 5 is listed with RED Stars):
8/11/08 Show - Overcoming Cart Abandonment & Social Networking
In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Elance.com, 70% of the people surveyed said that hiring a virtual assistant would give them more time and reduce stress in their lives. Store owners could certainly use a lot less stress and more time for yourself,Are you losing too many sales from cart abandonment? www.upsellit.com
Everyday we hear more and more about social networking. How much do you understand about the new tools available that can help you increase your sales and get to know your customers? Michael Vorel discusses social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, and more PLUS show you how you can use social networking to build your brand. One more bit of great news, all these tools are FREE! www.vastplanet.com
8/4/08 - Show - Outsourcing Tips & PCI Compliance
In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Elance.com, 70% of the people surveyed said that hiring a virtual assistant would give them more time and reduce stress in their lives. Store owners could certainly use a lot less stress and more time for yourself, your family, and/or your business. Cathy Siciliano, Senior Director of Marketing, from Elance gives listeners tips for finding the right person for your outsourcing project! www.elance.com
The term PCI Compliance can seem very confusing to store owners whether you have been in business for 1 day or 1 decade. Listen now as Heather Varian Foster, Vice President of Marketing, for Control Scan explains more about the challenges merchants face trying to be PCI Compliant and the impact on their business. Heather also explains why banks are charging you a monthly fee for PCI compliance and how you can avoid those fees. www.controlscan.com
***7/28/08 Show - ABC's
of Affiliate Programs & PCI Compliance
Have you wondered how Affiliate Programs work? We will teach you the basics
of Affiliate Programs! What is an Affiliate? What is an Affiliate Program?
What is Affiliate Marketing? How can you use Affiliate Programs to increase
your sales? How can you use Affiliate Programs to increase your income?
Listen now as Aunesty Janssen, VP of Marketing for Rolet explains the ABC's
of Affiliate Marketing. www.rolet.com
We hear the term PCI Compliance a lot lately. What does it mean? Is your
Yahoo Store PCI Compliant? How are your processing your credit card orders?
Is your customers credit card information kept safe? Listen now for more
great information from Emerchant Discount.
www.emerchantdiscount.com
7/21/08 Show -
Branding Your Yahoo Store, SEO Tips, & Yahoo Success Story
Eric and Scott help Yahoo Store owners with their left side navigation
issues as well as questions with niche stores. Should you have a website
with 1,000 products or 50,000 products? When working on your Yahoo Store
Design, what are things you need to pay attention to and what are some
common mistakes that storeowners make. Listen now for details!
www.onetwopunch.com
Tom DaPrato, President of Ahl DaPrato, LLC, started his first Yahoo Store in
2002 with his partner Jay Ahl. Since then, they have grown to seven niche
internet stores. Tom shares his experience with Yahoo Stores and his
important tips for success including tips on pay per click marketing.
http://www.SimplyTapestries.com
***7/7/08 Show -
Importance of Toll Free Numbers, Trade Show Secrets, & Yahoo Success Story
Jay Blazensky, VP of Business Development, RingCentral discusses the
importance of having a toll free number for online merchants. When times
are tough in an economy, you need to stand out in the crowd. Having a
true 800 number can set you apart from the rest as well as proving top
notch customer service. Ring Central provides merchants the ability to
set up extensions, click to call, and many other features with pricing
starting at $9.99 a month. Call 866-514-8916 for a risk free 30 day
trial.
www.ringcentral.com
Collette Marshall with Worldwide Brands helps us to learn more about
Trade Shows. Do you qualify? What are the benefits? How can you find
trade shows? All your questions are answered and more! Plus, you can
visit
World Wide Brands Blog for more information on how to beat the
recession!
Jeff Reynolds shares his secrets for success with Yahoo Stores including
how he got started in e-commerce. His advice for new store owners is to
make sure you know what you are doing especially when it comes to your
PPC campaigns. Listen now to hear more tips for success from Jeff
Reynolds CEO of
www.pawsuppetsupply.com
6/30/08 Show - Automate
Your Yahoo Store
Processing orders every day can become a very daunting task for Yahoo Store
Owners, but it doesn't have to be! An Order Management system can provide
you much needed relief. One system can synchronize inventory, complete
real-time order processing, send drop ship products out, automate email
management, and automate your payment processing. Think of the time you will
save! This will leave you with more time to concentrate on getting more
customers or spending time with your family. Make sure to mention that you
heard about Ordermotion on the Power Hour for a special offer!
Order Motion
****6/23/2008
Show - Keyword Research - The life blood of SEO*** Ken McGafin explains why keywords are so important for Yahoo Store Owner to
understand. Although you may know how customers are finding you, you may be
surprised to find out they are finding your products many different ways.
Are you optimizing your website for all the different keyword phrases your
customers are using? If not, you are losing sales. Click below to use
Wordtracker's free keyword research tool.
Wordtracker Free Keyword Research Tool
Ken also discusses the many opportunities that keyword research presents. By
understanding lateral keywords and long tail keywords, you can increase your
sales and increase your rankings. By creating keyword specific content
pages, you are getting a ROI that lasts a lifetime and will continue to
bring you additional income if done correctly. Click below to visit the
Wordtracker Academy and learn more.
Wordtracker Academy
***6/2/2021
Show - Product Sourcing w/ Worldwide Brands*** Worldwide Brands provides excellent information about the importance of
having the right products for your business and how to find those products
as well. Collette also shares information about the phenomenal new video
series that Worldwide Brands has just released on Beating the Recession
which can be found at:
http://blog.worldwidebrands.com/
PLUS Worldwide Brands is offering up great tools and amazing discounts! Make
sure to check out their blog for more details. You will not be disappointed!
I was honored to be a part of the video series that is guaranteed to help
many new and old store owners.
***5/19/08
Show - Increasing Conversion Rates w/ Rob Snell*** Rob Snell, author of Yahoo Business for Dummies, provides real life tips and
information on increasing conversion rats for Yahoo Store. Tips include how
to find your conversion rate, how to track your conversion rates, and using
the new Checkout Manager. Rob discusses how to increase conversion rates by
building confidence, providing contact information, and trust symbols. Rob
Snell gives away a free copy of Chapter 21 of his book which discusses in
more detail how to increase your conversion rates. Send an email to
info@powerhourradioshow.com to get your copy today!
1 Choice 4 Your Store is an authorized Yahoo Store Partner. However, its products are not
associated with or endorsed by Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo!, and Yahoo! Store are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. Click here for more copyright information.
Level 1 - Overnight Success
As much as we do not want to admit it, Christmas is right around the corner and your Yahoo Store needs to be ready. 
The visitors that are coming into your website, are they going to buy from you?
How can you encourage shoppers to stay on your website and purchase from you? Should you offer free shipping? What dollar amount should you use for free shipping? Will offering free shipping help increase your sales?
For more great tips on how to convert your visitors into buyers, make sure to check out our interview with Rob Snell, author of Yahoo! Small Business for Dummies. Rob Snell was a guest on our Yahoo Store Power Hour Radio Show and provided our listeners with excellent tips on how Yahoo Store owners can make small changes to their website to increase their sales. 5/19/08
Show - Increasing Conversion Rates w/ Rob Snell
Can we help add more relevant content for you? YES
Make sure you are subscribed to our blog! Over the next few weeks we are going to expand on each aspect we discussed in more detail. We have lots of choices to keep up with our blog. You can subscribe to our
RSS feed or get email updates. If you use Twitter, you can get to know me
and get updates on new blog posts too.
FREE
e-Book ABC�s of Affiliate Marketing Part 2
Speaking
of getting top rankings, I love the new Mentor Program!! It is really
helping store owners to see results! I am so proud of one our students who
went from no ranking at all in Google for a major keyword phrase to number
10 within a few weeks of joining. In MSN they went from number 56 to number
6 with that same keyword phrase. That is awesome!
Make sure you are subscribed to our blog! Over the next few weeks we are going to expand on each aspect we discussed above in more detail. We have lots of choices to keep up with our blog. You can subscribe to our
RSS feed or get email updates. If you use Twitter, you can get to know me
and get updates on new blog posts too.
