by: Justin Palmer
Imagine walking into a busy, high traffic grocery store. Despite the large number of customers in the store, you notice something strange. Strewn about the aisles and checkout lanes are dozens of shopping carts. These shopping carts are full of products, yet they’ve been abandoned by the customer. For many businesses, this example illustrates perfectly the predicament many online retailers find themselves in. A customer visits their site, adds a few products to their cart, and then leaves for some unexplainable reason. There is nothing more frustrating for a business than to miss a sale opportunity. Is it possible to somehow bring these customers back to the website and save the sale? The following article will suggest 3 easy and creative ways for capturing lost sales.
1) Create a Discount Pop-Up Window: One creative way to decrease your abandonment rate is to launch a popup window anytime a customer exits your website while the shopping cart is still full. The popup window can say something like, "Complete your order now, and receive an additional 10% discount." Hopefully, the customer will re-consider their action and stay to finish their purchase.
2) Add a "email me when in-stock" feature: This feature is a no-brainer for sites that frequently sell out of their inventory. However, it's amazing how few websites actually do it. Here's how it works: Anytime a customer visits a product detail page that displays an "out of stock" notice, give them the option to be emailed if the item becomes available again. This serves two purposes.
First, it gives you an opportunity to capture their email address (opt in, of course). And second, it gives you the opportunity to save the sale if you re-stock the item. Now wait a minute, you think, most websites don't allow people to visit pages of items that are out of stock. That's true, but keep in mind that search engines will keep these pages indexed for some time. In addition, people frequently bookmark pages of products they would like to purchase in the future. This feature is even more useful if you sell a product that comes in multiple sizes or colors. For example, if you sell widgets that are available in both green and blue, and the green widgets are out of stock, your customer's can be emailed when that color is re-stocked. Just like that, another lost sale is captured! For an example of a site that does this, checkout C28 Christian Gifts.
3) Email Customers Who Abandon Their Shopping Carts: Another smart tactic to bring back lost sales is to checkup on those people who never complete the checkout process. If you have already captured the customers’ email address, you can easily send them a friendly message informing them that you’re currently trying to improve your checkout process, and you apologize if they found anything confusing. In addition, you might want to give them a coupon code as an additional incentive for bringing them back. In my experience, customers greatly appreciate these emails, and it helps to identify some otherwise unknown problems in the checkout process.
Although the above ideas will likely succeed in bringing back lost sales, they are only a Band-Aid and do not solve the real problem. The important question to answer is, "Why are people leaving your site in the first place?" Do you have enough product in-stock? Are your pictures and product descriptions sufficient?
Is your shopping cart and checkout process efficient and easy? Questions such as these must be addressed before you can expect to see a decrease in abandoned shopping carts. Until then, the above suggestions can serve to bring back as many sales as possible.
About The Author
Justin Palmer is the website administrator and marketing director for C28 and Not of This World Christian Clothing. (http://www.c28.com/)
5 Steps to a Client Attractive Website
by: Danielle Chonody
In the past three years I have spent a lot of time working on the web presence of my pet sitting business. I realized that more and more of my clients were searching for their pet sitter on the internet and that my web site is the first impression that they get of me and the professionalism of my business. I love it when customers tell me they selected me as their sitter because they thought I had the best website!
Here are some tips to give your website a competitive edge:
1. Give it a personal touch
Your website should reflect your unique personality. Write as you would speak conversationally and include photos of yourself and your family if they are also involved in the business. Make sure you are smiling, look welcoming and friendly! My clients often comment that they like that they can see who I am (they know I’m a real person) and some also say they chose me because they could tell that my business is a family affair!
2. Maintain a consistent image
Make the look and feel of your website consistent with the look of your business cards, stationary and your advertising. This can be done by using the same colors, fonts, and your business’s logo. This consistency builds the image of your business and makes you more recognizable to customers.
3. Give visitors information
Let your customers know what it will be like to do business with you. People love information and it is easy to provide this via a website. Give them details of your policies, the benefits of your service, pricing structures and incentive programs. Supply downloadable copies of any application forms or other paperwork that you need completed.
4. Showcase customer testimonials
Ask your past and present customers to provide testimonials about your product or service. I recommend that you set up a regimented process to collect these such as a post job survey, so that you have a consistent supply of fresh testimonials. To encourage more effective testimonials ask customers to describe how your service or product solved a problem that they had and what life was like before they found you and how it changed for the better after using your business. Showcase these testimonials on a page of your website. To make testimonials more credible show the customers full name and their website or email address after their quote.
5. Help make the lives of your customers easier
Provide links to other complementary but non-competitive local businesses. For example customers often ask me to recommend local groomers, dog trainers, and veterinarians. This month I will be adding a list of these local businesses on my site so that customers have easy access to them and have a reason to come back to visit my site next time they are looking for a pet service provider. Make sure you have used these businesses yourself or know of others who have so that you can ensure your customers will receive quality service. Ask these businesses if they will reciprocate by placing a link to your site on their web site.
Just a few ideas for you from my lessons learnt. I hope you can put them to good use and create a site that your customers rave about!
About The Author
Danielle Chonody is a successful home business owner and entrepreneur. Her FREE business-building ezine provides marketing, management and motivational tips for small business owners and business opportunity seekers. Sign up for your copy at http://www.scentedcandleclub.com/Ezine.html and receive her FREE special report "25 Low Cost Marketing Ideas to Explode your Business".
In the past three years I have spent a lot of time working on the web presence of my pet sitting business. I realized that more and more of my clients were searching for their pet sitter on the internet and that my web site is the first impression that they get of me and the professionalism of my business. I love it when customers tell me they selected me as their sitter because they thought I had the best website!
Here are some tips to give your website a competitive edge:
1. Give it a personal touch
Your website should reflect your unique personality. Write as you would speak conversationally and include photos of yourself and your family if they are also involved in the business. Make sure you are smiling, look welcoming and friendly! My clients often comment that they like that they can see who I am (they know I’m a real person) and some also say they chose me because they could tell that my business is a family affair!
2. Maintain a consistent image
Make the look and feel of your website consistent with the look of your business cards, stationary and your advertising. This can be done by using the same colors, fonts, and your business’s logo. This consistency builds the image of your business and makes you more recognizable to customers.
3. Give visitors information
Let your customers know what it will be like to do business with you. People love information and it is easy to provide this via a website. Give them details of your policies, the benefits of your service, pricing structures and incentive programs. Supply downloadable copies of any application forms or other paperwork that you need completed.
4. Showcase customer testimonials
Ask your past and present customers to provide testimonials about your product or service. I recommend that you set up a regimented process to collect these such as a post job survey, so that you have a consistent supply of fresh testimonials. To encourage more effective testimonials ask customers to describe how your service or product solved a problem that they had and what life was like before they found you and how it changed for the better after using your business. Showcase these testimonials on a page of your website. To make testimonials more credible show the customers full name and their website or email address after their quote.
5. Help make the lives of your customers easier
Provide links to other complementary but non-competitive local businesses. For example customers often ask me to recommend local groomers, dog trainers, and veterinarians. This month I will be adding a list of these local businesses on my site so that customers have easy access to them and have a reason to come back to visit my site next time they are looking for a pet service provider. Make sure you have used these businesses yourself or know of others who have so that you can ensure your customers will receive quality service. Ask these businesses if they will reciprocate by placing a link to your site on their web site.
Just a few ideas for you from my lessons learnt. I hope you can put them to good use and create a site that your customers rave about!
About The Author
Danielle Chonody is a successful home business owner and entrepreneur. Her FREE business-building ezine provides marketing, management and motivational tips for small business owners and business opportunity seekers. Sign up for your copy at http://www.scentedcandleclub.com/Ezine.html and receive her FREE special report "25 Low Cost Marketing Ideas to Explode your Business".
How To Make Your Niche Website Popular
by: Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian
So you want to make your website the most preferred destination in your niche, drive a flood of targeted traffic to it, and dominate the field. Yes, you can do it.
How?
The one-word answer: "Marketing"
There are far too many methods to go into detail, but here are a few that I have used with great impact - and most are free, or involve a small cost.
* Posting on Discussion forums
Search for popular discussion forums on your niche. Register for an account. Watch the discussions for a while to get a feel for how they go. Pitch in and answer a few questions, or post some of your own. Mention your website in your signature.
* Writing articles and submitting them to directories
This is a great method to drive targeted traffic to your niche website. Many niches have specialized article directories which accept submissions from writers. Make sure the article has a link back to your website.
* Running ezine ad exchanges
If you publish an email newsletter, exchange endorsements and ads with other e-publishers in your niche. Both of you get added subscribers, and your readers will appreciate hearing about another source of useful information.
* Publishing your own blog with RSS feeds
A blog is one of the best ways to get more visibility for your niche website. If you publish a good quality blog, and update it regularly, very soon you will dominate your niche.
* Publishing your own ezine and building a list
If you haven't already started building your own in-house mailing list, start right away. The best prospect to visit your site again and buy something from you is a visitor who has already been there - and is interested enough to join your list.
* Doing link exchanges with other targeted websites
The Internet is powered by links. And by working on building as many links as you can with other related, relevant, high-quality niche websites, you will dramatically increase your website's reach and appeal.
* Making comments on other blogs
While this method of driving website traffic has been open to abuse, there is nothing wrong with doing it in an honest, ethical way. Look for blogs that are on your niche. If you see a topic which interests you, post a comment or response on that blog - and include a link back to your niche website.
* Doing joint ventures with other marketers and webmasters
Done the right way, this can explode your website's success literally overnight. Work on cultivating relationships and friendships with other powerful 'players' in your niche - and they will be glad to help a friend out!
* Press releases
Another powerful way to get wide exposure is by sending out a press release about anything news-worthy on your niche website.
All of these methods won't cost you money, though you'll spend time on them.
If you have a marketing budget, you might also consider doing these:
* Pay Per Click advertising, especially on Google Adwords, MSN AdCenter and Overture
* Buying paid links on high traffic sites with high PR
* Running ezine advertising campaigns
* Banner advertising (pay per click model may be best)
And one of the best, low cost ways is to run an affiliate program and spend effort recruiting hard working affiliates who will promote your site for you in return for a share of your profits.
Hopefully all of these tactics will give you some ideas to get your niche marketing started and grow traffic to your website. Keep doing it in a sustained, systematic fashion and soon your site will attract a huge crowd of visitors and be wildly profitable.
About The Author
Get Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian's free report, "How To Make Profitable Niche Adsense Sites" and get started with niche marketing today!
http://EzineMarketingCenter.com
So you want to make your website the most preferred destination in your niche, drive a flood of targeted traffic to it, and dominate the field. Yes, you can do it.
How?
The one-word answer: "Marketing"
There are far too many methods to go into detail, but here are a few that I have used with great impact - and most are free, or involve a small cost.
* Posting on Discussion forums
Search for popular discussion forums on your niche. Register for an account. Watch the discussions for a while to get a feel for how they go. Pitch in and answer a few questions, or post some of your own. Mention your website in your signature.
* Writing articles and submitting them to directories
This is a great method to drive targeted traffic to your niche website. Many niches have specialized article directories which accept submissions from writers. Make sure the article has a link back to your website.
* Running ezine ad exchanges
If you publish an email newsletter, exchange endorsements and ads with other e-publishers in your niche. Both of you get added subscribers, and your readers will appreciate hearing about another source of useful information.
* Publishing your own blog with RSS feeds
A blog is one of the best ways to get more visibility for your niche website. If you publish a good quality blog, and update it regularly, very soon you will dominate your niche.
* Publishing your own ezine and building a list
If you haven't already started building your own in-house mailing list, start right away. The best prospect to visit your site again and buy something from you is a visitor who has already been there - and is interested enough to join your list.
* Doing link exchanges with other targeted websites
The Internet is powered by links. And by working on building as many links as you can with other related, relevant, high-quality niche websites, you will dramatically increase your website's reach and appeal.
* Making comments on other blogs
While this method of driving website traffic has been open to abuse, there is nothing wrong with doing it in an honest, ethical way. Look for blogs that are on your niche. If you see a topic which interests you, post a comment or response on that blog - and include a link back to your niche website.
* Doing joint ventures with other marketers and webmasters
Done the right way, this can explode your website's success literally overnight. Work on cultivating relationships and friendships with other powerful 'players' in your niche - and they will be glad to help a friend out!
* Press releases
Another powerful way to get wide exposure is by sending out a press release about anything news-worthy on your niche website.
All of these methods won't cost you money, though you'll spend time on them.
If you have a marketing budget, you might also consider doing these:
* Pay Per Click advertising, especially on Google Adwords, MSN AdCenter and Overture
* Buying paid links on high traffic sites with high PR
* Running ezine advertising campaigns
* Banner advertising (pay per click model may be best)
And one of the best, low cost ways is to run an affiliate program and spend effort recruiting hard working affiliates who will promote your site for you in return for a share of your profits.
Hopefully all of these tactics will give you some ideas to get your niche marketing started and grow traffic to your website. Keep doing it in a sustained, systematic fashion and soon your site will attract a huge crowd of visitors and be wildly profitable.
About The Author
Get Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian's free report, "How To Make Profitable Niche Adsense Sites" and get started with niche marketing today!
http://EzineMarketingCenter.com
Add a Site Map to Your Blog and Get Indexed at Google Immediately
by Waheed Elqalatawy
If you want to add a site map and get indexed in google immediately, here is the procedure which is the result of tens of times of trial and error, after bouncing between the conventional wisdom of the savvy webmasters in Blogger classic and the unaware assessment of the results by the newbies. The confirmation is down the article.
Adding a site map to my blog was never thought to be written about by me. I was -and still- writing about health a simplified scientific article or a humble personal opinion, yet trying to verify my blog and add a site map to it was impossible for me at classic Blogger. I then upgraded to Blogger-beta where verification was much more easier, that was after I had understood that Blogger will never allow uploading any files to its server.
When coming to 'add a site map' step, I found it to be extremely exhaustive hard experiment. It is something out of the scope of my knowledge and interests, because I know nothing about html, and when I tried to add a site map I thought it is a WYSIWYG like posting my blogs, then when I tried the least modifications to cope with what I am asked to do, the PC surprised me with "the opening and closing tags","the incorrect format'....etc.
I was chained to the computer for hours repeatedly on a trial and error basis, beginning with copy and paste and ending with matching the format with other blogs like "Blogger Tips and Tricks" and "Hakuna Matata" after I read ' html Tags Definitions' in Blogger help. I got frustrated many times and I began thinking to quit the whole thing, because why should I write what nobody will read it.
Finally, the unexpected happened , and I added a site map to my blog!
I feel pity and passion for the same folks who are like what I was, and this dictated me to write describing precisely how any one can add the site map to his blog easily and what mistakes to avoid, besides, I may find some of them interested in what I write in my blog. Who knows?
Shall we go ?
1- Go to my blog at: www.waheedelqalatawy.blogspot.com 2- Click "View" and select "Source", there will be a text document, click"file" and select "save".
3- Go to 'My Account' in google (since you have a blog) and click the 'Webmaster Tools' button.
4- Under ' Add Site' , type in: http://your blog name.blogspot.com (.DO NOT TYPE IN : WWW.)
5- You will be asked to verify your site. choose "add tag", copy it in the text document to make sure it is the same before pasting it in your "edit html" page in the head segment.
6- Modify the text document by typing in your blog name and your blog ID ( you may find it in the address bar if you typed your URL in the address bar.
7- Copy and paste the modified document in the head segment in the html page of your blog.
8- Go to " Webmaster Tools" again and check verify.
9- After verification, click on " Add a Site map", and type in :
http://your blog name.blogspot.com/rss.xml.
( Neglect any thing written under the window, this is the only format that will get your site map added, and again (DO NOT TYPE IN: WWW.)
It will be Pending for few minutes to few hours, and if you have implemented every thing right, your site map will be added. You are done. Congrats.
This is what your site map status looks like when added to your blog:
Sitemap Type Submitted LastDownloaded SitemapStatus URLs submitted rss.xml Atom Feed Web Nov 6,2006 Nov16,2006 OK 26 ( Downloading the site map by Googlebot is frequent, don' t worry about time period).
TIPS: 1- Do not look at the examples given by the 'Webmaster Tools' page.
2- If you are stuck, add another site and never delete one before your site map is added.
3- If for any reason, your site map is not added, keep matching what you do with this schedule and do not try any thing else to keep away from a bitter taste experiment.
About the Author
Waheed Elqalatawy writes simple scientific articles on health topics for any one who wants to expand his reading horizons about health. Publish articles, but please do not change them and do not forget to include my URL:
If you want to add a site map and get indexed in google immediately, here is the procedure which is the result of tens of times of trial and error, after bouncing between the conventional wisdom of the savvy webmasters in Blogger classic and the unaware assessment of the results by the newbies. The confirmation is down the article.
Adding a site map to my blog was never thought to be written about by me. I was -and still- writing about health a simplified scientific article or a humble personal opinion, yet trying to verify my blog and add a site map to it was impossible for me at classic Blogger. I then upgraded to Blogger-beta where verification was much more easier, that was after I had understood that Blogger will never allow uploading any files to its server.
When coming to 'add a site map' step, I found it to be extremely exhaustive hard experiment. It is something out of the scope of my knowledge and interests, because I know nothing about html, and when I tried to add a site map I thought it is a WYSIWYG like posting my blogs, then when I tried the least modifications to cope with what I am asked to do, the PC surprised me with "the opening and closing tags","the incorrect format'....etc.
I was chained to the computer for hours repeatedly on a trial and error basis, beginning with copy and paste and ending with matching the format with other blogs like "Blogger Tips and Tricks" and "Hakuna Matata" after I read ' html Tags Definitions' in Blogger help. I got frustrated many times and I began thinking to quit the whole thing, because why should I write what nobody will read it.
Finally, the unexpected happened , and I added a site map to my blog!
I feel pity and passion for the same folks who are like what I was, and this dictated me to write describing precisely how any one can add the site map to his blog easily and what mistakes to avoid, besides, I may find some of them interested in what I write in my blog. Who knows?
Shall we go ?
1- Go to my blog at: www.waheedelqalatawy.blogspot.com 2- Click "View" and select "Source", there will be a text document, click"file" and select "save".
3- Go to 'My Account' in google (since you have a blog) and click the 'Webmaster Tools' button.
4- Under ' Add Site' , type in: http://your blog name.blogspot.com (.DO NOT TYPE IN : WWW.)
5- You will be asked to verify your site. choose "add tag", copy it in the text document to make sure it is the same before pasting it in your "edit html" page in the head segment.
6- Modify the text document by typing in your blog name and your blog ID ( you may find it in the address bar if you typed your URL in the address bar.
7- Copy and paste the modified document in the head segment in the html page of your blog.
8- Go to " Webmaster Tools" again and check verify.
9- After verification, click on " Add a Site map", and type in :
http://your blog name.blogspot.com/rss.xml.
( Neglect any thing written under the window, this is the only format that will get your site map added, and again (DO NOT TYPE IN: WWW.)
It will be Pending for few minutes to few hours, and if you have implemented every thing right, your site map will be added. You are done. Congrats.
This is what your site map status looks like when added to your blog:
Sitemap Type Submitted LastDownloaded SitemapStatus URLs submitted rss.xml Atom Feed Web Nov 6,2006 Nov16,2006 OK 26 ( Downloading the site map by Googlebot is frequent, don' t worry about time period).
TIPS: 1- Do not look at the examples given by the 'Webmaster Tools' page.
2- If you are stuck, add another site and never delete one before your site map is added.
3- If for any reason, your site map is not added, keep matching what you do with this schedule and do not try any thing else to keep away from a bitter taste experiment.
About the Author
Waheed Elqalatawy writes simple scientific articles on health topics for any one who wants to expand his reading horizons about health. Publish articles, but please do not change them and do not forget to include my URL:
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