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E-commerce Plans for the Future

Sheridan Broderick — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:55:06 +0000

Some new insights into the future plans for many Ecommerce retail businesses.

A recent study by Internet Retailer shows that 2/3 of Ecommerce retail shops have plans to redesign their shop’s sites at some point this year. The number one reason for doing so would seem to be to increase their optimization.

Search engine optimization it the key to success in the Ecommerce world. With so much competition out there, if you’re not on page one and maybe two you are not likely to see much traffic from the search engines.

Most of these Ecommerce business owners said that completing a website redesign would generate a higher sales conversion and attract new customers. While a redesign will usually attract more customers to staying on your site once they have reached it, search engine optimization is not guaranteed to increase sales because the goal of SEO is to increase traffic. I’ve seen sites with website traffic at 300+ visitors per day and zero sales.

When considering a website redesign, make sure that you’re also getting someone to look at conversion optimization as well as search engine optimization. Your redesign should make your site attractive, but it should also streamline the sales process, funneling visitors through their shopping cart to checkout.

Voted Best of Business — OKC Biz

Admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:04:14 +0000

March 1, 2010, Merchant Metrix, Inc., a Noble based Web Design and E-commerce firm, was announced as the 2009 winner of the OKC Biz Best of Business award for best IT, Web Design, and Hosting Company in the Oklahoma City area.

The Best of Business awards are voted on yearly by the readers of the OKC Biz magazine in a wide array of categories. This marks the second year in a row that Merchant Metrix, Inc. has won for the IT, Web Design, and Hosting Company category.

“It’s been another wonderful year for Merchant Metrix and the residents of the Oklahoma City area are fantastic and a pleasure to do business with. We take pride in our ability to successfully place our clients on the first page of the search results with every site that we build. There’s no point in giving someone a site that’s not going to bring them search engine traffic and increase their business and sales,” said Sheridan Broderick, Creative Director at Merchant Metrix, Inc.

Merchant Metrix, Inc. is an Internet Marketing company that focuses on getting their clients to the first page in the organic search results in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing, by designing and developing search engine friendly Websites and Ecommerce retail shops.

Visit the OKC Biz Magazine online to read the whole story.

Baiting Your Website for Customers

Lee Roberts — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:10:03 +0000

Several years ago an Alabama State Trooper came upon a young boy fishing off a bridge at night. The Trooper stopped and asked the boy how the fishing was. The boy replied, “It would be great if these damned worms wouldn’t bite.” The Trooper took his flashlight and shined it in the bait bucket. To the Trooper’s amazement he found the boy was using baby rattlesnakes for bait.

Web sites are very much similar to this situation. If you’re using the wrong bait either you’re going to be bitten or your web site won’t work correctly.

The Wrong Bait

Just last week I had the opportunity to speak with a couple of businesses. Both of these businesses had web sites and when I reviewed those sites I discovered they had the wrong bait. One site was a single page site on Geocities which promoted, poorly and I emphasize poorly, her beautiful songs. The only way people could order her product was by first contacting her. The site had been created for “free”. Free food might be good, but free web sites are not any good.

The second site was using frames. The site was in such disarray that some links point to the wrong places. The business couldn’t sell their products even if they wanted. The business had paid a modest fee for the site, but the site was no where near where it needed to be to properly promote the business nor the products and services offered.

Not only were both of these businesses using the wrong bait their bait was biting them each time the site was accessed.

The Right Bait

When a business begins to have a web site designed their first goal should be to find an Internet Strategist that understands marketing on the Internet. Web designers simply design web sites and developers simply program web sites. There’s no way they could even come close to understanding how to market a web site on the Internet.

Case in point, have you ever wondered why there are businesses out there that focus solely upon SEO consultants and pay-per-click managers? Simple, they understand that point and focus their energies and talents to that end. Some are less than ethical and clearly put your site in harms way.

Advertising companies tell their clients that beautiful graphics elicit emotion. Advertising companies have worked in three mediums for so long that they are only taught those three mediums. Those mediums are television, radio, and print. All three deal with limitation of space which includes time. Then they approach the Internet with the same concepts and understanding. This is incorrect thought.

What are Web Sites?

Web sites are your way to educate your customers, provide customer service, and promote your products. Some will say they are miniature billboards or interactive print advertising. Neither of these would be correct.

Web sites should provide your potential clients with enough education that they can make educated decisions about your products and services. Think about what your sales clerk or salesperson is required to do. They educate the customer through a series of questions and answers. During this process the salesperson is making notes and understanding the customer. Then they make suggestions that meet the customer’s needs.

Some web sites have achieved this level of interactivity. However, I don’t see it working for every instance. Therefore, a web site must have enough information on it to enable the customer to self-educate themselves and determine which product meets their needs.

Copywriters will tell you that you need a lot of information and make it verbose. This isn’t exactly true. Some copywriters get paid based upon the number of words they string together. If I’m paying one dollar per word, I certainly want the information to be as brief as possible while still explaining the benefits of my products and services. Succinct communication leads to better understanding.

Consider for a moment the reading comprehension exams we all took in school. The tests would start with sentences, then a single paragraph, and then multiple paragraphs. Are you aware that as the amount of information increases the level of understanding decreases? That’s a fact!

So, What Bait Do You Need?

In order to discover what it is you need your web site to do, we must first consider your business model. The web site should meet the business model. The business model should never have to meet the web site.

Kwik Kar Automotive Repair Norman

Admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:26:07 +0000

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Staged by Susan | Website Design

Admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:13:16 +0000

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Staged by Susan

If your property is on the market – whether it’s vacant or occupied, well worn or new construction – Staged By Susan can make it shine and get it the attention it deserves. Staged By Susan can also guide you through creating the professional or commercial space that will help you find and keep the good clients and customers every business seeks. We are also prepared to give the home you’ve always loved, the look you’ve always wanted. By helping you de-clutter your world, we can turn a frustrating space into a magnificent place.