Unless you're an experience-hardened entrepreneur, fear of the unknown is always going to be one of the most stressful things about starting up any new business. And with the wealth of up-to-date information readily available over the internet these days you'd be pretty daft to look anywhere else. So when I set out on the road to eCommerce fame and fortune for the first time I thought it would be plain sailing, followed by canapés and caviar, alas not quite. However, this account of my own journey to accepting online credit card payments should allow you to avoid the many pitfalls and quickly point you in the right direction.
My initial searches proved to be quite fruitful. If you're based in the UK and want to set up your own eCommerce website the general theory behind this is (sort of) straight forward. Here's the list of the essential processes broken down, in simple terms, to explain what's happening at each stage...
Shopping Cart eCommerce Software/3rd Party Service
This handles the various 'Buy' buttons on a site, and places items into the customer's shopping cart. When at the 'checkout' area of an online store, this is also used to gather the customer's name, billing address and credit card details etc, along with any items they've placed in the cart. The card details are then securely passed on to a payment services provider (see below). This can also be used to set up and automatically send out your company receipt to the customer, upon payment approval.
Payment Service Provider (also known as a 'Payment Gateway')
These people act as a middleman between the shopping cart software (see above) the customer's credit card issuer and the store owners Merchant Account (see below). Card details are checked for validity, encrypted and sent back and forth. If the transaction is approved the customer's shipping details and 'bought item' details are then decrypted and sent to the store owner for shipping to take place, and the customer will receive an automated receipt from the payment service provider.
Internet Merchant Account from an 'Acquiring Bank'
This is the service (offered by most high street banks) that actually carries out the customer's credit card processing and puts the money in your pocket. Simple in theory, but the longest and most expensive part to set up.
If you already have a 'Merchant Account' with an Acquiring Bank this will need to be changed over to an 'Internet Merchant Account' for any online transactions to take place, regardless of who the service provider is.
Okay that's all the theory out of the way. Of course you could avoid all this nonsense and save a lot of time and money by simply setting up a Paypal merchant accoun. Afterall, they now accept credit and debit cards without making your customers set up any sort of account with them. Unfortunately, Paypal still has a bit of an image problem (mainly due to it's Ebay roots). If you're selling home made mittens I'm sure this won't be a problem. But if like me, your potential customers are from other businesses, and you want to convey as professional an image as possible, it can send out the wrong sort of message. Also, in my experience, many businesses are notorious for regarding any 'new' payment methods with great suspicion, and many still find it hard to stop using chequebooks. However, I'm sure Paypal will be viewed differently in time, so to cover all eventualities, I chose to implement it on my own site in addition to the more traditional 'merchant account' method for accepting cards.
Finding a Shopping Cart
Beyond this first bit of research I was hoping to find forums full of real life accounts and experiences of the above mentioned services which would quickly point me in the direction of the best software available. On the subject of 'shopping carts' the problem seems to be one of volume. There are a lot of people recommending a lot of different products, so you end up not seeing the wood for the trees, and they range wildly in price. All the big names in this area are PC based, so if you own a mac you may need to also consider the extra cost of either buying a cheap PC for the job or, if you're pushed for space, Virtual PC emulation software.
I read a few times that ecommerce is in it's infancy, but after 2 weeks of studying these "easy" software solutions I was frankly shocked at how dismal these offerings are for normal people like me. Most of them expect you to know some sort of programming language, PHP scripting and spreadsheet inputting. Now I regard myself as being above average when it comes to most things technical, but in this particular area I was quickly left feeling like the school dunce. My personal feeling is that if I've just spent £300 on a piece of eCommerce software why on earth do I need to know anything about any of these areas, surely that's what the shopping cart software is for? In addition to this my personal experience showed that many are firmly aimed at the US market and are often incompatible with UK payment service providers. Not surprisingly, I had to grudgingly give up on this area of research and spent a week worrying about the future of my site.
All was not lost however. There is an alternative to becoming one of the heavy-metal t-shirt wearing brigade and emerging yourself in the joys of Perl scripting. Third party providers offer 'Remotely Hosted Shopping Cart Software' which again varies enormously in price and also in how the costs are structured. To cut a long story short I found www.mals-e.com recommended enough times to catch my eye which has an easy to use 'admin page' system. After you sign up you get issued with a small personalised line of code which you add to the HTML of all your 'buy' buttons (which can be either text hyperlinks or images of your choosing). Log in, and start customising the comprehensive list of admin settings (accepted currencies, taxes, postage etc, etc) that's about it really. It's simply priced too at £13.60 ($24) for 3 months or £49 ($86.40) for 12 months service. Apart from the reasonable price, the ability to also use the service for free if you only want to implement Paypal on your site is a great way of testing the service first before you pay for the credit card accepting 'Premium' service. And so far I have to say I've been very happy with the way it works.
Finding a Payment Service Provider
If I want to find the cheapest electricity supplier, the cheapest mobile phone contract, or buy the cheapest pair of tartan slippers for Father Day there are loads of websites that will compare these things at the touch of a button. And it's pretty simple business sense that in order to remain competitive your overheads should be kept as low as possible without quality of service suffering. With this in mind my first port of call was the Business Link's 'product and cost comparison service' at www.electronic-payments.co.uk (click on the 'Use The Tool' button) which aims to compare the services and costs of various Payment Service Providers.
Initially you're put through the annoying and totally unnecessary hassle of registering with the site. After this dodgy start you are presented with a simple form asking you to put in 3 figures, 'annual turnover' (actual or estimated), 'average online transaction value', and your 'business borrowing/overdraft rate'. All sensible stuff. From there another 4 pages of forms come up 'Transaction Bands', 'Acquiring Costs', 'Payment Method Split' and 'Compatibility' where you can enter more detailed information as you feel necessary before finally being presented with your personalised results. Overall the experience is a bit clunky in places but if you bear with it you find it's a fairly invaluable service.
The cheapest/best 'Payment Service Provider' I found at the time was www.secpay.com. They deal with 10 of the 13 available Acquiring Banks in the UK and (most importantly) their system is compatible with mals-e.com mentioned above. Charges are as follows: an initial £50 set-up fee (£58.75 with VAT) and £10 per month thereafter (£11.75 with VAT). Each transaction is charged at either 1.9% or 39p of the sale price (the choice is yours), and the money from the customer will generally take 2-3 days to appear in your business bank account (which is a lot quicker than some). Apparently they also offer an online 'virtual' swipe card facility for telephone orders at no extra charge, but I have yet to test this out myself.
I should also point out that there are a small number of operators such as Netbanx who don't require you to have a merchant account so set-up costs are kept to a minimum, but their individual transaction costs are higher, so for me at least, this was a false economy. I also chose not to accept American Express and Diners Club cards yet, as they need a separate merchant account to handle each of them.
Finding an Internet Merchant Account
This is no easy task, currently there's a serious lack of any specific hard facts and figures on the internet on this subject. There are also no up-to-date comparison tools or lists that I could find, this may well be because a bank's charges can often depend upon how much they're already making from you for other services. For instance, if you already have a loan from the same bank they may charge you less for each online transaction cost. Ecommerce forums were equally disappointing, I found scant accounts from individuals with any personal experience there. Even on the individual banks' websites finding costs and set-up fees is often impossible. In fact I resorted to phoning various departments of HSBC Bank over the course of a whole afternoon where none of the staff could tell me anything about their own merchant banking fees! Merchant banking it would seem is deeply stuck in the dark ages, so they're all more than keen to waste time and paper by sending you their glossy 200-page merchant account 'joining pack' in the post. On the last page in small type you will invariably find these illusively secret figures finally revealed. However, even this was a partial waste of time, as by the time the last 'pack' (of six) arrived two of the banks had already restructured their fees. I was still none the wiser.
So I took a step back, and started again from a slightly different angle. I phoned Secpay asking if they recommended any particular acquiring banks, and they helpfully suggested using either EuroConex (which is the Bank of Ireland/Alliance & Leicester) or Lloydstsbcardnet (Lloyds/TSB) if I want to keep cost to a minimum. From there I called EuroConex (based in Ireland) and had to tell them my predicted annual turnover, and average transaction amount. Based on this, they would charge me a one-off set-up fee and a percentage cost per transaction on credit cards (they had a sliding scale from 1.9% to 2.5% at the time), and 24p per transaction on debit cards. They also have to see your website in order to check that what you're selling is 'ethical'.
A month later, after further research, I finally decided to go with EuroConex, so phoned them up before filling in the forms. Their prices had soared, now there was a £150 set-up fee (instead of £100) and 3.46% per transaction on personal credit cards (instead of 2.4%). This basically meant that their prices were roughly the same as all the other merchant bankers, and was beginning to see how they'd earned their entry in the dictionary of Cockney rhyming slang. There were two more blows to follow though, this hike in costs meant that I would have to wait for them to send me a new 'joining pack' with the new figures, and (and this was my oversight) that I would need to already have my own 'Business Account' set up before being considered for an internet merchant account, grrr! Being entirely new to this, I had naively assumed that because a 'Merchant Account' is just a different type of 'Business Account' that alone would be fine, and hadn't allowed for this level of banking pedantry.
After further research, and much gnashing of teeth I finally chose to set up my very first business account with the Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank, due to their offer of a permanently free business current account with internet banking, and also because of their connection with EuroConex (which I thought might help to speed things up a bit). There was a fairly straight forward form to fill in and two types of photographic identification along with verified signatures were required (authorised by two separate officials, e.g. police, teachers, postmasters etc), before finally being accepted 2 weeks later.
Once the business account was sorted, the merchant account joining pack could finally be filled in. Even though this account was essentially with the same bank as my newly granted business account (Alliance & Leicester), yet more identification and verified signatures were required by them. Two weeks passed before Euroconex emailed me saying that their underwriters additionally needed 3 consecutive months of statements from Paypal. Never having used my Paypal account for anything other than buying stuff from Ebay I was very concerned that, at this last hurdle, I was going to be refused an account.
Three long weeks passed before I could take no more. I phoned up Euroconex to find that my fears were unfounded. After 3 months of research and form-filling I was now officially ready to accept credit cards over the internet. Who would have thought that such a prospect could be such a relief!
Conclusion Well it's no easy ride and the caviar is still on ice, but if I'd found an article like this in the first place it would certainly have saved me a great deal of time and stress. Essentially I ended up with the following services which work well together and represent great value for money:
Shopping Cart - www.mals-e.com
Payment Service Provider - www.secpay.com
Internet Merchant Account - www.euroconex.com
Business Account - The Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank Business Builder Current Account
Having read this article it's my hope that you'll have a better understanding of the process, even if some of the information may become out-dated over time you'll still have a good starting point to base your own research upon. Best of luck in creating your own eCommerce site, and consider sending me some canapés in the post when you've made your fortune.
Ben Bracken is a highly experienced graphic designer and stock photographer based in Hampshire, UK.
http://www.picdisk.co.uk/shop.html http://www.beecreative.co.uk/
Friday, September 22, 2006
SEO Copywriting - its Importance in Search Engine Optimization
SEO copywriting, simply put, is a new way of writing content in a way that is search engine friendly.
Search engine copywriting involves framing the contents in a web-friendly manner. A widely prevailing misconception about search engine copywriting is that search engine copywriting is nothing but stuffing the content with keywords to make it rank high in search engines but a hopeless read for visitors in the process. However, the fact is quite dissimilar. In fact, search engine copywriting is the ideal blending of keywords and key phrases to make the content an interesting read to visitors, and search engine friendly.
For aspiring search engine copywriters
If you plan to try your hand at search engine copywriting, you need to take care of some points:
Density of keywords in the content- Search engine copywriting, as opposed to normal copywriting is writing for both search engines as well as human surfers. Hence, a well-planned mixture of keywords and key phrases should be used.
Make a comprehensive keyword research before starting- A webpage is usually optimized for a particular keyword or a group of key phrases. Hence, knowledge of keywords and key phrases in advance will result in faster and easier framing of the content.
Placement of keywords and key phrases-search engines scan the entire page for relevant keywords and key phrases, not just the first paragraph or heading. Hence, the idea should be to make the entire content keyword friendly. The beginning of the page should contain the important keywords as some search engines refrain from reading deep into pages.
Keyword density-This is a serious consideration. Overstuffing the content with keywords and key phrases does not ensure high ranking. In fact, search engines like Google are prompt in penalizing websites with overstuffed keyword content. Ideally, a webpage should be optimized for one or two primary keywords and around five secondary keywords and the ideal density should be 3%.
Length of page: All of your web pages should have sufficient text. The home page is the most important section and should be emphasized upon. As far as word limit is concerned, search engines such as Google, Overture, and MSN prefer pages with number of words between 300 and 500 on your home page and important section pages to assess its keyword relevance.
SEO copywriting is not difficult, but a bit complicated as compared to normal copywriting as the needs of both search engine and human visitors have to be taken care of. Hence, being a little methodical in your approach can bring overwhelming results, something that you had never imagined before.
Anirban Bhattacharya is a journalist/editor in the field of Internet Marketing and internet business as a whole and has written over 300 articles for various websites. The articles are a result of the knowledge he has drawn after performing comprehensive research on promotional marketing. To have a look at other research based articles written by Anirban Bhattacharya please visit SynapseInteractive seo services.
Search engine copywriting involves framing the contents in a web-friendly manner. A widely prevailing misconception about search engine copywriting is that search engine copywriting is nothing but stuffing the content with keywords to make it rank high in search engines but a hopeless read for visitors in the process. However, the fact is quite dissimilar. In fact, search engine copywriting is the ideal blending of keywords and key phrases to make the content an interesting read to visitors, and search engine friendly.
For aspiring search engine copywriters
If you plan to try your hand at search engine copywriting, you need to take care of some points:
Density of keywords in the content- Search engine copywriting, as opposed to normal copywriting is writing for both search engines as well as human surfers. Hence, a well-planned mixture of keywords and key phrases should be used.
Make a comprehensive keyword research before starting- A webpage is usually optimized for a particular keyword or a group of key phrases. Hence, knowledge of keywords and key phrases in advance will result in faster and easier framing of the content.
Placement of keywords and key phrases-search engines scan the entire page for relevant keywords and key phrases, not just the first paragraph or heading. Hence, the idea should be to make the entire content keyword friendly. The beginning of the page should contain the important keywords as some search engines refrain from reading deep into pages.
Keyword density-This is a serious consideration. Overstuffing the content with keywords and key phrases does not ensure high ranking. In fact, search engines like Google are prompt in penalizing websites with overstuffed keyword content. Ideally, a webpage should be optimized for one or two primary keywords and around five secondary keywords and the ideal density should be 3%.
Length of page: All of your web pages should have sufficient text. The home page is the most important section and should be emphasized upon. As far as word limit is concerned, search engines such as Google, Overture, and MSN prefer pages with number of words between 300 and 500 on your home page and important section pages to assess its keyword relevance.
SEO copywriting is not difficult, but a bit complicated as compared to normal copywriting as the needs of both search engine and human visitors have to be taken care of. Hence, being a little methodical in your approach can bring overwhelming results, something that you had never imagined before.
Anirban Bhattacharya is a journalist/editor in the field of Internet Marketing and internet business as a whole and has written over 300 articles for various websites. The articles are a result of the knowledge he has drawn after performing comprehensive research on promotional marketing. To have a look at other research based articles written by Anirban Bhattacharya please visit SynapseInteractive seo services.
SEO Optimization - Get Key word Density Just Right
It has always been about being noticed. People dress well or do something bizarre in order to be noticed or make a statement. To get ahead in life or business one needs to be at the top, first in line. Now more often than not, the World Wide Web to functions along the same principles.
With tough competition between websites, articles, and e-commerce sites what makes one more successful than others is the position a site gets on search engines. The higher the ranking the larger the number of hits or traffic to the site. To achieve a higher position websites use the strategy of SEO optimization and content is written such that it is key word dense.
It is not as simple as using words repeatedly you need to know which keywords are relevant to your website and pages. Once you have a master list ensure that :
• Match keyword tag with content. Ensure that the keyword meta tag has around 900 characters or 25 words.
• Ensure that the keyword density in between 3-10% . And, avoid using the same word more than once in a sentence. Check keyword validators to determine the exact density percentage.
• Try and maximize use in the top half of the page. Many search engine spiders do not go beyond 25-50%.
• Be smart and spell your keywords with variations and also include plurals.
Go one step ahead and make use of a keyword density checker. This is an automated system that will comb through your web content and highlight words used in higher density. The system will enable you to perfect your pages and provide what search engines or spiders want.
A Keyword Density Cloud see http://www.webconfs.com/keyword-density-checker.php can be used effectively to crawl selected URLs, analyze word density, and remove common stop words. The tool can be added to your website and fulfil a vital role in SEO optimization.
It is all about knowing how to gather your audience or customers and the keyword density checker or cloud can help you through several stumbling blocks. The golden rules of SEO are: keyword density, keyword frequency, keyword prominence, and keyword proximity.
The basic rule of thumb is to know “what are the keywords your potential customers are likely to use.” Key words must not be random but relevant to your line of business. The trick is to strike a balance neither too many nor too little. Too many can get your site banned and too little means you get lower rankings and your wonderful site goes unnoticed.
So, while sticking to your marketing plan and focus take a moment to take care of web content and its many nuances. Make content meaningful and relevant, find out the most important words that will be used to find what your site has to offer (put yourself in the user’s shoes). And construct content using all the golden rules and keys mentioned above. If you tread the right path success in the World Wide Web will be yours.
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://www.1888seoservices.com/ , the premier website to find Seo consulting, link buildings and professionals seo training, online marketing tips, seo tools and more. He also freelances for Submit Free Press Release site http://www.1888pressrelease.com/
With tough competition between websites, articles, and e-commerce sites what makes one more successful than others is the position a site gets on search engines. The higher the ranking the larger the number of hits or traffic to the site. To achieve a higher position websites use the strategy of SEO optimization and content is written such that it is key word dense.
It is not as simple as using words repeatedly you need to know which keywords are relevant to your website and pages. Once you have a master list ensure that :
• Match keyword tag with content. Ensure that the keyword meta tag has around 900 characters or 25 words.
• Ensure that the keyword density in between 3-10% . And, avoid using the same word more than once in a sentence. Check keyword validators to determine the exact density percentage.
• Try and maximize use in the top half of the page. Many search engine spiders do not go beyond 25-50%.
• Be smart and spell your keywords with variations and also include plurals.
Go one step ahead and make use of a keyword density checker. This is an automated system that will comb through your web content and highlight words used in higher density. The system will enable you to perfect your pages and provide what search engines or spiders want.
A Keyword Density Cloud see http://www.webconfs.com/keyword-density-checker.php can be used effectively to crawl selected URLs, analyze word density, and remove common stop words. The tool can be added to your website and fulfil a vital role in SEO optimization.
It is all about knowing how to gather your audience or customers and the keyword density checker or cloud can help you through several stumbling blocks. The golden rules of SEO are: keyword density, keyword frequency, keyword prominence, and keyword proximity.
The basic rule of thumb is to know “what are the keywords your potential customers are likely to use.” Key words must not be random but relevant to your line of business. The trick is to strike a balance neither too many nor too little. Too many can get your site banned and too little means you get lower rankings and your wonderful site goes unnoticed.
So, while sticking to your marketing plan and focus take a moment to take care of web content and its many nuances. Make content meaningful and relevant, find out the most important words that will be used to find what your site has to offer (put yourself in the user’s shoes). And construct content using all the golden rules and keys mentioned above. If you tread the right path success in the World Wide Web will be yours.
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://www.1888seoservices.com/ , the premier website to find Seo consulting, link buildings and professionals seo training, online marketing tips, seo tools and more. He also freelances for Submit Free Press Release site http://www.1888pressrelease.com/
Finding Keywords: Six Tips for Choosing the Right Keywords to Use
While most online marketers are ready to accept the fact that search engines can bring a large volume of low cost traffic to a website, the surprising reality is that many have little or no clue as to how they should go about doing so. Several different aspects make up search engine marketing; including submission of websites, creating search engine optimized content, interlinking websites and arguably the most important part- choosing keywords.
Keywords or keyword phrases are those terms that a potential customer uses on a search engine to look for a product or service that a website provides. So, for a jewelry manufacturer the word 'jewelry' would be a major keyword. Unfortunately, choosing keywords is not quite as easy as simply naming a product or category. There are many factors that should influence your decision as to what defines the right keyword(s).
It is important to remember that while choosing the right keywords is vital to the success of a marketing campaign, choosing keywords that are inappropriate will target the wrong people making the process of converting eyeballs to sales a nightmare. Here are some tips on choosing keywords that will give you great leads, which can easily be converted into sales.
1. Check out the competition.
Research your competitors and view their Meta tags to see which keywords they are using. This is a great way to quickly list down the most commonly used keywords for your type of business.
2. Make your own list.
Once you have the competitor keywords list, add to it any keywords you feel are important. Include your company name and city as well. Also add plurals and variations of the keywords. Make sure you spell important keywords in American as well as British English. So, in referencing the example used earlier, a jeweler would want to include 'jewelry' and 'jewellery' in his or her list.
3. Ask outsiders for help.
Rarely can you see your own business from an outsider's perspective. To get a layman's opinion, ask customers to send in keywords they relate to your company. You could also ask friends and family to make suggestions. You may be surprised at the keyword suggestions they come up with.
4. Evaluate your keywords using software.
Once you have a list, the process of choosing keywords is ready to move into the next stage of evaluation. Since you cannot possibly optimize your website for all of the keywords on your list, it is best to narrow that list down. Use software like WordTracker to decipher the popularity of each of your keywords and keyword phrases. Retain the most popular or frequently searched terms and discard those that are rarely searched. Google Adwords, Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool and Alta Vista's Prisma are also good tools to use when choosing keywords.
5. Be specific.
Rather than saying 'jewelry manufacturing' try saying 'men's jewelry manufacturing'. While the former may be a more popular search term and could possibly garner more eyeballs, the latter is likely to lead to more sales. People who search for 'jewelry manufacturing' could be looking for bridal jewelry, wedding jewelry or any other kind of jewelry available. If men's jewelry is your area of business, getting a bride to browse your website is a waste of marketing resources. It would be more effective to have 5 users interested in men's jewelry browse you site, rather than 25 that are interested in bridal jewelry.
6. Be flexible.
Always look to update your keywords based on the feedback received from visitors to your site, customers and website logs. Website logs can give exact information on which keywords are successful and which are not and is a great place to find reaffirmation for your keyword selection process.
Choosing keywords is a process that can dramatically affect the performance of your search engine marketing efforts and hence it is one that requires due attention. An important thing to keep in mind is that while getting a high ranking in search engines is important, it is more important to get a high ranking for a relevant keyword.
The main purpose of your efforts is to have customers that are looking for a specific product find YOUR specific product and with the right keywords, you can reach that goal.
Click to learn about Volusion's Marketing Services.
Stacie completed the Texas Creative program, receiving a degree in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and is now happily employed with Volusion, Inc, http://volusion.com/
Keywords or keyword phrases are those terms that a potential customer uses on a search engine to look for a product or service that a website provides. So, for a jewelry manufacturer the word 'jewelry' would be a major keyword. Unfortunately, choosing keywords is not quite as easy as simply naming a product or category. There are many factors that should influence your decision as to what defines the right keyword(s).
It is important to remember that while choosing the right keywords is vital to the success of a marketing campaign, choosing keywords that are inappropriate will target the wrong people making the process of converting eyeballs to sales a nightmare. Here are some tips on choosing keywords that will give you great leads, which can easily be converted into sales.
1. Check out the competition.
Research your competitors and view their Meta tags to see which keywords they are using. This is a great way to quickly list down the most commonly used keywords for your type of business.
2. Make your own list.
Once you have the competitor keywords list, add to it any keywords you feel are important. Include your company name and city as well. Also add plurals and variations of the keywords. Make sure you spell important keywords in American as well as British English. So, in referencing the example used earlier, a jeweler would want to include 'jewelry' and 'jewellery' in his or her list.
3. Ask outsiders for help.
Rarely can you see your own business from an outsider's perspective. To get a layman's opinion, ask customers to send in keywords they relate to your company. You could also ask friends and family to make suggestions. You may be surprised at the keyword suggestions they come up with.
4. Evaluate your keywords using software.
Once you have a list, the process of choosing keywords is ready to move into the next stage of evaluation. Since you cannot possibly optimize your website for all of the keywords on your list, it is best to narrow that list down. Use software like WordTracker to decipher the popularity of each of your keywords and keyword phrases. Retain the most popular or frequently searched terms and discard those that are rarely searched. Google Adwords, Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool and Alta Vista's Prisma are also good tools to use when choosing keywords.
5. Be specific.
Rather than saying 'jewelry manufacturing' try saying 'men's jewelry manufacturing'. While the former may be a more popular search term and could possibly garner more eyeballs, the latter is likely to lead to more sales. People who search for 'jewelry manufacturing' could be looking for bridal jewelry, wedding jewelry or any other kind of jewelry available. If men's jewelry is your area of business, getting a bride to browse your website is a waste of marketing resources. It would be more effective to have 5 users interested in men's jewelry browse you site, rather than 25 that are interested in bridal jewelry.
6. Be flexible.
Always look to update your keywords based on the feedback received from visitors to your site, customers and website logs. Website logs can give exact information on which keywords are successful and which are not and is a great place to find reaffirmation for your keyword selection process.
Choosing keywords is a process that can dramatically affect the performance of your search engine marketing efforts and hence it is one that requires due attention. An important thing to keep in mind is that while getting a high ranking in search engines is important, it is more important to get a high ranking for a relevant keyword.
The main purpose of your efforts is to have customers that are looking for a specific product find YOUR specific product and with the right keywords, you can reach that goal.
Click to learn about Volusion's Marketing Services.
Stacie completed the Texas Creative program, receiving a degree in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and is now happily employed with Volusion, Inc, http://volusion.com/
Selecting The Right Shopping Cart For Your Website
Shopping Cart Installation And Setup
Shopping cart technology has evolved to be a must-have feature for the internet seller. Most e-merchants are aware that shopping carts function to facilitate the purchasing process. They provide the means to catalog sale items; calculate price and shipping costs; and process real-time payments. What business owners may not know is that shopping carts services can, as a result of their data-collecting functions, provide valuable advanced marketing information.
An e-merchant's goal in setting up his website storefront is to maximize product exposure. He spends a great deal of time and effort developing an attractive site that is easy to find. But once found, the site must facilitate the closing of a sale. The decision to install a shopping cart system is a wise one because it provides a professional processing service, which makes buying easy for the customer. The many features of shopping cart systems are designed to attract and commit the buyer, and to make what can be a labor-intensive purchasing process simplified and enjoyable.
It is very important for the e-merchant to know and use the functions of the shopping cart system that assist in the management and planning aspects of his business. Many shopping cart systems can provide useful statistics to help you analyze the effectiveness of your site; your sales record; and the sources of your customer stream. You can have at your fingertips such information as: how much traffic your site is getting; who your referral URLs are; the number of abandoned sales; and details about your purchasers.
Ted Prodromou spent over 25 years in the computer industry working for IBM, Digital, and Cellular one. Today he's the owner of Valiss IT, a consulting firm that provides small business coaching and marketing help. He’s also a certified personal and professional coach.
Ted has created and led many coaching workshops and today is helping small businesses automate their marketing with his latest coaching program, "Attract Clients While You Sleep". For more information visit http://www.valiss.com/specials
If you would like to download his free report "How To Attract Clients While You Sleep" visit http://www.valiss.com/
You are free to distribute this article, providing it remains unchanged and with the resource / bio box attached.
Shopping cart technology has evolved to be a must-have feature for the internet seller. Most e-merchants are aware that shopping carts function to facilitate the purchasing process. They provide the means to catalog sale items; calculate price and shipping costs; and process real-time payments. What business owners may not know is that shopping carts services can, as a result of their data-collecting functions, provide valuable advanced marketing information.
An e-merchant's goal in setting up his website storefront is to maximize product exposure. He spends a great deal of time and effort developing an attractive site that is easy to find. But once found, the site must facilitate the closing of a sale. The decision to install a shopping cart system is a wise one because it provides a professional processing service, which makes buying easy for the customer. The many features of shopping cart systems are designed to attract and commit the buyer, and to make what can be a labor-intensive purchasing process simplified and enjoyable.
It is very important for the e-merchant to know and use the functions of the shopping cart system that assist in the management and planning aspects of his business. Many shopping cart systems can provide useful statistics to help you analyze the effectiveness of your site; your sales record; and the sources of your customer stream. You can have at your fingertips such information as: how much traffic your site is getting; who your referral URLs are; the number of abandoned sales; and details about your purchasers.
Ted Prodromou spent over 25 years in the computer industry working for IBM, Digital, and Cellular one. Today he's the owner of Valiss IT, a consulting firm that provides small business coaching and marketing help. He’s also a certified personal and professional coach.
Ted has created and led many coaching workshops and today is helping small businesses automate their marketing with his latest coaching program, "Attract Clients While You Sleep". For more information visit http://www.valiss.com/specials
If you would like to download his free report "How To Attract Clients While You Sleep" visit http://www.valiss.com/
You are free to distribute this article, providing it remains unchanged and with the resource / bio box attached.
Just What Is A Merchant Account Anyway?
So, you have started a business online. To stay competitive and keep the sales coming in, you wish to offer your customers the option of purchasing with a credit card. But how do you do that? One way is to open a merchant account. Let us take a look at just what a merchant account is.
If you have never heard of a merchant account before, the concept is really quite easy to understand. A special account is created through a banking institution (usually the bank where you do your business or personal banking) or a clearing house (which is similar to a bank, with slight differences) which will permit you to accept payment by credit cards. Any and all credit card transactions will pass through online authorization and ultimately be deposited into your account (once the credit card charge has been approved).
Using a merchant account is really the easiest way to accept credit card payments. There are other ways, but they can cost more and be a much bigger business hassle. When a merchant account is established and a company is willing to authorize payments to your business online, your customers can begin using their credit card numbers for purchases and you will receive payment!
Actually, that is an over simplified explanation of what happens. There are many steps that need to occur before you will see any of the money from credit card payments.
Step 1 – Improve your website so credit card numbers can be accepted.
Step 2 – Verify and approve the charge. This can be done by the institution where you have a merchant account or by an independent online authorization company. If you go with the latter, be sure to do sufficient research. Going with an inexpensive company may save you money up front, but if they approve invalid credit cards you will pay much more!
Step 3 – Charge is authorized, so the details move to the customer’s credit card processor. They debit the card and deposit the money into your merchant account.
There are companies that provide these steps in an “all-in-one package” deal. The choice of how you accept your credit card payments online is up to you, but a great amount of searching for the best and right company is necessary.
Looks easy, does it not? However, setting up a merchant account may be trickier than you think. This is especially true if you are just starting your online business. You may have to wait until your business is established and can show its profitability before a financial institution will give you the desired merchant account.
There are reviews of the best merchant account providers and more helpful advice at http://www.top-merchant-accounts.com/
If you have never heard of a merchant account before, the concept is really quite easy to understand. A special account is created through a banking institution (usually the bank where you do your business or personal banking) or a clearing house (which is similar to a bank, with slight differences) which will permit you to accept payment by credit cards. Any and all credit card transactions will pass through online authorization and ultimately be deposited into your account (once the credit card charge has been approved).
Using a merchant account is really the easiest way to accept credit card payments. There are other ways, but they can cost more and be a much bigger business hassle. When a merchant account is established and a company is willing to authorize payments to your business online, your customers can begin using their credit card numbers for purchases and you will receive payment!
Actually, that is an over simplified explanation of what happens. There are many steps that need to occur before you will see any of the money from credit card payments.
Step 1 – Improve your website so credit card numbers can be accepted.
Step 2 – Verify and approve the charge. This can be done by the institution where you have a merchant account or by an independent online authorization company. If you go with the latter, be sure to do sufficient research. Going with an inexpensive company may save you money up front, but if they approve invalid credit cards you will pay much more!
Step 3 – Charge is authorized, so the details move to the customer’s credit card processor. They debit the card and deposit the money into your merchant account.
There are companies that provide these steps in an “all-in-one package” deal. The choice of how you accept your credit card payments online is up to you, but a great amount of searching for the best and right company is necessary.
Looks easy, does it not? However, setting up a merchant account may be trickier than you think. This is especially true if you are just starting your online business. You may have to wait until your business is established and can show its profitability before a financial institution will give you the desired merchant account.
There are reviews of the best merchant account providers and more helpful advice at http://www.top-merchant-accounts.com/
Introduction to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The motive of Search Engine Optimization is to improve the ranking of the web sites, which are listed in the search engine lists. With the high rank of the web site in the search engine, there is a chance of more and more customers visiting your site. In today’s busy world the customers or internet users does not have much time to click through pages or the pages of search engine, so during their visit to the web site if the customer finds that the rank of the site is high he or she will ultimately move towards that site.
In the today’s web world, search engine optimizers (SEOs) are recognized as an industry of the professionals who bring the optimization scheme or projects on behalf of their customer’s sites. SEO ensure to the customer that the site they are looking for is reachable by the search engine. (It also improves the probability that the site, which a customer is looking for, will be found by the search engine. The motive of any search engine marketing agency is to know the techniques which give greater reliability to the search engine and what the search engines are looking for. So they modify a web site so that it is considered to be friendly to search engine.)
Different kinds of listing are displayed by the search engines in the search engine result pages (SERPs). The lists which are displayed by the search engines are pay per click advertisement, organic search results and paid inclusion listings. The strategies adopted by a search engine optimization company in Thailand are just same as required everywhere else in the world – they shall increase quality of customers and number of customers by improving the rankings of the SEO clients’ websites. Mainly SEO is concerned with achieving the aim of a web site by the improvement and progress of its organic search results.
Any newcomer, who wants to make his place in the web world and is launching his web site, should think about search engine optimization even already for the initial design of a site and development of the site, as they offer the stand alone service.
As a part of a large marketing effort, SEO plays a very important role for the initial design and development of the site. Pay per click advertising can play a substantial role for the competitive and high volume search term. The cost of pay per click advertising is little bit higher, so web site owners can think to optimize their sites for organic search. If your web site is having high ranking in the organic search results, this can bring the flow of traffic at a possible significant savings. Search engine optimization may not be having identical goal for all sites.
Some sites optimize to rank high for common search phrases, so these types of sites often look for any and all types of traffic. These common phrases are often much harder to rank for than the real “long tail” phrases that clients use to search for a product. It is important to note that you have to perform search engine optimization for every language that you cover – and if you have a Thai language part on your site targeting clients from Thailand, you sure want Thai search engine optimization experts to help you for the famous engines in Thailand like Google.co.th or Sanook.com.
In the Search Engine Optimization industry some of the search engines are frequent guests and sponsors at SEO seminars and conferences. With the arrival of paid inclusion, some of the search engines are now taking interest in the well being of the optimization community.
Copyright 2006 Globlet Co., Ltd.
Jatupol Tanaruthai has been in the search engine marketing business for about 9 years. He is the owner and CEO of Globlet Co., Ltd. (http://www.globlet.com/), a search engine marketing company based in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the today’s web world, search engine optimizers (SEOs) are recognized as an industry of the professionals who bring the optimization scheme or projects on behalf of their customer’s sites. SEO ensure to the customer that the site they are looking for is reachable by the search engine. (It also improves the probability that the site, which a customer is looking for, will be found by the search engine. The motive of any search engine marketing agency is to know the techniques which give greater reliability to the search engine and what the search engines are looking for. So they modify a web site so that it is considered to be friendly to search engine.)
Different kinds of listing are displayed by the search engines in the search engine result pages (SERPs). The lists which are displayed by the search engines are pay per click advertisement, organic search results and paid inclusion listings. The strategies adopted by a search engine optimization company in Thailand are just same as required everywhere else in the world – they shall increase quality of customers and number of customers by improving the rankings of the SEO clients’ websites. Mainly SEO is concerned with achieving the aim of a web site by the improvement and progress of its organic search results.
Any newcomer, who wants to make his place in the web world and is launching his web site, should think about search engine optimization even already for the initial design of a site and development of the site, as they offer the stand alone service.
As a part of a large marketing effort, SEO plays a very important role for the initial design and development of the site. Pay per click advertising can play a substantial role for the competitive and high volume search term. The cost of pay per click advertising is little bit higher, so web site owners can think to optimize their sites for organic search. If your web site is having high ranking in the organic search results, this can bring the flow of traffic at a possible significant savings. Search engine optimization may not be having identical goal for all sites.
Some sites optimize to rank high for common search phrases, so these types of sites often look for any and all types of traffic. These common phrases are often much harder to rank for than the real “long tail” phrases that clients use to search for a product. It is important to note that you have to perform search engine optimization for every language that you cover – and if you have a Thai language part on your site targeting clients from Thailand, you sure want Thai search engine optimization experts to help you for the famous engines in Thailand like Google.co.th or Sanook.com.
In the Search Engine Optimization industry some of the search engines are frequent guests and sponsors at SEO seminars and conferences. With the arrival of paid inclusion, some of the search engines are now taking interest in the well being of the optimization community.
Copyright 2006 Globlet Co., Ltd.
Jatupol Tanaruthai has been in the search engine marketing business for about 9 years. He is the owner and CEO of Globlet Co., Ltd. (http://www.globlet.com/), a search engine marketing company based in Bangkok, Thailand.
Improving Conversion Rates: The Best Investment You Can Make In Your Web Site
Possibly the most misunderstood part of online marketing is improving conversion rates...
Improving conversion rates produces some of the greatest returns on investment of any activity you can engage in while trying to improve the sales of your web site.
Maximizing your web sites conversion rates can produce a tremendous competitive advantage.
Niche after niche and industry after industry have proven that once a marketer with an obsession for maximizing traffic conversion enters the niche, its “game over” for the existing websites in that market that don’t adapt and begin improving their own conversion rates.
Customers and affiliates seem to almost magically gravitate towards the websites that have the highest conversion rates. And high converting websites can afford to far out spend the competition on marketing and advertising.
When it comes to increasing the sales of your online business, the basics are actually quite simple... There are only three things you need to focus on to improve your overall sales volume.
Those 3 things are:
1. Increasing the traffic to your website.
2. Increasing the average amount customers spend per visit.
3. Improving your visitor to sales conversion rates.
That’s it... Every revenue generating activity you can engage in to maximize your online profits falls under one of those three areas.
Unfortunately the vast majority of online businesses and internet marketers spend most of their time focusing on only one of those three critical areas. (And it’s often the least effective area.)
Increasing the average amount customers spend per visit and improving conversion rates have a far greater impact on your long term profitability than focusing exclusively on increasing the traffic to your web site.
Your web sites conversion rates are impacted by four main areas.
1. Usability.
2. Persuasion.
3. Trust.
4. Testing.
Usability is simply how easy it is for visitors to navigate your web site and how easy it is for them to accomplish whatever their particular goal is on your web site.
Persuasion is a measure of how effective your web sites copy, calls to action and other elements are at convincing visitors to purchase from you (or take the specific actions that you want them to take.)
Trust is an essential yet often overlooked element of the conversion process. Even if your web site is highly usable and persuasive, if your visitors do not trust you they will not buy from you.
Testing and tracking is where the big gains in conversion rate improvement come from. By focusing long-term on continually testing and improving your sales process on your web site you can increase conversion rates incrementally over time. These small improvements will compound to produce very large gains in conversion rates, sales and overall profitability.
The bottom line is this...
Developing a long term commitment to improving and maximizing your conversion rates will result in a devastating competitive advantage that will guarantee you dominance in any niche you decide to enter.
Because so few online businesses understand the tremendous power of maximizing conversion rates, even gaining a slight advantage will allow you to blast past your competition.
Need conversion rate improvement? I can improve the conversion rate of ANY website... Guaranteed! (...or I'll pay YOU $250!) Get your Website Critique now!
Improving conversion rates produces some of the greatest returns on investment of any activity you can engage in while trying to improve the sales of your web site.
Maximizing your web sites conversion rates can produce a tremendous competitive advantage.
Niche after niche and industry after industry have proven that once a marketer with an obsession for maximizing traffic conversion enters the niche, its “game over” for the existing websites in that market that don’t adapt and begin improving their own conversion rates.
Customers and affiliates seem to almost magically gravitate towards the websites that have the highest conversion rates. And high converting websites can afford to far out spend the competition on marketing and advertising.
When it comes to increasing the sales of your online business, the basics are actually quite simple... There are only three things you need to focus on to improve your overall sales volume.
Those 3 things are:
1. Increasing the traffic to your website.
2. Increasing the average amount customers spend per visit.
3. Improving your visitor to sales conversion rates.
That’s it... Every revenue generating activity you can engage in to maximize your online profits falls under one of those three areas.
Unfortunately the vast majority of online businesses and internet marketers spend most of their time focusing on only one of those three critical areas. (And it’s often the least effective area.)
Increasing the average amount customers spend per visit and improving conversion rates have a far greater impact on your long term profitability than focusing exclusively on increasing the traffic to your web site.
Your web sites conversion rates are impacted by four main areas.
1. Usability.
2. Persuasion.
3. Trust.
4. Testing.
Usability is simply how easy it is for visitors to navigate your web site and how easy it is for them to accomplish whatever their particular goal is on your web site.
Persuasion is a measure of how effective your web sites copy, calls to action and other elements are at convincing visitors to purchase from you (or take the specific actions that you want them to take.)
Trust is an essential yet often overlooked element of the conversion process. Even if your web site is highly usable and persuasive, if your visitors do not trust you they will not buy from you.
Testing and tracking is where the big gains in conversion rate improvement come from. By focusing long-term on continually testing and improving your sales process on your web site you can increase conversion rates incrementally over time. These small improvements will compound to produce very large gains in conversion rates, sales and overall profitability.
The bottom line is this...
Developing a long term commitment to improving and maximizing your conversion rates will result in a devastating competitive advantage that will guarantee you dominance in any niche you decide to enter.
Because so few online businesses understand the tremendous power of maximizing conversion rates, even gaining a slight advantage will allow you to blast past your competition.
Need conversion rate improvement? I can improve the conversion rate of ANY website... Guaranteed! (...or I'll pay YOU $250!) Get your Website Critique now!
How to Profit from Expired Domain Name Registration
After the dot com crash, expired domain names and expired domain name traffic have been a source of potential income. It is important to inexpensively obtain the automated tools required to track the thousands of domain name registration and abandoned websites that are removed from the domain registry and become available for purchase.
Expired domain registration and the expired domain name traffic associated with them have been only available to those who had an automated system and tools.
Now, automated tools and resources are available for identifying, appraising and even buying these domain names on autopilot.
Expired domain names are those that had previously been registered to another owner. These domain name registration are available to the open market because of non-payment of the domain name renewal fees. Such domain names are returned to the open market about forty-five days after the expiration date.
Many domain names even point to fully functioning websites while many are registered for speculation. These names are registered by speculators in the hope of obtaining a profit on the resale of the domain name.
Numerous other domain names are registered for website development, but do not appear online. In a number of these cases, the domain name owners do not follow through with respect to the website development and allow the domain registration to expire.
However, there are a number of expired domain names with fully functioning websites, receiving daily traffic from the search engines, links and banner ads. The expired domain names that get this daily traffic can earn revenues if these are redirected to another website or marketed with affiliate programs.
Earning Profit from Expired Domain Names & Expired Domain Name Traffic:
1. Buying for speculation - There is now a large and highly profitable market for reselling domain registration at present, and speculators are looking out for developing technologies and trends. Evolution is constantly taking place in technology and trends. There are markets, being watched closely right now, that are expected to grow exponentially within a short span of time. It should be a good idea to locate and register expiring domain registration that are related to new trends, technology and markets in order to earn substantial profits.
2. Buying expiring domain names and redirecting the targeted traffic - Targeted keyword domain names can help to get traffic from those simply typing in keyword rich domain names into the address bar and hitting the enter key.
3. Buying expired domain name registration and putting up generic websites - Using tools like easy website building software, third party payment processors, auto responders and other applications, even a novice could put generic websites online with keyword rich domain names that should appear in the search engine rankings. These websites can be built using expired domain names to drive traffic to them and the domain registration and the developed website could then be sold together with the domain name, as a value added commodity.
4. Buying expiring domain names of websites that are already online – A number of expiring domain names are, actually, already functioning websites. The owners of these websites either did not renew their domain registration for some reason or simply stopped operating the website. In fact, quite often, these websites already have traffic from links to other websites, search engine rankings and even directory listings.
5. Buying expired domain names and using them for marketing affiliate programs - Affiliate programs are a good way to acquire an online business without even having a product. Affiliate marketers redirect traffic from the affiliate website to the website of the actual product or service and charge a commission or a fee when any of the redirected traffic results in sales. Affiliate programs have become an automated turnkey solution for a number of entrepreneurs, especially novices.
One can locate and register expired domain names that closely target the market of the affiliate programs and then draw that targeted traffic into the website with expired keyword rich domain names with content that satisfies the informational needs. Then the users can be led onto the sales page of the product.
Copyright © Active-Domain.com's domain registration service. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted freely as long as you provide an active link to our website at http://www.active-domain.com/
Expired domain registration and the expired domain name traffic associated with them have been only available to those who had an automated system and tools.
Now, automated tools and resources are available for identifying, appraising and even buying these domain names on autopilot.
Expired domain names are those that had previously been registered to another owner. These domain name registration are available to the open market because of non-payment of the domain name renewal fees. Such domain names are returned to the open market about forty-five days after the expiration date.
Many domain names even point to fully functioning websites while many are registered for speculation. These names are registered by speculators in the hope of obtaining a profit on the resale of the domain name.
Numerous other domain names are registered for website development, but do not appear online. In a number of these cases, the domain name owners do not follow through with respect to the website development and allow the domain registration to expire.
However, there are a number of expired domain names with fully functioning websites, receiving daily traffic from the search engines, links and banner ads. The expired domain names that get this daily traffic can earn revenues if these are redirected to another website or marketed with affiliate programs.
Earning Profit from Expired Domain Names & Expired Domain Name Traffic:
1. Buying for speculation - There is now a large and highly profitable market for reselling domain registration at present, and speculators are looking out for developing technologies and trends. Evolution is constantly taking place in technology and trends. There are markets, being watched closely right now, that are expected to grow exponentially within a short span of time. It should be a good idea to locate and register expiring domain registration that are related to new trends, technology and markets in order to earn substantial profits.
2. Buying expiring domain names and redirecting the targeted traffic - Targeted keyword domain names can help to get traffic from those simply typing in keyword rich domain names into the address bar and hitting the enter key.
3. Buying expired domain name registration and putting up generic websites - Using tools like easy website building software, third party payment processors, auto responders and other applications, even a novice could put generic websites online with keyword rich domain names that should appear in the search engine rankings. These websites can be built using expired domain names to drive traffic to them and the domain registration and the developed website could then be sold together with the domain name, as a value added commodity.
4. Buying expiring domain names of websites that are already online – A number of expiring domain names are, actually, already functioning websites. The owners of these websites either did not renew their domain registration for some reason or simply stopped operating the website. In fact, quite often, these websites already have traffic from links to other websites, search engine rankings and even directory listings.
5. Buying expired domain names and using them for marketing affiliate programs - Affiliate programs are a good way to acquire an online business without even having a product. Affiliate marketers redirect traffic from the affiliate website to the website of the actual product or service and charge a commission or a fee when any of the redirected traffic results in sales. Affiliate programs have become an automated turnkey solution for a number of entrepreneurs, especially novices.
One can locate and register expired domain names that closely target the market of the affiliate programs and then draw that targeted traffic into the website with expired keyword rich domain names with content that satisfies the informational needs. Then the users can be led onto the sales page of the product.
Copyright © Active-Domain.com's domain registration service. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted freely as long as you provide an active link to our website at http://www.active-domain.com/
How To Accept Credit Cards Without a Merchant Account
To increase sales on your website, you must accept credit cards. To process credit cards, you could apply for a merchant account through your bank or other financial institution.
Sometimes, though, you would be further ahead to use the services of a credit card processor. This is especially true when you are first starting out and have more limited resources. In this way, you may process credit card transactions without the high front-end costs and requirements of a merchant account.
Here, then, are just a few ways of accepting credit cards without a merchant account. I personally use all of these vendors and can recommend them wholeheartedly.
1. Clickbank
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), you might consider ClickBank.com . For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales.
You receive additional exposure through free listing on their website and through the search facilities of other websites, such as CBMall.com .
As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program. You decide what commission (from 1% to 75%) you would like to pay your affiliates.
2. PayPal
PayPal.com has no initial fees. For just 2.9% of sales and $ .30 per transaction (and sometimes less), you can receive money from anyone.
Also, you can pay others by credit card or chequing account without supplying your personal credit information to the payee. PayPal can be used to collect money from your auctions, website sales, or even from friends or clients.
3. PaySystems
PaySystems.com can handle either intangible (downloadable) or tangible (shippable) products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 3.95% of sales and $1.00 per transaction. Alternatively, you may pay 5.5% of sales and $ .35 per transaction.
For this, you receive shopping cart, integration with third-party affiliate programs (such as ClixGalore.com ), fraud screening, multi-currency transactions, toll-free support, marketing tools, and more.
For more information on how to accept credit cards without a merchant account, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/creditcards.html
RESOURCE BOX:
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Sometimes, though, you would be further ahead to use the services of a credit card processor. This is especially true when you are first starting out and have more limited resources. In this way, you may process credit card transactions without the high front-end costs and requirements of a merchant account.
Here, then, are just a few ways of accepting credit cards without a merchant account. I personally use all of these vendors and can recommend them wholeheartedly.
1. Clickbank
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), you might consider ClickBank.com . For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales.
You receive additional exposure through free listing on their website and through the search facilities of other websites, such as CBMall.com .
As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program. You decide what commission (from 1% to 75%) you would like to pay your affiliates.
2. PayPal
PayPal.com has no initial fees. For just 2.9% of sales and $ .30 per transaction (and sometimes less), you can receive money from anyone.
Also, you can pay others by credit card or chequing account without supplying your personal credit information to the payee. PayPal can be used to collect money from your auctions, website sales, or even from friends or clients.
3. PaySystems
PaySystems.com can handle either intangible (downloadable) or tangible (shippable) products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 3.95% of sales and $1.00 per transaction. Alternatively, you may pay 5.5% of sales and $ .35 per transaction.
For this, you receive shopping cart, integration with third-party affiliate programs (such as ClixGalore.com ), fraud screening, multi-currency transactions, toll-free support, marketing tools, and more.
For more information on how to accept credit cards without a merchant account, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/creditcards.html
RESOURCE BOX:
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Advantages to a Dedicated Server
If you’re exploring hosting options, surely you’ve thought about dedicated hosting and you may have even thought that a dedicated server is a little pricey, but do you know all the benefits of dedicated hosting?
First let’s face a simple fact; many websites are hosted on a shared web hosting server. The main reason is the cost. A shared web hosting server costs a lot less than a dedicated server. The number of sites on a shared web hosting server can vary between a few hundred sites to a couple of thousand sites. Although shared hosting is reliable and has few problems, there are advantages to hosting your sites on a dedicated server.
You should consider a dedicated server when you find that the traffic to your site has increased substantially and your site is taking too much time to load. An analysis of the traffic to your site will tell you whether you should go to a dedicated server. The main thing to understand is that when you have many users accessing your website, you should replace your shared web hosting with a dedicated server web hosting.
Since a dedicated server does not share its server with other websites (like shared web hosting), you will find that you have a lot more control over your server operation. One of the advantages with a dedicated server is you have greater control to make changes to the server i.e. upload programs, add extra features and general tweaking is a lot easier when you have your own server. The only obstacle is the cost. You are required to pay a lot more for your dedicated server as compared to your shared web hosting. Nevertheless, the facilities more than compensate for the cost.
A dedicated server for your web hosting allows you to have a server solely dedicated to your sites. In addition, a dedicated server will allow you complete authority to control and administer your server. When and if you decide on a dedicated server for your web hosting, you should have a fair understanding of dedicated servers. Although most dedicated server hosting providers will provide technical support, you will find it a lot easier if you have the technical expertise to manage the server yourself. However, if you find that you will not be able to manage your server by yourself, you may opt for a managed dedicated server. This option is especially for those who want to have dedicated hosting but do not have the required expertise to manage it. This service allows you to have an entire server managed by a specialized hosting company. The cost of a managed dedicated server is more expensive than an unmanaged server. Therefore, if you think that you can run and manage your website server by yourself, you should opt for an unmanaged dedicated server web hosting rather than a managed dedicated server.
When you choose a hosting provider, you should keep in mind that it should provide you good network stability, reliable operation, and the ease of operation of sophisticated applications. A dedicated server hosting provider can be the perfect solution for anyone who is serious about their online presence.
Rene Spronk is the webmaster of eHostInfo, a web hosting directory which has details on a number of hosting companies and their plans. Please visit http://www.ehostinfo.com/ for more information.
First let’s face a simple fact; many websites are hosted on a shared web hosting server. The main reason is the cost. A shared web hosting server costs a lot less than a dedicated server. The number of sites on a shared web hosting server can vary between a few hundred sites to a couple of thousand sites. Although shared hosting is reliable and has few problems, there are advantages to hosting your sites on a dedicated server.
You should consider a dedicated server when you find that the traffic to your site has increased substantially and your site is taking too much time to load. An analysis of the traffic to your site will tell you whether you should go to a dedicated server. The main thing to understand is that when you have many users accessing your website, you should replace your shared web hosting with a dedicated server web hosting.
Since a dedicated server does not share its server with other websites (like shared web hosting), you will find that you have a lot more control over your server operation. One of the advantages with a dedicated server is you have greater control to make changes to the server i.e. upload programs, add extra features and general tweaking is a lot easier when you have your own server. The only obstacle is the cost. You are required to pay a lot more for your dedicated server as compared to your shared web hosting. Nevertheless, the facilities more than compensate for the cost.
A dedicated server for your web hosting allows you to have a server solely dedicated to your sites. In addition, a dedicated server will allow you complete authority to control and administer your server. When and if you decide on a dedicated server for your web hosting, you should have a fair understanding of dedicated servers. Although most dedicated server hosting providers will provide technical support, you will find it a lot easier if you have the technical expertise to manage the server yourself. However, if you find that you will not be able to manage your server by yourself, you may opt for a managed dedicated server. This option is especially for those who want to have dedicated hosting but do not have the required expertise to manage it. This service allows you to have an entire server managed by a specialized hosting company. The cost of a managed dedicated server is more expensive than an unmanaged server. Therefore, if you think that you can run and manage your website server by yourself, you should opt for an unmanaged dedicated server web hosting rather than a managed dedicated server.
When you choose a hosting provider, you should keep in mind that it should provide you good network stability, reliable operation, and the ease of operation of sophisticated applications. A dedicated server hosting provider can be the perfect solution for anyone who is serious about their online presence.
Rene Spronk is the webmaster of eHostInfo, a web hosting directory which has details on a number of hosting companies and their plans. Please visit http://www.ehostinfo.com/ for more information.
Accept Credit Cards Online Without a Merchant Account
There are two major ways to accept credit cards on your website. The first and most expensive is to have your own merchant account. Not only is this option expensive, it also requires extensive credit checks, lots of paperwork, and usually takes days or weeks before you get approved. Fortunately, there is an alternative.
Third party payment processors who will accept credit card payments on your behalf exist in growing numbers. These third party processors will take a percentage of your sale for their troubles, then pass on the rest to you. Rates vary greatly from one payment provider to another so doing your homework is important in order to get the right fit for you. Some payment providers will accept all kinds of goods and services while others specialize in only digital products, or hard goods, or services.
General Purpose Payment Providers include:
Paypal – Owned by Ebay, Paypal offers one of the lowest rates of any third party payment processor. At the time of this writing, their standard rates were 2.9% plus $0.30 US per transaction. Paypal offers excellent support and great documentation to get you up and running in no time at all. www.paypal.com
2checkout.com – Has a $49 US one time setup fee. Their rates at the time of this writing were $0.45 US plus 5.5% transaction fee. Discount rates are middle of the pack, service is very good and through them, you can accept most major credit cards. www.2checkout.com
Digital Information Payment Providers include:
Clickbank – You pay a one time $49.95 US activation fee. They then pay you the retail price of your product minus $1 and a 7.5% fee. Clickbank also has an easy to use affiliate program so that you can make money when others sell your product. www.clickbank.com
Digibuy – An electronic commerce solution for publishers of software, shareware, electronic art, information, and data. They charge a rate of 13.9% per transaction with a $3 US minimum order. They provide you with many features including brandable order forms, invoicing and test orders. www.digibuy.com
All but Clickbank give you the ability to have brandable shopping carts. This allows you to customize your order forms so that the customer doesn't feel like they are leaving your site thereby building trust. All of the third party payment processors above provide you with help to get started.
Accepting credit cards online doesn't have to cost you a lot of money. Most times it doesn't even have to include a credit check. Most of these services will even make regular deposits directly into your bank account for ultimate convenience.
When you need to accept credit cards quickly and inexpensively, one of the payment providers mentioned above just might fit the bill.
Joe Duchesne is the webmaster for turbomerchant.com which specializes in offering information to people looking to sell online via a merchant account and accept credit cards online. Reprint freely as long as the keyword rich link in this resource box stays live and with this article.
Third party payment processors who will accept credit card payments on your behalf exist in growing numbers. These third party processors will take a percentage of your sale for their troubles, then pass on the rest to you. Rates vary greatly from one payment provider to another so doing your homework is important in order to get the right fit for you. Some payment providers will accept all kinds of goods and services while others specialize in only digital products, or hard goods, or services.
General Purpose Payment Providers include:
Paypal – Owned by Ebay, Paypal offers one of the lowest rates of any third party payment processor. At the time of this writing, their standard rates were 2.9% plus $0.30 US per transaction. Paypal offers excellent support and great documentation to get you up and running in no time at all. www.paypal.com
2checkout.com – Has a $49 US one time setup fee. Their rates at the time of this writing were $0.45 US plus 5.5% transaction fee. Discount rates are middle of the pack, service is very good and through them, you can accept most major credit cards. www.2checkout.com
Digital Information Payment Providers include:
Clickbank – You pay a one time $49.95 US activation fee. They then pay you the retail price of your product minus $1 and a 7.5% fee. Clickbank also has an easy to use affiliate program so that you can make money when others sell your product. www.clickbank.com
Digibuy – An electronic commerce solution for publishers of software, shareware, electronic art, information, and data. They charge a rate of 13.9% per transaction with a $3 US minimum order. They provide you with many features including brandable order forms, invoicing and test orders. www.digibuy.com
All but Clickbank give you the ability to have brandable shopping carts. This allows you to customize your order forms so that the customer doesn't feel like they are leaving your site thereby building trust. All of the third party payment processors above provide you with help to get started.
Accepting credit cards online doesn't have to cost you a lot of money. Most times it doesn't even have to include a credit check. Most of these services will even make regular deposits directly into your bank account for ultimate convenience.
When you need to accept credit cards quickly and inexpensively, one of the payment providers mentioned above just might fit the bill.
Joe Duchesne is the webmaster for turbomerchant.com which specializes in offering information to people looking to sell online via a merchant account and accept credit cards online. Reprint freely as long as the keyword rich link in this resource box stays live and with this article.
A Beginners Guide to Web Hosting Providers
Web hosting is a service that you may or may not be familiar with, but every time you surf the internet you rely on this service to provide you the information you are looking for. Web hosting refers to the specific function of storing a web page in a computer, and allowing it to be seen by others on a network. A web hosting provider stores the web pages on computers very similar to the ones you have at your home and office. The main difference between the computers used by hosting companies and the computers you use for personal use is the software that is loaded onto them.
Computers that are used primarily for hosting web pages are typically loaded with operating systems specifically designed to host web pages or internet applications, and are called servers. Web hosting companies may have only one server, or they may have hundreds or even thousands of servers connected together through a common interface.
Generally a web hosting company will have a dedicated, fast and reliable connection to the internet, allowing for quick access to the pages they are hosting. If a company has many servers and not a lot of clients, many times they will lease out the space on their servers to third party companies. These third party companies can then remotely administer the servers from anywhere in the world, allowing them to sell web hosting services without having hardware on site at their location.
With thousands of web hosting companies on the internet offering services ranging from basic, simple hosting plans all the way up to thousand page interactive business sites, the process of choosing the right hosting provider for your needs can seem daunting. There are several aspects of hosting that are similar to every company out there though, and by knowing the differences between these choices your decision about which hosting provider to choose can be made much clearer.
• Software
Before choosing a provider it’s important to know exactly what type of software the provider uses for hosting. Many people who are new to internet web page building might be surprised to know that hosting providers utilize different types of software for their service, and not all applications will work with all different types of software. The two most common types of software you will find are Unix, which will generally also include the Linux family of software, and Windows, or Microsoft type software.
• Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transmission that the web hosting provider will provide for your website. Generally, bandwidth is allotted in a per month format. I.E. – if you choose account A. you will be allowed 50 Gigabytes of transmission per month. If you choose account B. you will allowed 100 Gigabytes of transmission per month, and so on. This is important to consider if your website will be set up to allow downloads. If you plan on opening a website which sells software to be downloaded from your site, make sure that you calculate how much bandwidth will be used and make sure your hosting plan provides that amount of data transmission.
• Disk Space
Disk space refers to the amount of space that your hosting provider will allocate for the storage of your site on their computers. Most sites themselves are not that large, unless you are planning on running a site with a lot of fancy graphics and a lot of pages. If you plan on storing videos, audio files, or lots of pictures and graphics which will be a part of your actual website design, then you will need more disk space from your web provider. A simple, mostly text based website, even with a certain amount of fancy graphics and design, will generally not take up a large amount of disk space on your web hosting provider’s disk. An easy way to find out how much space you will need is to simply design your site, then put all the files into a folder on your computer. Just check the size of the folder with all your website’s files in it to get a pretty good idea of the disk space required to store your site.
• Email Accounts
Another thing to consider when choosing hosting providers is email accounts. Most hosting will come with email accounts, generally plenty of them for a typical site. Make sure if you will be requiring a lot of email accounts that they are included in your hosting plan. Also check with your provider to find out how those accounts are setup, and what type of control you will be able to have over them. Most hosting accounts come with several pre set email accounts and many non designated accounts which you can setup yourself. Check and make sure you have access to modify the settings of these accounts. Generally you will be able to change the names of the accounts, and have them forwarded to an existing account you already have setup.
Once you have a good idea of what type of resources your website will require in these four critical areas, your choice of web hosting providers can become a lot clearer. Remember that many companies will try and upsell you products and additional services that you probably don’t need. When getting started, it’s a good idea to just start with the basics. Get your site online and looking good, make sure it’s working correctly and all the links are pointing where they are supposed to, and then start tweaking, fine tuning, and adding extra services if you need them.
For the full version of this article log on to http://www.financialproductsdirect.com/
David Nemer is the owner of http://www.financialproductsdirect.com/ and a freelance writer. Log on for the full version of this article, and many more.
Computers that are used primarily for hosting web pages are typically loaded with operating systems specifically designed to host web pages or internet applications, and are called servers. Web hosting companies may have only one server, or they may have hundreds or even thousands of servers connected together through a common interface.
Generally a web hosting company will have a dedicated, fast and reliable connection to the internet, allowing for quick access to the pages they are hosting. If a company has many servers and not a lot of clients, many times they will lease out the space on their servers to third party companies. These third party companies can then remotely administer the servers from anywhere in the world, allowing them to sell web hosting services without having hardware on site at their location.
With thousands of web hosting companies on the internet offering services ranging from basic, simple hosting plans all the way up to thousand page interactive business sites, the process of choosing the right hosting provider for your needs can seem daunting. There are several aspects of hosting that are similar to every company out there though, and by knowing the differences between these choices your decision about which hosting provider to choose can be made much clearer.
• Software
Before choosing a provider it’s important to know exactly what type of software the provider uses for hosting. Many people who are new to internet web page building might be surprised to know that hosting providers utilize different types of software for their service, and not all applications will work with all different types of software. The two most common types of software you will find are Unix, which will generally also include the Linux family of software, and Windows, or Microsoft type software.
• Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transmission that the web hosting provider will provide for your website. Generally, bandwidth is allotted in a per month format. I.E. – if you choose account A. you will be allowed 50 Gigabytes of transmission per month. If you choose account B. you will allowed 100 Gigabytes of transmission per month, and so on. This is important to consider if your website will be set up to allow downloads. If you plan on opening a website which sells software to be downloaded from your site, make sure that you calculate how much bandwidth will be used and make sure your hosting plan provides that amount of data transmission.
• Disk Space
Disk space refers to the amount of space that your hosting provider will allocate for the storage of your site on their computers. Most sites themselves are not that large, unless you are planning on running a site with a lot of fancy graphics and a lot of pages. If you plan on storing videos, audio files, or lots of pictures and graphics which will be a part of your actual website design, then you will need more disk space from your web provider. A simple, mostly text based website, even with a certain amount of fancy graphics and design, will generally not take up a large amount of disk space on your web hosting provider’s disk. An easy way to find out how much space you will need is to simply design your site, then put all the files into a folder on your computer. Just check the size of the folder with all your website’s files in it to get a pretty good idea of the disk space required to store your site.
• Email Accounts
Another thing to consider when choosing hosting providers is email accounts. Most hosting will come with email accounts, generally plenty of them for a typical site. Make sure if you will be requiring a lot of email accounts that they are included in your hosting plan. Also check with your provider to find out how those accounts are setup, and what type of control you will be able to have over them. Most hosting accounts come with several pre set email accounts and many non designated accounts which you can setup yourself. Check and make sure you have access to modify the settings of these accounts. Generally you will be able to change the names of the accounts, and have them forwarded to an existing account you already have setup.
Once you have a good idea of what type of resources your website will require in these four critical areas, your choice of web hosting providers can become a lot clearer. Remember that many companies will try and upsell you products and additional services that you probably don’t need. When getting started, it’s a good idea to just start with the basics. Get your site online and looking good, make sure it’s working correctly and all the links are pointing where they are supposed to, and then start tweaking, fine tuning, and adding extra services if you need them.
For the full version of this article log on to http://www.financialproductsdirect.com/
David Nemer is the owner of http://www.financialproductsdirect.com/ and a freelance writer. Log on for the full version of this article, and many more.
A Beginner's Guide To Setting Up A Successful Online Store
A beginner’s guide to setting up a successful online store
Online selling is by no means a simple task. To sell products online not only requires making use of high end marketing strategies but also involves lots of planning. This article is meant for those of you who intent to start an online store. It is intended to give you a fair idea of what you would need to do and what you need to avoid while planning an online selling business.
The following are the various steps that you would need to take in order to open a successful online store
1.) Designing a website that sells
The first most important aspect of online selling is to have a professional looking website that is designed to sell. You can go about creating the website from code up using web designers or simply go for readymade website templates. If you are purchasing website templates, be sure to go for templates that are professionally designed and have the option of shopping carts. Buying templates from providers who offer allied services like template customization, web hosting; SEO etc would be even better. Some template providers like ‘buytemplates.net’ offer allied services irrespective of where you actually purchased the template from. To get a rough idea of how your site should be designed you can take hints from successful discount online stores like http://www.ishopage.com/, ‘gap.com’ and ‘bestbuy.com’.
2.) Hosting your store online
There are many factors that you need to take into consideration before selecting your web host when it comes to online selling. Some of the major factors are discussed as follows.
a.) Secure servers
Firstly you got to make sure if your web host offers you with SSL encryption which is very important for secure money transactions online. Most web hosting companies would offer you with SSL secure server facilities along with a regular package whereas a few would charge you an extra amount for the service.
b.) Up time guarantees
Your business is only as good as it remains online. Make sure to go for web hosting service providers who promise you an uptime guarantee of 99 %. Also check to see as to how they back up their data and what kind of back up systems they have in place in case of emergencies.
c.) Private CGI-BIN
A CGI-BIN directory is a location on your web server where you can upload your binary scripts or interactive programs. This is very important for payment processing and shopping cart management. So be sure that the hosing company gives you a private CGI BIN directory.
d.) Web logs and web statistics
Web logs and statistics are vital for your online business. Studying the web logs can give you much needed information about your customers and your sales records. Understanding your customer behavior can help you retain customers and attract new customers.
e.) Customer support
Get as much information about the hosting company’s support policies and the type of support they offer. Go for web hosting companies that offer 24/7 customer support.
f.) References
Most web hosts promise you lots of goodies but may not live up to it. Make sure to test the web host’s credibility by asking them for references. The existing customers of the hosting company can give your first hand information on the service that you can expect to get.
In addition to this you should also look for services that offer you Mysql database and PHP scripting, unlimited emails and a minimum space of 10GB.
3.) Deciding on shopping carts
If you are selling more than a handful of products then having a shopping cart on your site is a good idea. You have three major options of getting yourself an online shopping cart. First one is buying a shopping cart software program; the second is using services of an ASP and the third is programming it yourself.
Your best option as a beginner would be to go for ASP services. These services are cheap and come with flexible options. As time passes and you online business develops, you can hire programmers to design yourself a customized shopping cart or buy shopping cart software programs that can be set up in your server. Some good ASP’s that offer shopping cart services are ‘SecureNetShop’ (SecureNetShop.com) and ‘GoEmerchant’ (GoEmerchant.com).
Shopping cart software programs are a costly option for beginners and can cost you anything between $ 150 - $ 800. Some good shopping cart software programs are ‘shopfactory 6’ (shopfactory.com) and ‘storefront’ (strorefront.net)
One more option as already discussed above is making use of ecommerce website templates. These ecommerce templates have pre installed shopping cart systems and can help you set up a store in minutes. Some of these template providers also offer template customization services that would allow you to get your ordinary templates in selling modules.
4.) Deciding on how to accept payments
No matter what the speculation, credit cards are still the best way to accept payments. So make sure that your online business has facilities to accept credit cards. There was a time when you had to have a merchant account from a bank or financial institution to process credit card payments. But today there are enough options available that allow you to accept credit card payments even without a merchant account.
Paypal (paypal.com) is perhaps the best payment gateway and has no initial joining fees. Their service fees, per-transaction is very low and they allow you to accept payments from all over the world. In addition to Paypal some other good payment gateways are ‘2checkout’ (2checkout.com), ‘clickbank’ (clickbank.com) and ‘paysystems’ (paysystems.com).
Payment options other than credit cards
It is by no means necessary that all your customers will have credit cards. As a matter of fact many of your customers don’t have credit cards, many don’t like to use credit cards, many have credit card phobias and the remaining may not wish to share their credit card information online. Under such a situation it would be best for you to provide alternate payment options.
Internet checks
Internet checks are as popular as credit cards when it comes to paying online. Internet checks are comparatively safer and are best if your customers are from international destinations. This technique would involve your customer’s to make payments by an online blank check provided by an internet check service provider. This information is sent to the service provider for authorization. The merchant can also print the check on his printer immediately afterwards. Some good service providers who can offer you internet check services are paybycheck (paybycheck.com) and cross-check (cross-check.com).
In addition to internet checks there are some other options of accepting online payments like money orders and electronic checks. But these methods are suitable only if your customers are from nearby locations.
The best way to decide your payment options is analyzing your customer behaviors. You can also have online check boxes or feedback forms on your website to collect information about your customer’s payment preferences and act accordingly.
5.) Promoting your online store
No promotion equals to no sales. You can promote your store using online marketing strategies like search engine optimization, email marketing, banner advertisements and affiliate marketing among others. While promoting your business you got to make sure to stay clear of any kind of illegal methods like spamming, cloaking etc. Your promotion activities should create a positive awareness about your online store that leads to trust building.
6.) Assuring your Customers
The customer is the king and just as in any other type of business here again you need to give your customer what he wants. To do this you got to be sure of your customer’s preferences. Basically you need to address the following doubts that your customers are likely to have in their mind while buying online
a.) Is my credit information safe?
b.) How will the products be delivered to me and how long will it take?
c.) Are their any additional costs associated with the item?
d.) What kind of guarantees come with the product?
e.) Are there any discounts if I purchase multiple goods?
f.) What kind of customer service does the online shop have?
g.) What happens in case the goods are damaged or of low quality?
These questions in particular and many more questions in general can arise in the minds of your customers depending on the type of your products and your online store reputation. You can address these issues by providing valuable information in your FAQ section. Providing an online live chat on your website would be a great way to deal with your customer queries. There are many services that offer free online chat software programs; for instance ‘boldchat’ (boldchat.com).
Even after all this is over there is no word like ‘remaining stagnant’ in online marketing. You got to keep on moving and adapting yourself to newer technologies and better marketing techniques to stay ahead and abreast of all those pesky competitors.
http://www.bizbrim.com/ is an information portal that offers quality information on topics like outsourcing, mortgage, education, email marketing, affiliate marketing, hotels and travel.
Online selling is by no means a simple task. To sell products online not only requires making use of high end marketing strategies but also involves lots of planning. This article is meant for those of you who intent to start an online store. It is intended to give you a fair idea of what you would need to do and what you need to avoid while planning an online selling business.
The following are the various steps that you would need to take in order to open a successful online store
1.) Designing a website that sells
The first most important aspect of online selling is to have a professional looking website that is designed to sell. You can go about creating the website from code up using web designers or simply go for readymade website templates. If you are purchasing website templates, be sure to go for templates that are professionally designed and have the option of shopping carts. Buying templates from providers who offer allied services like template customization, web hosting; SEO etc would be even better. Some template providers like ‘buytemplates.net’ offer allied services irrespective of where you actually purchased the template from. To get a rough idea of how your site should be designed you can take hints from successful discount online stores like http://www.ishopage.com/, ‘gap.com’ and ‘bestbuy.com’.
2.) Hosting your store online
There are many factors that you need to take into consideration before selecting your web host when it comes to online selling. Some of the major factors are discussed as follows.
a.) Secure servers
Firstly you got to make sure if your web host offers you with SSL encryption which is very important for secure money transactions online. Most web hosting companies would offer you with SSL secure server facilities along with a regular package whereas a few would charge you an extra amount for the service.
b.) Up time guarantees
Your business is only as good as it remains online. Make sure to go for web hosting service providers who promise you an uptime guarantee of 99 %. Also check to see as to how they back up their data and what kind of back up systems they have in place in case of emergencies.
c.) Private CGI-BIN
A CGI-BIN directory is a location on your web server where you can upload your binary scripts or interactive programs. This is very important for payment processing and shopping cart management. So be sure that the hosing company gives you a private CGI BIN directory.
d.) Web logs and web statistics
Web logs and statistics are vital for your online business. Studying the web logs can give you much needed information about your customers and your sales records. Understanding your customer behavior can help you retain customers and attract new customers.
e.) Customer support
Get as much information about the hosting company’s support policies and the type of support they offer. Go for web hosting companies that offer 24/7 customer support.
f.) References
Most web hosts promise you lots of goodies but may not live up to it. Make sure to test the web host’s credibility by asking them for references. The existing customers of the hosting company can give your first hand information on the service that you can expect to get.
In addition to this you should also look for services that offer you Mysql database and PHP scripting, unlimited emails and a minimum space of 10GB.
3.) Deciding on shopping carts
If you are selling more than a handful of products then having a shopping cart on your site is a good idea. You have three major options of getting yourself an online shopping cart. First one is buying a shopping cart software program; the second is using services of an ASP and the third is programming it yourself.
Your best option as a beginner would be to go for ASP services. These services are cheap and come with flexible options. As time passes and you online business develops, you can hire programmers to design yourself a customized shopping cart or buy shopping cart software programs that can be set up in your server. Some good ASP’s that offer shopping cart services are ‘SecureNetShop’ (SecureNetShop.com) and ‘GoEmerchant’ (GoEmerchant.com).
Shopping cart software programs are a costly option for beginners and can cost you anything between $ 150 - $ 800. Some good shopping cart software programs are ‘shopfactory 6’ (shopfactory.com) and ‘storefront’ (strorefront.net)
One more option as already discussed above is making use of ecommerce website templates. These ecommerce templates have pre installed shopping cart systems and can help you set up a store in minutes. Some of these template providers also offer template customization services that would allow you to get your ordinary templates in selling modules.
4.) Deciding on how to accept payments
No matter what the speculation, credit cards are still the best way to accept payments. So make sure that your online business has facilities to accept credit cards. There was a time when you had to have a merchant account from a bank or financial institution to process credit card payments. But today there are enough options available that allow you to accept credit card payments even without a merchant account.
Paypal (paypal.com) is perhaps the best payment gateway and has no initial joining fees. Their service fees, per-transaction is very low and they allow you to accept payments from all over the world. In addition to Paypal some other good payment gateways are ‘2checkout’ (2checkout.com), ‘clickbank’ (clickbank.com) and ‘paysystems’ (paysystems.com).
Payment options other than credit cards
It is by no means necessary that all your customers will have credit cards. As a matter of fact many of your customers don’t have credit cards, many don’t like to use credit cards, many have credit card phobias and the remaining may not wish to share their credit card information online. Under such a situation it would be best for you to provide alternate payment options.
Internet checks
Internet checks are as popular as credit cards when it comes to paying online. Internet checks are comparatively safer and are best if your customers are from international destinations. This technique would involve your customer’s to make payments by an online blank check provided by an internet check service provider. This information is sent to the service provider for authorization. The merchant can also print the check on his printer immediately afterwards. Some good service providers who can offer you internet check services are paybycheck (paybycheck.com) and cross-check (cross-check.com).
In addition to internet checks there are some other options of accepting online payments like money orders and electronic checks. But these methods are suitable only if your customers are from nearby locations.
The best way to decide your payment options is analyzing your customer behaviors. You can also have online check boxes or feedback forms on your website to collect information about your customer’s payment preferences and act accordingly.
5.) Promoting your online store
No promotion equals to no sales. You can promote your store using online marketing strategies like search engine optimization, email marketing, banner advertisements and affiliate marketing among others. While promoting your business you got to make sure to stay clear of any kind of illegal methods like spamming, cloaking etc. Your promotion activities should create a positive awareness about your online store that leads to trust building.
6.) Assuring your Customers
The customer is the king and just as in any other type of business here again you need to give your customer what he wants. To do this you got to be sure of your customer’s preferences. Basically you need to address the following doubts that your customers are likely to have in their mind while buying online
a.) Is my credit information safe?
b.) How will the products be delivered to me and how long will it take?
c.) Are their any additional costs associated with the item?
d.) What kind of guarantees come with the product?
e.) Are there any discounts if I purchase multiple goods?
f.) What kind of customer service does the online shop have?
g.) What happens in case the goods are damaged or of low quality?
These questions in particular and many more questions in general can arise in the minds of your customers depending on the type of your products and your online store reputation. You can address these issues by providing valuable information in your FAQ section. Providing an online live chat on your website would be a great way to deal with your customer queries. There are many services that offer free online chat software programs; for instance ‘boldchat’ (boldchat.com).
Even after all this is over there is no word like ‘remaining stagnant’ in online marketing. You got to keep on moving and adapting yourself to newer technologies and better marketing techniques to stay ahead and abreast of all those pesky competitors.
http://www.bizbrim.com/ is an information portal that offers quality information on topics like outsourcing, mortgage, education, email marketing, affiliate marketing, hotels and travel.
10 Compelling Benefits of Having A 3rd Party Merchant Account
If you have been wrestling with the idea of applying for your own 3rd party merchant account then take a look at the following compelling benefits of using a 3rd party provider to mange all of your credit card processing needs.
1. The most inexpensive way to accept credit cards with hassle free, quick application process and set up.
2. New start-up businesses, sole traders and home-based businesses individuals are very welcome.
3. Incredibly low fee structure considering there are no application fees, leases, no monthly fees, no statement fees and no extra charges for software.
4. No charges are needed for payment gateway fees to a third party company as this is already provided at no extra cost.
5. No exclusivity restrictions meaning you are free to have other 3rd party merchant accounts with other credit card providers.
6. Freedom to pick and choose your credit card processing company to suit any variety of different business needs.
7. Able to set up a complete online storefront with little or no HTML programming experience. Simple online step-by-step tutorials and free assistance provided for set up.
8. Free customer services to handle orders, security, fraud prevention, automated payments and other essentials duties on your behalf.
9. No special requirements to open up a business bank account.
10. Offers the flexibility to use your own regular checking account for payment of earnings.
I'm sure by now that you can see the benefits and advantages of having access to your own 3rd party merchant account to automate your online payments for the convenience of your customers and to increase your business profits.
You would probably find that there are so many more great benefits of accepting credit cards without taking unnecessary financial risks.
Nancy P Redford shows you how to Take Online Payments for any web site without a costly merchant account. Stay safe on the Internet by getting wise to Online Scams and Shams. Plus get some of the best business tools and resources for your home-based business here at: http://www.miriadz.com/
1. The most inexpensive way to accept credit cards with hassle free, quick application process and set up.
2. New start-up businesses, sole traders and home-based businesses individuals are very welcome.
3. Incredibly low fee structure considering there are no application fees, leases, no monthly fees, no statement fees and no extra charges for software.
4. No charges are needed for payment gateway fees to a third party company as this is already provided at no extra cost.
5. No exclusivity restrictions meaning you are free to have other 3rd party merchant accounts with other credit card providers.
6. Freedom to pick and choose your credit card processing company to suit any variety of different business needs.
7. Able to set up a complete online storefront with little or no HTML programming experience. Simple online step-by-step tutorials and free assistance provided for set up.
8. Free customer services to handle orders, security, fraud prevention, automated payments and other essentials duties on your behalf.
9. No special requirements to open up a business bank account.
10. Offers the flexibility to use your own regular checking account for payment of earnings.
I'm sure by now that you can see the benefits and advantages of having access to your own 3rd party merchant account to automate your online payments for the convenience of your customers and to increase your business profits.
You would probably find that there are so many more great benefits of accepting credit cards without taking unnecessary financial risks.
Nancy P Redford shows you how to Take Online Payments for any web site without a costly merchant account. Stay safe on the Internet by getting wise to Online Scams and Shams. Plus get some of the best business tools and resources for your home-based business here at: http://www.miriadz.com/
Thursday, September 21, 2006
E-Currency Exchange: The First Bonanza of the 21st Century?
The 21st century has introduced the world to a new way of doing business. It’s now a foregone conclusion that global commerce will be as revolutionized by it as Henry Ford’s mass-production techniques were a defining characteristic of the 1900s.
The business is e-currency, which allows Internet-based purchase and sales transactions involving almost anything to be safely conducted at lightning speed. Safeguards are in place to make identity fraud, chargeback prevention and funds verification much more of a surety than anything the conventional means of payment in the non-cyber world can provide.
E-currency may only exist in the cyber world, but that is nothing new. The euro began in the same manner. It was officially accepted by the countries of the European Union in 1999 to simplify business by eliminating exchange rates, but it began life 20 years before that by private financial institutions who saw it as an idea that had to happen. By 2002, the euro evolved from cyber-tender to hard cash and is now arguably the second-most influential currency in the world.
The Internet’s globalization of commerce on an instantaneous basis means that, where the euro has already gone, today’s e-currencies will follow.
However, there is still one major issue that needs to be resolved before all is proclaimed to be perfect in the rapidly expanding multi-billion-dollar world of cyberspace. There are still many different e-currencies in existence, with no universally accepted forum for exchanging them with one another or converting them to hard cash.
So, a company called GDT --- Global Digital Transactions --- has stepped forward to create a solution. Their endeavor is called DXinOne, or DXiO. The term 'DX' pertains to a unit of e-currency. ‘DXG’ is used to describe that unit in terms of its equivalent value in gold; it's currently pegged at DXG 1.00 = USD 1.00 for exchange purposes. Most e-currencies are backed by gold reserves held privately by the companies that issue them. A unit of 'DXG' is called a 'digot' --- a combination of 'digit' and 'ingot' --- and the popular pronunciation is 'dig it.'
The reason this should be interesting to you is that you can make money with it --- serious money --- by becoming an e-Merchant who facilitates these e-currency exchanges. Tens of thousands of them occur daily. Soon it will be tens of millions.
Basically, if you study the DXiO system in detail, you'll see that it’s a fee-based settlement operation rather than a market-based investment activity. GDT has designed DXiO to perform the same function in cyberspace that title companies do for real estate brokers and that clearing houses do for stockbrokers. DXiO does not have an equity stake in any of your transactions. It merely accounts for them on behalf of the participants in each transaction. It then takes a fee for its services.
If you take the time and commit to the requisite study of the system, its proponents claim you cannot lose with it.
Currently, the DXiO system is in a beta-test mode in preparation for its full introduction and deployment to the public. As a participant, you will become a 'member' of a private organization. As such, you will interact with other members in ways which enable you to learn the intricacies of the DXiO system. Ultimately, you'll advance to the e-Merchant stage, where you'll be handling transaction claims for e-currency exchanges and taking a fee for doing it. Your profits will not come from your investment into the business, per sé, but from your utilization of funds in your portfolio account serving as a 'float' which will facilitate the transition of one e-currency to another and allowing you to earn a fee for doing so.
You need to create a substantial float in order to conduct such transactions at a practical level. Based upon five years of performance to date, the beta-stage of DXiO's operations enables you to achieve that with very little capital invested. (Believe it or not, you can start with $50!) In that respect, their system is certainly more egalitarian than anything else currently out there.
Perhaps you'll wonder why GDT based these operations in a lesser-known tax haven like Vanuatu. Well, it seems that when the market for phone-porn became a booming industry a decade ago, many of those businesses set up shop in Vanuatu. Ultimately, the authorities there chased them away, but the aftereffect was that Vanuatu inherited a very sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure. If ever a high-volume Internet business wanted to establish itself in a tax haven with lower-than-usual start-up costs, Vanuatu became the ideal place to do it!
It’s prudent to remember that, if you do choose to become involved in DXiO, only commit capital that you can afford to do without, no matter what the future may hold. That should be everyone's philosophy in any new venture such as this.
In more ways than one, becoming an e-Merchant for electronic currency exchange can be a capital idea. It could also make for a very interesting rest of the century.
G A Sherman is an Internet marketer who only deals with proven products designed to improve the quality of life. A link to one of the most thorough DXiO training systems can be found on his website at http://longerlifegroup.com/success.html
The business is e-currency, which allows Internet-based purchase and sales transactions involving almost anything to be safely conducted at lightning speed. Safeguards are in place to make identity fraud, chargeback prevention and funds verification much more of a surety than anything the conventional means of payment in the non-cyber world can provide.
E-currency may only exist in the cyber world, but that is nothing new. The euro began in the same manner. It was officially accepted by the countries of the European Union in 1999 to simplify business by eliminating exchange rates, but it began life 20 years before that by private financial institutions who saw it as an idea that had to happen. By 2002, the euro evolved from cyber-tender to hard cash and is now arguably the second-most influential currency in the world.
The Internet’s globalization of commerce on an instantaneous basis means that, where the euro has already gone, today’s e-currencies will follow.
However, there is still one major issue that needs to be resolved before all is proclaimed to be perfect in the rapidly expanding multi-billion-dollar world of cyberspace. There are still many different e-currencies in existence, with no universally accepted forum for exchanging them with one another or converting them to hard cash.
So, a company called GDT --- Global Digital Transactions --- has stepped forward to create a solution. Their endeavor is called DXinOne, or DXiO. The term 'DX' pertains to a unit of e-currency. ‘DXG’ is used to describe that unit in terms of its equivalent value in gold; it's currently pegged at DXG 1.00 = USD 1.00 for exchange purposes. Most e-currencies are backed by gold reserves held privately by the companies that issue them. A unit of 'DXG' is called a 'digot' --- a combination of 'digit' and 'ingot' --- and the popular pronunciation is 'dig it.'
The reason this should be interesting to you is that you can make money with it --- serious money --- by becoming an e-Merchant who facilitates these e-currency exchanges. Tens of thousands of them occur daily. Soon it will be tens of millions.
Basically, if you study the DXiO system in detail, you'll see that it’s a fee-based settlement operation rather than a market-based investment activity. GDT has designed DXiO to perform the same function in cyberspace that title companies do for real estate brokers and that clearing houses do for stockbrokers. DXiO does not have an equity stake in any of your transactions. It merely accounts for them on behalf of the participants in each transaction. It then takes a fee for its services.
If you take the time and commit to the requisite study of the system, its proponents claim you cannot lose with it.
Currently, the DXiO system is in a beta-test mode in preparation for its full introduction and deployment to the public. As a participant, you will become a 'member' of a private organization. As such, you will interact with other members in ways which enable you to learn the intricacies of the DXiO system. Ultimately, you'll advance to the e-Merchant stage, where you'll be handling transaction claims for e-currency exchanges and taking a fee for doing it. Your profits will not come from your investment into the business, per sé, but from your utilization of funds in your portfolio account serving as a 'float' which will facilitate the transition of one e-currency to another and allowing you to earn a fee for doing so.
You need to create a substantial float in order to conduct such transactions at a practical level. Based upon five years of performance to date, the beta-stage of DXiO's operations enables you to achieve that with very little capital invested. (Believe it or not, you can start with $50!) In that respect, their system is certainly more egalitarian than anything else currently out there.
Perhaps you'll wonder why GDT based these operations in a lesser-known tax haven like Vanuatu. Well, it seems that when the market for phone-porn became a booming industry a decade ago, many of those businesses set up shop in Vanuatu. Ultimately, the authorities there chased them away, but the aftereffect was that Vanuatu inherited a very sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure. If ever a high-volume Internet business wanted to establish itself in a tax haven with lower-than-usual start-up costs, Vanuatu became the ideal place to do it!
It’s prudent to remember that, if you do choose to become involved in DXiO, only commit capital that you can afford to do without, no matter what the future may hold. That should be everyone's philosophy in any new venture such as this.
In more ways than one, becoming an e-Merchant for electronic currency exchange can be a capital idea. It could also make for a very interesting rest of the century.
G A Sherman is an Internet marketer who only deals with proven products designed to improve the quality of life. A link to one of the most thorough DXiO training systems can be found on his website at http://longerlifegroup.com/success.html
eBay and Paypal
eBay and Paypal
The Benefits of Using Paypal for Auction Payments
There are many ways you can use your Paypal account with eBay auctions. It is very easy, and offers you a great deal of protection when dealing with eBay sellers. You may mistakenly think that the only sellers who accept paypal are those that display the Paypal logo. This isn't necessarily so. You need to read each individual auction to find out if Paypal will be accepted.
There is more than one way to pay a seller with Paypal.
If you have a Paypal balance, you can opt to use that balance to pay for your item. You can also have the payment processed as an eCheck, where the funds come directly from your checking account. If you have a credit card or debit card attached to your Paypal account, you can also pay that way. Any payment method you choose from your Paypal account will have the funds deposited into the sellers paypal account.
Opening a Paypal account is quite simple.
You simply fill out the information, including information about your banking account. You then verify the account by the two small deposits that Paypal will make into your bank account. At that point, you can add a credit card to your Paypal account if you wish to. You can even add multiple checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. Opening a Paypal account is free, and there is very small fee charged when you send or receive payments.
While eBay does have a dispute process, Paypal also has a dispute process.
Although Paypal is owned by eBay, the Paypal dispute process is much simpler, and much faster than that of eBay. If a seller does not deliver, or the item arrives in less than perfect condition, or not as advertised, you can dispute the charge through Paypal, and you will most likely recover your money.
As an eBay seller, failure to accept Paypal as a payment method will hurt the success of your auctions.
Adding the Paypal logo to your auction listing will ensure that you get more bids than you would without it. The majority of buyers on eBay like having the Paypal option. Paypal is the quickest way to get paid for your items as well. You do not have to accept Paypal payments from unverified Paypal members. Simply make this clear in your auction payment details.
Whether you are a buyer or a seller, the benefits of using Paypal are quite simple.
You get your payment automatically. You will have different ways to accept payments through Paypal. By using paypal you don't have to give out your important information to anyone. It is secure and safe to use.
You can easily transfer money to or from your checking account with Paypal; this makes it easy to access your funds for all types of online shopping. Paypal also offers a debit card to members, which can be used anywhere MasterCard debit cards are used, such as ATM machines or POS machines.
For even more convenience, Paypal keeps up with all of your Paypal account history. This will allow you to go back and see what payments were made to whom, and what payments were received, and when money was transferred between your bank account and your Paypal account.
Paypal is a viable payment option that you can employ to make your eBay auctions even more successful. In any business, offering your customers more than one payment method is essential. With Paypal, your customers will have the option of paying with their Paypal balance, with an eCheck, or with their credit or debit card.
Again, this is one of the fastest ways available to send and receive money.
Hi, My name is Ian D. Major and I will provide you with Free Articles About eBay That Show You How To "Explode" Your eBay Income. You can get your FREE Articles here: Click Here for your FREE eBay Articles Now
The Benefits of Using Paypal for Auction Payments
There are many ways you can use your Paypal account with eBay auctions. It is very easy, and offers you a great deal of protection when dealing with eBay sellers. You may mistakenly think that the only sellers who accept paypal are those that display the Paypal logo. This isn't necessarily so. You need to read each individual auction to find out if Paypal will be accepted.
There is more than one way to pay a seller with Paypal.
If you have a Paypal balance, you can opt to use that balance to pay for your item. You can also have the payment processed as an eCheck, where the funds come directly from your checking account. If you have a credit card or debit card attached to your Paypal account, you can also pay that way. Any payment method you choose from your Paypal account will have the funds deposited into the sellers paypal account.
Opening a Paypal account is quite simple.
You simply fill out the information, including information about your banking account. You then verify the account by the two small deposits that Paypal will make into your bank account. At that point, you can add a credit card to your Paypal account if you wish to. You can even add multiple checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. Opening a Paypal account is free, and there is very small fee charged when you send or receive payments.
While eBay does have a dispute process, Paypal also has a dispute process.
Although Paypal is owned by eBay, the Paypal dispute process is much simpler, and much faster than that of eBay. If a seller does not deliver, or the item arrives in less than perfect condition, or not as advertised, you can dispute the charge through Paypal, and you will most likely recover your money.
As an eBay seller, failure to accept Paypal as a payment method will hurt the success of your auctions.
Adding the Paypal logo to your auction listing will ensure that you get more bids than you would without it. The majority of buyers on eBay like having the Paypal option. Paypal is the quickest way to get paid for your items as well. You do not have to accept Paypal payments from unverified Paypal members. Simply make this clear in your auction payment details.
Whether you are a buyer or a seller, the benefits of using Paypal are quite simple.
You get your payment automatically. You will have different ways to accept payments through Paypal. By using paypal you don't have to give out your important information to anyone. It is secure and safe to use.
You can easily transfer money to or from your checking account with Paypal; this makes it easy to access your funds for all types of online shopping. Paypal also offers a debit card to members, which can be used anywhere MasterCard debit cards are used, such as ATM machines or POS machines.
For even more convenience, Paypal keeps up with all of your Paypal account history. This will allow you to go back and see what payments were made to whom, and what payments were received, and when money was transferred between your bank account and your Paypal account.
Paypal is a viable payment option that you can employ to make your eBay auctions even more successful. In any business, offering your customers more than one payment method is essential. With Paypal, your customers will have the option of paying with their Paypal balance, with an eCheck, or with their credit or debit card.
Again, this is one of the fastest ways available to send and receive money.
Hi, My name is Ian D. Major and I will provide you with Free Articles About eBay That Show You How To "Explode" Your eBay Income. You can get your FREE Articles here: Click Here for your FREE eBay Articles Now
10 Top Tips To Successfull Dropshipping
Many entrepreneurs have found success in the dropshipping industry. For those who aren’t familiar, dropshipping is a business term used for a situation where a seller sets a retail price for an item, collects the payment, sends the wholesale cost to a dropshipper and the item ships directly from their warehouse. In most cases, the seller never even handles the merchandise because every aspect of shipping is handled by the dropshipper. As successful as the industry has become, there are concerns that arise from this method of selling. In order to familiarize you with those concerns and other helpful information, a list of 10 tips has been compiled. Anyone in the dropshipping industry, or who is considering it, should take their time and gather as much information as possible.
Tip 1: Check out the dropshipper’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau in their area. How long have they been in business? Has anyone ever filed a consumer complaint against the company? If so, has the complaint been resolved? This information can be found at http://www.BBB.org.
Tip 2: Ask the dropshipper how quickly they will be able to fulfill and ship the order. Be sure to inquire about whether or not a tracking number will be available. The tracking number will be very important because, if an item doesn’t arrive, you will need to have some means to track the purchase and to make sure that it was shipped. If a customer doesn’t receive a product, they will look to you for answers.
Tip 3: If you are dropshipping, this means that the item you are selling is not in your possession. It’s very important to let your customers know this. Sellers should indicate that the item will ship directly from your supplier.
Tip 4: An important factor to consider is the delivery time. It’s pertinent to let buyers know that, because the item is shipping directly from your supplier, they may need to allow extra time for delivery. Make sure to ask your dropshipper how long delivery takes so that you may pass this information on to your buyers.
Tip 5: If a problem should arise during the course of shipment, or if a shipment is delayed, promptly address the issue with your buyer. It’s important to have good communication and to let your customers know that you are always there to answer their questions.
Tip 6: Be cautious of a dropshipper who requires that you pay a fee to access their product line. A legitimate dropshipper should not charge to set up an account.
Tip 7: When ordering from a dropshipping company, there should not be a minimum order. It’s normal to get discounts on larger quantities, but the dropshipper should be able to accommodate any order size from 1 to 100.
Tip 8: Consider doing business with more than one dropshipping company. It’s always a good idea to shop around for a larger variety of better deals. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak.
Tip 9: When you begin doing business with a new dropshipping company, order a few test products for yourself. Afterall, you are the one who will be selling the products and you will want to make sure the company offers quality products, reliability and accuracy in filling orders.
Tip 10: The whole idea behind dropshipping is wholesale. You are buying a product at such a low price that you should be able to sell it for a profit. The dropshipper is the wholesaler and you become the retailer. It’s easy to forget that some things really are too good to be true. Just like everything else, there are scams out there so be careful. The bottom line is that regardless of how wonderful the deals may seem, start slow and build up to larger orders as you become more comfortable with the process.
Mark Kenny, creates profitable turnkey sites focusing on eBay and Dropshipping. To find out how you can start dropshipping today, visit http://Trading-Web-Solutions.com/watches.php
Tip 1: Check out the dropshipper’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau in their area. How long have they been in business? Has anyone ever filed a consumer complaint against the company? If so, has the complaint been resolved? This information can be found at http://www.BBB.org.
Tip 2: Ask the dropshipper how quickly they will be able to fulfill and ship the order. Be sure to inquire about whether or not a tracking number will be available. The tracking number will be very important because, if an item doesn’t arrive, you will need to have some means to track the purchase and to make sure that it was shipped. If a customer doesn’t receive a product, they will look to you for answers.
Tip 3: If you are dropshipping, this means that the item you are selling is not in your possession. It’s very important to let your customers know this. Sellers should indicate that the item will ship directly from your supplier.
Tip 4: An important factor to consider is the delivery time. It’s pertinent to let buyers know that, because the item is shipping directly from your supplier, they may need to allow extra time for delivery. Make sure to ask your dropshipper how long delivery takes so that you may pass this information on to your buyers.
Tip 5: If a problem should arise during the course of shipment, or if a shipment is delayed, promptly address the issue with your buyer. It’s important to have good communication and to let your customers know that you are always there to answer their questions.
Tip 6: Be cautious of a dropshipper who requires that you pay a fee to access their product line. A legitimate dropshipper should not charge to set up an account.
Tip 7: When ordering from a dropshipping company, there should not be a minimum order. It’s normal to get discounts on larger quantities, but the dropshipper should be able to accommodate any order size from 1 to 100.
Tip 8: Consider doing business with more than one dropshipping company. It’s always a good idea to shop around for a larger variety of better deals. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak.
Tip 9: When you begin doing business with a new dropshipping company, order a few test products for yourself. Afterall, you are the one who will be selling the products and you will want to make sure the company offers quality products, reliability and accuracy in filling orders.
Tip 10: The whole idea behind dropshipping is wholesale. You are buying a product at such a low price that you should be able to sell it for a profit. The dropshipper is the wholesaler and you become the retailer. It’s easy to forget that some things really are too good to be true. Just like everything else, there are scams out there so be careful. The bottom line is that regardless of how wonderful the deals may seem, start slow and build up to larger orders as you become more comfortable with the process.
Mark Kenny, creates profitable turnkey sites focusing on eBay and Dropshipping. To find out how you can start dropshipping today, visit http://Trading-Web-Solutions.com/watches.php
8 Essential SEO techniques
1) Title Tag - The title tag is the most powerful on-site SEO technique you have, so use it creatively! What you place in the title tag should only be one thing, the exact keyword you used for the web page that you are trying to optimize. Every single web page should have it's own title tag.
2) ALT Tags - ALT tags were meant to be for text browsers because the images didn't show in text browsers and the ATL tags would tell the visitor what it's about. You should put your main keyword(s) in the ALT tags, but don't over do it because you could get dropped in the results or even worse banned for life!
3) Link Popularity - Link popularity is the most powerful SEO tool out of all them. Most search engines don't even consider web sites if there is not at least one or two links pointing to the web site. Having another site(s) link to your web site is important when it comes to getting your site a good ranking. Your keywords should be in the links you get and keep the keywords short. When you receive requests for a link exchange, check the site out before linking with them, check for spam (Repeat keywords, hidden text, etc.).
4) Keyword Density - This is also vital and should be used with research. You should use the keyword(s) once in the title tag, once in the heading tag, once in bold text, and get the density between 5% to 20% (Don't over do it!). Also use your keyword(s) both low and high on the web page, keyword(s) should be in the first sentence and in the last one.
5) Page Size - Your web page's speed is important to your visitors and the search engines. Why? Because the robots will be able to spider your web page faster and easier. Try your best to keep your web page over 5k and under 15k in size.
6) Rich Theme - Search engines are looking at themes more and more. Build content (Articles, FAQ, tips, etc.) much as possible and keep the web pages around 200 to 500 words. Create content that's related to your market and link them out to other related content on your site. Try to get 200 web pages or more.
7) Web Site Design - This is also important, if you want to get indexed! Text content should out weigh the HTML content. The pages should validate and be usable in all of today's leading edge browsers. Stay away from flash and Java Script, search engines dislike them both a lot.
8) Insite Cross Linking - This will help you get all of your web pages indexed by the search engines. Your web pages should be no more than three clicks away from the home page. Link to topic related quality content across your site. This will also help build you a better theme through out your web site. On every page you should link back to your home page and your main service(s).
Matt Colyer is the owner of the Superior Webmaster. He also is a php, CGI and ASP developer.
2) ALT Tags - ALT tags were meant to be for text browsers because the images didn't show in text browsers and the ATL tags would tell the visitor what it's about. You should put your main keyword(s) in the ALT tags, but don't over do it because you could get dropped in the results or even worse banned for life!
3) Link Popularity - Link popularity is the most powerful SEO tool out of all them. Most search engines don't even consider web sites if there is not at least one or two links pointing to the web site. Having another site(s) link to your web site is important when it comes to getting your site a good ranking. Your keywords should be in the links you get and keep the keywords short. When you receive requests for a link exchange, check the site out before linking with them, check for spam (Repeat keywords, hidden text, etc.).
4) Keyword Density - This is also vital and should be used with research. You should use the keyword(s) once in the title tag, once in the heading tag, once in bold text, and get the density between 5% to 20% (Don't over do it!). Also use your keyword(s) both low and high on the web page, keyword(s) should be in the first sentence and in the last one.
5) Page Size - Your web page's speed is important to your visitors and the search engines. Why? Because the robots will be able to spider your web page faster and easier. Try your best to keep your web page over 5k and under 15k in size.
6) Rich Theme - Search engines are looking at themes more and more. Build content (Articles, FAQ, tips, etc.) much as possible and keep the web pages around 200 to 500 words. Create content that's related to your market and link them out to other related content on your site. Try to get 200 web pages or more.
7) Web Site Design - This is also important, if you want to get indexed! Text content should out weigh the HTML content. The pages should validate and be usable in all of today's leading edge browsers. Stay away from flash and Java Script, search engines dislike them both a lot.
8) Insite Cross Linking - This will help you get all of your web pages indexed by the search engines. Your web pages should be no more than three clicks away from the home page. Link to topic related quality content across your site. This will also help build you a better theme through out your web site. On every page you should link back to your home page and your main service(s).
Matt Colyer is the owner of the Superior Webmaster. He also is a php, CGI and ASP developer.
7 Essential Steps to Ranking Well in the Search Engines
Anyone who has a website knows the importance of attracting visitors to that site. No matter how professional a site you have and no matter how good the content on your site is, you simply can't be successful online until you have managed to find a way to bring in large numbers of relevant visitors to your sites. That is why it is important to learn how to properly optimize your site for the search engines. Because ranking well in the search engines is one of the best ways of driving masses of targeted visitors to your site each and every day. Here, then, are the 7 essential steps to ranking well in the search engines.
1. Only worry about the major search engines
There are basically only 3 search engines that you need to worry about – Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Collectively these 3 search engines make up the vast majority of search traffic online each and every day. Oftentimes, even when you don’t think you are using one of these search engines you actually are. For instance, Google provides search results for sites such as AOL and Yahoo provides search results for sites such as Altavista. At the end of the day, if someone is searching for something online, chances are they are searching at either Google, Yahoo or MSN.
2. Make sure that the search engines can “read” your site
Many times a site is programmed is such a way so as to make it difficult or impossible for the search engine “spiders” (the programs that the search engines use to analyze and organize the information found on websites). If the search engines can’t process your website then you will not rank in the search engines at all, period! Therefore, it is essential that you (or your programmer) build a search engine friendly website.
3. Find the keywords that your customers use to search for your products and services
Right now there are people searching for your products and services online. Your goal is to find out what terms and phrases they use when searching for your products and services. Those are the exact terms and phrases that you want to optimize your site for. After all, what better time to turn up in the search engine results then when your customers are actively looking for the products and services that you sell!
4. Create specialized, focused web pages for your keywords
Once you have a list of relevant keywords, you will want to create pages on your site specifically for those phrases. Each of these pages should target only a small number of keywords (1 – 2 being ideal). You will then want to optimize this page for those keywords. This involves writing relevant content which uses your keyword phrases a number of times within the text of your webpage. This content should be of the highest quality as possible. This will both help with your search engine rankings as well as customer satisfaction, both of which are crucial to online success! In addition to writing good content, there are other important places to “put” your keyword phrases. To learn where those places our, visit our web page optimization tutorial.
5. Get lots of high quality, incoming links
This point can’t be emphasized enough. At the end of the day, high rankings come by getting other sites to link to your specialized, keyword-rich web pages. What’s more you want to make sure that those links come from topically related, popular sites. There are many ways to do this such as participating in blogs and forums, writing press releases, submitting your site to special directories and more. It is crucial that you learn all the various techniques involved in creating high-quality incoming links. To do so visit our link building strategies tutorial.
6. Track and improve upon your results
Most people don’t want to take the time to analyze the results of their optimization campaign. Not only is this a tremendous mistake, it is also a great opportunity (for you). If you take the time to properly track how you optimization efforts are going and constantly work to improve upon your result you will be able to leave most of your competition far behind. At the end of the day, high rankings in the search engine are the result of learning how to fine tune your particular site to the particular keywords that you want to rank well for. General principles and theories are just that, general, that don’t relate to you, your products, your customers, your website, or your rankings.
7. Stay up-to-date
It is crucial to understand that what works today may not work tomorrow (and what worked yesterday may very well be obsolete today). The search engines are constantly changing their algorithms and you need to change along with them. If you don’t, your success will be short lived. As such, you need to keep yourself informed of the relevant changes that are taking place in the search engine. Here is a list of 5 sites that you should frequent to help keep you up-to-date in the world of search:
www.seobook.com (very helpful and insightful blog – also sells a good e-book on search engine optimization)
www.seomoz.com (a high quality blog with lots of useful information and insights)
www.sembasics.com (free search engine optimization tutorials – also includes a helpful blog)
www.searchenginewatch.com (in particular, check out their blog and forum – great place to get advice)
www.searchenginenews.com (this site is not free, but is well worth the cost – excellent advice and business sense)
Getting your feet wet
Now that you know what to all you have to do is get out there and do it. Nothing is as good a teacher as experience.
Moshe Morris is president of SEMBasics.com, a leading resource center for search engine marketing. SEMBasics.com provides free search engine marketing tutorials and other valuable search marketing resources, products, and services. This article is free for use in its unedited form with links intact.
1. Only worry about the major search engines
There are basically only 3 search engines that you need to worry about – Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Collectively these 3 search engines make up the vast majority of search traffic online each and every day. Oftentimes, even when you don’t think you are using one of these search engines you actually are. For instance, Google provides search results for sites such as AOL and Yahoo provides search results for sites such as Altavista. At the end of the day, if someone is searching for something online, chances are they are searching at either Google, Yahoo or MSN.
2. Make sure that the search engines can “read” your site
Many times a site is programmed is such a way so as to make it difficult or impossible for the search engine “spiders” (the programs that the search engines use to analyze and organize the information found on websites). If the search engines can’t process your website then you will not rank in the search engines at all, period! Therefore, it is essential that you (or your programmer) build a search engine friendly website.
3. Find the keywords that your customers use to search for your products and services
Right now there are people searching for your products and services online. Your goal is to find out what terms and phrases they use when searching for your products and services. Those are the exact terms and phrases that you want to optimize your site for. After all, what better time to turn up in the search engine results then when your customers are actively looking for the products and services that you sell!
4. Create specialized, focused web pages for your keywords
Once you have a list of relevant keywords, you will want to create pages on your site specifically for those phrases. Each of these pages should target only a small number of keywords (1 – 2 being ideal). You will then want to optimize this page for those keywords. This involves writing relevant content which uses your keyword phrases a number of times within the text of your webpage. This content should be of the highest quality as possible. This will both help with your search engine rankings as well as customer satisfaction, both of which are crucial to online success! In addition to writing good content, there are other important places to “put” your keyword phrases. To learn where those places our, visit our web page optimization tutorial.
5. Get lots of high quality, incoming links
This point can’t be emphasized enough. At the end of the day, high rankings come by getting other sites to link to your specialized, keyword-rich web pages. What’s more you want to make sure that those links come from topically related, popular sites. There are many ways to do this such as participating in blogs and forums, writing press releases, submitting your site to special directories and more. It is crucial that you learn all the various techniques involved in creating high-quality incoming links. To do so visit our link building strategies tutorial.
6. Track and improve upon your results
Most people don’t want to take the time to analyze the results of their optimization campaign. Not only is this a tremendous mistake, it is also a great opportunity (for you). If you take the time to properly track how you optimization efforts are going and constantly work to improve upon your result you will be able to leave most of your competition far behind. At the end of the day, high rankings in the search engine are the result of learning how to fine tune your particular site to the particular keywords that you want to rank well for. General principles and theories are just that, general, that don’t relate to you, your products, your customers, your website, or your rankings.
7. Stay up-to-date
It is crucial to understand that what works today may not work tomorrow (and what worked yesterday may very well be obsolete today). The search engines are constantly changing their algorithms and you need to change along with them. If you don’t, your success will be short lived. As such, you need to keep yourself informed of the relevant changes that are taking place in the search engine. Here is a list of 5 sites that you should frequent to help keep you up-to-date in the world of search:
www.seobook.com (very helpful and insightful blog – also sells a good e-book on search engine optimization)
www.seomoz.com (a high quality blog with lots of useful information and insights)
www.sembasics.com (free search engine optimization tutorials – also includes a helpful blog)
www.searchenginewatch.com (in particular, check out their blog and forum – great place to get advice)
www.searchenginenews.com (this site is not free, but is well worth the cost – excellent advice and business sense)
Getting your feet wet
Now that you know what to all you have to do is get out there and do it. Nothing is as good a teacher as experience.
Moshe Morris is president of SEMBasics.com, a leading resource center for search engine marketing. SEMBasics.com provides free search engine marketing tutorials and other valuable search marketing resources, products, and services. This article is free for use in its unedited form with links intact.
5 Surefire Ways to Increase Online Product Sales
So you have an online business and your selling products off your website. Let’s say you’re making sales but you’re not making as many as you would like. The following outlines a few surefire ways to help increase the sales of your products off your website.
Considering Hudson Horizons has many product clients, I have a lot of experience working with them to help increase their sales online. The information I’m providing below is the same that I’d share with them if I was to help increase their sales.
Please understand, these are not quick fixes – you must dedicate yourself and your company to implement these changes in order to see positive results. Some changes suggest shifts in the way you perceive your customers and others are software implementation tactics that can provide an immediate return on your investment.
Try some or all of these ideas to increase online product sales.
Setup a Coupon Discount Program for Repeat Customers
Your repeat customers should be your pride and joy. If you have customers that continually come back to purchase from your website, then you should provide them with coupon discounts to thank them for being a loyal customer. This will make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside and they will greatly appreciate you recognizing them as a valuable customer.
A common coupon code is one that offers them a 10% - 20% discount off their next order. Setting up a Coupon Discount Program requires some modifications to your website. I also recommend setting up a system that will automatically send the coupon code by email along with their order receipt. The email could say something like this – Thank you for your recent purchase. We’ve noticed you have purchased from our site before. To show our thanks for being a repeat customer we want to offer you with the following coupon code for your next order. Simply enter the coupon code 15OffOrder when checking out on your next order from our website and you will receive 15% your total order price.
A Web development company, such as Hudson Horizons, will be able to help you implement a Coupon Discount Program for your website.
Offer Free Shipping for all Orders over X Amount
A great way to increase sales is to offer free shipping for all orders over X amount. The way to do this is to first determine the average sales price of an online order. Let’s say the average order price is $50, for two products, and shipping is approximately $10. That means your total order is $60. A great way to entice people to increase their order is to offer them free shipping for all orders over let’s say $75. That means all they have to do is purchase one additional product. If you do this, you will increase the total sales of each order by $15. Of course the margin on each product is different so you need to determine your breakeven point and go from there. The above was merely an example to help explain the idea of offering free shipping to your customers to increase your sales.
Offer Free Samples with Each Packaged Order
Why do so many businesses include free samples of other products when you buy something from them? Because it can increase sales in so many ways. As the customer who bought the original product, I might try and like the sample of the new product and buy some of that too. Or I might pass on the sample to someone else who might try the product, like it, and buy that and other products from your company’s website. At the very least, the original customer will be thinking warm thoughts about your company and hopefully telling other people about your products.
Offer free samples with each packaged order. It will be a small price to pay to make your clients happy and keep them coming back.
Customers who Bought this Items also Bought…
A great way to up-sell products is to let your customers know about them. Amazon.com does this to perfection. When browsing and making a purchase off Amazon’s website, you will notice, underneath the product, an area that says “Customers who bought this item also bought”. This is a great way to let you customers know about other products that are similar and were interesting to your other customers. By doing this, you offer the opportunity to up-sell some products that maybe your customer did not see or were not thinking about when they were browsing your site.
Adding this up-selling feature will require modifications to your website. A Web development company, such as Hudson Horizons will be able to help implement up-selling features like this to your website.
Setup an Online Customer Rewards Program
We are all familiar with the customer rewards programs that so many large corporations have in place and there’s no reason why our smaller businesses can’t have one as well. It can be as simple as a discount on a customer’s birthday or as complex as a points system that earns various rewards for discounts on online merchandise.
If setup correctly, the above information will provide some surefire ways to improve customer loyalty, build customer satisfaction and increase online product sales.
I hope you find this information to helpful and vital to the success of your e-business.
At Hudson Horizons, we provide website Content Management conversion for the small to mid-sized business to easily allow our clients the ability to manage the data of their website on a day-to-day basis.
Hudson Horizons is an e-business product, solution and marketing company specializing in creating highly sophisticated customized websites, web-based software applications and providing e-marketing services for small and mid-sized businesses.
Our vision and ultimate ambition as a company is to always strive to be "The New Light for e-Business."
By offering new, innovative and extremely competitive products and solutions to our customers, we provide better ways to run and operate their business online.
Considering Hudson Horizons has many product clients, I have a lot of experience working with them to help increase their sales online. The information I’m providing below is the same that I’d share with them if I was to help increase their sales.
Please understand, these are not quick fixes – you must dedicate yourself and your company to implement these changes in order to see positive results. Some changes suggest shifts in the way you perceive your customers and others are software implementation tactics that can provide an immediate return on your investment.
Try some or all of these ideas to increase online product sales.
Setup a Coupon Discount Program for Repeat Customers
Your repeat customers should be your pride and joy. If you have customers that continually come back to purchase from your website, then you should provide them with coupon discounts to thank them for being a loyal customer. This will make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside and they will greatly appreciate you recognizing them as a valuable customer.
A common coupon code is one that offers them a 10% - 20% discount off their next order. Setting up a Coupon Discount Program requires some modifications to your website. I also recommend setting up a system that will automatically send the coupon code by email along with their order receipt. The email could say something like this – Thank you for your recent purchase. We’ve noticed you have purchased from our site before. To show our thanks for being a repeat customer we want to offer you with the following coupon code for your next order. Simply enter the coupon code 15OffOrder when checking out on your next order from our website and you will receive 15% your total order price.
A Web development company, such as Hudson Horizons, will be able to help you implement a Coupon Discount Program for your website.
Offer Free Shipping for all Orders over X Amount
A great way to increase sales is to offer free shipping for all orders over X amount. The way to do this is to first determine the average sales price of an online order. Let’s say the average order price is $50, for two products, and shipping is approximately $10. That means your total order is $60. A great way to entice people to increase their order is to offer them free shipping for all orders over let’s say $75. That means all they have to do is purchase one additional product. If you do this, you will increase the total sales of each order by $15. Of course the margin on each product is different so you need to determine your breakeven point and go from there. The above was merely an example to help explain the idea of offering free shipping to your customers to increase your sales.
Offer Free Samples with Each Packaged Order
Why do so many businesses include free samples of other products when you buy something from them? Because it can increase sales in so many ways. As the customer who bought the original product, I might try and like the sample of the new product and buy some of that too. Or I might pass on the sample to someone else who might try the product, like it, and buy that and other products from your company’s website. At the very least, the original customer will be thinking warm thoughts about your company and hopefully telling other people about your products.
Offer free samples with each packaged order. It will be a small price to pay to make your clients happy and keep them coming back.
Customers who Bought this Items also Bought…
A great way to up-sell products is to let your customers know about them. Amazon.com does this to perfection. When browsing and making a purchase off Amazon’s website, you will notice, underneath the product, an area that says “Customers who bought this item also bought”. This is a great way to let you customers know about other products that are similar and were interesting to your other customers. By doing this, you offer the opportunity to up-sell some products that maybe your customer did not see or were not thinking about when they were browsing your site.
Adding this up-selling feature will require modifications to your website. A Web development company, such as Hudson Horizons will be able to help implement up-selling features like this to your website.
Setup an Online Customer Rewards Program
We are all familiar with the customer rewards programs that so many large corporations have in place and there’s no reason why our smaller businesses can’t have one as well. It can be as simple as a discount on a customer’s birthday or as complex as a points system that earns various rewards for discounts on online merchandise.
If setup correctly, the above information will provide some surefire ways to improve customer loyalty, build customer satisfaction and increase online product sales.
I hope you find this information to helpful and vital to the success of your e-business.
At Hudson Horizons, we provide website Content Management conversion for the small to mid-sized business to easily allow our clients the ability to manage the data of their website on a day-to-day basis.
Hudson Horizons is an e-business product, solution and marketing company specializing in creating highly sophisticated customized websites, web-based software applications and providing e-marketing services for small and mid-sized businesses.
Our vision and ultimate ambition as a company is to always strive to be "The New Light for e-Business."
By offering new, innovative and extremely competitive products and solutions to our customers, we provide better ways to run and operate their business online.
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