i want to open an online store, but i know very little about search engines and "steering" potential customers to my site. where do i aquire the proper knowledge to succede in this endeaver ?
2006-09-19 03:20:11 · 8 answers · asked by bhs2paint 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Other - Business & Finance
Nothing other then trying to get listed on search engines. But most of that online store stuff is a big scam. People think they can dropship stuff out to buyers, and its crap like ninja swords and statuettes and stuff like that. There are a million online stores selling that crap, and none of them make any $$. I hope you plan to sell better stuff than that or you have no chance.
2006-09-19 03:30:26 · answer #1 · answered by bmwdriver11 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is a combination of advertising, search engine optimizing, and search engine submission will bring customers to your website. There are something that cost very little or nothing you can do.
For example, before you submit to the search engines, make sure you have the meta tags written out with the title of the company and a solid description of what you sell in it along with some keywords not found in the title or description. This would cost you nothing.
Second, start a blog and attach it to the website. Talk about your products or even the industry in general. It will keep customers coming back.
Third, submit to the search engines once the meta tags are in place. Repeat every 30-45 days. I recommend not using a submission website that has a lot of FFA website submissions. Ineedhits.com can submit to 300+ search engines and directories for under $3.00.
Fourth, get involved involved with Google services. There are some nice free ones including a service that will automatically update your listing if changes are made. All except for Google Adwords is free.
Fifth, get business cards and enter start leaving them around including business drawings.
Sixth, start joining banner exchanges, do pay per click advertising, or buying banner ads on a website. This should be on websites that has a traffic base with a population that would be interested in your products.
Seventh, the Small Business Administration offers more than just loans out there. It can provide some wonderful free resources in learning about various aspects about running a business. I mentioned them because I was not sure how long you have been a business person.
Finally, advertise around. It could be banner ads, Google Adwords, or website advertising. However, you can make the banner yourself, do it for free or pay a small fee for someone else to create it. The price varies per page or service.
Good luck!
2006-09-19 03:51:13 · answer #2 · answered by dawncs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have an online clothing store. See my profile for the link. Anyway, I made over $5,000 in the last 7 weeks in sales. I average a 35% margin. It’s very fun and I make extra money. I do it just for fun. If you commit yourself to it, you can make much more. Tips- 1. Sell high brands only. 2. Sell only brand new items. 3. Offer a very convenient refund/return policy. 4. Ship next day. 5. Keep the customer informed about their transaction. 6. Be honest. 7. Take care of repeat customers. 8. Experiment with new products and lines. 9. Provide excellent pictures. 10. Always make a profit.
2016-03-17 22:49:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had very good success using: http://www.10khits4unow.com/page.php/jerkydirect because of all the resources which work together to funnel all your information about your biz/websites you want to promote. There is lead capture pages,downlind builder, education,& much more for free. Best of all is the support & help you get. I'm getting alot of hits eveery day. You can reach me at: 410-544-9603, msn: vpbanjo,yahoo im:vpbanjo,ICQ:42-124-639 There is more available than I have room to post here, so please take a look, thank you very much.
2006-09-19 03:51:06 · answer #4 · answered by vpbanjo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am thinking about online commerce advertising as well. send me an email to cyberbilly@loolo.net, I like to discuss with you.
2006-09-19 03:28:55 · answer #5 · answered by Billy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are plenty of resources online. if you can't find them you will not be successful at this type of business.
2006-09-19 03:27:19 · answer #6 · answered by Felix L 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you should register with search engines - try Yahoo! for a start - pay for performace advertising etc etc
2006-09-19 03:23:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have an online store, there are two things that you need to consider and they work hand in hand together to ensure that you maximize your earnings:
1. Get QUALIFIED traffic - traffic that is interested in your site
2. Convert those traffic into BUYERS - you don't want visitors merely coming to your online store, you want them to buy!
I suggest you read and research. Forums are highly recommended, and the best one is WebmasterWorld http://www.webmasterworld.com - they have sections on ecommerce as well as separate sections for each search engine. It's a serious forum with no fluff (unlike Yahoo Answers where the serious and fluff go hand and hand).
Here are some shoestring marketing ideas that can help you get the visitors you need at the least cost possible:
1. Create the best content you can with the best products you can possibly offer. Your content is your best advertisement - if visitors love your content, then they will go back and spread the word to others.
2. Make it easy for users to recommend your site. Viral marketing is very important -- and easy to tap on the Web. But give your users the tools. Get a Recommend this Site script from websites such as cgiscripts.com and similar directories of scripts. Some even go as far as giving incentives to those who recommend the site to their friends. If only 10 people go to your site, but these 10 people invite 10 more - that's additional traffic that you get for FREE!
Recommend Site Scripts (various) http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Website_Promotion/Recommend_Site/
Big Nose Bird Recommend this Site http://bignosebird.com/carchive/birdcast.shtml
CGI Resource Index http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Website_Promotion/Recommend_Site/
Hostscripts http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_and_Programs/Site_Recommendation/index.html
3. Rank well in the search engines (organic search results, not the pay per click). SEs can be a big source of traffic. The key is to create the best content in your niche. If you have good content, other websites will gladly link to you and offer your site as a resource to their audience. Check the on-page factors and be sure to get linked from authority sites in your topic area.
If you are going to read only one piece on search engine optimization, I suggest you read Brett Tabke of WebmasterWorld.com's "Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone: 26 steps to 15k a day." http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2010.htm
SEO for Google http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/google.htm
SEO for Yahoo! http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/yahoo.htm
SEO for MSN http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/msn.htm
Tying It Together: SEO For The Big Three http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/SEO.htm
4. Send out press releases. While outfits charge as much as $650 per release, there are free press release submission places on the Web. Press releases allow you to (a) attract media attention; (b) get more back links to your website without sending each website an email request; and (c) get more visibility especially if your press release gets in Google News or Yahoo News.
http://www.prleap.com/sign_up.html
http://i-newswire.com/
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi
http://www.pr.com/press-releases
http://www.prfree.com/
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/index.shtml
http://www.theopenpress.com/
http://www.przoom.com/
http://www.prweb.com
http://www.newswiretoday.com/
http://www.free-press-release.com/
5. Submit articles. Write articles and submit them to websites accepting author submissions. You get exposure for your business; establishes you as an authority in your field, and allows you to get backlinks for your website. If 50 websites publish your article and it contains a link back to your website, then you easily get 50 links from a single article. The more links you have, the greater your chances for increasing your search engine rankings.
Here is a comprehensive list of where to submit your articles http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=AhzreGmnCUicOoyedqypscUjzKIX?qid=1006022407481
6. Improve your conversion. Getting visitors is one thing; getting them to buy your products is a whole different story. Read the article "10 Ways to Convert Visitors to Buyers" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/072005/conversion.htm for tips on how to improve your conversion rates.
7. Post a link to your site for free where it is allowed (always read the Terms of Use). Examples are:
Craigslist http://www.craigslist.com
Google Base http://base.google.com
Classifieds for Free http://www.classifiedsforfree.com/...
Text Link Exchange http://www.txtswap.com/
Recycler.com http://www.recycler.com/
Yahoo Classifieds http://classifieds.yahoo.com/
US Free Ads http://www.usfreeads.com/
2006-09-19 03:38:38 · answer #8 · answered by imisidro 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋