So now that you know, what are you going to do about it? What can you do about it, since most of us are not writers and actually have trouble with writing a simple email before (or after?) our morning coffee. What can we do to add good quality content to our websites? Where do we add it? What do we write about? The questions can become many very quickly and our fear of writing ever increasing as we ponder all the options.

My first suggestion would be to let us consult with you on your website, your current data and content, and let us make a recommendation on where we can provide resources to address your needs. There are some basic areas that you need to address that can make immediate and dramatic effects:

1. Product Descriptions – Most companies get their Product Descriptions and Images (custom images are a discussion for another time) directly from their Manufacturers or Suppliers, therefore, they all have the same information on their websites. Having unique, well-written Product Descriptions (long and short) will very clearly set you apart from your competition. Since your content will be unique (and written to convert a sale!) the Search Engines will “like you more” than you competition, and your browsers will convert to buyers more often. This is a proven fact.
2. Informative Content – Having unique content that is directly related to your product/service/industry that contain specific, targeted keywords is critical to attracting the attention of the Search Engines. This information will not only serve to attract Search Engine attention but also the attention of your customers. They crave information about your product and by giving it to them instead of cramming a ‘sale’ down their throat they will ‘like  you’ more than your competition and, same as #1 above, you turn more browsers into buyers!
3. Blog – Having a Blog can greatly help you become a ‘voice’ in your industry, and allow you a more informal place to allow your customers to interact with your company. Adding regular posts about your company, what shows you are doing, what recent updates or products you have added are all great ways to get the work out to your customers and, yep, the Search Engines as well. Since these Blog posts will all link back to your website (category or product or content page) it not only makes the Search Engines happy about the new content but also a because there is a link to you. Double the fun!

There is no question that your website needs content, and most likely a LOT of it. Since everyone at  your company already has at least one job already, and there is NO WAY you will be able to do all this, who will? Well that is why you have Turboecart. Simply contact our Sales Team at (877) 282-7001 x2 or sales@turboecart.com and we will gladly consult with you on your needs and lay out a plan to completely handle all your content needs.

A crucial requirement of a new business or an existing one which has launched a new product or service is passing on the information to potential customers. Businesses have at their disposal a variety of marketing strategies to achieve this. However, many businesses in this age of online marketing and state-of-the-art multimedia tools either underestimate, or worse, overlook this powerful marketing tool which can ensure that important information reaches the right people.

An important part of marketing strategy

This important marketing tool is the press release. Press releases have been around for a long time. They were being used much before concepts like search engine optimization and social media marketing, or even television commercials came into existence. Although a very old method, it continues to be used because it still returns very good results.

A professionally written press release can provide information about a product or service clearly and effectively. It can serve as an informative invitation to people who are looking for your r brand new website, or your great new product or service. You might have just what they are looking for, but unless they can see it, hear it, or find it. It will do you and your company no good Thus press releases can serve as a highly effective component of the marketing strategy of any company. Although press releases may seem ‘boring’ in this age when advertising and marketing has become glamorous and exciting, it is probably this sober aspect which gives them added credibility compared to other marketing methods.

An effective e-marketing tool

In the traditional printed media press releases are usually issued to inform journalists about new developments which they might want to write about. When it comes to online press releases, this narrow readership expands to include the online visitors, people searching for targeted information about something that is of interest to them, or makes their life easier when buying a product or service, and journalists. These visitors can include potential customers, bloggers and social media enthusiasts who might find the information provided by the press release interesting or useful enough to write about in their blog and pass on to their social media circle, thus creating a ripe opportunity for the press release to become viral.

Press releases can serve as an excellent e-marketing tool that provides substantial support to a search engine optimization campaign. They help provide immediate exposure to a website/online business and associated products and services in the virtual world. Online press releases can be circulated to a large targeted audience in a very short time. They are also highly affordable, especially when the cost of creating and distributing press releases is compared to that of more traditional modes of advertising.

Why professionals count

In order to be effective, press releases should be crafted with care. In fact, it is recommended that they should be developed by professionals who have substantial experience in developing successful press releases. Although press releases appear to be simple to write, due to a well written one focusing  on a one topic message, about a given topic, this simplicity can be deceptive which many laypersons have discovered when trying to do the job on their own  and ending up with ineffective pieces of writing. I know as a business owner it is tempting to create a piece on your own, but sometimes giving a bullet point list of points to a professional can result in a new and interesting way of telling the world about your company, products, services or anything that has to do with your business. Sometimes we as business owners are so close to our business that we can no longer see the trees in the forest. The information present in a press release should be designed in such a manner that it should not only provide all the necessary information to the intended reader, but do so in a short, crisp, well-formatted interesting manner.

Furthermore, even a well-crafted press release would be of little use to you in your business if it does not reach the targeted audience. A professional marketer will be able to take care of not only the writing of the piece but also the submission of the press release for the entire world to see.  Most PR companies have a network of online resources they can submit your press release to, many times they will be able to get it picked up within 3-7 business days. How is that for the power of the internet?

You can never have too much buzz around your business; press releases are a great way to get focused information out about your business, making you the expert in your field.

Written by: Audra Hajj , CEO

For a long time here at Turboecart we primarily features our own proprietary eCommerce application that was, and is still is, a very good web application. We built it, we controlled it, and we could ensure everything worked correctly and if anything was wrong it was addressed immediately. The customer received a completely stable eCommerce application that did ‘almost’ everything they needed, and was simple and bullet proof and included all hosting fees, maintenance, etc.

During this time a number of open-source eCommerce Applications have hit the market, some well and some not so well, and one has spectacularly well. That application debuted in 2007 and it is called Magento. MagentoCommerce recently announced that they had hit a “small” milestone. That milestone is 4 Million. That is how many people have downloaded Magento’s eCommerce Application. just for the visual dramatic effect, that is 4,000,000 downloads. 

So how is it that Magento have been able to hit this mark, and why is open-source so popular? There are a few core answers to these questions, but head and shoulders above them all is control. Open-source software takes the control of the application from the developer and into the hands of the end-user. It does this because open-source software allows anyone with the programming ability (or ability to pay someone with the ability) can program additional functionality. This additional functionality come in the form of modules that can “bolt on” to the core application and work as if it had been there all along. Magento calls these modules Extensions, and they are like Lego. You can download (for free in most cases) Extensions and install them onto your application and Voila, you have a new feature in your website.

However, just like in the movies where a character gets a huge increase in power and ability, it does come at a cost. Fortunately it isn’t anything like loosing your soul so you are safe there. But what it does come with are additional responsibilities and increased costs. Open-source applications like Magento require hosting at your expense. This hosting environment must have enough bang-width to allow fast response on the front end for your customers so it isn’t going to be $10.00 a month. This server environment will require maintenance and administration, and the level of technical ability to do this administration is not for the beginner. Any changes you make to your website may require a Developer’s time to make it work as Extensions and plugins do not always work correctly or at all.

I am , in point in fact, a BIG fan of open-source in general and Magento’s Application specifically. It can be an outstandingly powerful solution for most businesses, and Turboecart has the ability to do a fully customized quote to get your application up, all specific extensions you need installed and de-bugged, and in a stable hosting environment that WE will do the work and maintenance on. Just give our Sales Team a call at (877) 282-7001 x1 or email them at sales@turboecart.com and they will schedule a consultation to discuss your needs and best options for your business.

It is to you, the business owner I am speaking. It is time to remove the ‘in the trenches’ tasks from your list and focus your time on the strategic thinking and planning. Ask yourself this simple question: How much more time would I have in my week if I did not have to maintain and update my website myself? If you are like most business owners the answer is at least 20 hours per month.

Now ask yourself this question: How much bigger could my I grow my company with 20 more  hours in my month? The answers I get from Owners of course varies by current size, industry, etc., however the answers are always the same: MUCH bigger. 

So what is the magic trick to getting rid of some of your hats and to add time to your month? Simple! Hire someone to do it of course! Yes I know this is not any revolutionary breakthrough in business, but then I never said it was. What I did say is you could gain a minimum of 20 hours in your month. The trick is  getting the labor you need on-demand, and not paying for a thing more than you need. Instead of a full time employee you have to interview, hire, and train you  get all the skills you need right now! Imagine – stuff getting done and no one drinking all your coffee!

Now you have to decide: What it is worth to you to get that stuff off your list and to be able to focus on “Owner Stuff?”

CAUTION: MATH BEING PERFORMED!

As an Owner/CEO your time has be be worth AT LEAST $125.00 per hour (more like twice as much, but that is a subject for another time.) So, 20 hours X $125.00 = $2,500.00 per month. So one last question: How much could you grow your monthly revenue with an extra 20 hours each month? I am betting a LOT more than $2,500.00 worth.

So, back to the “just Hire Someone to do it” suggestion. Turboecart’s Support Department love hats of all kinds and sizes and would love to take  your hats from you. We are available to do specific projects, or can consult with you to do any level of monthly service and web maintenance for you and your business. We are available to consult with you to custom design a monthly maintenance and support plan for your business. Simply email us at support@turboecart.com and tell us how we can free you do what Owners should do – Grow Your Business!

Then it came to pass that, because of this rampant disregard and misuse by the Black Hats, the Search Engine Overlords decided to punish them by completely disregarding Meta Tags in their search algorithms.  The evil doers were indeed punished as their websites fell and fell, farther and farther from the Top Ten promised land they had so long enjoyed. This action also punished vast number of loyal followers who were good, and law abiding. Times were bad . . .

Search Engine Overlords have realized their mistake and have now decided that Meta Tags are indeed good. They have atlered their Meta Tags to include them in their algotirhyms again, but Black Hats Beware! Over stuffing is still punished by banishment from the Promised Land.

So, The Moral of the Story really is that YES Meta Tags are indeed your friend again and are important to your SEO Success. You need to have good, well researched keywords in your Meta Tags, and YES you need them on every page and every category, and even every product if you don’t have 10,000 SKU’s!

So the first question is what are ‘good’ keywords? Well that is a subject for another day as we can spend days discussing it. However if your business has been on the web for any length of time you will know what your core keywords are. If you do NOT, simply Contact Us and we will help you find out what they are. Also Turboecart has a number of SEO Packages that help you understand exactly what keywords you should be focusing on and all your meta tag issues will be handled!

How many keywords to use a question we get a lot and my best suggestion is about 20 – 25. In my experience this is enough to really get the attention of the Search Engines, but not enough to be punished. Generating your Meta Tags is easy, and if you need help there are a number of websites out there that will let you plug in your keywords and it will generate the code. HINT: You can remove their ‘branded’ stuff at the end of the code these websites generate. If you have any questions simply submit a New Support Ticket with the Meta Tags that were generated and we will send them back with the branded stuff removed.

Next you need  need to get them into your website. Where to find exactly where and how depends upon your application so start by checking the Support Portal and if you do not find it there simply submit a New Support Ticket and we will help you find what you need.

It is because of this deeply instilled philosophy that I cannot help but wonder at businesses that do not know (and I mean know) how to use their eCommerce/Web Application to it’s fullest. This is the biggest tool in their businesses tool box and using it should be as second nature to them as driving their cars – knowing where everything is and what everything does, and how to get from where they are to where they want to go. Yet so often this is not the case. They instead treat it like a box full of “Voodoo Magic” that they touch as little as possible in case they upset the Gods and cause their website to crash.

The truly sad part is because of this fear they have no idea what their eCommerce Application really does or what else it can do for their business! I spoke with a client a few weeks ago and they were truly surprised to discover that their application had Customer Reviews built in, or that they could have a ‘Drill Down Search’ on their home page with just 15 minutes of set up.

It is time to take control of  your eCommerce Application. It is time overcome your fear of ‘Voodoo Magic.” Modern eCommerce applications like Turboecarts ASP.NET, Magento, Joomla, and WordPress are incredibly simple to set up and manage. So much so in fact that once set up and running an average website should take only a small amount of time each day to run (less processing and shipping all your orders!)

You can begin your path to enlightenment by digging in and learning more about your application. Visit Turboecart’s Support Portal and you can begin with a number of different subjects and articles discussing how to set up, manage, and maintain your eCommerce website. If you have additional questions you can submit a New Support Ticket and get an answer.

Another path is to purchase Live Support time. With this On Demand Support you get to decide the agenda and have a trained Support Tech will walk you through each item and answer every question. For more information please email me at phil.c@turboecart.com or submit a New Support Ticket and let me know the scope of your needs and we will generate a customized quote based  upon your specific project.

 Does the “old way” still work?  Just look at the number of empty storefronts you see in your own communities and you will know that it doesn’t. Even Yellow Pages has jumped on the online marketing advantage train.

 Today, the selling world has turned upside down. As an online retailer, you now can buy your stock after you sell the item. You can have an unlimited amount of products; you can have your products seen by whoever searches for your keywords. Imagine your business being visible to people actually looking for your products and services in their moment of greatest interest, rather than having to blindly market your business to random people who may or may not be interested. And yes, you and I both know there were times, and there still are times, when someone totally opposite of your demographic walks in and buys your products.

 Let’s really take your business to the next level, let’s stop being the best keep secret and broaden your exposure.

 What are the 7 reasons why everyone needs a website?

 The internet levels the playing field.

1. A professionally designed website with the right online marketing can be as good as a big company’s; in many cases even better. Smaller companies have better customer service and handle each client with the kind of attention your customers want and need. The small to medium business is king on the internet!
1. Offer your products and services 365 days a week 24×7 with fewer headaches.
1. You now can sell your products and services on your website 365 days a week. Your new store hours?  24 hours a day and 7 days a week! Your new “sales person” never calls in sick, never complains about working long hours or holidays, always remembers to up sell and never misrepresents the value, your product or service.  This new sales person is also able to report to you a wealth of information not just about the people who became customers, but also about the people who looked but didn’t buy.  This information allows you to better market to the “ones who got away” and allows you to constantly increase your sales numbers!
2. Reach a larger market focus – local, regional, national or global.
1. Your website is a powerful marketing tool that gives you the ability to market directly to the customers looking for your products and services. You can use techniques like SEO, PPC and affiliate marketing to target these new markets.
3. Exponentially increase your products and services overnight.
1. You are not limited to a square footage, working capital, or even your own skills and knowledge. You can sell an unlimited amount of different products directly from your manufactures and have them drop shipped to your customers with your business name on the box. You can also offer services that accent and add value to your business by partnering with others who offer complementary services or products.
4. Test market your new products and services.
1. Your website gives you the ability to present new services and products to your customers without investing huge R&D dollars.  You can quickly launch new ideas and solicit customer feedback. You can also immediately change copy, features and track who clicked on and viewed what and for how long.
5. Educate, validate, and sell for higher margins.
1. Your customers can educate themselves on your products and services before they call you. You can educate them in the media that best suits their personality – text, video, images all cater to a different personal preference. Testimonials and product reviews validate your products and your company. Also, with a ready customer list, use automatic emails to remarket to your already happy clients and skyrocket your sales. 
6. Your competition is forcing you to.
1. If you build it in a shopping mall, they will not come. To grow your business and branding within your marketplace you have to create a website and market it before your competition does. If you feel it is too late, you are wrong. Every day, more effective ways of online marketing are being developed. If you work with a professional, you can outrank, out sell and beat the competition.

 So what am I trying to say with these seven points and how do they relate to you and your business? Your business started out in the beginning with a specific purpose. You saw a problem or need and you felt you could deliver a solution or fulfill that need. Then, once you got the business opened, you found yourself putting out fires and wearing too many hats. Funny how owning a business was not what you thought it would be. People look at you and say, “Wow I wish I had my own business. I want to set my own hours and make lots of money like you.”  If they only knew… your spouse and children might see how hard you have to work; but to the outside world you are a hero.

 The truth, you and I both know, is that you are the first to go without a paycheck, work double and triple hours with no guarantee of a paycheck at the end on the week.  In the beginning it was all so clear and it was supposed to be easy and straight forward.

 The problem is that with a brick and mortar business there are so many things besides just “selling your products” – the necessary evils pulling you away from your real passion and drive: accounting, employees, taxes, insurance, vendors, customers, changing market and the new education level of your clients due to the internet. You have to stay on top of all of this and that requires a lot of work.

 Many brick and mortar business owners have also discovered that even when things tend to work well when they are onsite, as soon as they leave for lunch or take a day off, productivity falls way off!  You can’t get your employees to do just what you tell them to do in just the way you tell them to do it…  What comes to you as second nature is hard to replicate in your employees. 

 Experts estimate that out of an 8 hour work day, the typical business owner is able to spend less than 2 hours on revenue-generating activities…having an online business can change all of this!

 Having a great website is like having an army of perfect employees working for you… Your store is always clean and neat and arranged the way you want it.  You are open for business 24/7.  Your products or services are always presented to your clients in the best possible way.  With drop-shipping, there are never any inventory issues… If the product comes in 50 colors or sizes, you can show your clients all of them without having to stock any of them.  Your sales figures are collected automatically and can be dropped into QuickBooks with a few mouse clicks.  Every client is greeted.  Every client is offered up-sell products.  Every customer gets a thank-you note and can automatically receive your sales notices, newsletters or any other marketing material you choose to send them; all with very little effort on your part.

 Having a well designed website (through the right online partner!), frees you from the little things and allows you to concentrate on the big things.  The right website allows you to spend more time on those things that make the greatest impact on your bottom line. A great website designed and marketed by professionals, with an automated attack plan to fix the follow-up failure most businesses face, can help you double your sales without doubling your staff.  The right website won’t just help you make money – it will give you something even more valuable… a good website will give you more time.

 Finally, a great website doesn’t just help you make money online, it can invigorate your brick and mortar store too!  Your website can be a fantastic selling tool for your staff. Imagine your customer asking for a product that is out of stock or in a color that you don’t carry in your store.  Instead of saying “no”, your employees can say “Yes!” and show the customer the product they are looking for right on your website and order it for the client while the customer is standing right there.

 It’s not too late if you start today!

By: Audra Hajj/CEO

1. Is it secure? - Authorize.Net is absolutely secure. In 6 ½ years in the eCommerce industry I have not even heard of an issue with them. In a tech driven industry that is constantly evolving, this is a tremendous accomplishment.

2. Is it compatible with my eCommerce Web Platform? - As a major player in their industry Authorize.Net is compatible with nearly every eCommerce Web Platform. This includes our own Turboecart’s ASP.NET Solution as well as numerous Magento Extensions and WordPress Plugins.

3. What does it cost? - As the ‘Big Guy’ you would expect Authorize.Net to charge more than their competitors. However, Authorize.Net’s pricing is very competitive with anyone out there that offers similar services.

If you are new to eCommerce then stop your searching and just Sign Up with Authorize.Net. If you are currently using another payment gateway then you need to look into their services and pricing, and then get your account set up and get started. If you have any questions you can get more information on Authorize.net on the Support Portal, or contact me directly at any time at phil.c@turboecart.com or through our Support Portal.

When was the last time you stayed at a website with inferior content for more than a couple of minutes?

I personally don’t remember when, and that’s the importance of content in a website. The presence, or lack of quality content, influences whether a visitor/potential customer, remembers a website. Content invites us in to spend time navigating through a site, to bookmark it, return to it regularly and recommend it to our social circle. Most people decide within the first few moments of entering a website whether it is worth spending a few moments or hours of their time, and content is one of the critical factors which contributes to this decision.

The work of SEO and SMO

Since the Internet is jam-packed with all kinds of information -whether it is good, bad, or ugly, it becomes necessary for online business owners to ensure their websites stand out prominently. Online owners must employ techniques which positively promote their businesses among a herd of hundreds, and even thousands, of others with similar offerings.  Let’s illustrate this with a product selling example. Most companies are reselling items bought through a channel; they buy from the distributor, the distributor buys from the manufacturer, and so on. By the time the product hits the internet, a single item has been resold by many businesses. So if you are selling the same item, with the same colors, description, and relatively same price, how do you get the sale?  You make a valuable difference to get the sale through the content you write about the item.

When people search for products and services, they are actually looking for something  to satisfy their requirements, to fill a need. For example, while most websites  tell about the basic features of a massage chair with descriptions provided by the manufacturer, you can spin it into what potential customers really want. They want something  to make their lives easier, or as in this example, they are really looking for a way to relieve their aching back! When they stumble upon a site with great content telling how their massage chair will relieve body aches and pains, will help achieve total relaxation, and include a Free CD of nature music, you have succeeded. Not only did you  grab the buyers’ attention, but you have also attracted the internet spiders sent out by Google, Bing, and Yahoo. You may still be selling exactly the same chair as everyone else, but backed by well written content, you have made it stand out in the crowd.

This is where SEO, and recently, SMO, strategies come into play. These are techniques which work on the fact that Internet users turn to Search Engines when they are searching for information. SEO and SMO techniques ensure that search engines include targeted websites high among the search results. One thing I find is many people are forgetting that the Big three – Google, Bing, and Yahoo are competing for market share. They want to deliver the very best sites to the people using their search engine, so if they come across a site filled with rich relevant content, Internet users  will definitely visit the site more frequently. This  will help the search engine site climb  up in the relevant ranking of websites within its industry. Think about it, as an Internet savvy user, you are regularly feeding in queries to search engines and following up on various links listed in the search results. But for a regular search, how deep do you go into the results, – do you check out the links  displayed on page ten of the search results? Or even page five? Page three? To cut a long story short, a website has the best chance of attracting visitors from search engines if it manages to get listed among the highest results of a search engine, that is, within the first 2-3 pages. SEO and SMO techniques work on tailoring website content in such a manner that search engines list them high for relevant keywords.

Common Characteristic Shared by Top Ranked Sites – High Quality Content

Search engines cannot see pictures. They get to know what a website is all about with the help of textual information that is present on the pages.  Websites that are highly-optimized only for keywords fail in the long run. Although they might be successful in fooling search engines and getting listed high in search results, they are not able to retain visitors because of the lack of quality content. High quality content does not only mean grammatically correct and well written material ,  Quality content provides value to the targeted user of a website and is not found anywhere else. When a website is able to supply its users with a regular dose of such content, it will inspire them to come back regularly, as well as recommend it to other users with similar interests. When people start spending time on a site, leading to increased sales conversions, it will get the attention of search engines as well. So make sure you write content for the user first, adding targeted keywords as an afterthought.

The Importance of Updating Content

As Search engines continue to refresh their indexes, they seem to prefer fresh and original content. A website can ensure that it is consistently featured high among search results with the help of keyword optimized content. This content must be updated regularly and should create a buzz among users by being unique and useful. SMO encompasses the use of a variety of social media tools like blogs, social networks and social bookmarking sites, and relies heavily upon users to promote content. This again brings us back to the requirement of content that rocks! Popular social bookmarking sites like Digg.com, lets their members “Digg” or “Bury” various articles, which works for or against the popularity of the articles. Similarly, social networks and blogs have members passing on interesting information and links among their social circle and followers. If a website is able to consistently produce content that gets users’ attention then it will be able to build a loyal list of followers over time and reach the proverbial ‘tipping point’ where it not only achieves, but surpasses its original goals.

Online business owners may have substantial knowledge about their business and be in the position to create content with substantial value for their users. However, to employ SEO/SMO strategies and create suitable content may not be time and cost effective  and may involve too many other factors. This venture may be better managed by people who are experts in the field… in other words, professionals.  Remember that as a business person, you need to focus on selling your products and services; this is how you pay the bills. Be careful not to get distracted. It is always advisable to hire a professional Internet services provider to help you create quality content. They bring along the valuable experience of working dedicatedly on the content of many sites, in many industries. Such a provider would have a much better idea of what works and what doesn’t -they will know the pulse of the internet consumer and be aware of the latest buzz on the Internet. These professionals will  ensure your content is fresh and tailored to the latest trends within your industry, and for your clients.  Having an Internet service provider would not only save the business owner a considerable amount of time but, most importantly, help achieve successful results much faster.

So now that you have your store up and running, beautifully designed and implemented, a diverse catalog of products neatly organized in key categories, you’re ready for business. You start getting orders in your inbox and everything’s on track to let you believe all will be just fine. But then, a month, two or three down the road, the orders start slowing down.

You look at your site’s traffic analytics and you realize that traffic to the site has also decreased. You’re baffled and start wondering as to what may have gone wrong. Do people no longer like your products or your site design? Is it already time for a redesign, to bring some life back into the site? What should you do?

Enter panic mode and call your dedicated consultant requesting a site redesign. Or should you?

In this introductory article we’ll look at some of the reasons behind dying sites and diminishing sales. Then, in a future article, we’ll offer some concrete planning ideas and practical ways of ensuring a successful, thriving internet presence for your e-commerce store.

The design may be just fine. It needs only a little love.

We see the above scenario from time to time here in the design department. Clients for whom we’ve already created a beautiful site and branding package come back strongly convinced that it’s time for yet another new design of their site.

The site that they were in love with only months ago and for which they received all the praise from friends and clients alike is now, in their opinion, expired. It needs new life and the only way to do that is by redesigning it from the ground up. But to that, we say… is it truly the only way?

So we ask how many times has the site been updated since it was launched? How often has that big promotional banner on the homepage been changed? What about the repeating slides, have they ever been updated? The side boxes? The homepage specials? Anything at all?

Most often the answer is “never”. So the questions come down to: How can your site be loved by others if no love is shown to it in the first place?

Plan accordingly and do so early

Once they’re set on creating a new site or revamping an existing site, most people focus on design and presentation. They want to make sure the homepage will cover all the areas of their business and easily take visitors to the various sections of the site, all in a modern and visually pleasing package.

Others are concerned with the catalog aspect, having the right functionality and all other technical details figured out and ready to go. Few, very few, take the time initially, before even seeing or thinking about what the site will actually look like, to prepare for the long run.

Setting up an update & maintenance plan should start in the early planning phase of your site. Updating & maintaining your site will ensure continuous and consistent traffic and will give people a reason to come back and check your site often.

Put yourself in your visitor’s shoes

What keeps us going back to sites we visit on a regular basis, as users? Is it the fact that the content we’ve seen yesterday or last week is the same and we just enjoy looking at the same thing over and over again? No. We go back because we expect to see new content and want to keep up to date. For news, that is fairly obvious. For stores, we want to see if there are new products we may be interested in or new specials that may allow us to buy that cool gadget we’ve been checking out for the last two months.

As a site or business owner, put yourself in your client’s shoes and it will be easier to understand why keeping your site’s homepage at least regularly refreshed will give a reason to visitors to come back and see what’s new.

Conversely, failure of updating the homepage on a regular basis presents people with static content that, if they see it too many times, will give them little to no reason to add the site to their list of favorite sites to check on.

So you end up losing visitors who initially were actually interested in keeping up with what you had to offer. This brings us to the next point.

Playing catch up is hard and bad for business

Now that these visitors have moved on to other sites, you’re faced with the challenging task of replacing these visitors with new ones. Often, this means spending money or time, or both for that matter, in traffic-generating activities, to make up for the lost visitors.

In essence, you’re playing catch-up to be back at the original starting point. You’re paying money now as consequence of being unprepared and without a plan in the first place. It would have been much easier to create a budget initially, however small that may be, to allow for regular updates to these key homepage areas like slides and banners, to keep your visitors informed and present them with new content.

First step – Become aware

The first step in avoiding such a scenario is to become aware of this danger in the first place. Know beforehand that once your site is designed, implemented and running, you’ll need to have a plan in place to keep the site updated and visitors interested.

As web experts, we can definitely assist you with providing the right services and tools to achieve this. There are numerous things that can be done to show your website a little love on a regular basis and we’re committed to helping our clients with this issue.

In our next article, we’ll revisit this topic and look at some practical ways of keeping your site looking good and your visitors happy.

Until then, happy e-tailing!