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Ecommerce - Online Store Set Up Questionnaire

Submitted by Susan on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 02:22

Here are some questions to consider before you build your ecommerce site:

  1. What type of products are you going to sell? Are any products digital?
  2. How are you going to take payment?
  3. Where are you going to host the site?
  4. How many products are you planning to carry? Do you already have the products listed somewhere? Do you require bulk uploading?

8 Great Tips to Help You Design Your Online Ecommerce Store

Submitted by Susan on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 02:26
  1. Visit some successful ecommerce stores including your competitors. Look at design, layout, categories and features.
  2. Look at templates for the platform you are considering using.
  3. Make a list of the sites you like. Print out screen shots of the sites you like or sketch out drawings. Note what you like and do not like. Save these urls to a file for reference. Make a list of the features you require.
  4. Look at the features list for the platform you are considering.

Successful Keyword Research

Submitted by Susan on Sun, 03/08/2009 - 07:31
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Keyword research is the process of finding the words or phrases that visitors would use to find your site. You want to find words or phrases that are relevant to your site and that you CAN RANK WELL on the search engines. Some words are too generic or competitive and millions of sites would come up. You need to find more specific words and phrases that would help a user find you.

Tips for On-Page Search Engine Optimization

Submitted by Susan on Sun, 03/08/2009 - 07:28
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The following optimization factors are used by search engines to index your page:

Meta Tags

(Title tag, description tag, keyword tag), Header Tags, Text-body tag and Alt image tags. Before you add your tags you should conduct solid keyword research. Your keys words are the foundation of your SEO strategy so spend some time here and do it right!

Title Tag

This is the title that shows up in a search. It is the most important factor for indexing. Include ONLY your main keywords- make sure they describe your product or service You will get a higher ranking for less words.

Creating an Effective Website Part 1 - Your Home Page

Submitted by Susan on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 20:19
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Your home page is the most visited page of your website. It is the page that will either retain your visitors or send them away. You must make a good first impression! Remember that the most effective sites are simple, clear and easy to navigate. Your design should be professional and reflect your branding. The following describes key elements required in an effective homepage.

Logo & Header

Your header (normally the block at the top of the page) should include your business logo and usually the name of your company.

Checklist for Building a Good Website

Submitted by Susan on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 18:00
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This is a good list to go through if you are looking at designing a new site, getting a make-over or switching to a content management system.

The Visible Part of Your Website

  • Does your home page grab attention?
  • Is your navigation simple and intuitive?
  • Is the design visually easy to follow?
  • Is the site design professional?
  • Is the most important information visible (without scrolling)?
  • Does you home page explain the following: who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how to buy or contact you?

Planning Your Website - Meeting Your Customer Needs

Submitted by Susan on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 16:31
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Think About Your Customer While You Design Your Website!

Before you design your site, you should know your customers. The following questions will help you focus on designing a site that meets the needs of your customers.
  • Who are you trying to reach?

We Love Drupal!

Submitted by Susan on Mon, 08/18/2008 - 11:10

Drupal is content management system that is flexible and packed full of features. It is open source software that is free for you to use and modify.
Over the last couple of years or so, Drupal has become the platform to run websites that require a lot of community and content management features. Its range includes simple brochure sites and personal blogs, to full-featured social networking sites, news sites, portals and e-commerce websites. It allows users to easily publish, manage & organize a wide variety of content on a website.

What is Open Source Software?

Submitted by Susan on Sun, 08/17/2008 - 00:51

Open source software (OSS) is software where the source code is made available to the public as public domain or an open copyright license. This permits users to use change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form - free of charge! It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner where developers contribute to its features.

What is a Content Management System (CMS)

Submitted by Susan on Fri, 08/15/2008 - 15:07

A Content Management System (CMS) uses a combination of software and a database to manage and organize your website content. Content is added to the database and then displayed in a customized template. A CMS makes it very easy for non-technical users to edit and expand their website. Edits can be made in minutes from any browser by logging into your website as a user with specific editing privileges. The CMS (site) allows an editor or content provider to login and access a simple user interface to make edits and add new content including images, multi-media files and more.