Would you be comfortable supplying your credit card number to an outdated, haphazard looking website? Most people wouldn’t, and that is exactly what makes it important to pay attention to the message your site is sending to visitors. Consumers want to buy from companies, not websites, and further, they want to feel confident that those companies are backed by real people. That seems obvious, but a legitimate concern given that pretty much anyone can have a website these days.

Even if your site is overflowing with traffic, it makes you no money when visitors walk in and right back out of your online store. So how do you stand out from the crowd and ensure that site visitors are comfortable doing business with your company?

A few obvious answers are having a professional design, solid text content and secure purchasing options – all important in today’s online marketplace. If you’ve got these basics covered, way to go! Now let’s take a look at some specific ways to make your site stand out that you may not have considered.

When you’re looking for fresh ideas to liven up your site, consider taking a lesson from the pros. Large companies with deep pockets sink millions of dollars into their online marketing activities, so why not benefit from their investments by picking up a few tips for your site? Examine the sites of several established e-retailers as well as major players in your own industry. What do they have in common? What do they do that you don’t?

Give your ecommerce site an edge over the competition with these simple techniques:

• Have a few products immediately visible upon reaching the site. Displaying too many products right away may overwhelm visitors, but showing a select few products will engage visitors and prompt them to immediately start shopping. Consider adding a “Featured Products” section or displaying one key product per category on the home page.

• Create a sense of urgency. Every major retail site seems to have a prominently displayed “Special Offer” or “Sale” advertised in plain view on the home page. Ebay.com displays specific auctions that are about to end, and Overstock.com highlights items that are almost out of stock. Each of these techniques instills a sense of urgency, which can lead consumers to make a purchase when they may otherwise just shop around. Brainstorm ideas for implementing similar techniques on your own site.

• Keep your content relevant. There are many ways to make sure the content on your site is fresh, and I’m not talking redesign (though if your design is archaic, by all means, update!). Google does a great job of keeping its home page relevant by swapping out its logo for artistic renderings reflecting a current holiday, event, birthday or landmark date in history. Though Google prides itself on the simple, rarely modified design of its home page, it stays relevant by incorporating festive logo renderings of current topics periodically throughout the year. Check out the gallery of Google’s holiday logos past for inspiration, and create your own ways to show visitors that your company more than just a website.

• Give your site some personality. If you can give your site a personal touch while keeping it professional, visitors will feel more comfortable doing business with you. Some ways to personalize a site are including photos of employees, testimonials from customers, posts about company events and charitable contributions, live online chat services as well as personalized wish lists and product suggestions.

Adding a Favorites Icon, known as a favicon, is a simple touch that helps brand your business and make it stand out. A favicon is the icon that appears in the Bookmarks or Favorites list in most browsers, as well as on tabs in browsers that support tabs. For more information on adding a favicon to your site, visit How To Favicon.

One final piece of advice is to always think of your site content as a work in progress. Of course you have worked hard to get your site to where it is today, but there is always room for improvement. Even with the same amount of traffic, you can make more profit by reducing your bounce rate and increasing conversions, both of which are usually tied to the content, design and/or usability of the site itself. Be persistent, get creative and reap the benefits of providing a superior online experience to your customers.

Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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Why Even Bother Defining a Target Audience?
Many businesses operate under the idea that they will offer products and anyone who needs or wants them will purchase from them. This may have been the case in the past, but with the vast selection that consumers have online these days, companies need to do more to gain customers. Think about it from your own perspective- are you more likely to buy from a site that is trying to be everything to everyone or just wants to serve your personal needs and interests? As consumers we reward the effort that companies put into understanding and serving us as individuals. This is why niche companies do so well. The secret of having a strong target audience is that your company can operate like it is in a niche market while having a product that is much more general. What does this mean for your business? A strong target audience can drive profits and provide excellent structure for all of your company’s efforts.

How Will a Target Audience Benefit My Online Business?
Once you know who you are focusing your company’s efforts on other decisions come much easier- what to name your company and website, what the design of the site should look like, how to layout your site, etc. Say for instance your products are back-to-school items and the target audience is defined as males aged 13-22 in metropolitan areas. You would probably want a name that emphasizes the “coolness” of your products and the way they’ll make your customers stand out. Most likely the design of your site should be something flashy with graphics and lots to look at that catches the eye. The products themselves can be more technical in their description and the options fairly numerous. This site with all the same products would be very different if it was for mothers buying items for their children in the same age group. If you try to appeal to both of these crowds you are probably going to lose some of both audiences. Teenage males do not want to shop where their mothers would shop, and vice versa most mothers would not find the things that their teenage sons like appealing. In this example defining a target audience is crucial to the success of the business.

Is There Any Benefit to my General Business Operations?
Defining a target audience can help define other ancillary aspects of your business. A target audience can help your business know where to sell, what functions to attend, who to partner with, what kind of promotions to run, etc. Using the last example if your site was geared toward males aged 13-22 in metropolitan areas looking for back-to-school supplies and not their Mothers it is logical to do demonstrations at school and university campuses rather than grocery stores. You might want to partner with a soft drink or energy drink company as opposed to a fruit juice or sparkling water. You could do a giveaway that includes men’s products like razors or cologne instead of coupons for future purchases. These types of efforts would be foolish with other target audiences, but they will suit your defined target audience perfectly. This type of connection with the consumer is directly proportional to sales.

So How Do I Define a Target Audience for My Business?
In defining a target audience these are the questions that you need to ask yourself:

• What is your product? (If you are selling services sometimes this can get tricky.)
• Who will the product serve?
• Who will the product connect with and appeal to?
• How will the product be used?

What is Your Product?
If you are selling physical products this should not be too hard to determine, but if you are selling services you may need to dig a little deeper. If you are selling house or car alarms you are probably not selling electronics per se, but more likely you are selling security. People do not buy security alarms just to look at the technology they can incorporate into their house or car; they buy them for a feeling of protection. Occasionally this is the case with a product as well. If you are selling fingernail polish you are not selling the polish. You more likely are selling fashion and style.

Who Will the Product Serve and Who Will it Appeal To?
Sometimes the person purchasing the product is buying it for themselves but a lot of times someone is purchasing a product for someone else. While it is important to think about who will ultimately use the product often what is more important is making a connection with the person that will be buying it. For example, teachers get a lot of apple-related gifts, but they do not purchase them for themselves. While selling teachers’ gifts it is important to appeal to the kids and parents who may be looking for an item to express their thanks at the end of a school year.

How Will The Product Be Used?
Giving thought to how a product will be used helps determine how that product should be represented and sold. If you are selling sports equipment show it pictured on the field or court. Emphasize its resiliency and performance enhancing features. This will appeal to the purchaser and can also help define the target audience. If you are selling something for a more advanced athlete obviously you will need to go into more depth about the specifics of the product and its appropriate uses because they have greater needs than a casual or first-time user. Looking at how a product is used can define your target audience even further.

How do I Incorporate this into my Online Business?
Once you have your target audience defined it is important to make sure that every aspect of your site (design, layout, products, text, pricing, promotions, etc.) is aligned with the vision of your target audience. The best way to do this is to have a focus group of people meeting your target audience profile review and try purchasing from your site so you can get some good feedback on what you are doing right and what you need to improve on. Better yet, try using the Volusion Forum to get fast and free feedback on your site.

Some Links to Volusion Features that May Appeal to Your Target Audience:
Volusion Integration with My Space and Facebook
Adding Custom Order Page Fields
Product Quantity Restrictions
Customer Package Tracking
Coupons/Discounts/Promotions

-Kate Pierce, Ecommerce Specialist

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The online segment of a business empowers it to reach beyond geographic boundaries and gain exposure to a larger share of targeted consumers. With a growing number of companies operating solely online, business owners are dedicated to establishing a strong online presence in order to maximize profits. To optimize the benefits of selling in the online marketplace, companies operating on the internet should secure the right domain name from the start.

A domain name is the unique name for a website’s address on the internet, and is an important part of branding a business. Our domain name here at Volusion is Volusion.com. The domain name you select for your business is what potential customers will type into a browser to find your website, so it is best to select one that is easy to remember and type.

If you do not yet know what you plan to name your business, it may be helpful to research available domain names first to get an idea of your options. If your business name and domain name match, potential customers can guess how to get to your site even without knowing the address. The first step to securing the right domain name is checking its availability. You can search domain names for availability directly from the Volusion website.

Do not be discouraged if your first few domain name ideas are unavailable, as there are billions of websites out there with each having at least one domain name! With so many sites on the Web, it comes as no surprise that most good domain names are taken, but this does not mean you have to settle for a less desirable one. For a $500 to $1000 investment, you can get a premium domain name perfect for your business. User-friendly domain name search tools like Volusion’s will offer suggestions for premium domain names based on keywords you enter, and allow you to purchase your domain name directly.

If the domain name you want is taken, consider contacting the owner to see if he or she is open to selling it. If not, select a different domain related to your business with the points from the list below in mind. You can find out who owns a domain using the “Whois Search” tool on Volusion’s Domain Name Registration page.

While there are certainly not concrete rules when it comes to selecting a domain name, here are a few considerations to get you started:

• What top level domain (TLD) to choose. The top level domain in Volusion.com is the .com at the end. Other top level domains you have probably seen are .net, .org, .biz as well as country specific TLDs like .ca and .uk. In most cases, the .com is the chosen TLD for commercial sites because users are accustomed to hearing and typing .com, though country specific TLDs have advantages in certain situations. Some business owners opt to purchase the .net or .biz when the .com is unavailable. If you purchase a .net or .biz, keep in mind that some users may not remember to use the less common TLD, and may end up going to the .com address that does not belong to you.

• Whether to use the hyphenated version if your first choice is unavailable. This means using the-domain-name-i-want.com if you are unable to get thedomainnameiwant.com, for example. Using the hyphenated version of a domain is a feasible option, though if you choose to do so, there are some considerations to keep in mind. For instance, it may be difficult to convey the URL verbally, such as through word of mouth publicity or in a radio ad. On the other hand, some believe that URLs with important keywords separated by hyphens can give a site a relevance boost in the search engines, though this theory would be difficult to prove.

Check out Choosing a Domain Name: 4 Tips on What Not to Do for more considerations related to the wording of your domain name.

• Whether a particular domain name can be easily remembered by the average person. People are more likely to find your site if they can remember and type the domain name easily. In general, shorter domain names are easier to remember and type, but users’ familiarity with the name you choose also plays a role. For example, using an acronym for your domain will keep it short, but a series of letters that do not make up a word may be difficult for many people to remember. Do not hesitate to ask for opinions from family, friends and colleagues, who can give you outside perspective on whether a certain domain name is memorable and easy to type.

Selecting the right domain name is an important step in beginning to build a strong online brand. Using Volusion’s intuitive domain name search tools and a little creative thinking will make it easy to find the perfect domain name for your business.

Search Domain Names Now!

-Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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A company must exude credibility in order to earn the trust of consumers and win their business, a particularly challenging feat in the impersonal online market. Even established e-commerce retailers must overcome widespread consumer distrust that has been propagated by online scams, unscrupulous websites and rampant identity theft.

Smaller online businesses that are not backed by a recognized brick-and-mortar store or major brand often wonder how to earn trust and make their websites stand out. Fortunately, improving your online credibility is easy, and may simply involve adding some key pieces of information to your site. These suggestions are designed to help you establish a positive reputation in the online marketplace and in turn convert more of your traffic into loyal customers:

1. Have a professional design.
A professional look and feel, or lack thereof, is the first thing potential customers will notice upon reaching your website. Unless you are a designer yourself, having your site professionally designed is a worthwhile investment. Think about the type of website to which you would be comfortable supplying your credit card information, and hold your website to that quality standard.

2. Focus on the facts and avoid superfluous claims.
Consumers today are bombarded with marketing messages in every area of their lives, especially on the internet. With only a few minutes to capture the attention of site visitors and rouse interest in your products, every word counts. Consider encountering the following claim on a website:

“CompanyXYZ is the premier provider of widgets and widget accessories in the industry. With a dedicated team of widget-making professionals and an emphasis on customer satisfaction, we have proven time and time again that our widgets are the best in the world. Come see for yourself why CompanyXYZ is the frontrunner in the widget industry!”

The paragraph above contains no real substance and mainly states opinions. Sticking to verifiable facts in your text will have a much greater impact on consumers and earn their trust much more easily than unsubstantiated claims. Consider the following paragraph in comparison to the fluff above:

“For the past 10 years, CompanyXYZ has provided quality widgets to over 300,000 widget enthusiasts across the world with breakthrough innovations such as the WidgetPro 5000, Widget Car Adapter and Widget Docking Station. In keeping with our vision to be the premier widget provider worldwide, CompanyXYZ has invested over $2 million in research and product development over the past 5 years and employs a team of 30 engineers, market researchers and widget aficionados focused on providing our loyal customers with the most advanced widgets and widget accessories in the industry.”

The above claim includes verifiable numbers and product names, which lend credibility to the company. Which is more convincing to you?

3. Accept major credit cards if possible.
Accepting major credit cards makes your business look more professional. A merchant account with a reputable provider such as Volusion will involve some cost, but not accepting major credit cards could cost you some customers who do not have other options for making purchases online.

4. Make it easy to contact your company.
Offer multiple ways for visitors to contact your company and speak with a representative, including a toll-free number. Additionally, provide a physical address, fax number, e-mail address and live chat feature to allow potential customers to contact the company through the means with which they feel most comfortable.

5. Let satisfied customers do the talking for you.
Because we tend to trust our peers more readily than marketing claims made by a company, client testimonials on a website can be an effective way to instill trust in consumers while pointing out some of the benefits of your offering. For more impact and credibility, include a photo of each person providing a testimonial. A good approach is to offer a discount or other incentive in return for each customer’s time spent writing a testimonial.

There are many techniques that can be implemented to help build online credibility, but fulfilling these five simple suggestions will put you on track for increased conversions and long-term online success.

-Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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Celebrate going back to school in style with new homepage graphics, created just for you by our design team. Show off your special sales for the new school year!

To save a graphic for uploading, right click on the image and hit Save Image As.

Uploading your Back to School Graphic
From the admin area of your site, click on the Settings Wizard button, located to the left of the Instant Help button. Then under the Design Wizard section, click on Your Content. Under the Home Page Article section, you can now upload your previously saved image so that it is displayed on the homepage of your site.

These copyrighted graphics are intended for the sole use of Volusion clients only. Use of these graphics by other sites or competitors is strictly prohibited and can result in legal action against the offending parties.

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