One of the biggest mistakes many people make online is to assume that one type of site works for every type of product or service. The reality is just the opposite. Every site needs to be designed specifically to generate the highest number of sales per visitor.
This is certainly true for the store site. There are several characteristics every store site needs to become successful.
*Store Sites need to have an effective “landing” page
The landing page is the “main” page the visitor arrives at upon entering the site. Some of the characteristics the landing page needs to contain are:
1. Obvious and easy navigation.
2. A blank for signing up for the store’s newsletter.
3. If you have a large inventory, your navigation needs to include category buttons.
4. Featured or sale products pictured and briefly described.
5. If you have more than a small number of items, a search function.
*Store Sites need to have a professional look
The store site needs to look solid and trustworthy. The site can be simple (just look at Amazon.com), but it needs to appear to work well. Misplaced graphics, misaligned tables, etc. all will hurt sales.
*Store Sites need to have a “brandable” logo
One of the key factors in creating repeat business–the goal of every store–is to have an easily identifiable and creative logo. The more memorable the name of the store, the better. If the name is short, that is better still.
*Store Sites need to have an obvious “Contact Us” page
Before someone will spend money online with your store, they need to have confidence the products will be shipped, etc. One of the ways to build that confidence is to have complete contact information available to the customer.
*Store Sites need to have a functional Shopping Cart
If you have more than just a dozen or so items, a shopping cart is a necessity. While a small store can easily create an order page with “check-boxes”, the larger store needs to allow people good functionality in a shopping cart. There are many commercially available, easily integrated shopping carts that you can put into your store.
*Store Sites need a newsletter
Depending on the store, this can take a variety of forms. If you are a specialty store selling, let’s say, “camping supplies”, your newsletter could be weekly and include a short article of interest to campers. If your store is more general, you may want to have weekly specials emailed to your subscribers with no articles. Either way, you need to capture the emails of your visitors and give them reasons to come back again and again.
One of the best ways to use your newsletter and generate traffic is to give something of value away to those who visit your site and sign up for your newsletter. You can give it away free or you can charge shipping and handling. This works well for two reasons: First, it gives people an incentive for signing up for your newsletter. Second, it gives you a great source of free advertising–all of the “freebie” sites on the net who will gladly list your offer for you.
No matter how you put it together, you need to have a newsletter.
In part II I will give several more features that will pull cash out of your online store.
Kevin Bidwell is owner of
http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/cg-bin/at.cgi?a=274293
Kevin just finished a complete report on building a passive
income. Grab your copy here:
http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/cg-bin/at.cgi?a=274293&e=/pi
