Build Your Own Ecommerce Website!

How to Ensure That Your Business Continues to Run in the Event of a PC Failure

2009-02-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stopped to think what would happen to your business if your PC were to crash? Would you be able to continue to support your clients and/or generate income in the event of a computer failure?If you run an online solo service business having a system in place that automatically creates a back-up of your PC's files and folders is essential. It's not just older PCs that are prone to

Festive and Effective Holiday Marketing Ideas

2008-11-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

In addition to being the "Season of Sweets," the period of time between Halloween and New Year's Day presents a wonderful opportunity for your company to thank your customers. It also is a time that you can drive new business to you. Here is a list of easy and effective marketing ideas to help you promote your business for the holidays.1. Send a Card: Send a holiday card to all of your customers

Direct Email Marketing - A Basic Guide

2008-06-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Email marketing is one of the more popular forms of marketing on the internet because it allows people to send a single message to a large number of people. It is a perfect way to pass on information about your business and any updates you have.Email is one of the main reasons why people use the internet. It is something that is checked once a day, once an hour or even more frequently. It has

Interview: CoreCommerce

2008-06-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

What do you consider sets you apart from your competitors?We believe in order to be the best, you have to provide a great product at a competitive price with excellent support. We believe that because we have all 3, that sets us apart from our competition.What is your pricing structure?Our pricing structure is based on the amount of bandwidth, hard drive space, products and email accounts you

Book Review: Streetwise eCommerce

2008-06-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today's book is Streetwise eCommerce. Written by Aliza Risdahl, this book is useful for anyone learning ecommerce.SummaryThis is the type of book that you will keep coming back to. Even now as I am writing this, I discovered a section about writing online press releases that I not noticed the first time I read it. Streetwise eCommerce covers (nearly) everything I can think of including the

Interview: digiSHOP

2008-06-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

What do you consider sets you apart from your competitors?We believe in order to be the best, you have to provide a great product at a competitive price with excellent support. We believe that because we have all 3, that sets us apart from our competition.What is your pricing structure?digiSHOP Basic is $249, digiSHOP Standard is $349 and digiSHOP Pro is $799. You can see all the pricing and

SEO - Just Add Water.....NO!

2008-06-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

I miss the old days....life was simple. Your TV had just a few channels, your phone was attached to a wall, and the computer was cool thing to have for the few who could afford one. But times change, our world changes and technology grows. TV has 200 plus channels (and still nothing on), your phone is attached to your hip and you could not live without a computer and the Internet is filled with

Book Review: Complete Business Plan

2008-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

This week's book is Complete Business Plan. Written by Bob Adams, this book is especially useful for someone writing their first business plan. I have used it to write my business plan, and I found it very useful. I have read about three other business plan books, but this one is my favorite.SummaryThis book starts out by telling you the basics of business planning in Part I. Then, in Part II, it

6 Reasons Why You Need to Have a Blog with Your Website.

2008-06-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Blogs are powerful marketing tools that can help you reach more customers, establish credibility, increase sales, and share company news without having a huge advertising budget.Blogs have a number of advantages that make them highly effective in promoting your business: 1. You don't have to be a tech geek to start a blog.Anyone can do it, and sites like Blogger can help you create and publish

Do You Hesitate to Send Email to Your Subscribers and Customers?

2008-06-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

If you're one of the people who worries that your customers will think you're spamming if you send them email, no matter HOW useful the information is, I urge you to reconsider.The truth is, when you do your email marketing right, not only is it an excellent source of income for you, but your subscribers and customers will actually appreciate hearing from you!Here are three tried and tested ideas

Interview: X-Cart

2008-06-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Today's interview is with X-Cart, a shopping cart provider.What do you think is the most important part of a shopping cart?From our experience, a shopping cart as a standalone product is only a part of what online store owners truly need. In our opinion, it is important that the shopping cart should be accompanied by the whole scope of services allowing its owner to concentrate solely on sales

What you MUST know about Text vs. HTML Emails!

2008-06-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

HTML messages allow for text formatting, multiple columns, images, and brand recognition.They are growing in popularity and over 95% of customer email programs today will support HTML email. Unfortunately most spam is also formatted using HTML and thus differentiating between requested email and HTML spam messages can be difficult.HTML emails are therefore more likely to trigger spam filters.

Book Review: Whoops! I'm in Business

2008-06-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

[Note: This is the first in a series of book reviews. I plan to publish one new one every Wednesday.]Today's book is Whoops! I'm in Business. Written by Richard Stim and Lisa Guerin, it is designed for someone who already has business but does not know how to continue it.Summary This book covers the basics of business including working from home, using trademarks, choosing a business structure,

A Customer Support System to Handle Your Growing Site

2008-06-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Good customer service can make all the difference - especially in ecommerce where there is no face-to-face contact.By offering excellent service you have the opportunity to turn happy customers into loyal customers. What's more, business studies have shown that happy customers tell 4 people about their positive experience. Unhappy customers on the other hand tell 10 people how unsatisfied they

9 Ways to Make Your Site More Search Engine Friendly

2008-06-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Search engines want to lead users to the most relevant information that is available online for any given keyword.So focus on the user and ask yourself the question, "Is my page the most relevant page for this keyword online?" If the answer is yes, and you offer the best content for this keyword then you are well on your way.The only way to get top placement in search engines is to provide very

Crucial Elements To A Quality Online Storefront

2008-05-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Copyright © 2008 WebCartRegardless of how long you may have had an online business, immediately you will learn the importance of the shopping cart and online storefront. The more convenient and easy you make it on the customer, chances are you will generate more sales through your online business. To start, you should consider a few crucial elements to help build a quality online storefront.When

Interview: Miva Merchant

2008-05-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

This week's interview is with Miva Merchant, another shopping cart provider.What do you think is the most important part of a shopping cart?The ability to build your online store to do business any way you like is the feature I would consider paramount. All too often online store products try to make the process of running a business oversimplified and thus make huge assumptions about someone

How To Use An Email Marketing Course For Profit

2008-05-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Copyright © 2008 WebCartEmail marketing has been one of the greatest things to every happen to smart business owners. The number one reason people use the internet for is to send email. The second reason people go online is to find information. With a well thought out email marketing course you can do both. Let's take a look at how you can use an email marketing course for a more profitable

The Importance Of Quality Website Content

2008-05-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Copyright © 2008 WebCartWith over 8 billion websites on the internet you have a lot of competition to get your website seen. Or do you? If you have spent any amount of time surfing around online you have quickly realized that there is a lot of terrible websites out there. That is good news for you if you are a quality conscious website owner. In this article we will talk about the importance of

The Future Of Ecommerce Sales Is Promising…But Is Yours?

2008-05-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Copyright © 2008 WebCartThere is no question that over time, ecommerce sales have continued to rise as more and more people turn to the internet for their shopping. It's much easier to take a quick commute to your computer, surf the net for a short while, and purchase what you are looking for than it is to go out to a store for the same thing. Because of this, the future of ecommerce sales is

Do-It-Yourself SEO | A Beginner's Guide

2008-05-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

There are always do-it-yourselfers in any business, so it should be no surprise that many successful web promoters are doing their own SEO. Many web guru's started by fumbling around the internet until they found the right formula for success. The web itself has evolved as a result of individual experimentation and the sharing their knowledge.The target for SEO continues to evolve, techniques

Top 11 Information Marketing Business Mistakes to Avoid

2008-05-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

`If you've tried your hand at building an Internet-based business but haven't yet reached the success you want, find out these 11 deadly mistakes and how to avoid them.Mistake #1 - Not Treating What You Do as a BusinessThe difference between a hobby and a business is that a hobby doesn't make you money - it costs you money.If you're serious about starting a building a profitable online business

Interview: Easy Store Creator

2008-05-23T03:40:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I interviewed AbleCommerce.com, a shopping cart provider. This week I am interviewing Easy Store Creater, another shoppping cart provider.What do you think is the most important component of a shopping cart?Assuring the customer that their information it is safe!What do you consider sets you apart from your competitors?Our excellent customer service. Many of our customers sign up

Do You Own - And Control Your Domain Name? You May Be Surprised!

2008-05-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

All too often, website owners are lax in nailing down ownership and control of valuable domain names, and as a result, are often required to litigate these issues costing them thousands. The case of Dawson v. Brandsberg illustrates these costly mistakes and how to avoid them.Dawson v. Brandsberg - The FactsThe dispute was between a website operator and developer regarding rights to a domain name

Make Your Website More Mobi-Friendly

2008-05-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Copyright © 2008 Jim EdwardsOk! Tis the season to make startling predictions about where the web will head this year and what rates your attention in the world of ecommerce.I'll say I've seen some great predictions by others this year, including some of my friends who say the "newbie" market and the Asian markets will explode this year.However, I want to talk about something that most of the "