If you sell products or services online, then you have an ecommerce business. From baby products, to health foods, to beard gels – you name it and you can probably find it on an ecommerce site. You build a website, put yourself and products out there, then viola! You’re rolling in dough! If only it were that simple. If you’re thinking about starting an ecommerce site, or if your current online business isn’t doing so well, read on for some useful ecommerce success tips.

Clear Policy Statement – As a consumer, few things are as frustrating as hidden conditions or obstacles. Provide easy-to-access policy and procedure information including details about shipping, returns, customer service hours and contact information, and anything else that will cut down on customer questions and complaints. You might even include a FAQ page.

Easy Product/Service Access – Make browsing your various items and services as easy as possible by adding search options for things like price, ratings, sizes, availability – basically anything you would expect if you were looking for these things yourself. If you’re not sure, Google Keyword Tool can help you find the leading search terms related to your products/services. Continue reading →

We have all heard it before. Would you like to provide your email address to receive coupons and information on upcoming sales?  That question is asked at almost every major department store you step foot in. Most people state their email address, take their merchandise, and head on to their next destination. They don’t realize that by providing an email address they are opening many doors for marketing opportunities. So does email marketing actually work? Here are three good reasons why email marketing is a successful practice. Continue reading →

Did you know that in January 2016, Instagram surpassed Twitter with over 300 million users? So what does that mean for you? Maybe this means rethinking your social media marketing campaign. Let’s say you already use Instagram. Are you taking full advantage of all the marketing potential it has to offer?  Whether or not Instagram is a current part of your social marketing arsenal, you might be able to benefit from these top 5 Instagram tips for supercharging your marketing plan. Continue reading →

Starting a business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process. It’s normal to make a few mistakes along the way. Sometimes these mistakes can help you improve, or teach you lessons that prevent you from making larger mistakes down the road. Other times, business owners make mistakes that could cripple their business, or at the very least make a mess that takes a lot of work and time to clean up.

To help you avoid common small business mishaps, we’ve put together a list of the top 5 most common and detrimental mistakes small business owners make. Continue reading →

Owning a business is no easy task. You’ve invested a lot of passion, time, and dedication into realizing your dream, and you look to the future with hope and expectation of success. To make that happen, there are some steps you can take with digital marketing to substantially grow your business using nothing but your computer. Continue reading →

As a business owner, you undoubtedly understand the importance of great marketing. In a time where everything has “gone digital,” tech-savvy marketing is crucial; even the smallest business owner is expected to have a website these days. With that comes a seemingly endless to-do list that can confuse even the most seasoned business owner. You can easily become overwhelmed by all the search engine marketing jargon out there. SEO, SMM, SEM, CPC, PPC — what does it all mean? Do I need it, and if so… how do I do it?

Delving into the what and hows of every form of digital marketing takes time, dedication, and experience. For our purposes here, let’s take a look at one of the most critical forms of digital marketing. One that guarantees effective, fast results — search engine marketing aka, SEM. Continue reading →

Like dog years, websites seem to age must faster than other things. A shirt you bought four years ago may still look ok (maybe), but the website you had designed just as long ago looks extremely dated. Here’s why: Continue reading →

I hear these words pretty often, by business owners – mostly baby boomers – who are unsure, confused, maybe even a bit scared about Facebook. “All people do is post pictures of the food they are eating! How will that help my business?” Another common comment I get is, “Facebook is social! Why should I promote my business there?” I certainly understand these sentiments, but I am here to tell you that it is still in your best interest to have a business presence on Facebook. Continue reading →

Recently I found myself day dreaming about what I would do if I had to start all over again. If for whatever reason my business closed, or I sold it, and I found myself having to start from scratch, what would I do? I would start another business – that much I know. But what type of business? How would I get the word out? How would I get it off the ground? Continue reading →

One of the most important  factors for your site’s search engine ranking is the number of links pointing to your site from external websites. In essence, Google and other search engines feel that the more links a site has, the more established, relevant, and important it must be, therefore it should rank higher. Since having links has become very important, therefore attaining links, otherwise known as “link building,” has become a basic practice of SEO work.  Continue reading →