Did you know that you can build a great website simply by using wordpress?  Wordpress is great for websites like this because of their content management system will allow you to manage scentsy products easier and add new content easily.  Such as updating their scent of the month or other new scents that come out.  There are many SEO plugins and analytic plugins that will also allow you to monitor your website and build sales online.

Wordpress also allows you to choose how much customization and investment you want to put into your website.  You can use their basic themes for free and get a website with minimal startup costs or you can have a design team customize any theme and build you a great looking scentsy website.   With every wordpress website there is some degree of maintenance that must be done on a monthly basis.  Themes, plugins and wordpress itself are constantly being updated and the new versions need to be installed but at the same time you must make sure that the new update is compatible with your current plugins and themes.  Sometimes, plugins are not updated and may not work properly with the latest update from wordpress or your theme may not be updated to the latest wordpress or browser edition.   It’s not always an issue but these do arise.

Most designers will charge some type of maintenance fee for these services either in the original contract or on a per project basis.   It’s recommended to use a web company that understands all of the aspects of wordpress and website design while also understanding that this is a business website that needs to produce sales and leads.

Start by going through your emails and contact forms from customers and searching for ways they describe what they need.  What types of phrases are they using to describe what they need from you.  Make a list of those types of phrases and then highlight any of those conversations that turned into sales for you.

Guess what?  You just found some keywords that convert into sales.

When choosing your keywords make sure you are choosing keywords that you can sell.

Don’t just choose words based on how many searches they get a month.  Choose words that describe what you sell or services you offer in detail.  Before choosing that keyword, ask yourself if that really describes what you sell.  If someone types that into Google and finds your website will they buy your product or use your service?

Your keywords should be representative of what you sell and not be just generic terms that won’t result in new business.

The book has a variety of information on social media, blogging, seo, email marketing, and more.   Again, it’s free and you don’t even have to put in your email address.

Thanks to Brett for helping put this together.

Client:  ”Is there a difference between website design and website development?”

Having a website developed is a very different job than just having a website built or commonly referred to as designed.  Let’s start by examining the typical website build by using one of the many things we’ve heard over the years:

“I know someone who builds websites”

Whether it is a friend or family member most people probably know someone who can claim they “build websites” and will do it for a lot cheaper than a company specializing in website development. You will get what you pay for and if you are having this website built for your business then you need to treat the website as one of the most important aspects of your company.  Having a website built is not a very difficult job…coding html, adding pictures, and plugging in generic content. Most of our clients started out there and realized later that they had made a mistake and needed to view the website like they would any part of their business in order to be successful.

Their first website was built without any marketing, without any understanding of their competitors, and without any thought to the future of their business.  They simply opted for the cheapest option.   People who own retail stores spend a lot of time and money thinking about where to place items in the store and the layout of the store as they know this affects sales and the wrong choices will cost them money.  It is the same for websites.

“But I’m not selling on my website”

We hear this a lot and most of the time clients don’t realize that just because people aren’t buying products on their website doesn’t mean they aren’t selling.  You most likely are selling your services in some fashion whether it is a sign up or simply a brochure for your business.  You want people to like what you have on that website.

“My website won’t change after I get it up”

This is a sure sign of failure.  Your website should change after it is up and running.  You should be measuring traffic, user behavior, and running tests in order to increase your conversions.  The first generation of your website is just a guess of what you think your customers want to see.  Unless you have detailed market research then how do you really know what your customers want and what type of website will produce the highest conversion percentage?  And remember online behavior is much different than brick and mortar behavior with they key difference being your competitor is only  a click away.

Developing a website is not a one and done type of project.  Just as a retail store can change the location of a few items and see a better return so can a website.  Next time you get a quote for a website design or build ask what you get for that.  How many people didn’t call your company this month because they didn’t like what they saw on your website?  Isn’t it time you moved beyond:

“My brother in law builds websites” ,  ”My sister has a friend who builds websites for cheap”.

Ratna, the owner of Sugar Biscuit Cakery, designs one of a kind cupcakes and cakes for all types of events.  We don’t think you will ever find cupcakes with this amount of detail and creativity.  Local magazines and newspapers have featured her work in their publications over the past year.  She has made cakes and cupcakes for large businesses such as Neiman Marcus and for bday parties and weddings.

Contact her about pricing and ordering.

My challenge to your company.  If you are using one of these popups, bring your website up on various mobile devices such as a droid or an iphone.  Chances are you will be unable to navigate your website with this popup appearing.  I have encountered a few of these lately and the script will not allow me to use the survey or decline the survey while it blocks me from navigating through the website.  It basically locks me out of the website forcing me to abandon my plans to use that website.  I then move on to the next company offering similar information or service.

Are your surveys working properly on mobile devices?    And make sure you check more than one mobile device…just like you would browser compatibility.

Green Energy Solutions approached us a few months ago to build an easy to use website so they could start selling their line of skylight shades.  These easy to use shades help keep energy costs down while still letting you enjoy your skylights.  Really cool idea and easy to install.  The challenge on our end was coming up with a way to allow website users to order shades for all the different types and sizes of skylights.

If you have skylights and high energy costs check out their website for more info.

www.SkylightSolarShades.com

SEO?

Pay Per Click?

Social Media?

Email Marketing?

If your company has never tried any of these then how do you know which one will work?  The reality is you really don’t and even if you have dipped your toes in the water and tried then you also don’t know what will work when implemented efficiently.  And not all of those will produce the same ROI and if you start with a lower producing ROI it may be difficult to get the necessary increase in your budget to implement the next steps.

So where do you spend that initial money you have budgeted so your project doesn’t get killed?

How about you and the SEM company you are working with look at what the top companies in your industry and geographic region are doing?  Study their existing strategies and make some educated guesses about what may work for your business.  You won’t guess right 100% of the time but it will give you something to start with.   An experienced SEM company should have the expertise to study what your competitors are doing and have some idea of where they are putting their focus.

Then when your boss asks why you decided to go with PPC over SEO initially you have an answer.

One of the most important things to remember when opening an online store is that you are competing against other companies that have been around for years.  You aren’t just going to get your products online and immediately start selling them.  You are going to have to convince people to buy from your website and your online store.  If it looks like it’s cheap compared to your competitors then they probably think your products are cheap and most likely won’t buy from you.

Treat your e commerce website like you would a brick and mortar business.  Think about the design and build it to sell not just to be functional.