A Better ROI and Conversions on Your E-Commerce Store

So, you had a great idea for a product or service and developed a killer website to sell it. You are seeing profits, but not as much as you were hoping for. Welcome to the world of eCommerce. Thousands of people / businesses have jumped on the eCommerce bandwagon; some just seem to be more successful at it than others. If you fall into the latter category, what you need are ways to improve your return on investment (ROI) for your eCommerce site. Many of these tips and tricks are simple and intuitive. Spending a little bit of time working on your site and the way you do business will quickly increase your profits.

We start by assuming that you have a solid business plan in place that involves competitive products and services and the execution capabilities needed to satisfy orders / new business received through your ecommerce site.

Ecommerce SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is absolutely essential to maximize your ROI.  You have great products and services with great pricing and customer service.  Your target market needs to be able to find you easily online; this means the top pages of Google, Bing and Yahoo for the most relevant keywords.  If you are not on the top 3 pages of the major search engines, you are not getting any of the traffic that your competition is getting.  So SEO is critical so that those searching for exactly what it is you are selling can actually find you and know you exist.

Ecommerce shopping site software is critical in the SEO process.  The right shopping cart software will be structured and coded to be Search Engine Friendly.  This means the search engines easily understand what each page is all about … including the products!

Conversion Optimization

Your Ecommerce Site is only as good as how well your website is converting.  So you need to provide the e-shopper with what they are looking for:

1. Security – savvy online shoppers look for SSL Security when buying online.  Your checkout must be SSL Secure.
2. Multiple payment methods – you need to be easy to buy from so make it easy for all buyers with all preferences can be easily accommodated. Accepting credit cards, Paypal and Google Checkout is definitely a plus.
3. Strong Content – are your products well represented with high quality images and descriptions?  Can the images be enlarged and otherwise manipulated?  Do you have customer reviews / recommendations?
4. Easy Buying Process – how many steps does it take to actually buy?  Minimize these steps and make each step clear and easily understood. We recommend a “one page checkout” option.
5. Peace of Mind – develop and promote good shipping and return policies.  Make guarantees and warrantees easily seen.

Also, don’t get stale.  Improve your product line by adding to it or upgrading the products you offer.  Do this as frequently as you can to promote return visits and referral visits. Contact us and let us help you increase your ROI and Ecommerce sales.

December 4, 2009

Written by Duran Inci

Duran Inci is an Internet Marketing Expert with over 10 years experience in E-business, including all forms of lead generation (including Search Engine Optimization) and web promotion. Duran has built and managed all aspects of Internet Marketing & E-commerce operations including, e-business planning, analytics, network integration and strategic partnerships. Duran has a strong history of building revenues through effective e-commerce strategies. The exceptional breadth of Duran’s technical skills ensures that Optimum7 clients have the best, most current tools available to maximize impact of their online marketing campaigns. He leads our entire development team in our Miami office.