SEO and Shopping Cart Results

One of our clients, www.neverforgetgifts.com, is an online store which sells all kinds of knick-knacks, candy, chocolates, and inexpensive gifts such as occupational mugs and keychains. About 8 months ago we created their entire website from scratch, which included a fully functional shopping cart. We gave them the ability to add, edit, and delete products, descriptions, and pictures, so they are in complete control of their online catalog. Since we specialize in all aspects of shopping carts, we also added a module that automatically computes shipping based on the volume of products ordered.

We also peformed Search Engine Optimization, and submitted their site to all major search engines. We then manually submitted their site to 250 directories. After about 2 months, the orders started coming in, about 3 or 4 per week. They have steadily increased over time, and the results so far have exceeded the client's expectations.

We then implemented certain things on their site to convert more visitors into buyers, such as having the phone number more prominently displayed, and other effective changes. We are now working with them to ensure that they continue to improve their ranking with the search engines and continue getting more orders. It has been about 8 months since the site's inception, and already our SEO work has brought the client tremendous results.

Looking to get your website highly ranked? Need a shopping cart? Want to accept payments online? Watt Media is the SEO and Shopping Cart Specialist!

Using a Domain E-mail for a More Professional Look

My friend Gus asked me to write a short article on this topic, so here it goes:
Ever think of the impression your e-mail address makes? This may seem like a rather trivial matter, but I assure you that in the eyes of many, having an aol, yahoo, or hotmail-type e-mail address makes you seem small time. Think I'm crazy?

What particularly seems funny to me is when I am handed a business card which shows the company website, such as www.xyz.com, and then the person's e-mail address is bob@hotmail.com. While many people won't think that anything is amiss there, those who are more savvy will wonder why Bob doesn't realize that he can have a bob@xyz.com e-mail address (where "xyz" would be his actual domain).

So if you own your own domain, and have a website, use a domain e-mail! You can have anything@your domain.com and it is more consistent, looks way more professional, and makes you look like you know what you're doing.

SEO Implementation Services

Are you an SEO company, or do you provide search engine marketing or optimization for businesses? If so, do you need a web design company to implement the recommendations you make for your clients? Watt Media can help!

We are a full-service web design company, and can help your clients implement their meta tags, links, copywriting, reformatting, adding Google analytics or other code, and more.

We have already performed these services for several SEO companies!

Visit us online at www.watt-media.com.

Link Building to Increase Search Engine Ranking

Link building is definitely the hot thing right now. So, what exactly is link building? Simply put, link building means increasing the number of links on other websites which point to your website. Why do this? The idea is that in the eyes of the search engines, the more links a site has pointing to it, the more relevant and important it must be, therefore it gets ranked higher.

There are several ways to build external links, some more effective than others:

1. Submit your site to directories. This used to be very effective, but now since it seems like everyone is doing it, the search engines have caught on a bit, and it has also leveled the playing field to some extent. Submitting your site to directories in your industry is the best way to go.

2. Join online forums. Most forums allow you to have a signature which includes your url. Every time you post a comment, your url appears, thus another external link is born. Contribute to these forums, post new topics, get involved. The bonus is you can learn something while you're there.

3. Write and submit articles. If you like to write, this is a great tool for you. You can submit your articles to sites such as http://www.ezinearticles.com/, where others may use your articles on their sites. Every time your article appears, so does your signature which includes your link.

4. Join social networking sites. Sites such as http://www.linkedin.com/ (Which I use) or Myspace or Facebook are great places to interact with others, post comments, and a great place to build links.

5. Blogs. Start your own blog - its free and easy at http://www.blogger.com/ or http://www.wordpress.com/. It's a great source for links, and creates lots of relevant content. Also, post comments on other's blogs. This will create more links to you, plus if you post a comment on someone's blog, they are more likely to check yours out and do the same.

Keep in mind, though, link building is just one effective tool in the SEO arsenal. Do it well, but don't neglect the other methods.

Need help with your link building campaign? Visit Watt Media at http://www.watt-media.com/.

What to Do If Your Shopping Cart is Down

Although most shopping cart systems are up virtually all the time, stuff still happens. Maybe the credit card processor is down...maybe your employee messed things up and now your cart isn't functioning properly.

First, don't panic. In the internet world, things go down. Customers understand - as long as they have an alternate means of communicating with you. Is your phone number and e-mail address clearly posted on your website? If not, make sure it is. Often, customers will e-mail you letting you know that they'd like to place an order, and then you can take their credit card number over the phone and not lose the sale.

Have a back-up page ready in case you go down. At Watt Media, we can prepare a page that can be quickly uploaded in case your shopping cart is down. It will say something like, "We're sorry, but our shopping cart is currently down. Please e-mail us your order at info@xyz.com and include your phone number and a representative will contact you shortly to take your order. You may also call us at 1-800-555-5555 to place your order. We apologize for this inconvenience and are currently working to resolve this matter."

If this page is prepared ahead of time (now is a good time), then it can be uploaded immediately, so you don't lose orders while the issue is being resolved. This is also a great back-up to have in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster, disgruntled employee mess-up or any other business interruption.

Need help with your shopping cart? Call us - we are the Shopping Cart Specialists!

Christmas On-Hold Messages Underway

We're knee deep into the Christmas season here at Watt Media. We have begun working on our clients' Christmas and Holiday on-hold messages. The Watt Media elves are hard at work, day and night, creating new recordings for the good boys and girls (paying clients). Our holiday on-hold recordings feature messages with well wishes for the holidays, with nice holiday music in the background. Our clients have the abillity to choose their messages and music via an online form. (Isn't that how Santa does it these days?)

So order your holiday on-ho-ho-hold messages now! The deadline is Friday, October 19th to ensure that it is delivered on time.

Shopping Cart Options

If you want to sell a product or service online, there are various methods available to you. You may have heard the term “shopping cart” before, but what exactly is it? After reading this article, it’ll all make sense to you.

A shopping cart is a generic term that simply refers to the presence of a payment system in some form, on a website. You need to know the different options of shopping carts since they vary in cost of implementation as well in the image they convey.

The following is a list of shopping cart options, from least expensive to most:

1. No shopping cart at all. Although technically this shouldn’t even make the list, it is worth mentioning. The cheapest method is not to accept payment online at all, but instead have a payment form on your site that your customers can print, fill out, and either fax or mail to you with their credit card number or check. (Or they simply call you to place an order over the phone.) This costs little to nothing to implement, and also looks unprofessional, but may work well in certain situations.

2. Payment via Pay Pal. You customers select the items they want on your website, and when they click on the “pay” button, your site takes them to Pay Pal, where they can pay with a credit card or their Pay Pal account. This method is convenient for many of your customers who may already have a Pay Pal account, and the cost of paying your web design company to set it up is very affordable, maybe $100-$500 depending on how many products you have and the complexity of shipping calculations required. It is not the most professional looking, since your customers have to leave your site to make payment, but can work well in many cases.

3. Payment via a 3rd party payment gateway. This method is similar to using Pay Pal, except that instead of Pay Pal, your customers pay on another 3rd party website. The reason to use a 3rd party website is that it will provide a secure and encrypted payment, giving your customer piece of mind, and act as the credit card processor. This website can often have your logo on it and other features which make it look just like your website. An example of such a gateway is Linkpoint Connect. Many customers may not even realize that they’ve even left your site, and after paying you can set it up so they return to your site. This is more professional looking than Pay Pal, but costs a bit more to implement.

4. Payment on your site. Using this method, a payment system is implemented on your site to accept credit card payments with a secure and encrypted process. The customer never leaves your site, making this the most professional-looking method. There are many shopping carts available, or your web design company can develop a complete custom cart for you. The cost to implement this is the highest of all the methods, and may range from $750 to several thousands, depending on how much customization is needed, the number of products you have, and other features you need.

Keep in mind that any shopping cart will have recurring costs of $20 to $30 per month which is paid to the processing company, and sometimes a one-time set-up fee of $25 to $200 as well.

Need a shopping cart for your site? Watt Media can help! Visit us online at www.watt-media.com or call us at 1-800-250-8233. We are the shopping cart specialists!

Search Engine Optimization Tips

I wish I had a nickel (actually, a nickel won't get you far these days - make it a $5 bill) for every time a client said to me, "OK, now that you've designed our website, I want to be #1 on Google." And I think to myself, "Really? No kidding. Who doesn't??!!" So here are a few good tips to increasing your ranking on the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and MSN):

1. Content is King! Good content drives traffic - and the search engines pick up key words on content-rich web pages.

2. Add meta tags to your web pages. A meta tag is simply a snippet of code that tells the search engines about your website. This code is inserted onto the site and isn't seen by viewers. Have a web designer add it for you - it's very simple. (The trick is knowing what to put in the meta tags - that part is more art than science.)

3. Increase the number of external links to your site. Basically, the more links on other sites are pointing to yours, the more it looks like you're a major player. This can be accomplished by submitting your site to web directories (the ones in your industry are best), joining online forums, or my favorite method - by writing articles. In exchange for your article - which will be used for content on their site - most site owners will include a link to your site at the bottom of your article.

There are more ways, but those are the basic and most effective. Above all, remember that this takes time - you won't get to the top overnight. Do these consistently over time, and you will be amazed at the results!

Shopping Cart Specialists

One thing that sets Watt Media apart from other web design companies is that we are proficient in both the front end of a website (look and feel) and the back-end (functionality). We specialiaze in implementing shopping carts of varying types - whether for a site selling 1 to 15 products, to a full-blown shopping cart with hundreds of products.

As a matter of practice, we give our client access to the back end, to edit, add, and delete products and pictures. These sites also typically require a secure and encrypted checkout, which is important for a shopper's piece of mind. Need a shopping cart on your site? Visit us online at http://www.watt-media.com/ or call us at 1-800-250-8233.

E-mail Marketing Tips

E-mail marketing is an extremely effective way to get in front of your prospects, send a message, and eventually turn some of those prospects into customers. It is among my favorite forms of advertising, because it's a subtle way to get your message to them - no gatekeeper, no annoying phone call interrupting their day. If they don't want to read it right away, they can leave the e-mail in their inbox for later. Here are some ideas for an effective e-mail marketing campaign.

Send monthly e-mails. Vary the length - some can be newsletters, some more like flyers, but in general keep them short and to the point. Some companies send weekly e-newsletters - for me, that's too many - but it may work in some circumstances.

Offer something other than a sales pitch. Don't just be selling, selling, selling. Offer your readers some interesting information, some free advice, some educational material. A link to an interesting website works. If you give value, this will make your e-mail more likely to be read, so when you do send something a bit salesy, you increase the chances that it eill be read too.

Always have links to your website. Your e-mail newsletter or flyer should always include links to your website, blog, and e-mail address.

Use contests or interesting surveys. Contests motivate people to action. Try a creative contest or survey.

Include a coupon or special. Give your readers an incentive to call or e-mail you.

Give these a try! Want to subscribe to our newsletter? Call me at 1-800-250-8233 and I'll sign you up.

Christmas On-Hold Recordings Going into Production

It’s October, which means we’re about to launch into holiday production mode at Watt Media. Today, notices will be sent to all of our clients and prospects reminding them to place an order for a Christmas/Hanukkah recording.

Our holiday on-hold recordings are customized just like a regular on-hold recording, with messages promoting a business’ services and products, but feature well wishes for the holiday season.

For example, a holiday message might be, “We would like to thank all of our clients and friends for a great year! We wish you and your loved ones a very happy holiday season, and look forward to serving you in 2008!” or it can highlight a particular promotion for the holiday season, such as, “Did you know that at Martin Chiropractic we offer massage gift certificates? A 1-hour massage would make a great gift for your friend or loved one. Ask us for more information about our holiday gift certificates when we return to the line.”

Our Christmas/Holiday on-hold recordings include professional voice-overs (your choice of male or female), and your choice of Christmas music in the background. For those clients who prefer not to use religious Christmas music, we have selection of more generic winter music available.

Clients who are on a regular update schedule (most of our clients) will get their holiday recording at no charge, since it’s included in their package. Others who haven’t updated in a while can get a holiday update for just $159. Ordering is easy – we have a page on our website where you can fill out your info, and choose music and messages with just a few clicks of the mouse. Visit us online at http://www.watt-media.com/, or call Watt Media at 1-800-250-8233 for more information about our holiday on-hold recordings.