Comments on: How I set up my Craft Business website shop.

By: Green

Green — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:54:34 +0000

It's amazing that you are willing to share so much wonderful information. With the pay per click make sure you cap the daily limits on each of your campaigns. They've gotten better about detecting abusive clicks but it can still be a hassle. Cap the daily spending and prevent a major headache. Green's last blog post..Almost Time For Picnics And Fun

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:22:06 +0000

SEM is search engine marketing. SEM strategies include natural search engine optimization (so that your website will appear near the top of the organic searches), pay per click advertising (so that your website will appear within the sponsored listing sections on search results pages) and paid inclusion…so, just when you think you’ve got it, everything changes. Top search engine rankings are ever-moving targets. Since each of these methodologies is constantly evolving, changing and becoming more sophisticated, an SEO agent can help you sidestep ranking challenges for your website on a regular basis. If anybody wants a reference to an SEO and SEM expert with case studies showing proven results, comment back here to me and I can point you in the right direction. They also work with small businesses and are reasonable on pricing as compared to the big players.

By: Florence

Florence — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:04:40 +0000

The first step you describe makes me gulp – actually committing to having those things made up for you…what a brave step! Thank you so much for another brilliant post. And the customer service one that follows, yes I so agree – Morphy Richards things often break, but the minute they do, they ask you a couple of questions on the phone and if they decide it’s not fixable then they send a replacement out immediately without asking you to sort through every piece of paper in the house to try and find the receipt. Service like that makes me think of their brand whenever I come to buy something new.

I’ve nominated you for an award over on my blog by the way. x

Florence’s last blog post..Lack of time and award time…

By: Oge

Oge — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:13:57 +0000

For those of us who dont do web speak, SEO means Search Engine Optimisation and ROI means Return On Investment. If any one knows what SEM means i would be interested

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:44:16 +0000

The site looks good so far. And this is a great post. Just a few other things you migt consider as you continue to enhance and evolve your site with a freelancer. As you know, a site should never be finished.

So, as a web strategist, designer and developer by day, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask your freelancer to go back and check the SEO of the site to look into how it can perform better. I never launch a site without an SEO expert first telling me how to write the web copy so that the customer can get the best ROI out of the gate. Believe me, it is money well-spent if you get the right expert to set up your goalds and train you how to roll with the daily changes in SEO and SEM.

I would also take a look at the web copywriting as you’re going through SEO. This can be enhanced to get your site higher in the searches if it matches the backend keywords. Google penalizes you if it doesn’t match. By using bullet points, clearer calls-to-action, a value proposition on every page, you will immediately see a difference in your conversion rates. I would ask them to make the nav and headlines into text instead of graphics and move the search to the top for usability purposes.

By: Kelvin Kao

Kelvin Kao — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:40:44 +0000

Thanks for sharing all this info! Kelvin Kao's last blog post..Seamus and Magellan - Day 2

By: Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:32:54 +0000

Thanks a lot for that post! It was really interesting and great to see someone dive straight in and do it, rather than as a gradual process. I've been doing eBay for a while, am about to start on Etsy, but have always wanted my own site. Now you've made me a bit braver about it all! Melanie's last blog post..This is... Me (gatecrashing the) Taking A Photo Of Myself In The Mirror With My Favourite Accessory Meme

By: Marina

Marina — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:00:44 +0000

Thanks so much for all of your insights. A good reminder that having a plan and systematic approach pays off! Thanks also for the fabulous site - Craft Boom posts are always a great read... Marina's last blog post..Trunk call

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:33:18 +0000

Kudos to you for having the guts to do all this without the help and information we are getting from people like you. I don't think I would have had a clue where to start if I wanted to start up my own business. Lindsay's last blog post..Clutter, clutter, clutter

By: Kathi D

Kathi D — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:21:33 +0000

It amazes me over and over again how generous you are to share all your knowledge! Generosity like that is extremely RARE, you know.