SEO Best Practices for eCommerce Merchants - Part 1

Merchants, do you want more high quality traffic to you web site, blog, videos, social media sites and landing pages? Yes, we all do. In this SEO series we will start by looking at the basics of SEO and then move into move advanced topics in later posts. For starters, define own your unique domain and use a reputable hosting service. Google Domains (my favorite) and GoDaddy are just two of many domain providers. Likewise there are countless hosting services. I use Hostgator. Bluehost, iPage, Domain.com and SiteBuilder are among the top-ranked domain providers. Creating and publishing "original" content - regardless the format and packaging - which solves tangible problems for a well-defined avatar is another SEO success factor. If you use WordPress use SEO plug-ins such as Yoast, SEMrush, LinkPatrol and All In One SEO to name a few. Finally, spend the time to build out robust social media "Profiles" (including your domain). Bottom line: Investing time, effort and modest budget is one of the best methods for generating long-term, low-no cost, organic traffic for your Internet business. Let us know how we can help your business. Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com)  

Build Your Mailing Lists and Launch Marketing Campaigns the Industry Leader (AWeber)

Merchants, while there are many players in the crowded email marketing niche one vendor stands alone - AWeber. In almost every ranking of email list building and campaign management firms Aweber comes out ahead. Over 100,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs use Aweber. Their solution allows you to create HTML-rich product promotions, email newsletters, and plain-text messages. You can establish email automation flows using their campaign editor. Create personalized welcome emails, educational courses and lead campaigns. AWeber offer Autoresponders, Third Party Integrations, Sign-Up Forms, Avatar Segmenting, Email Newsletters, HTML Templates, a Drag and Drop Editor, Blog Newsletters Template Design and a lot more. Visit AWeber today and start generating revenue for your business today! Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com/)

Increasing Conversion Rates Boost Your Revenue ("Customer Testimonials")

Friends, in our first post we affirmed that "Value and Trust" are the essential starting point for boosting conversion rates for both a prospect's initial "Opt-In" as well as product or service "Purchases" (and repeat purchases). So what else can you add to the mix? We recommend using "Customer Testimonials" through your marketing materials ... whether text, graphics and/or video. A focused, relevant "Testimonial" from a customer in the same Avatar is powerful. From the prospect or customer's perspective, testimonials further boost "Value and Trust" while reducing perceived "Risk" in the minds of your target niche. Bottom line: Follow-up online and if necessary via phone with your customers to inquire both "Why" they opted-in to your list and confirm the "Value" they received from their purchase. Be back soon. Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com)  

Increasing Conversion Rates Boost Your Revenue ("Congruence")

Merchants, would you like to increase your online conversion rates? Of course ... every eCommerce pro would. This series will offer techniques and tools which collectively help strengthen your conversion rates. Even a 1% increase in your conversion rate can have a big impact on revenue. Key principle: Congruence - Offer the "Highest Value Solution" (product or service) which solves the prospect's greatest "Need". This is easier said than done. Researching and verifying your target avatar's "Needs". We recommend spending abundant time one avatar-specific portals, forums, publications and/or social media groups to understand your market needs. Facebook Groups, Warrior Forum, Work From Home Mom's, Reddit Sub-Reddits are just a few among countless excellent resources. A simple Google search on "AVATAR needs" will provide additional information. Bye for now. Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com)  

Defining and Targeting High Demand Niche Markets (Avatars)

Merchants, what is the best avatar(s) for your Internet marketing business? In this series we will look at best practices for "Identifying and Selecting" your avatars as well present you with several 'pre-defined' avatars you may wish to target. The golden rule of on- and off-line marketing is to start with the customer. So which are the most important selection criteria? First, is the avatar in the consumer B2C or business B2B sector? We will use B2C for purposes of this post series. Second, are you targeting individuals (e.g. a college student) or groups (e.g. a family). Most importantly what is the avatar's greatest "Need" (aka "pain point). Next, which "Solution" will provide the most "Value" to fulfill their "Need" and what are the "Benefits" of your solution. Age, occupation, purchasing power (income) are vital to defining your "Avatar(s)" profile as are their purchasing criteria. Visit our web site and take a look at our sample eCommerce stores. Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com)  

How to Build Your Successful Affiliate Marketing Business ("Platforms")

Friends, once you have the decided on the "Product Category" you plan to market - Physical, Digital and/or Service - the next step is to select an appropriate "Platform" for your business. If you are selling individual products a simple "Landing or Sales Page" will likely meet your needs. Click Funnels is a great starting point. We find that "Blogs" or basic web sites which allow you to post Affiliate links and HTML banners along with descriptive text are just fine for most Physical and Digital products. Google Blogger or a suitable WordPress theme such as 'Salient' are good choices here. "Shopify" or a "WordPress" theme with APIs to Amazon, eBay, etc. are best if you want to import hundreds or even thousands of Physical and Digital products. We recommend visiting the "Envato Market - WordPress" tab for good quality themes. Visit our web site and take a look at our sample eCommerce stores. Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com)  

Merchants - How to Build Your Affiliate Marketing Business ("Product Types")

Merchants, so you want to launch an Affiliate Marketing business. Where to begin? As with any business you need to carefully select your target avatars and assess their greatest needs. Once this important step is accomplished the most basic question concerns solutions. Which types of solutions do you want to offer? There are three (3) product categories every IM and eCommerce pro must clearly understand. First, "Physical products" range from sporting goods to fine jewelry to consumer electronics ranging in price from $10-$20 USD to upwards of several thousands USD. Second, are "Digital" products" including downloadable software, music, videos and eBooks. While increasingly popular, these products commonly have lower ASPs (average selling prices) ranging from roughly $5-$100 USD. Thirdly are "Service products" such as professional training, coaching and planning (e.g. financial management, learning a new skill or even travel). Two important things separate "Services" from Physical and Digital products: 1) They tend to having much higher ASPs (and thus higher commissions), and 2) They hold the promise of "transforming" the customer from point A to B. Lawrence, Genesys Internet Designs (https://genesysinternetdesigns.blogspot.com)