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By Chris Malta & Robin Cowie's Articles

  • Safe And Stress-free Shopping! Building Customer Trust
    As more and more merchants move online, it becomes an increasing challenge to stand out from the pack. While price may influence a shopper’s choice, it’s usually not the deciding factor: most buyers would prefer to pay a bit more for an item they feel safe buying, than to spend less and worry they’re throwing their money away.

    That’s why, as an online retailer, creating a safe and stress-free environment for your shoppers should be a top priority. With internet scams and i...
  • How To Prevent Fraud On Ebay! - Four Signs To Watch For
    Of the millions of transactions that transpire on eBay each day, only an infinitesimally small percentage are fraudulent. However, even that small percentage means that fraud does still occur. How do you, as a seller, avoid becoming the victim of a scam? By recognizing common signs of fraud:

    1. “Phishing” expeditions. According to eBay guru Skip McGath (http://SkipMcGrath.com), “phishers” send out mass emails, posing as eBay, or any company, and asking the recipient to con...
  • Sitting Pretty: How To Achieve High Search Engine Rankings
    The best kind of traffic is the free kind—that is, the traffic that comes from natural search engine rankings. Acquiring those rankings, however, takes time and a dedicated effort; but once you achieve that positioning, it’s only a matter of doing a little maintenance work. And, most importantly, you don’t have to reinvest half your profits back into advertising to maintain the higher sales volumes you achieve.

    How to Get Ahead

    So how do you improve your rankings withou...
  • Rss In A Nutshell: What It Is And What It Does
    You’ve probably heard the term “RSS feeds” before, but if you’re like most people, it doesn’t mean much to you. However, if you sell online, it’s high time you discover this powerful marketing tool and what it can do for your eBiz. According to Jeff Molander (http://www.ThoughtShapers.com), CEO of performance-marketing consulting practice, Molander and Associates, the potential of RSS as a promotional vehicle for online retailers is tremendous.

    Really Simple Syndication—
    ...
  • Putting Your Business In The Limelight: How To Submit Press Releases That Get Published
    Any business can benefit from regular promotion—the more exposure, the better. One of the best ways to get your name out there, and one that small business owners too often overlook, is writing press releases. Whether you’re selling an extremely rare item on eBay, or your website is offering a unique service, communicating that to the right audience is an excellent way to bring in new business.

    Writing Press Releases Right

    There are certain things you can do to increase...
  • Successful Affiliate Marketing: Running A Profitable Program
    Affiliate marketing presents a tremendous opportunity for small business owners to gain traffic and create a good buzz around their product(s). To have a successful program, you need to keep up with your current associates and aggressively recruit new ones.

    Size Matters

    Some merchants tout smaller programs because they allow you to maintain greater control and have more direct contact with your affiliates. According to Dave Delisle, of http://ThePartnerMaker.com, “The p...
  • How To Select Your Product Line: Researching Your Market
    Make Fact-Based Decisions

    Choosing what products you’ll sell is one of the most important decisions you’ll make regarding your eBiz. If you choose your product line based on personal preferences or hot-item lists, you’re gambling with your business. There may not be a market for your particular tastes or the market may be saturated. And by the time an item reaches a hot-list, the supply has met or exceeded the demand.

    That’s why you need to base all your decisions on yo...
  • Learning From History: 5 Common Ebay Mistakes
    Errors in Judgment

    Certain mistakes are common among eBay sellers, even those with experience. But avoiding them can result in higher close rates and better final prices. Lynn Dralle, of http://TheQueenOfAuctions.com, shares the five top mistakes she sees eBay sellers make:

    1. Writing a Bad Title. Look at the keywords other sellers are using for similar items, and use every relevant keyword you can—make the most of your 55 characters! Avoid wasting characters on punctua...
  • How Ebay Powersellers Source Products - A Powerseller Shares His Secrets
    If you want to know how to succeed at something, it’s a good idea to talk to someone who already has. Renowned eBay PowerSeller Skip McGrath offers some helpful insights on how you can find product sources for your online business. Once you’ve determined what you’re selling—where do you go to get the goods?

    Sourcing with a Pro

    According to McGrath, one of the best sources for products is local distributors because they’re easy to find. Go to http://smartpages.com and yo...
  • Knowledge Is Power - Using Ebay Market Research
    New eBay retailers are often overwhelmed with all the choices they have to make—what to sell, what to charge, how to list an item. Thankfully, there are numerous tools available to answer those questions. eBay sold the data on every sale they’ve ever made to various companies. They’ve in turn, created tools to interpret that data and spot trends and patterns in it. According to Anthony Sukow, CEO of market research giant http://Terapeak.com, “Having access to eBay data empowe...
  • The Truth About Optimization - 6 Common SEO Myths Debunked
    Gaining good positioning with the search engines is one channel for increasing your online business—but it’s not an end in itself. Your ultimate goal isn’t to increase traffic, but to increase sales, and thereby, profit margins. Will Reynolds of SEO consulting firm http://ThinkSeer.com, sheds some light on common misconceptions regarding search engine optimization:

    Myth Number One: I have to submit my site to the engines to get ranked.

    Truth: The search engines have adv...
  • The Ten Commandments Of eBay: Side-Stepping Common Seller Errors
    Rookie eBayers are prone to making certain mistakes that are detrimental to their businesses. CEO of internet consulting company, http://InternetBusinessSkills.com, Allison Hartsoe, shares her insights on avoiding the top ten mistakes eBay newcomers make:

    See Yourself through Your Customers’ Eyes

    • Don’t Start Off with a Feedback Rating of Zero. No one wants to be your first buyer—they’d rather not be a guinea pig when their money’s at stake. Go in and buy a few product...
  • Understanding LLCs - The Ups And Downs Of Incorporating
    You may not have considered it, but if you’re starting an internet business, you’re starting an actual business—and that means constructing a legal entity, usually a sole proprietorship, a LLC, or a corporation. By default, you have a sole proprietorship, but this formation offers you little in the way of protection or tax benefits. So what about your other options?

    Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)

    • The Upside: Your personal assets aren’t exposed in a lawsuit relatin...
  • 3 Tips For Every Woman Starting A Home Based Business - Challenges To Expect, Keys To Succeed
    More and more women today work from home, and even more want to. Some are single moms or widows who need to earn a living. Others just want a little extra income or a sense of independence. Particularly for women, starting a home business presents a unique set of challenges. Lesley Spencer, founder and president of Home Based Working Moms (http://HBWM.com), suggests three steps to help ensure success:

    1. Consider Your Options

    The first obstacle in starting a business is...
  • Product Sourcing Strategies - New Trends That Will Work For Your Ebiz
    Changing with the Times

    In recent years, online shoppers have gotten more computer-savvy and more comfortable making purchases over the internet, and their expectations have grown. They know what they’re looking for and they have more choices, so they’re more discriminating about where they’ll shop. That’s why it’s important for online sellers to adapt the way they source products and give their customers what they want. Fortunately, some new trends have emerged in product...
  • Promoting Yourself On Ebay - Tips From A Powerseller
    The key to being successful on eBay is getting people to your listings. If no one sees what you’re selling, no one’s going to buy it. And if they get there and don’t like what they see, they won’t stay around and buy. EBay PowerSeller Skip McGrath, of Skip http://McGrath.com, shares some simple techniques you can use to boost your traffic and your sales:

    Increasing Your Traffic—Building Numbers

    • Optimize Your Listings—90% of all eBay shoppers search by keyword, rather ...
  • Ebay Made Easy—Breaking The Inertia With Technology
    The greatest challenge to getting started on eBay is just that—getting started! Though technological advances have made online retailing faster, easier, and cheaper, would-be entrepreneurs still get discouraged and give up without realizing their goals. An extremely high percentage of first-time eBay sellers leave the site without ever listing an item—they get overwhelmed by the lengthy and intensive Sell Your Item form.

    A Simple Plan

    This was the frustration that led J...
  • Work Smarter—How To Streamline Your Ebay Business
    Automating the Processes

    Imagine a tool that eliminates most of the busy work associated with running your eBay business. According to Dave Cotter, that was the idea behind his company, http://Mpire.com. After talking to hundreds of eBay sellers and hearing the same complaint again and again—people were spending too much time running their e-businesses—Cotter and co-founder, Greg Harrison, were inspired to create a tool to automate the processes involved.

    4 Advantages t...
  • Must-Do’s For The Holiday Selling Season - How To Cash In On The Busiest Retail Season Of The Year
    The holidays are a great time to be a retailer—60% of all retail sales are made during the holiday season. Millions of new online shoppers make their first internet purchases during this season, and their experience there can either erase their hesitancies about online shopping, or reinforce them. This gives you, as an eBiz owner, an opportunity to create loyal customers and generate repeat business.

    That’s why you need to be ready when the holidays roll around—don’t get t...
  • Email Marketing For Your Small Business - Selecting The Right Server
    There are many different methods for promoting your business online, but one of the most effective is still the email campaign.

    Weighing Your Options

    For emails, you have three choices of software, each with distinct benefits and drawbacks. You can install software on your desktop and be your own server. You can install software on the web server you’re using. Or you can join an ASP hosted service.

    The most obvious benefit of a hosted server is that getting your emai...
  • 4 Things Web Analytics Can Teach You - What Your Traffic’s Telling You
    Brick-and-mortar stores often change displays, move goods around, and put impulse items beside checkouts. The reason behind these changes is they’re analyzing customer traffic and studying behavioral patterns to understand how consumers shop. As an online retailer, you need to study your customer traffic as well in order to increase sales.

    Listen: Your Customers Are Talking

    There are a number of web traffic analytics companies, such as http://OneStat.com and http://Stat...
  • Sometimes It Pays To Follow The Crowd - 3 Online Marketing Trends You Can Use
    It doesn’t matter if running an eBiz is old hat for you or if you’re just getting started: advertising is always going to be a key element of your business strategy. Search engine marketing is probably the biggest tool you have available for promoting your web store, so you need to stay on top of the trends in that area to be competitive.

    1. Blogging for Profit

    One of the hottest trends on the internet right now is blogging. What started as informal personal journaling ...
  • Search Engine Marketing - Gaining Exposure Through Sponsored Ads
    No matter how great your products or how well-designed your website, if no one ever sees them, you’ll never sell anything. You have to let people know you’re there. According to Boris Mordkovich of http://AdWatcher.com, “Search engine marketing is a way to expose your business to thousands of people who are searching for your products and services.”

    One of the main types of search engine marketing is pay-per-click advertising. Internet users search for items using keywords...
  • Creating A Website That Sells - How To Keep And Convert Viewers
    Designing a good sales website can be the difference between losing a visitor and making a sale. You’ve got ten seconds to capture a viewer’s attention and convince them to stay—that’s how long it takes people to decide to keep reading, or move on.

    Make Your Site User-Friendly

    You need to plan your website carefully to make it really sell your product:

    • Have an attention-grabbing headline that tells viewers what they’ll gain by staying. It should list some clear, co...
  • Marketing With RSS Feeds - Creating A Direct Link To Your Customers
    What’s an RSS feed?

    Due to the overwhelming amount of spam on the internet, many users are turning from traditional newsletter subscriptions to RSS feeds to get their information. RSS is Really Simple Syndication. Besides connecting you directly to your customers, feeds are advantageous for several reasons:

    • They update automatically. Anytime you publish a new article or blog, your readers receive it with no effort on their part, or yours.

    • Unlike an email campaign...
  • Tax Tips For eBay Sellers - Turning Personal Expenses Into Business Expenses
    Few people realize that starting a side-business on eBay is actually a great way to save money on your taxes. The trick is to make sure you’re putting all the additional expenses you incur against your additional income. Running an eBiz allows you to take numerous deductions that can add up to a lot of savings.

    Deduct Your Home Office

    By definition, if you’re an eBay seller, you have a home office. You have to have a space that’s used exclusively for business, whether i...
  • Merchant Accounts 101: Understanding Their Role In Your Ebiz
    What a Merchant Account Is

    A merchant account is one piece of your whole payment solution. In its simplest terms, it’s a bank account that allows your eBiz to accept online credit cards and e-checks. At a specific time each day, your merchant account bank receives that day’s completed transactions. They hold the money for several days or more to make sure all parties involved are satisfied. During this time, they also perform additional security checks. If no issues arise,...
  • What’s A Blog And Why Should I Have One? - Using Blogs To Generate Business
    Most everyone on the internet has, at some point, run across blogs. Blogs are simply internet journals recording whatever happens to be on a writer’s mind at a given moment. Typically written in an informal tone, blogs read as though the writer is having a friendly conversation with their readers. Though blogs have exploded in popularity, few online retailers understand that having a blog can be a very effective way to drive sales for their e-businesses.

    Getting Started

    ...
  • 5 Benefits Of Using Feeds - How Feeds Can Help Your Ebiz
    What’s a Feed?

    Feeds are a way of sharing content. When you make material from your website available for publishing on other sites, you provide them with a feed. Basically, it’s a code that lets them post your articles and blogs. There are different kinds of code—XML, RSS, Atom, etc.—but essentially they’re all just different ways of accessing a feed.

    According to internet expert Sydney Johnston, “The great thing about a feed is everybody wins.” The article writer gain...
  • Branding Your Ebiz - Creating A Name Your Customers Trust
    If you want customers to spend money with you online, you have to make them feel confident they’re dealing with a legitimate business. They’re giving you their personal information, as well as their credit card number. If your website sends a clear message you run your business from home, they may not feel comfortable entrusting you with that kind of info. That’s why it’s important to create a brand your customers recognize and trust.

    What’s a Brand?

    A brand is what dif...
  • 3 Things Search Engines Want To See - Using Links The Engines Will Like
    Search engine companies are constantly changing their algorithms to keep their results up-to-date. Optimization used to be the primary factor search engines used to determine a website’s ranking. However, it currently makes up only about 10% of their total algorithms. What carries the most weight with search engines now is linking.

    Linking is the process of connecting to other sites that are relevant to your target market and that are highly ranked, and of getting them to ...
  • 10 Tips To Increase Your Search Engine Rankings
    The Basics of Optimization

    Many online sellers get frustrated with search engines regularly changing algorithms. But there are basic principles that haven’t changed through the years. Apply these tips to increase your rankings:

    Tip 1—Don’t be too quick to change domain names. Google has an aging delay for any new domain—it can take up to a year for your keywords to start showing in the searches.

    Tip 2—Optimize your site for your target audience, not the search engine...
  • 3 Tips For Choosing A Payment Gateway: Collecting Money Online
    3 Tips for Choosing a Payment Gateway

    As a consumer, when you check out of your local convenience store, you may swipe your credit card through a point-of-sale device and your gas, coffee, and donut are paid. But what if you are the retailer and your business is online? It’s not like you have a card-swiping device at every customer’s PC! There must be a way for you to process that information. Essentially, that is the job that a payment gateway does for online retailers. R...
  • Getting Googly - A Quick Introduction To Google Adwords
    You have most likely seen Google AdWords, even if you don’t realize it. It’s that list of sponsored links that runs down the right side of your computer screen when you Google a word. You’ll often see links at the top in a little blue box as well—we’ve all seen ‘em.

    So what is Google AdWords?

    Google Adwords is simply an online advertising solution that companies who have a web presence can use to drive more traffic to their site.

    At-a-glance:

    1. Google sells the s...

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