Jump to content
  • Checkout
  • Login
  • Get in touch

osCommerce

The e-commerce.

Waiting for customers...


linnecards

Recommended Posts

I finally have the store up and looking the way I want. Everything is a go. But no one is shopping. I have registered at google. Anything else I should try?

I have been live for two weeks now and I haven't had a single order yet. It all comes down to marketing. I've listed my site with virtually every search engine I could find. I looked for 'free search engine submission' and used the one that had the most. Also I've listed my site on several shopping portals for UK shops. I've searched and found some free ad site, where I could put a text based ad up and listed it there. I've also had cards printed up with the URL and the catagories on it, which I'm hanging on every notice board I can find. I have now also registered my site with Froogle and am awaiting aproval from them. I'm expecting a lot from that.

 

Obviously there are far more sophisticated ways of marketing your shop, but they all cost a lot of money. I have no marketing budget at all, so I have to find all the free ways of advertising the site. It's not easy and, as you see, even after all of that I still have no customers shopping.

 

I'm like you, constantly on the lookout for new ways of marketing my site and trying to get people to visit and preferably buy. So far I haven't been lucky and I'm open for new suggestions. Yet I do know that marketing your site is the only way to go to get visitors. And yes, you have to become a tad creative in how to do it. :)

RojanUK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Google Adwords, is probalby the cheapest, and most effective way to get quality traffic to your site.....fast. At $0.05 per click, you can have people browsing your site almost immediatly. Then you can worry about your conversion rate, and how to improve that.

 

As far as free traffic from search engines go, you're going to need a hundred or so backlinks, some heavy duty SEO, and about 3 months of waiting before you'll even begin to see anything.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: As of Oct 2006, I'm not as active in this forum as I used to be, but I still work with osC quite a bit.

If you have a question about any of my posts here, your best bet is to contact me though either Email or PM in my profile, and I'll be happy to help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Google Adwords, is probalby the cheapest, and most effective way to get quality traffic to your site.....fast. At $0.05 per click, you can have people browsing your site almost immediatly. Then you can worry about your conversion rate, and how to improve that.

 

As far as free traffic from search engines go, you're going to need a hundred or so backlinks, some heavy duty SEO, and about 3 months of waiting before you'll even begin to see anything.

 

Thanks. I'll try the ads. 3 months is pretty depressing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are several threads in the new Next Steps channel that are geared to getting spiders and customers to your store...

 

Bobby

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 months.... .

 

For new e-traders get your mind set around this one - This IS the deal - I know there are lots of people out there selling snake oil and telling all and sundry get on the web and become a millionaire tonight - It don't happen !

 

Can you say long game ? Because that's what this is - and only those who play with a mind set that they are in for the long haul will even begin to make it let alone win.

 

Charles

A kite flies highest AGAINST the wind !

 

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a lover in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ WOO HOO!! What a ride!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For new e-traders get your mind set around this one - This IS the deal - I know there are lots of people out there selling snake oil and telling all and sundry get on the web and become a millionaire tonight - It don't happen !

 

Can you say long game ? Because that's what this is - and only those who play with a mind set that they are in for the long haul will even begin to make it let alone win.

 

Charles

Of course you are right. It will take time for the site to be discovered. But just having a mind set that this is going to be a long game is not enough; in the meantime you will have to do something to make your site known. If it's not known anywhere that long game will become forever, because you will never get any customers. I realise it's going to take a long time before customers are coming to my site, but I stand by my previous statement that it all boils down to marketing; promotion of your site. You can never do enough promotion. And then you wait - probably for a long time at first - for the people to react to your marketing.

RojanUK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But just having a mind set that this is going to be a long game is not enough; in the meantime you will have to do something to make your site known. If it's not known anywhere that long game will become forever, because you will never get any customers..... it all boils down to marketing; promotion of your site. You can never do enough promotion.

 

I don't know If i answered your marketing question a while back but here are some FREE ideas for you to try

 

1) Write articles - and submit them to ezine publishers and content creators (search on yahoo for these latter ones) This is not a much liked route for many e traders because it takes time and effort - but believe me if done consistently it brings traffic from much unexpected sources for long periods of time ( I still get response from article I wrote getting on for 2 years ago)

 

2) Write website content - You need to have pages that keep Bots and visitors coming back - Blogs are a great way to do this IF updated regularly - but again it involves effort and time.

 

3) Develop a strategic, structured and consistent reciprocal linking program - This is without any doubt your sure fire way to getting noticed - building a network of TIGHTLY themed links will over time give you more exposure to Bots and traffic from people who visit same theme sites than any other single tactic

 

4) Start more than one web site - This is not entirely free (you have to register a new domain and get a host BUT this can be done for minimal outlay) Why do this ? Well pound for pound if you only have one site and a competitor has two or more - they will have a better chance of creating a mini network than you will - If they do so they are ahead of you in getting noticed by a spectrum of Bots and people - Have you ever noticed how the big players ALL have more than one domain and site - ever wonder why ?

 

There are many other avenues to marketing that needn't cost much if anything at all - and we can discuss these here or on PM if you like.

 

Charles

A kite flies highest AGAINST the wind !

 

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a lover in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ WOO HOO!! What a ride!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...