E-Commerce Blog

CyberSquatting: Stealing Your Good Name

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:23:00 GMT

In the 1990's, when companies were first coming to grips with how the Internet might augment their marketing efforts, some enterprising people registered .com names such as mcdonalds.com, toysrus.com, etc. and then sold them to the actual companies for thousands of dollars. It didn't take long, though, for ICANN, the international group that overseas domain name registrations to declare that if you own a trademark to a name, you could petition ICANN to have that name re-assigned to you with no compensation for the original registering party.

While that solved the issue of blantant domain name extortion, there remains a rather shady practice of registering domains similar to an existing business domain, pointing that domain name to a page full of ads or pay-per-click links, and offering the domain for sell to the business whose visitors may be accidentally going to the variant domain Web site. This practice - and the practice of buying up hundreds of "generic" domains, such as "buy-great-widgets.com" or "homes-for-sale-in-cleveland.com" - is referred to as "cybersquatting."

I don't begrudge someone figuring a way to make money, but cybersquatting is not always considered an honorable business. We have domains "parked" which are not going to actual, working Web sites, but these are domains which we fully intend to use someday to build e-commerce businesses. Over the past 15 years, we could have registered hundreds and thousands of domains, then tried to sell them to others for huge fees, but that just doesn't sit right with me. To me, it's like putting a reservation in for a great table at a restaurant, then selling it to whomever wants to eat there that evening. The restaurant doesn't benefit, and the end-user pays dearly for what should not have cost anything in the first place.

We counsel our clients carefully when it comes to domain names. Often, people assume one great domain name is all it takes for a new Web site. Not true anymore. Since search engines often rank sites based on keywords present in domain names, if you don't plan ahead, you could see your company or brand name appear in a number of "parked" domains, each one sucking away a percentage of your hard-earned traffic.

For example, let's say you create a brand name of "happydoodles" for a line of note pads for doodling. Naively, you register happydoodles.com and begin building your Web site to sell your new products.

A cybersquatter monitoring new registrations might see your new domain name registration and decide that it is unique enough that registering key variants might allow them to sell these to you in the future when you discover that your customers are being misled to Web sites other than yours.

In the least, you should have also registered happydoodles.net, happy-doodles.com and happy-doodles.net. This keeps the top domain variants in your possession. All these can point to the same Web site, but you've pre-empted the typical cybersquatter strategy.

What about other top level domains such as .mobi, .co, and .biz? There's certainly a valid argument for registering happydoodles and happy-doodles for each of these, but that's up to you. Each registration costs from about $8 to $40/year depending on the top level domain. That may seem like a lot of money to you as you start up your new business, but pay a little now or a lot later.

Some will also argue that you need to register common misspellings of your domain name. In this case, happydodles.com or happydooldes.com. I'm not convinced of that unless you can sense that misspellings will be commonplace. If your company name is "acmereceivables," then registering acmerecievables.com is probably not a bad idea, since so many people misspell "receivable."

Plural variations are also something to consider. Continuing with our example, it would be quite reasonable to register happydoodle.com, happy-doodle.com, etc., as many people might understandably enter your brand in a singular form.

In short, take preventative measures when registering domain names. It's your brand, protect it well.

Product Photographs Create Sales

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:18:00 GMT

Like so many of you, we shop on-line. Whether we need new toner for our laser printer or a BBQ smoker for the home backyard, shopping online is how we find what we want to buy.

Unfortunately, so many on-line stores make it very difficult to make a purchasing decision. We'll discuss other reasons in future posts, but for now let's focus on my primary disappointment: poor product photographs.

One of the advantages to shopping off-line is the ability to see a product up close and personal. Online shopping strips us of the tactile survey of a product, but there's no reason we cannot get a complete sense of the product through photos.

For small, emerging e-commerce stores, there are a variety of ways to inexpensively increase sales through better product photographs.

Manufacturer Photos

Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors are gradually learning that providing great product photos to their retailers is a low-cost way of helping sell more products. Not enough are realizing this, though, but it seems to be getting better. I consistently find large, multi-national companies that still do not realize the impact of supplying professional photographs.

For the manufacturer, the ability to control the representation of their products should be paramount.

For retailers, check with your manufacturer or distributor. Request the highest resolution photographs available so you have plenty to work with as you re-size and crop them for your use. You can always reduce the size of a photograph and retain the detail and quality, but you can't increase the size of a photo and expect the same.

Professional Photography

I've worked with great product photographers in the past. A skilled, experienced (and the key here is experienced) product photographer can take dirt and make it look delicious. They have the equipment, skill and artistic ability to do wonders for almost any product, from toothpicks to locomotives.

The downside is the cost. Professional photographers usually charge over $100/hour (some much more than that) to shoot your products. Depending on the product you're selling, this might be well worth the investment; if you're starting out in e-commerce and trying to maintain a manageable budget, it might not.

In-house Photography

A nice euphemism for saying "do-it-yourself." Yet, for many, doing your own photographs can be a great last resort.

The key to taking photographs of products is lighting. The more light you use, the better your photos will be as your camera can capture more detail. Increased lighting also allows you to do some creative things with field of depth or the way of keeping, for example, the front of the product in focus while allowing the focus to blur with distance.

There are kits available for setting up and photographing small products, such as jewelry, toys, electronics, etc. However, we've found these kits to be much more restrictive than helpful. The lights are usually low-wattage halogen lights and the "box" into which you place the items in order to diffuse or soften the lights is small. We don't generally recommend these.

When we need to do product shots of handheld electronics, for example, we use a very simple, but effective set-up: a roll-up shade, three clamp-style lights, three fluorescent bulbs, and a tripod.

In our garage, we have a built-in workbench. From the cabinet above, I hung the roll-up shade - the type used on windows. You can buy fairly wide ones at a home improvement store. I would suggest you use as white a shade as you can get. White will blend out well in the background; you can even delete it in a photo-imaging program and replace with with your own color later. Any backdrop will reflect into shiny areas of your product, as well as tint the overall photo; white is a good neutral color. A light-medium gray can also work, but most beginners should stick with white. The shade, when pulled down, laid across the workbench and draped across the front. With enough slack in the shade, it created a very nice seamless backdrop. This means there is no line cutting through the background where the wall meets the floor or table.

You may have to play with various schemes, but the clamp lights should be set to illuminate your product from the front and the back. You can use more than three lights, but these give you a basic three-point lighting scheme. Point one light at your product, approximately 45 degrees above and about 30 degrees to either side of where you camera will be pointing. This is your key light. Take another lamp and place it at about camera level, 30 degrees on the opposite side of the camera and further back than the key or use a lower wattage bulb. This is your fill light and helps to fill in the areas the key light is missing.

The third light should be behind or above the product, preferably about 30 degrees behind the top of the product and about as far up as the key light is in front of the product. This back light will give a bit of a kicker to the product and help define its edges and depth.

I use the highest wattage daylight balanced fluorescent lights I can find at the store. I have been able to find the equivalent of a 150-watt incandescent, which is about 27 watts fluorescent. If you place them close enough to the product, you'll get a good amount of naturally diffused light.

Always try to use a tripod. Even with this amount of light, you want your photos crystal clear.

To be sure, your photos won't look anything like those of a professional photographer, but with some experimentation and patience, they can look quite acceptable. Don't settle for small or missing photos for your products. Take the initiative and get all the photos you can.

If you take your own, take photos of every angle, every detail of the product. Use as many as you can in your on-line store to give people an idea, not only of the overall look of the product, but the details.

Here's a hint that will make a big difference to some: if your product's size, relative to other items, might be hard to determine from a photo of the product alone, include something common in the photo. If your product is portable, show it being held in someone's hand.

You might consider including other objects as well, such as common furniture, to give your customer a much better idea of relative size.

And here's yet another hint worth gold: use photos of people using your products. If you sell teddy bears, include a photo of a child holding your bear. This gives the buyer a sense of relative size and helps to create an emotional connection. Who can resist a smiling child hugging a furry animal?

If you see Web sites with good product photography, let us know. We'll share your findings with others and together we might all learn a thing or two.

Improve Your Ranking: Eliminate Duplicate Content

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:22:00 GMT

You may have two or more pages with the same content, but different URLs. Perhaps one is an old page you no longer wish to use as a URL, but it's listed in the search engines.

Eliminating duplicate content can improve your rankings by concentrating PageRanks and search engine rankings on one page of content.

If you cannot delete duplicate content because it has valid links, you can use one of the following techniques for "teaching" the search engines what the preferred page URL is:

301 Redirects

This is a server-side functionality that tells a visitor's browser that the page or URL they were seeking is no longer available, and then redirects the browser to the new URL.

For example, if you had a page in your Web site, http://www.example.com/berets-red-1234, and you now are selling these on a new page with a different URL, you can use a 301 Redirect to automatically redirect the visiting browser to, say, http://www.example.com/red-berets/1234. The "301" refers to a code that Web servers give to a browser. You may have seen "404" codes from time to time. This is the server telling the browser that the URL requested cannot be located or presented by the server. A 301 tells the browser that the original URL doesn't exist as a valid path, but the content it referred to is still available at a new URL address. A 301 is often called a "permanent" redirect (there are "temporary" redirects, but that's for a geekier discussion later).

If you have the ability to program 301 Redirects on your Web hosting server, do so. This is the preferred method for several reasons:

It works better to re-point multiple domains to one primary domain.
You don't have to have the original, old page still on the server (see Canonical Link Tag).
301 Redirects will actually and automatically redirect the visitor, not just the search engine spider that indexes your site.

Note: the Novusweb ESP™ Platform provides for easy management of 301 Redirects. We have one new site now that in converting it to our platform, and to make the URLs more SEO-friendly, we created and easily imported a list of more than 500 301 Redirects. Now, whenever someone encounters one of the old URLs in a search engine result, by clicking on the old link, they will automatically be taken to the new URL. Eventually the search engines will update all these old links as they use our 301 Redirects to re-map their indices.

Canonical Link Tag

In February of 2009, the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing) decided on a new link tag standard whereby you can, more or less, insert a redirect code into an existing page which will tell the search engines that the page is really a duplicate of content existing elsewhere, and that the search engine should regard the original content when indexing the Web site.

The canonical link tag is a good tool to use if you do not have the ability to program 301 Redirects on the server hosting your Web site. Many hosting companies don't allow that kind of accessibility, as programming a 301 Redirect requires modification of core preference files for the server. I know may webmasters who simply don't know how to implement them.

If you need to use canonical link tags, insert them into the <head> section of the duplicate content Web page, using this format:

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.example.com/red-berets/1234" />

When Google, Yahoo!, Bing or Ask indexes your site and comes across this link, they will know that the content on this page is a duplicate of the link in the tag. The content doesn't have to be exactly the same, however (you're not likely to be updating an old page); the search engines will determine what to index.

Remember, canonical links as described here do not redirect the visiting browser to the new content. It only helps the search engines determine that when duplicate content is encountered, which page should be referred to in resulting search engine results.

Google Webmaster Tools

If you haven't become familiar with Google Webmaster Tools, you should do so right away. While the interface gives the impression the tools are sparse, the contrary is true. Webmaster Tools contain a nice suite of very useful applications to help you learn more about how Google sees your Web site.

Go to Google Webmaster Tools and take the time to read the "Getting Started" section. (You will need a Google gmail account to use Webmaster Tools.)

Last Word

Don't let duplicate content, especially that which may exist at old URL's or in pages you no longer wish to be public spoil your search engine optimization. Programming and managing redirects is not necessarily easy or fast, but it is necessary.

New Site: WirelessAmerican.com

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:11:00 GMT

We just launched our newest e-commerce Web site, www.WirelessAmerican.com. It's a site we own to help us refine our e-commerce techniques, to demonstrate some of the latest concepts in Web 2.0 online etailing.

WirelessAmerican.com focuses on selling a narrow niche of accessories that, for the most part, are wireless: stereo headsets, Bluetooth cellphone headsets, wireless speakers, walkie-talkies and home security systems. We're continuing to add more products each day, including the latest cases for the new Apple iPad.

We're also offering this site for sell for anyone interested in purchasing a pre-loaded, ready to grow e-commerce business. If you are interested, please contact us for a prospectus.

And if you're in the need for the best in wireless accessories, please visit WirelessAmerican.com.

A New Look

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:45:00 GMT

Often it seems that, like the proverbial physician, Web developers attend to their own sites last. As with any conscientious service firm, our clients' needs come first.

That said, we felt it was time to upgrade our site to reflect the quality and engineering acumen of Novusweb. The site design you see now (if you're reading this on our site) is that new design.

There's a couple of points about the site worth noting:

We completed the entire makeover in less than 20 working hours. Our unique development system allows us to do a complete, from-scratch design in very short order, saving both our clients and ourselves money and time.
The site is fully Web 2.0, meaning it possesses the most browser-friendly code, programming and design available.

Of course, the final opinion is yours. Hopefully, you're pleased with the new design. Whether you are or not, feel free to leave us a comment below.

Lots of Downloading 'Round Here

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:23:00 GMT

Seems to us that lots of people are seeking new insights to e-commerce. Some are understandably looking for new business opportunities. They sense that creating an online business, especially from their homes, could produce the additional income to buffer the effects of the current recession.

More, it appears, already have an online presence. These established businesses are looking for ways of improving their bottom line. After months and years of floundering, they're scouring the Net for the key that could jolt their sales performance.

Both are admirable objectives. And both are downloading our free "10 Keys to E-commerce Success" guide. We've been both amazed and pleased by the number of people who are downloading this ebook I wrote.

There are many places on the Web to get similar information. Most charge you for their insights. Others present it on Web pages heavily laden with advertising. Maybe it's our loss, but we thought people would like a PDF they could print off and read at their convenience. Apparently, it's a popular choice for many.

As a result, we're beginning to get more people sign up for a free, initial consultation to discuss their e-commerce plans. That's the exciting aspect for us because we love to "talk shop" and help people discover new opportunities to succeed.

Real online e-commerce success doesn't come with cookie-cutter approaches, such as those offered by shopping cart vendors. True success is a process of education, strategy, execution and management.

We try to explain this in our free guide, and when we consult with potential new clients. Based on the response we've received, more and more are realizing the real "key to success" may well be partnering with someone with proven success in e-commerce: Novusweb.

What About Service Providers?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:24:00 GMT

While many product retailers and wholesalers offer ancilliary services (e.g., repairs, training, installation), it is the professionals such as lawyers, accountants and consultants who we wish to address. Many professional firms consider the Web to be little more than an online brochure. Sadly, these firms are missing an opportunity to not only attract new business, but solidify existing relationships by providing 24/7 services such as Frequently-Asked-Questions, a client discussion forum, online bill paying, requests for services, etc. Imagine extending your services around the clock without having to hire additional office staff.

Where the retailer/wholesaler relies on products to populate their Web site, to attract customers, the service provide must rely more on information. As a professional, you are providing potential and existing customers with by-products of your expertise: useful information or functionality.

Every professional firm has different goals and resources at hand. As you analyze your offerings, you need to find those items which can help set you apart from the online competition. Use your expertise to construct Web "tools" that are not only helpful and informative, but serve to demonstrate your competencies.

Begin by writing down (or using the "Notes" tool here) your brainstormed ideas. Visit competitor sites. Best of all, put yourself in your clients' shoes: if you were looking for a professional with your abilities, what would you like to see or use that would ultimately convince you, as a potential client, that your firm is the best choice? As an existing client what could your firm provide to deepen the firm-client relationship?

Not intended as a full list of ideas, the following are possibilities for your consideration:

Forum. Host an on-line discussion of subjects related to your profession.
On-line Bill Pay. If you send out invoices to your customers, give them the ability to pay by credit card.
Downloadable Reports. Offer free reports or guides (much like our "10 Keys to E-commerce Success") as a lead generator.
"Clients Only" Section. Password protected area where you can allow clients to upload documents to you, and you can share documents with them.
Blog. Blogs are everywhere. Smart, intelligent blogs, much less so.

To goal is to differentiate your firm from your competitors. Since you're most likely not competing on price, you are competing on service, quality and professionalism. Today's clients are using technology more, and will usually appreciate those professionals who can use technology to make the client relationship more productive. Don't use technology for technology's sake: use it where it will provide benefit to your clients.

One last note: whatever features you offer on your site must be maintained by you or your staff. No one will find value in a blog who's last entry was 13 months ago, or a forum in which questions go unanswered.

Home-Based E-commerce Business Woes

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:28:00 GMT

For the past 10 years, my wife and I have operated a million dollar business from the comfort of our home. It's been a joy not having to commute to work, and we've seen our three boys grow up right before our eyes into fine young men. We've had the freedom to set our own hours and determine our fate, good or bad.

But, we didn't start out with that intention: of running a home-based business. In the beginning I considered it a stop gap while I took time to seek out the ideal job opportunity. I had just left a dot-com that lured me to San Diego (fortunate for us) but had been acquired by a company intent on moving the firm to Nashville. Nothing against Nashville - I love country music - but we enjoy living in Southern California.

Once we did make the commitment to grow our own business beyond a part-time endeavor, we set out to operate as if we were a multi-national conglomerate. We set aside a room in our house just for our office. We managed our accounting, sales, and production as professionally as we could, and set normal work hours as well. We got a business-class phone system and computer network. In short, we had all the trappings of business without the office lease and overhead.

However, being your own boss can be a real challenge. No one challenges your decisions. You're the one who writes the pay check to yourself, and in lean months there's no guarantee you'll get paid.

But Cyndi and I would not trade our experience - and success - for anything.

Which is why it saddens me when I see so many scam artists try to take advantage of people who want to enjoy some, if not all, of the benefits we've had as home-based business owners.

A quick search on Google for "home based e-commerce" or "home-based business opportunity" yields pages of results pointing to what are obviously masked "get-rich-quick-schemes." To the uninitiated, inexperienced or desperate seeker, these sites can sound quite enticing.

I'm probably not revealing any deep, dark secrets here when I point out a couple of truisms I've learned from decades of business experience:

Hard work combined with a passion for success is the best combination.
Finding someone to mentor you is a very smart pursuit. Find someone who has done what you're trying to do, not someone who is out to charge your "only $29" for some secret guide to riches.
Never pay anything to anyone for a business opportunity or start-up program until you have the opportunity to speak with someone personally. I have found that speaking to people gives me great insight into their honesty and dedication. No, e-mail does not count as "speaking to someone."
Know your strengths and your weaknesses before you start so you can appropriately leverage your skills and seek help where you need it.

In short, if you want to create a profitable home-based business, treat it as a business, not a hobby. Hobbies are for those who have passion without income. A successful business is for those who want to passionately make money.

Free Guide to Selling Online

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:42:00 GMT

The first thing people often ask me when they find out the business I'm in is "can I really make money online?" The answer is "of course you can, if you know how."

I know that sound a bit disingenious at first blush, but the truth is that it's almost impossible not to make some money online with e-commerce if you understand all the ins and outs. Many are looking for a "get rich quick scheme." There really is no such thing. Success online is very much like success offline: you have to plan your work and work your plan.

But creating a plan for success is not just signing up with a shopping cart provider. Just go to any online service that hosts shopping cart solutions and read postings in their forums. What you'll usually find is post after post of customers lamenting that they're not getting any sales. It's usually not the fault of the shopping cart system they're using; it's that the shopping cart provider is not providing all the training and details necessary to truly know how to profit with an online storefront.

The first thing people often ask me when they find out the business I'm in is "can I really make money online?" The answer is "of course you can, if you know how."

When people do ask me the "secrets" of succeeding online, I could go on for hours explaining all we've learned from our own success in building successful e-commerce storefronts.

So, I created a free guide called the "10 Keys to E-commerce Success." Anyone can download it at no cost or obligation because it's better that people know upfront what all is involved in building a profitable online store. It's not hard to succeed, but it does take an investment of time and energy.

Fortunately, building an online store doesn't have to be expensive or risky. That's the big advantage e-commerce has over traditional retail. However, success does require learning and applying some key principles.

If you're thinking of growing an online business, I invite you to download this e-commerce success guide. And let me know what you think.

Our New Site Design

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:23:00 GMT

We have officially launched our new Web site design for Novusweb. We're now presenting our full E-Commerce Success Program, ESP™, for those wanting build e-commerce, branding or wholesale Web sites that work.

We're so confident we can help people succeed, that we're guaranteeing their success. Who does that? Take a look around, and if you're at all intrigued, download our Free "10 Keys to E-Commerce Success." This guide will give you sound information about what it takes to succeed online, as well as provide some insight into the scope of our program. Did I mention it's free?

We would love to hear your comments and feedback. No need to be shy about contacting us with any questions, either.

Best wishes.

We're Getting Closer

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:23:00 GMT

As I work here at the office, late at night, I'm more and more excited about launching ESP in January. ESP represents everything I've ever wanted to do to make on-line business easy and productive for our clients.

Over the years, we've earned lots of money creating "one-off" Web sites for clients. Each client has different needs, different markets, and different goals. However, I always worked toward creating a "system" that would allow us to build very sophisticated, robust Web sites for clients more quickly and for less money.

Now, I know it sounds strange to say I want less money from clients, but the truth is that I would rather have 10,000 successful clients who have each paid me a little, then 100 who have paid me a lot. It's my goal for Novusweb - and ESP - to be the most successful business Web creation system in the country. That's only going to happen if we satisfy thousands of clients.

Each Web site owner we help can invest what they might otherwise pay for a site into advertising and promotion. It's not very good to have a fancy Web site if no one knows it's there. The more our clients market their Web sites, the more successful they will be, and word-of-mouth will bring us more clients than we can possibly imagine.

Okay, back to the reality of the moment: I still have a lot of work to do fine-tuning ESP. The coffee pot just beeped to let me know another pot's ready.

PS: if you haven't applied for our ESP beta program, you need to hurry. It's the best way to get a free Web site.

ESP Progress

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:35:00 GMT

Finalizing ESP (E-commerce Success Program) has been quite a wonderful journey. With each step, we find we're including much, much more information than we realized might be required. All that we have learned over the past 15 years is being distilled into ESP, and while this cornucopia of knowledge is impressive, we run the risk of overwhelming our students. When is the amount of information too much? Can you have too much information when staking your financial livelihood?

I fear - and hope - we are erring on the side of too much information.

But, let me also note that our intent with ESP is not to simply shovel pages and pages of information to our students. We are building ESP to be interactive, a step by step journey. Each student will proceed according to their needs, and receive the information they need when they need it according to their place in the process.

We may be too close to the project to be unbiased, so we're seeking beta testers to give ESP a try. By beta testers, we actually mean people who want to build an e-commerce Web site and want to actually launch it and begin making sales. In return for their feedback, and for suffering the occasional bug or hiccup, we are waiving our normal ESP enrollment fee. It's the least we can do for those willing to act as guinea pigs.

If you or anyone you know is interested, go to our Enroll page and fill out the brief on-line form. We're looking for a variety of e-commerce ideas to fully test our platform. And those participating will get the full ESP treatment, plus personal guidance and help from our team.

Enjoy.

Welcome to Novusweb.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:26:00 GMT

Novusweb has been around, in one form or fashion, since 1996. I created Novusweb using the Latin word for "new," "novus." Since jumping into the Internet in 1994, I've always strived to create something new, original and, most of all, useful.

Today, we're working to finalize our latest offering: ESP, the E-commerce Success Program.

We truly believe it's unlike anything available today: a self-paced, complete system for planning, executing and managing an e-commerce business. Oh, we know there's lots of places on the Web where you can start up an e-commerce Web site.

Try to find one, though, that will guide you step-by-step-by-step through the entire process of creating a profitable e-commerce business. We couldn't find one.

So, we decided to take our real-world experience in building successful e-commerce businesses and create a system for others to follow.

That's ESP.

Stay tuned. We'll have more on ESP soon.