Thread: marketing my site

My site has been up for at least 6 weeks and no sales yet.............any suggestiions.......


www.makingreatstuff.com
Beth

How much traffic are you getting? What is your marketing plan?

traffic i think is slow............i have several banners up,,,,,,i worked hard on my keywords until I got them right...........what were you thinking of???

Have you submitted your site to all the search engines and directories?

Are you working on getting inbound links? Are you doing any marketing at all?

And you say you got keywords right, but your page titles really do need tweaking!

If you'd like, I'll add a link to your store from my link pages on A Child's Palace - but for most others to do this, you're going to have to start a link building campaign of your own and working on reciprocal links, also. Yes, one way links are the best, but you'll get traffic from good, relevant, related links, also.

I had two sales today that came directly from a reciprocal link on another site. It's not just se's that send traffic.

thanks Beth that would be fantastic and I'm sure helpful. One thhing I noticed today, my font size on my cart manager add to card buttons has changed and is huge. what causes that???

Having a site that people can't find is like having a shop on the moon.

You really need to work to get people to you and search engines are only half the battle. I sell on ebay and have a link to my website through there, also with every sale I pop a Thank you slip in with my web address on. Have you any business cards? Are there any forums related to your subject, where you can get your name about or people maybe intested in what you have to offer. Yes as Beth says get some relevant links from sites.

There are many ways to get people to you, it just takes time and hard work, the days of putting a site out there and hoping people will land on you are gone, there are just too many sites competing.

Maybe try a adwords campaign and see if this works for you, you can pause it at anytime.

By the way the text overlaps on your banner for me, the word 'Special' is hidden under the other text box that starts 'Perfect frames for your baby..'

Regards Paul

thank you for the good advise. why would the text be doing that? It is not doing that for me?

The font on your add-to-cart looks normal to me - you didn't change the font size on your computer, did you?

I can't duplicate his seeing an overlap with either IE or Firefox. However I do see that you have a hint of a Stat Counter box hiding at the very top of the page - I'd get rid of that.

And at the bottom of the page, you have a white line running through which looks out of place.

thanks so much Beth/ You always have something useful for me. I feel a little more encouraged to just keep pushing forward. I'll have to check. My kids may have changed the font size on this computer. But if they look ok on your end that's all the really matters. How do we go about adding a link to your site for my site??? thanks again very much. Maybe we could talk about my page titles. Discover card has been sticking with me since I got my merchant accout. They want to help me have a successful site which in turn makes them more sales. Have you ever heard of web site Pro? I would be interested in what you think about it......
Beth

One thing that I have read has helped alot of people is to market their site not just on the web. Send out flyers or business cards with your URL on it to potential customers. That will get your traffic up and maybe some people will link to your site without you even knowing it to build your inbound links. I wish you the best of luck.

thanks for the advise. I have business cards that I send out with my Ebay orders. In fact I have a 4x2 sticker that I put on the frames when they are packaged that says thanks for their order. I also enclose a small packet with about 5 or 6 of my business cards and I ask them if they would share my business with their friends, etc. My ebay store does well it's just trying to get by web site booming! but I do appreciate your good wishes.
Beth

I can't duplicate his seeing an overlap with either IE or Firefox. However I do see that you have a hint of a Stat Counter box hiding at the very top of the page - I'd get rid of that.

Not sure why Beth, but I have tried on two seperate p.c's and have the same result, the word special is hidden under the other banner, you may want to ask and check with others, just to be on the safe side.

Regards Paul

that is very strange. My sister's pc does the same thing. Wouldn't it be some kind of setting on your pc that would make that happen. I'm not sure who to ask...start a new thread??

Beth

Paul,
I did start a new thread and after doing some detective work I figured out that it was because you probably don't have the font that I used on your pc and because it was size 48 it defaulted to Ariel which made the last word drop down to the next line. I made my banner thingy a picture using the font that I wanted to and now it seems to be fine. Please check on your pc and let me know...........thanks so much
Beth

Beth,
Look at my links pages - then right up what you would like for a short link for your store - I'll add you to both Pinata Palace and A Child's Palace - I'm sure I can find a category that works. Make sure that you use anchor text (the title you want clickable) that is a word/prhase people are using to find sites like yours.

If you want ideas on what to write - look at the link to me page on Pinata Palace (you can get there from the resources page).

Email me to any of my sites emails and I'll get a link to you done.

Thanks alot Beth. I'm really tired tonight but I really do want to pick your brain a little bit more but just not tonight. I will probably jsut email you in the morning if that is ok with you. Nite Nite

Beth 2

Email me whenever - no hurry! And sometimes I answer faster than other times, too!

Paul,
I did start a new thread and after doing some detective work I figured out that it was because you probably don't have the font that I used on your pc and because it was size 48 it defaulted to Ariel which made the last word drop down to the next line. I made my banner thingy a picture using the font that I wanted to and now it seems to be fine. Please check on your pc and let me know...........thanks so much
Beth

That's fine now Beth 2 : )

Good luck with your site and do let Beth help you, she is a bit of a star when it comes to improving your site.

Oh dear, Beth i don't want to keep adding problems to problems , but do want your site to be right for you.

http://www.makingreatstuff.com/cartoon_characters.html

The page above, all the text overlaps where the pic sizes are, just above your paypal buttons.

http://www.makingreatstuff.com/sports.html

Also here, pretty much all your inner pages, I am not the expert on why, but maybe someone else can come along and put there opinions across on the reason's, you may want to start another thread asking peple what they see.

Back to the original question, and to a solution/strategy alluded to but never fully answered or resolved:

Do you in fact have a Marketing Plan? (If so, is it written within context of your Business Plan?)

The imperative to have each has been stressed many times here at VodaTalk, and each has been discussed with specific suggestions that have direct results (many of which with little or no cost). You should do a Search to find some of the relevant threads to give you some pointers and save you time and aggrivation (look in the Business Development and Search Engine forums).

> The point is, there is no excuse not to have a Plan, one well-thought and reality-based, just as required for any Business venture if it is going to be successful. Merely having published a website (less than 6 months, mind you!) is really a single step on your path to profitability.....you need to have a map to follow if you hope to arrive at your planned destination.

Trying this solution and trying that remedy is not the way to go, and it becomes obvious that you spin your wheels! An online business is like any other: it requires thoughtful effort and investment (time, "sweat-equity," capital, creative development, and more). And, also like any other business, it is fruitless exercise without support from appropriate marketing and promotion.....traditional or non-traditional.

There are a lot of tools offered here with VodaHost, and a tremendous amount of proven support, but you are the one that has to put it into action to achieve realistic results.

thank you. your comment is very impressive. I thought I was prepared but I can see that I wasn't completely imformed or knowlegeable so I do appreciate your time helping me.
Beth

HI all,
Just join VODA family. Well, makingreatstuff, i bet U've already receive a lot of traffic by now. As for me, I've just finished ( me also not sure whether i've finish or not... ;o)) let me say, just published my website in almost 1 month, trying to sell Malaysia Travelog, A Guide for Travelers who wish to visit Malaysia, but until now, I did not make any sell. I can see some traffic, but I guest it's from my colleague. I've some banner, google adsense, send my link to google,yahoo,hotfrog etc, but still dont see a lot of traffic.

Dear experts, any advise?

I sell around 30 books a week on my main site and this grows every month. Like everyone else I started with little or no sales. As Vasalli says YOU have to work hard and have some sort of plan as to where you are going, people can advise you all day, but it is up to you what you do with it.

I receive around 250 hits per day, around 120 are unique hits, through this comes around 5 sales a day. Firstly I am in a pretty niche market where there is not as much competition, as people who say want to sell jewellrey, wooden toys etc. But it does not matter what market you are in, you can make it succeed with hard work.

My hits are broken down as such.

Search engine traffic 50%. I have with the help on here learnt so much about seo and what to do and not what to do. I also have a site full of content which makes it easier for me to get links, although I have worked very hard at this.

Traffic from articles 15%. I write articles all over the web, these then get picked up and placed on other sites and help me with one way linking. These articles do take time, but again you get out what you put in.

Advertising away from the internet 10%. This is just a guess but I know it helps, I pop a leaflet/poster in every book I sell for people to place anywhere they feel people will benefit from my site. I have had many people email me and say they saw my poster in their doctors surgery etc..

Links from forums 10%. I do go on forums away from this one that are relevant to the subject and answer people's questions without being pushy and this does get me good traffic, not only that but 100% relevant traffic.

Links from other sites 10% I have linked and received links with good quality sites that bring me decent traffic, one in articular gets me 150 hits a month. Linking is not just about search engines but getting traffic, I can now be a little chosier with who I link with and don't lnk with sites that wont benefit me.

Word of mouth and other ways. 5% I also receive quite a bit of traffic through word of mouth. I always answer emails and feel I have something that people really want and word of mouth does get round. I have had many return buyers or people who have told others to visit me. Treat people well, have a good product and people will come back.

I would also say that it is important to have a neat professional looking site that people will trust to buy from, would you give your bank details to a site that looked unprofessional and untidy. People need to trust who they are buying off and I for one am careful on-line with who I pass my details on to.

This forum is great and builds up my knowledge, look through previous posts and hang around, you will learn so much.

Paul

Hi Paul,
As per advised given, I've made some changes to my site, major changes. So would appreciate if U can browse thru and made some comment.

Really appreciate what U've told before, because make me relised that my site looks like I've been promoting googles not my product... ;o(

Could be my eyes, but...
Hard to read white text in the yellow box. Here

I agree with T Scott. That yellow is quite bright! And very hard to read the text.

I found this colour chart helpful, while doing up my website.

http://html-colour-codes.com

(This is not the place for site reviews, but to share Marketing Insight)

Paul,

Thank you for your breakdown of traffic percentages. I'm sure many besides myself will find it useful. Happy Holidays!

Paul,

Thank you for your breakdown of traffic percentages. I'm sure many besides myself will find it useful. Happy Holidays

!

No probs hope it helps some people. There are many more ways to get traffic, think off-line as much as on-line. Tell people about it, if selling a product on ebay or from your site, pop a thank you card with your web address on it. I do make up and perfumes, this includes house partys, again everyone that buys gets a card. I put brouchers together and hand them out and get orders this way, again my site is on the broucher, every ebay sale I pop in card.

It just takes a little work but once you build up a steady stream of customers that come back, then you can do well.

Hi I'm new and don't know much about Web Hosting or Web Design. If I go with BV Hosting, wont I steal have to buy hosting though Google,Yahoo,Msn,ect...To put web page on.That would be very pricey. I guess I need more info on web hosting?

No you steal will not have to host on google yahoo and msn. They look for you where ever you host or build your site. Its steal just 7.95 a month or there abouts.

Karen

Thank you Karen, That helps alot I'm all new to this, heck I can't even type I'm a one finger typer.That email you sent me was realy fance I would like to know how that is done.I guess I should of taken type in school. Karen is this going to be a issue for me? Reason I ask is making a website you have to do a lot of typing is this going to be a problem for me. I hope not! Another question for you Karen? Is there a way to get the BV video tutorials in a little box in the BV websit builder so i can lean hands on step by step. Thank you Karen . From benhoot

LOL.. ive no idea wut email you are referring to unless its the one you got from the forum, or unless I know you from elsewhere, then god only knows what i might have sent. Was it the mooning santa claus? ..hmmm..

Yes typing is important if you want your website to be read correctly. you can make your bv window smaller so you can see both the tutorials and the bv window, just drag a corner or two the size you want.

Karen

Should be moved to Pre-Sale .......