With continued internet sales growing year on year and the dawn of web 2.0, the online marketplace has become very advanced and highly competitive and customers are turning to search engines to find products, services and more often than not, reviews. Search engine placement should be a vital part of an ecommerce website, yet many businesses fail to realise this or take advantage of it. Google products, formally known as Froogle, is becoming increasingly popular within Google’s search results and more and more buyers are turning to it instead of some of the more prominent search comparison sites and e-commerce retailers should be looking to get their sites fully optimised to take advantage of this.

One of the most important areas that should be focussed on, is Improving and optimising page content, adding reviews and how to guides to compliment pages can be the difference between having your products listed high up on search engines to not being found at all.  Another overlooked area is having unique title tags for each page and using keywords for the products of that page. These all form part of good on-page SEO techniques.

Having looked at some of the low cost and no cost e-commerce solutions out there, I have begun to realise that they offer very little flexibility in the optimisation department and they all too often fall short in the user experience category as well, not forgetting to mention the all important security and payment gateway provision. So it is no wonder that many e-commerce businesses have little or no optimisation and that their websites are static and lost far down in the search results of Google.

Investing in a professional, user friendly, search engine friendly and scalable e-commerce system makers the most sense, it is the most important and critical decision an online business will undertake, but with so much choice out there, how do you know which is right for your business? Many successful online companies have turned to Generate UK to assist them in setting up their e-commerce system, as e commerce and web 2.0 evolves, you want to be with a company keeping pace or, better yet, staying ahead of the crowd.

At Generate UK, we strive to understand everything about our clients business, we consult, educate, mentor, coach and provide knowledge to our clients and it is why we have become the preferred partner for many successful online retailers.

It’s an interesting move by Google and it must have made the likes of Kelkoo, Pricerunner and the like sit up and take notice. These are the current incumbents in the price comparison market; their business model is to take a commission from sales of products they have referred (they also charge to place products higher in the searches). So their search engine ranking in the most popular search engine in the world is very important to them…..

So now they are in direct competition with the very same search engine they need to be ranked on in order for their business model to work. If that was not bad enough, Google has confirmed that there will be no charges to list products and they won’t accept payment in return for rankings. So on the face of it, not good for the price comparison chaps and it does not bode well in the future for other sites offering price comparison for insurance, mortgages, credit cards etc. Surely, it is just a matter of time before Google start to enter these markets too.

The good news for a lot of ecommerce store owners is that there is a new channel for them to showcase their products and services through; a channel which has the backing of the largest search engine in the world. So in terms of opportunity, it’s a big one and almost a no-brainer if you have an ecommerce store. The challenge is to work out the best way to use this channel and how to optimise your products so that they are shown and provide you with quality, targeted traffic.

The following tips and ideas are what we have seen when testing and playing with Google Products Search, some of these views will be open to debate, so it would be interesting to hear from others.

Before you start, the first thing to do is go to the Google Merchant Centre page and create an account.  This will become the home of your product feed and where you upload your product information. You will be asked to verify your account, to ensure that no one else has the ability to upload products.

The next step is to really understand what it is you’re trying to achieve. This article is about promoting your products for Google Product Search, so hopefully that is your objective. The idea is that by increasing your understanding of Google Product Search, the more likely you will be able to work with the product feed to ensure your product has the best chance of ranking highly for the keywords related to your product.

Improving your Google Product Search relevancy
The following tips and ideas are what we have seen when testing and playing with Google Products Search, some of these views will be open to debate, so it would be interesting to hear from others.

1.    Let’s get the obvious bits out of the way. Make your feeds relevant to the product they are promoting. Read and adhere to the terms and conditions and guidelines of Google Product Search.
2.    You can have up to 70 characters for your product title, our advice is to be short and concise as possible for the keywords you are going after. There is little point in going mad and trying to include too many keywords.
3.    The description field provides you with an opportunity to add to your product title with more information about the product, for example the benefits or the performance of the product. Remember this is about relevancy, so make the description relevant to the product and not your ecommerce store.
4.    Product Type is quite self explanatory and signifies the type of product you are selling. It is important to then ensure that the product fits into the correct taxonomy. If you are unsure, then you should look at Google’s Taxonomy Structure help.
5.    The Link page is what the viewer will click through to reach your site, so it is important that this is the relevant page and has all of the correct information on it. Think about general usability here and what  would expect if you were looking for a specific product.
6.    The next field is the all important price field, which is a mandatory field. Please make sure that this is the same price as on your website, so as not to encourage issues.
7.    Product ID, could be your SKU or part number. This is your number and your internal code; we have customers that refer to this as a part number, while others call it a product code.
8.    MPN or UPC identifiers refer to a recognised number (similar to a barcode) that relates to that product. It is a bit like a ISBN number for a book. If you have this information available it is definitely worth using as this could be used to create a search.
9.    The product image is self explanatory and really important not just for Google Product Search but also for your main website. We advise that you use the best image you ahve for your product as you can show more when the user clicks through.
What next?

If you have followed the instructions above, you should have a document ready to upload to Google Products Search.

The next step is decided what format to upload the feed. Fortunately, Google offers different options depending on what works best for you; these include web form, text file, CSV, FTP and XML file, it is also possible to connect directly using an API.

Once you have decided on what method you would like to provide your feed, it is time to log into your account and take care of the general account settings. This includes specifying your target country and the location where you would like your products to be shown. Think carefully about this part of the process because it is not necessarily about showing up in every search result, instead it is about being shown to the audience most likely to buy from you.
Give it go…

If you’re selling online, it is definitely worth having a look at Google Products Search; it will grow in stature as Google iron out the little bugs and quirks. Currently, not all stores are using Google to promote their products, so there is an opportunity to get ahead of your competitors.
If you would like to discuss this further with one of our SEO consultants, please do not hesitate to contact us 01635 550431.

PROJECT AIM:

The Accessory Queen approached Generate UK to help build a new ecommerce website which would help expand the company’s operations and provide the business with a future proof website ecommerce platform to grow as the business develops.

As a result the ecommerce system was critical to the project. It was important that the backend system was exceptionally easy to operate, to process the orders whilst automatically keeping customers informed throughout the ordering process. It would also allow The Accessory Queen to easily manage products, pricing, content and promotions. Just as important was the systems front end allowing the ordering process to be efficient, without a lengthy account sign-up procedure, ensuring that the whole process was as simple as possible.

Design was essential, developing a site design which represented the traditional retail shop, the quality products and service on offer, whilst showcasing the products through easy navigation was critically important.

SOLUTION:

Generate UK’s Shopping Cart, providing The Accessory Queen with an ecommerce solution which met the immediate and future requirements of the business. The shopping cart allows an easy buying process for the consumer and enables the business to easily manage their products and promotions online.  Through a powerful backend ordering system

A design was created utilising soft colour palettes and a clean structure which represented the business and allowed for customers to easily locate products and brands of choice.

RESULT:

• A website that encapsulates the essence of what The Accessory Queen offers to the market
• A website design which showcases the plethora of beautiful products available through the site
• A website which allows users to easily locate and purchase products
• An  online vehicle to increase sales and expand operations

“We’re exceptionally happy with the end product and results; it’s allowed us to start targeting new opportunities through new products and different markets reaching a far bigger audience. We were really impressed with how Generate UK approached the project, they made it really simple to for us to understand and provided fresh and new ideas. The design really does encapsulate what we’re all about and the excellent communication throughout the project allowed us to understand what was expected of us and schedule time where appropriate, which is always a challenge!” Sarah Lovell , The Accessory Queen Proprietor.

Visit The Accessory Queen

Senspa was in need of a new website as its existing site not only failed to represent their brand and the experience Senspa offered, it also lacked the required functionality to move the business forward.

The design was out of date and hard to navigate so after producing a website project brief, Senspa proceeded to review suppliers and following a comprehensive tender process Generate UK was chosen.

Senspa’s business development plan was to increase website traffic, improve how they interacted with their online community whilst striving to increase online sales and business.  They were confident that once a person had experienced the luxurious hydrotherapy pool, soothing thermal rooms, revitalising sensory showers, indulgent treatments and exquisite Thai food they would certainly come back to embrace their unique experience again.

Part of the overall process was to seek a new platform that provided stability and an online marketing agency to deliver their online vision.  Generate UK was chosen due to their design, project management, online marketing expertise and experience in delivering successful online solutions within the leisure market.

Sitekit content management platform was chosen based on its ease of use, excellent publishing process and management tools. This would allow Senspa to market their website, embrace online technology and build a business upon a future proof and powerful web platform.

On top of designing and integrating a new website Senspa also required a bespoke online booking system and package chooser which would allow the user to interact with the website, book packages spa breaks and day experiences whilst collaborating with their internal business processes.

Lina Lotto Senspa Director commented, Generate UK have exceeded what was originally asked of them, taking an idea on paper and developing it right through to a beautiful website which now represents all that Senspa is about. We are now working with Generate UK to help support and market the site moving forward. Our website traffic has already increased by 50% month on month since we launched in January.

The result: With their proven project methodology Generate UK used their online knowledge, design and development expertise to produce a website which not only represents the experience Senspa offers but developed a website that provides Senspa with a platform for future business growth.

Generate UK, a dynamic and commercial thinking digital marketing company based in Newbury, Berkshire offer professional web services and a number of other related online marketing services that would add value to any commercial and public sector organisation.

Waddesdon has gone from strength to strength and today attracts on average 350,000 visitors per year.  Whilst visitor numbers are excellent it’s really important that Waddesdon seek to build upon other revenue generated areas of the organisation.

Towards the end of 2008, Waddesdon Manor decided to move away from their managed ecommerce system. They were looking for a shopping cart that was easy to use, scalable, rich in features and performance allowing Waddesdon to implement new products from new initiatives. This included a recent project where Waddesdon commissioned the Royal College of Art (RCA) student designers to create a range of products to be sold in its shop. These exclusive items are now available on the new Waddesdon Manor Online Gift Shop.

As well as efficiency the new system would also allow Waddesdon to move away from their current ecommerce subscription model, which attracted annual costs.

Due to their energy and experience in delivering ecommerce solutions Generate UK were chosen to project manage and deliver a new online shop.  To achieve all of the objectives highlighted above Generate UK worked closely with Waddesdon Manor to understand:

• Design and branding requirements
• Waddesdon’s backend ordering and fulfilment processes,  to understand how the shopping cart would fit in would fit in with the rest of the business
• How the products should be represented on the site and to the search engines
• The products and categories to help structure and implement easy navigation rules

The shopping cart scales to support an unlimited number of products and can quickly and easily be managed by anyone without HTML or other technical skills. It even integrates directly with Royal Mail for real time delivery prices, which can be rolled out across the store or changed per product.

Kim Hallett, Head of Sales and Marketing commented; the online store is a fundamental part of our business, the old system was exceptionally hard to use and made our lives miserable! It was important that when we changed to a new system it was flexible, dynamic and easy to use, whilst improving the backend sales process. It was also important that the new site look great and improved our search engine rankings. Generate UK guided us through the whole process and made the project really easy. The shopping cart is fantastic to use and we are already benefiting through a great new look and improved sales figures.

Please click here to visit the Waddesdon Manor Gift Shop

Dance2Xtreme

Dance2Xtreme have traditionally sold from their shop in Maidenhead, they decided that they wanted to offer their products online as this would provide them with a new route to market. It also meant that they were able to extend their reach and sell to new customers outside of their traditional geography.

Selling products online was a new experience from Dance2Xtreme, so it was critical that their ecommerce system was easy to use and flexible. In particular adding new products, editing products and the fulfilment engine, which automatically creates emails and invoice information for their customers.

The other important factor for Dance2Xtreme was that they wanted to “future proof” their site and offer features that they may not use from day one; this included the ability to offer promotion codes/vouchers, gift wrap service, wish lists and customer reviews.

The Ecommerce system from Generate UK was the perfect fit. It is an advanced shopping cart system that was designed with the business owner in mind. It is very intuitive and runs via a simple control panel where you can manage every aspect of your store, right down to the customisation of your product variations such as size and colour.

The shopping cart scales to support an unlimited number of products and can quickly and easily be managed by anyone without HTML or other technical skills. It even integrates directly with Royal Mail for real time delivery prices, which can be rolled out across the store or changed per product.

The Dance2Xtreme website is an exciting next step for the proprietors; they are looking forward to marketing the website and welcoming new and existing customers to order online. In the future, new products and brands will be added to the store as well as a unique custom dancewear design area, where customers can work directly with Dance2Xtreme to design an exclusive piece of clothing.

What Dance2Xtreme had to say; Lin Sweeney, Director stated “Initially I was very nervous about the whole project until a friend recommended Generate UK. Their knowledge was amazing and they made the whole process easier than I thought it would be. They often went above and beyond what was needed and that I’d signed up for. The site looks great and really easy to operate, thank you for all you help! Lin Sweeney Owner - Dance2Xtreme “

Please click here to visit the Dance2Xtreme website

Pine and Oak recently decided to grow their business further by harnessing the power of the internet and launching a new ecommerce website. As a company, the operational structure was already in place to support an ecommerce site with good stock holding – offering customers immediate product availability, and a dedicated team of delivery staff and vehicles.

The challenge with the new site was to provide a system that was both customer friendly yet simple for Pine and Oak to administer. From a customer point of view, the site needed to have a design that was engaging, displayed the products clearly and offered a zoom facility. The ordering method needed to be swift, without a lengthily account sign-up procedure, ensuring that the whole process was as simple as possible.

And, for the Pine and Oak team, it was important to provide a system that was easy for non-technical staff to update the product catalogue, allow for seasonal promotions and track the order process.

The Generate Shopping Cart was the perfect solution to meet the needs of both the customer and Pine and Oak. The menu navigation and page structure are simple to use and the powerful search function allows customer to find exactly the product match they are looking for.

The website delivers advanced order and checkout features including single-page checkout, guest checkout and support for multiply payment types. The web-based control panel allows Pine and Oak to easily manage their product catalogue from any PC and allows the team to react quickly to market changes and promotions. The back-end features also provide all the tools necessary for the team to manage the website, delivering a professional ecommerce site.

The results are clear: a well designed and thought-out ecommerce website that allows customers to shop with complete confidence from the comfort of their own homes.

What Pine & Oak Furniture had to say; Daniel Hulett, Managing Director stated “The new site was an important way to grow my business particularly with lots of people now shopping online. We were also finding that customers visiting our showrooms were asking for our website details so they could browse our products at home.

Generate UK were immediately very friendly and approachable. Their relaxed attitude was in contrast to other agencies I had considered – they made conversations about technical aspects of the site easy to understand. I am extremely happy with the site design and the ecommerce system - Generate UK have delivered painlessly exactly what I needed!”

Please click here to visit the Pine and Oak Furniture Website.

If you would like to discuss how an ecommerce website could help your business please do not hesitate to contact us on 01635 550431. If you’re already selling products via the Internet, why not let Generate UK provide a free of charge Website Health Check.

Thank goodness for Internet shopping. It has changed all this for me. I can now shop from the comfort of my own home, choosing from thousands of retailers who are all trying to get me to spend my money on their site. The complete experience is one of ease and convenience (assuming the retailer has a decent ecommerce website!) and allows me to shop with speed, sitting back to await my delivery.

The growth of the online shopping sector has been impressive; in 2007 total sales grew by 35 per cent, and in 2008 growth was 25 per cent. Despite the current trading climate, this year we will see estimated web sales grow by 13 per cent exceeding the £20bn mark for the first time. Internet shopping will substantially outperform the high street, with an estimated sales decline of 0.6 per cent for 2009.

I’m sure not everyone suffers from my dislike of the ‘bricks and mortar’ shopping experience, so why else is internet shopping so popular?

The most commonly cited factor is that the Internet offers better value for money. The opportunity to buy low priced products from a huge choice of retailers is obviously appealing. Add to this the option to use comparison websites, cash back sites, discount codes and you can bring the item cost down to well below the price on the high street.

The shopping experience is also getting better and better. Ecommerce websites are advancing every day with new ideas and technologies. We’ve seen the introduction of 3D imagery, video content and even software that uses a series of interactive reality animations to provide realistic sensations for touch – one of the biggest limitations to buying on the internet.

The issue of trust has always been an interesting debate with concerns over personal security topping the list. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) recently reported that for 2009 among those people who shop online, 54 per cent now feel it is as safe as shopping in store compared to 26 per cent in 2006. This improvement in trust will only grow, as more and more consumers improve their knowledge of the security in place and the protection that is available when shopping online.

So what next for the online retailer? The new challenge will be how to differentiate your business from the rest of the online market place as ecommerce sites become more and more prevalent. A well designed site, with an easy to use order and trusted checkout system may not be enough to keep your site outperforming your competitors!

Can Generate UK deliver your strategy? If you would like to talk about our services and how we can help your business, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01635 550431. Please feel free to post your comments.

Until very recently, Newbury Flooring Centre had a limited web presence.  They were keen to change this and invest in a new platform that would enable them to reach a wider target market, whilst allowing them the flexibility to introduce e-commerce to their site in the future.

The brief was simple; to provide a web site platform that encouraged more conversations with potential customers. Due to the size of the investment, the platform also had to support the future needs of Newbury Flooring Centre, such as the ability to take orders via the web site.

Newbury Flooring’s new web site has been built using the Generate Shopping Cart System; a powerful e-commerce platform that is designed for non technical users. Simplistic and effective, it offers complete search engine optimisation support, one page check out, full integration with payment engines, delivery agencies and Google.

One month after the launch of the new web site, Newbury Flooring had received search engine traffic for over 200 different keywords and phrases. The site was also quickly indexed by Google, creating an Internet Footprint of over 100 pages in the first month. These factors have enabled Newbury Flooring Centre to quickly compete with more established web sites in their market.

The project was delivered on schedule and is a great example of a local business driving sales by using the Internet effectively. Generate UK are delighted to be working with Newbury Flooring Centre as they build their online reputation.

Michael Robinson, Managing Director of Newbury Flooring Centre stated

“If it’s been on your mind to launch a new web site for your business, now is the time to act. In this day and age, I don’t think a company can survive without a site - it’s an integral part to every business. I would also recommend using a professional agency such as Generate UK who will deliver a site that provides commercial results. If you’re worried about your business, you can’t afford to sit back. Get your new site today.”

Click to view the Newbury Flooring Centre web site

If you would like to discuss how an ecommerce shopping cart could help your business please do not hesitate to contact us on 01635 550431. If you’re already selling products via the Internet, why not let Generate UK provide a free of charge web site health check.