Success online is hard fought and the weapons are strategy and content. You need to be more aware of the elements of online success and become expert in using them to make your company the dominant player in your category. If you gain access to customers, and then demonstrate straight-forward honesty and value to them within their comfort zone, you are going to be their prefered merchant.

Know what your Unique Retail Value Proposition Is

Every retail merchant has a URVP. It is an unspoken statement of the value for the customer. By deepening your understanding, you can better visualize the customer's point of view and get your message across to them effectively. The sharper or more focused your UVRP is, the better conversion rates and loyalty your site will enjoy.

Your store's brand for instance is a promise in a graphic or word image that represents your value offer. Your store has something valuable which your competitors don't. You need to know what that is, that makes your store unique. If it's just the fact that you're located in the same city, and your competitors aren't, then you have a more relevant value offer. You're in the prospect's comfort zone. There are manu aspects to customer's comfort zones. It might be security, low price, brand appeal. It might even just be that your site ranked highly in Google. If your site's number one, that's good enough for them. If that's all there was to it, many SEO Companies would be very happy.

Analyze why your customers (and customer segments) want to shop from your site and what they want in value from you. The answer is not often price. Each customer segment has particular preferences and needs and you should know how your products and Web site fulfill that need. If you can make a commodity appear special then customers will prefer your store over a box store.

Know your Market

Online and in particular with search engine visibility, you need to ensure your site is ranking for the right keywords. Specific keywords often mean specific types of customers who are in a specific phase of the buying cycle. Work with your SEO to identify the right keywords.

Know Your Customers

Know who your best customers are, (those 20% who provide 80% of your profit) and focus on their needs. Segment each customer type based on whatever segmentation scheme you know of whether its gender, product type, industry, etc.

Segment Customer Groups

Some customers are better than others. You may want to focus on good, loyal customers who provide a good lifetime value. But who are those high profile customers on your sales list? Your segmentation might be based on style, personality, product categories, popular brand names, peer groups, geography and more. Experts suggest focusing in as tightly as possible to describe your real customer segments. Even if you don't design your site for that exact segmentation, you at least still know the personality and habits of your best customers.

Prioritize your Customer Segments

If there are three or four different types of customers on your list, rate the importance of each. Bad customers are those that don't pay or who yield almost zero profit should be filtered or phased out.

Filter in the Best Customers

Your site needs to orient its content, design and navigation for your best customers. With all due respect to site usability experts, you're in business to serve a particular group of high profit customers not the general surfing public. Your deep site design should get them more involved and give them reasons to keep coming back. This has to be done at the same time that your site entry content (the first content visitors see) must be broad and varied enough to capture search engine visitors who use general phrases to search for products. This is a tough task that challenges any SEO.

Market Access

Customers travel in predictable ways via the Internet. Search engine indexes are important pointers for that flow of traffic, however popular sites also direct a lot of Web use and you need to tap into the best sites with plenty of traffic. Your access to prospective customers is important. Being always present in search engine results ensures that you're always there when your customer is looking for information, replacement products or accessories. That omnipresence has to be built but with it comes access to the market. Your always there presence could mean PPC advertising, banner ads, sponsorships, public relations, partnerships, co-marketing and offline advertising.

Allow Keyword-based Entry Points for your Site

This entryway content organization is more than just building topical doorway pages. It means having truly original and valuable content in the first page the visitor arrives on, and having additional navigation routes that allow them to drill down to find other information they need to make a purchase decision. Even if they arrive at your home page, they should find a button or link to get immediately to where they want to go. If they want a Sony digital camera, make sure they can get to it fast and stay on a navigation path that answers everything about Sony digital cameras and why they should buy one now.

Value-Added Content

Adding value can be accomplished by offering information, education, tips, free downloads, entertainment, coupons, loyalty programs and links to sites that support the value of your business.

Purposeful Information

Shoppers need the right information to find a product and then to justify their decision to buy it. Any gaps in the processs is a point where theyl slip away. Know what information is a trigger point for sales and you're one your way to making sales.

Convenience

Quick access to popular products and alternatives to those products. Convenience begins with search engines, but only ends with ease of repurchase and fast shipping.

Exclusive Supplier

Sell popular items that are customized so they are one of a kind. If customers believe your products are commodities then they'll just comparison shop till they drop. Make them feel special about having a one of a kind item.

Personality

Your site should have the right personality as expressed in design and assembly of content. Your content and intent needs to be almost transparent to visitors so they'll relax and absorb your content. Transparent means your site is completely in-sync with their attitudes, values and expressions. Once they move into their "comfort zone" they'll contact you or even make a purchase. Your site is now a valuable extension of their place in the world. They'll actually come to rely on your site and services as a reference point. That's success.

Fast Shipping and Delivery

Clear shipping information is part of staying in their comfort zone. Fast shipping at least attempts to fulfill an impulse purchase.

Return Policy

A good return policy keeps you in their comfort zone, so if you can afford the expense of returns, by all means offer it. Sites selling garments for instance can do everything in their power to give customers the feel and fit of a garment, but the customer won't know until they actually try it on. Tell the customer to be careful in how they try the garment on and remind them not to damage or soil it. People need reminders and you need to protect your products.

Trust - Credibility

Trust and credibility are key aspects of the comfort zone. A professionally designed site is very important, but it must have a human face to it or your company will appear cold and unresponsive. Testimonials are good but not enough. You have to show you are a leader in your product category and that sales are happening at your site. A better business bureau logo and a privacy statement are good credibility builders.

Copyright 2004 Bay Street SEO

SEO Companies | e-tailing | e-commerce | e-metrics |