Search engine optimization is key to extending the reach of a website.
On the simplest web design stage (WordPress), we look at the simplest ways to implement SEO.
All-In-One SEO by Michael Torbert goes head-to-head against WordPress SEO by Yoast in this episode of PressThis.
Last week, we took a look at what to look for when selecting payment gateways.
This week, we take a look at which to choose in the increasingly crowded market.
Included in this Infographic is information on pricing for the major providers of credit card payment support on a website. It also includes a quick look into whether or not the service has a dedicated or widely supported install base on WordPress, the web’s largest open source CMS and website builder.
This week, the studio went head first into the world of e-Commerce on a WordPress-powered website.
While we had previously talked about the most popular e-Commerce plugins, WooCommerce and WP e-Commerce, we took a look at two others.
The two popular plugins in question were MarketPress and JigoShop. Below is the video review of the two.
In the process of setting up any business online, you are going to need to make money somehow.
And the only true way to do this is with a payment gateway.
A payment gateway is a service, preconfigured to accept all forms of major credit cards, that makes the process of selling product to end-users much easier.
Any business, whether it be a small outfit selling on Amazon or the Amazon company themselves, must use a payment gateway to make financial transactions happen.
The talk of choosing which gateway to use is something that we will discuss in another piece, because there is more to think about here before jumping right into the thick of it.
You have come a long way.
You have decided upon a course of action for your eCommerce page.
You have even implemented the proper course of action in creating an eCommerce website.
Now it is finally time to get your eCommerce website noticed by the general public.
While promotion may seem secondary to the actual creation of the website, it is not.
Without some form of promotion, there is no way for anyone to find the product that they are looking to purchase.
Promotion comes in better forms than simply posting banner ads on other websites. Read below to discover the best way to promote your website.
This week, a number of great segments were released.
We looked at a few tools to integrate social media on your website, a guide on how to sell your product online, and even the newest stories from the WordPress community.
In our weekly series PressThis, where we look at two WordPress plugins or WordPress themes and review them, we looked at Social Media sharing plugins.
Shareaholic was the more graphic of the two interfaces, with plenty of options for those with tons of social media accounts. The list was gargantuan. The downside to Shareaholic was that there was no Facebook “Like” button to put inside of a post. The great news was that Shareaholic had analytics tracking from either Google or Shareaholic built-in to the plugin.
Digg Digg was the more technical plugin of the two, with more customization and the power of a floating toolbar for social media. There was also a Facebook “Like” button. We like those buttons.
Unfortunately, there was no form of analytics within this plugin, and the amount of social media networks, while still large, paled in comparison to that of Shareaholic.
So you have followed the steps in Part 1 of this lesson.
You now know what type of website you are looking to create.
…Or you are at least aware of how to grow your business on the Internet from a frameworked perspective.
The objective of Part 2 is to take these ideas and physically build the website.
In the interest of keeping the topic focused on making an e-commerce website, I will assume you have already selected a website domain name and have received some form of hosting.
If the need is there for discovering the best options for domain names, SEO, and hosting services, let us know in the comments section below and we will contact you or may even create a new series of posts based on that advice.
The idea of building your own e-commerce website is to go beyond that of a traditional landing page on Amazon and beyond a profile with a few reviews on eBay.
There are many different options that people have when it comes to creating websites.
You can create a website with HTML or CSS. You could also generate some websites with specifically geared e-commerce themes and websites. Examples of this include places like shopify and bigcartel.
The option that this studio chooses, and one that is the most dynamic and dramatic, however, is WordPress. WordPress is a free, open-source website tool that powers many if not most of the world’s most popular websites.
The most important benefit of WordPress for the end user is that it provides you with many plugins to use to personalize your website. Let’s discuss why and how to go WordPress for your eCommerce site.
PressThis is back.
This week, we discuss two plugins to grow your business socially, Shareaholic and Digg Digg.
These plugins are great for those who want to get their content seen by as many people as possible.
Greetings WordPressers!
In this Week in WP, we talk about the newest announcements on the WordPress front.
Your mobile device gets even better WordPress support, the default theme Twenty Twelve launches on WordPress.org WordPress accounts, and the first beta is launched for the upcoming WordPress 3.5.
The Internet is becoming THE place to buy products and services.
It means faster access to product information and public opinion.
It means a one click buying and shipping experience.
It means generally lower overhead costs.
To get in on this digital market, you can pay for a service or marketplace to do the work. This action generally incurs a pay per month/per transaction fee.
You can build your website from the ground up to both promote and sell your product and only your product.
Both are valid options, but the ultimate decision of create or join should be thought about hard and discussed.
There are a number of options at your disposal when selling a product online. The first thing you should always do before creating or selling anything is ask some questions.
This sounds like a pretty obvious question to be asking, but it will determine which path you should take online.
In some cases, the answer will be to create a basic personal website. In some cases, a more intense e-commerce solution is required. In others, it is better to use traditional Internet channels.
Let’s look at some scenarios.