Web 2.0 Stores > Fast, Simple, Search Engine Friendly Ecommerce

Ecommerce Store Marketing

Listed below is Information and Features for Web 2.0 Stores marketing and promotion.

Marketing, SEO & Crawlers

• Search Engine Friendly Pages: Many ecommerce platforms create product pages from a database that are not easily found or indexed by search engines and meta crawlers. Instead, look for store features that create search engine optimized urls (mod_rewrite) or pages (static urls) designed to be attractive to search engines (crawlers) and help drive additional traffic to a merchant’s storefront.

* Web 2.0 Stores come standard with search engine friendly pages and static urls so search engine crawlers and users can easily reference page urls instead of seeing dynamic urls and program session ID’s.

• Unique Page Titles: Many ecommerce stores do not create unique page titles for each product, category or sub-page. It is better to use a platform that offers tools to create unique titles or automates the task based off the keywords on each page.

* Web 2.0 Stores allow merchants to determine the text to be used for page titles on each and every page. Methods you can choose from include manually entering in each title, setting a defualt or having the software generate page titles based off the products or text on each page.

• Meta Tag Manager: As with page titles, it is important to have a feature that allows merchants to create and edit page header descriptions and keywords meta tags. These meta tags do not hold the same importance as they once did, but search engine optimizers maintain that description and keyword tags should still be used in page headers, especially on important pages.

* Web 2.0 Stores give storefront owners complete control over meta tags including page header descriptions and keywords. Merchants can choose to manually enter in each meta tag, set default meta tags, or include custom meta tags for each and every page built by the program.

• Adding Page Header Code: Some ecommerce platforms let store owners add additional HTML or code into page headers (between ‘head’ and ‘/head’) so they can make use of special code that needs to be included on each page within the header section. Programs such as Google Analytics require a snippet of code be added to pages in order to use Google’s tracking service.

* Web 2.0 Stores allow merchants to add additional HTML or code inside each and every page ‘head’ section for various uses including custom meta tags, additional style sheets, favicons or programs that require code be added into store page headers.

• Advanced Site Search: Merchants who sell hundreds or even thousands of products will surely need a way for customers to effectively search, find or browse the items they are looking for. Having a search feature, or advanced search function helps store users find exactly what they are looking for in a quick, simple and easy way.

* Web 2.0 Stores allow customers to search through the entire product catalog by either using a standard search bar or an advanced search function to browse and display products based on customer keyword or key phrase search queries.

• Bulk Mail Notification: Some ecommerce platforms allow merchants to send bulk email notifications to customers or registered store users in order to keep them up to date on new store features, special offers, sales or discounts. It is better to have a bulk notification system rather than using typical email to send similar emails to store customers.

* Web 2.0 Stores come standard with a bulk email notification system for store merchants to send update emails to customers or registered users. Merchants can choose whether they would like to send an email to all, some or just one customer in plain text or HTML format.

• Newsletter Manager: Some merchants like having the ability to send their store customers a monthly newsletter in order to keep up to date on current and future store promotions, specials or discounts. Customers can usually opt-in to begin receiving the newsletters and opt-out anytime if they wish to cancel their subscription.

* Web 2.0 Stores allow storefront owners to quickly and easily set up and manage a newsletter subscription service for their store customers. Customers and registered users have the option to subscribe or unsubscribe anytime they wish to start or stop receiving merchant store newsletters.

• Store Site Map: Many ecommerce stores have thousands of pages with products and text content that needs to be indexed by search engines and meta crawlers if merchants hope to be found by customers who search for their products by keyword on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines. Without a site map, it may take longer to get products listed prominently within search engine indices. Store site maps are also a good way to help customers find the products or pages they are looking for in a quick and easy way.

* Web 2.0 Stores take site maps to the next level. Each storefront includes product listing pages (user site map) with items from each category and subcategory listed for customers to browse. In addition, we have included a Google compliant XML file (crawler site map) which automatically notifies Google (ping) each time an update to the store is made by the merchant.

• Page Data Feeds: Some ecommerce platforms allow for special files called ‘Data Feeds’ (XML, RSS, atom) which are implemented so that customers and registered users can receive product or news updates in real time via really simple syndication (RSS). These data feeds also help merchants to get the word out about their store products through RSS submission to popular shopping services, RSS search engines and feed directories.

* Web 2.0 Stores come standard with RSS data feeds for content pages and product pages generated by the ecommerce software. Merchants can easily submit their store data feeds to popular RSS search engines and directories with one click.

• Bulk Product Uploads: One great way to attract more customers and store users is to list all of your products on shopping engines and comparison shopping sites. It can be a tedious task if you are forced by your software to upload each product one by one. Rather, it is better to make use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and upload your entire catalog via one easy bulk submission to each comparison shopping engine.

* Web 2.0 Stores come standard with and bulk file creator and FTP submission system for comparison engines like Google Base (Froogle), Yahoo Shopping and Shopzilla (Bizrate). You can easily create and add all your product listings, images and links to each comparison site via one easy step.

• Social Tagging: One good way to help users and search engines find relevant products is to have the ability to assign keyword ‘tags’ to each item in the product catalog. Tagging products with the most relevant keywords will allow search engine crawlers to properly index those items under the appropriate phrases and also helps users by directing them to all the products related to a specific tag.

* Web 2.0 Stores ecommerce software is one of the only platforms to offer social tagging features for products within the store catalog. Merchants can assign keyword tags to each product or item and the software will display a social tag cloud on the sidebar and product listing pages.

Contact us any time for a Web 2.0 Stores DEMO.