| LED Digest 2547: Improving Conversions |
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The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom www.WillMaster.com/Master : the LED's Key Sponsor Master Series Software - Get Connected with Your WebSite www.SEOToolSet.com/training/ : the LED's Premier Sponsor Bruce Clay's Search Engine Optimization Training & Certification ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. December 4, 2007 Issue no. 2547 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ====== NEW ===================== --== Improving Conversions ==-- ~ Phil Chave ==== CONTINUING ================= --== The Bontragers ==-- ~ Steve M Nash --== Calling Out SEOElite ==-- ~ Brett Atkin ~ Big Bill --== Charging Shipping ==-- ~ Mary Findley ~ Lee Roberts ~ Kris Driessen ========== NEW =================================== From: Phil Chave Subject: Marketing assistance Hi Adam, a question for all the entrepreneurs on the LED. My website showcases 6 CD's of healing meditations, specific to certain conditions, that I recorded myself over the past year, with a view to their being around 30 over the next couple of years. They are good recordings, done with a quality mic, mixed with Cool Edit Pro2 and carry proper licensed backing music. So far the sales have not been brilliant, but I'm not disheartened enough yet not to continue, as I'm sure there is a much bigger market available if the message and presentation is right. I'm convinced this is a presentation issue, not a product issue, as, of the sales that are made from the site, every single piece of feedback so far, has been positive. Each product has its own page on the site, with buttons to purchase through Paypal. Weekly sales vary between 8 and 12 in total. The site has about 100 pages and averages 5,000 unique visitors per week. The CD's are on 6 dedicated pages, but some of the other pages have links to the sales pages because there is a relationship through subject. So perhaps 10 out of the 100 pages are responsible for sales, or 500 pages viewed. I'm averaging 10 sales per week, or 2/100, which is of course, search related traffic, so I'm already advantaged in that respect. Somewhere I read that it can be as low as 0.2%, so I guess I should be pleased. So that's all I'm doing at the moment, is relying on search related traffic to bring in pre-qualified visitors. I'd be delighted if LEDer's with marketing experience could suggest ways of moving this project forward. The site is www.distanthealer.co.uk and all the discs link off the bottom third of the index page. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and assistance. Don't worry I'm thick skinned and willing to learn from you. Kind regards Phil Chave ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Steve Nash Subject: Bontragers Hello I'm going to comment on the Bontragers being new sponsors of LED (this would be my first comment in a very long time). I'm not sure if commenting on a sponsor is 'appropriate' but seeing as the comment was there... So, I've used free and paid-for software from the Bontragers over the years, and swapped a few emails with Will, and even done an interview with him re. spam-reduction ( http://www.squidoo.com/AskWill/ ) - and I've always been impressed with their professionalism, as well as the quality of the software on offer, quite a lot of it free. That's why I offer this unsolicted testimonial on their behalf and I heartily welcome their new sponsorship. Indeed, I highly recommend that all LEDers check out what the Bontragers have to offer - their software provides low-cost solutions to many common web-related problems (e.g. spam) and also allows site-personalisation, and content generation. Quite literally, something for everyone. And, again, Will did not pay me to write this post. :-) This is just an opportunity I could not resist to promote such excellent, and useful, software to a wider audience. Steve M Nash -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Brett Atkin Subject: SEOElite First off, I want to thank Brad [Callen] directly for putting together that video, it helps to see data in the context of a live site. It is impossible to dispute live numbers. Thanks! Based on what I saw in the video and something you directly pointed out, is it safe to say a majority of your revenue is derived from affiliates? I did watch your video on traffic stats. It didn't change my initial impression. Getting traffic is easy, getting targeted traffic for meaningful keywords isn't. Once they are there, having a well-written call to action that drives subsequent conversion is another matter entirely. Based on the numbers and examples you show in the stats video, your conclusions are accurate, but I think it takes much more than just traffic to generate the results you've experienced. I think that is the root of my skepticism. Unless I'm missing something major, your success is not just based on SEO, it is based on what happens once the visitors are on your site. If the copy stinks, the call to action is poorly placed or non-existent and the price point doesn't match the product being offered, it wouldn't matter if I had 100,000 daily visitors. I'm not going to have the success that you've had. I don't buy the idea that you can't show what sites you've produced that have generated your success based on the functionality of your product. I would think you would want people to know. Based on your stats video, more traffic means more income. Adam, you mentioned PPC, I believe Brad's product and resulting successes are based entirely on organic search results to sites that generate their income from direct sales, not PPC ads and don't use PPC ads to generate traffic. Is that correct Brad? I think Ron makes a good point about applying that to a variety of markets and products. I don't know Brad's mix of clients, so I can't speak to the success or failure of his product in that context but it would be interesting to know how the product works across different industries, products (hard goods, soft goods, etc.) and product price points. Thanks again for the quick follow-up Brad and to Adam for providing a forum to discuss things like this. Brett Atkin http://www.BrettAtkin.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Big Bill Subject: SEOElite Hi all, I use it routinely. I like it. I recommend it. It does seem to have a problem with nofollow, though, wrongly stating links to be nofollowed when in fact they're fine. I always double-check if it's important. The rest of its results I have no reason to doubt, which is why it's such a great tool. Anyone else notice this problem with it? BB ========= Begin Sponsor Message ========= Meet The Bontrager Team A decade of web site software, and service to back it up. Here's a new web site, prepared just for you. Get to know us and what we offer for your web site. http://www.FlowTo.us/LED It's a "get acquainted catalog". ========== End Sponsor Message ========== -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Mary Moppins Subject: Shipping fraud > I recently purchased 2 flags online... I noticed > an additional separate charge of $2.20 from the > very same company. The answer I was told, was extra > shipping charges... in my mind it's theft as I did > not authorize the additional charge. - Robert Joy, LED Digest 2544 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1959/190/ Hi Robert, Hopefully this will answer your question about the additional freight charge. No it was not fraud and yes the flag company should alter their shipping rates to reflect these charges. I also have been shipping with UPS for a long time and FedEx did the same thing. Ever since the gas prices started rising UPS has tacked on some additional charges to their normal freight. I always see a fuel surcharge, which can be anywhere from 50 cents to $1. Then there is a residential surcharge generally of $.85 to $1.50. The $2.20 probably came because you live outside of the major delivery area. If the general delivery area say is Portland, Oregon but you live in Gresham then you are going to have that additional surcharge called out of area surcharge. Unfortunately that charge does not show up until after the shipment has been made. I never see them even with my online account until I receive my monthly bill. I have a set freight charge because I also use Mals shopping cart and have been very pleased with the system. Only on the first page of my checkout you will find a note stating shipping may change according to weight, distance etc. It is unfortunate the flag company has not compensated for this by adding additional freight to start. Without a doubt they are loosing valued referral business. It is tacky to add more freight after the initial charge has been made. At the very least they had an obligation to email you to let you know there would be an additional charge for out of area delivery. Best, Mary Findley Mary Moppins http://www.goclean.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Lee Roberts Subject: Shipping fraud Many wonderful people posted their thoughts about shipping issues and I enjoyed reading each. There are many ways we can look at the situation. Unfortunately we do not always have the opportunity to know all the facts unless one asks. 1. What was the cost of the flags? 2. Does the business drop ship and never know the true shipping rates until they are billed? 3. What was the original shipping cost? 4. Was a handling fee already charged? 5. Does the website have a visible shipping policy? Regrettably, when someone feels they are wrongly charged the first thought is that the merchant is dishonest. While this may be the case, it isn’t always the case. As mentioned by John Cooper, LED 2545, UPS, FEDEX, DHL and all other shipping carriers offer estimates and often these estimates are lower than the actual charges. As a shopping cart company CEO, I clearly understand the problems faced by merchants and their customers. UPS has attempted to remedy the problem with determining proper charges based upon delivery address classification. When the shopping cart is properly programmed to work with UPS, UPS can then provide more accurate rates. The problems arise when any of the following occur: 1. Inaccurate weights are entered for the product (net weight versus packed weight is used) 2. Address is inaccurately entered (UPS address validation helps eliminate this problem) 3. Address is changed in transit 4. Dimensions are not provided to the shipping provider 5. The shopping cart fails to properly calculate dimensions and weights for multiple product orders 6. There are a few other instances Products that require being shipped via freight carriers, commonly called less than load (LTL) really create a problem for the consumer and business alike. As fuel costs fluctuate sometimes more than once per day it additionally fluctuates based upon geographic zone. Prices in California may be $0.75 to $1.00 more per gallon compared to the prices in Oklahoma or Texas. The term Caveat Emptor truly applies on the Internet. Shipping policies may be visible, but not reviewed before purchasing. While this opens the door for the customer to be charged without knowledge or consent. Credit card companies do accept these policies and making the purchase implies knowledge and agreement with the stated policies. Refund policies are accepted in the same manner. There is no legal requirement for a store to provide a refund or exchange of merchandise. Store credits can be given. Product exchanges get really interesting when dealing with music, videos, and other copyrighted material. It’s up to the consumer to understand the business’ policies and abide by them once s/he makes a purchase. Regards, Lee Roberts http://www.merchantmetrix.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Kris Driessen Subject: Shipping Fraud Robert Joy's comment about shipping fraud touched a nerve for me. I ship maybe 10 orders a day from our Internet store. Getting the shopping cart to charge an accurate amount for shipping is a challenge to say the least. Each carrier, including the post office, has its own weight/size/distance rules which means that the best I can give Generic Customer is a good guesstimate. But I do tell customers on the shipping page and within the shopping cart that the shipping amount stated by the cart is only an estimate. My guess is that the flag company did not, or perhaps Robert didn't see it. If the words "shipping costs are estimated" are not on their website, then they have learned a fairly inexpensive lesson - fix it, fast! Kris (c) Copyright 1995-2007 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- I miss you Sally and Lilly :) |
