Building eCommerce

Hopefully as time progresses, I’ll be able to post more frequently here. At the beginning I expect posts won’t be too frequent. The subject is fascinating, creating web sites that sell is a major preoccupation of most of us who work on the ‘net. How to do it, where to do it, what a site that is both successful at selling and still provides ongoing value to the visitors is like. These are all subject to a lot of debate.

A great deal depends on the business model you choose. For some, a focus on single page (nearly) sites is the optimum. Using JV and affiliate marketing, along with paid advertising, this kind of site can be highly successful — if you do your research and carefully optimize your sales page and the entire sales process. If you build a site that converts well, affiliates will be overjoyed to send traffic to you.

Other models include sites primarily designed for AdSense or similar forms of monetization. This may seem like a quick shortcut to a decent income, but the truth is a little different. Creating these sites, maintaining them and getting traffic to them is not the simple task that many would have you believe. You’re going to need some hard to find knowledge and some serious tools to do this kind of site well.

Then there is the old stand-by - and still king - the content site. With a content site you can have the advantages of all the models. And one place to focus your energies. People surf for information. A web site that provides valuable information will get traffic. Not all by itself, of course. The internet isn’t a “build it and they will come” type of place. But you won’t need the kind of skills some other modes may require. And there are solutions that make it much easier to build, promote and succeed with this kind of site. If you haven’t yet, go and check out our main page here and then check out the offerings from SBI! or ThirdSphere. A good choice at the beginning can save you a lot of agony and expense and thrashing around.

Dan