Broken links are links that lead to pages that do not exist. When clicking on a broken link, the page you land on is called a 404 error page, and that indicates that the requested URL doesn’t exist.

Even the most diligent site-owner can have broken links on their site. Whether the broken links are a mistake or because a page has legitimately been removed, it’s still frustrating for users to suddenly come across a 404 error. Most of the time, the immediate response would be to simply leave the current site in favor of another one because both people and search engines consider broken links an untrustworthy sign.

There are many tools online for checking and removing invalid URLs. If you have a Google Webmaster Tools account, they offer an easy to use diagnostic tool that will check this for you. Webmaster Tools provides a Remove URL tool, which allows you to remove invalid pages from Google search results. First things first, sign up for a Webmaster Tools account if you don’t already have one. It’s free to sign up. Once you add your site, you will be prompted to verify the site (to prove that you have ownership of the site).

1. In the left-hand side navigation menu, click on Diagnostics
2. In the Diagnostics menu, click on Crawl Errors.
3. At the top of the list of “Issues Google encountered when crawling your site”, click on the Not Found category.
4. To make sure that the URL is indeed indexed in Google, copy and paste the URL into Google’s search and see if any result comes up.
5. To remove URLs from Google’s search results, click on Site Configuration in the left-hand navigation menu, and select Crawler Access.
6. Select Remove URL (which will be the third option in the Crawler Access menu at the top of the new menu window that appears).
7. Click on New removal request.
8. You will be asked to enter the URL of the address you would like to completely remove from Google search results. You can copy and paste the address from the list of broken URLs that Google previously provided.
9. Click on Next. The URL to be removed should now appear in the list of requested. If you would like, you can add more pages for removal.

There are a variety of reasons why a link might appear with a 404 File Not Found error, including links to a product that you have sold out of and hidden. Webmaster Tools doesn’t provide an explanation for why the links appear in the broken list. If you created a blog post and then changed the address of the post after Google had already indexed it, this could result in a File Not Found error. If you are using a system that recommends items “If you like, you may also like this…”, a link might appear broken if a suggested product is hidden. The link checker tool is a valuable resource that can help you uncover problem with the way that your site is indexed that you might not have been aware of. An example might be a broken link to a contact form. If people are trying to contact you but the form doesn’t work, you may never know, because they may just give up.

While pages that repeatedly return 404 errors will naturally fall from the index over time, there may be a case when you want to remove something quickly. For instance, private content that was accidentally posted, such as credit card information, could be removed using this tool.

Have you heard of Google’s new “+1″ button? It parallels the Facebook ‘Like’ button and strengthens Google’s grasp on social media and their attempts to deliver personal, customized, relevant search results.

There is a big difference between Facebook’s system of liking posts and Google’s button, and it has its own unique implications for SEO and blogs, Adwords users, and how you present your business to the masses. For SEO adopters and bloggers, the worry is that a site that isn’t getting “+1s” will be pushed down the search results in favor of sites that are more heavily “liked.” Users can also “+1″ AdWords ads, and although at this time Google says that they won’t use that against their advertisers, they are collecting a lot of information about what ads their users like which we can bet they will find some significant use for.

Check out “Google’s New +1 Button” article, which we just posted on HeroWeb.com, for the complete run down on how you can use this new development to your advantage, as well as these and other pitfalls to be aware of.

To make it in the Ecommerce game there are a lot of details to stay on top of. I like to think of these details as your assets. Each asset needs to be tracked and cared for. Here is a list of some of the top assets you need to manage:

Your Website. If you are in the Ecommerce biz, it goes without saying that you have a website. Hopefully you have a CMS (Content Management System) for updating your website info, products, and pricing. If not, you better start looking around since being able to actively manage your own website is of paramount importance for running a successful Ecommerce business.

Advertising Spend. If you are doing any type of paid advertising, make sure you have some automated reporting set up so you can stay on top of your advertising spending as well as your Return on Ad Spend. Letting a paid advertising campaign run on cruise control can cause you to burn through a lot of money. So be sure to either track your own campaigns or work with a pro to do the analysis for you.

Domains. Time and again we see site-owners let their domains lapse. Why? Because they have changed their email accounts and never updated their domain registration account. When the renewal notice goes out, they never see it. Be sure to work with a reputable registrar and keep your domain records up-to-date. If you have multiple domains consolidate them with one registrar and do a yearly review of your registrations.

Passwords. I just wrote a post a few days ago on selecting good passwords. As an extension of that discussion you need to put a system in place for managing all your passwords. If you are going full-tilt with Ecommerce, you could easily have a dozen username/password combos to manage. Our quick recommendations: come up with a password creation system and create a list that includes accounts, usernames, and password hints. Don’t keep an easily accessible list of all your usernames and passwords in one place. Such a list represents a significant security vulnerability for your business.

Customer database. There is a strong correlation between your ability to build long term relationships with your customers and your success in the Ecommerce world. Each online order should go into a database that you can utilize later for follow-up offers and customer connections. Equally important is a list of contacts who might not have purchased from you in the past but have expressed an interest in your business or products. If you engage in email marketing, be sure to use industry-accepted practices. You do not want to send emails to customers who don’t want to receive them and you should give your customers the option to opt into your email promotions.

Links. Your success in obtaining top placement in the major search engines relies, in  part, on the links coming into your site. It is your job to encourage links, request them, and do your best to ensure that links coming into your site use link text related to your keyword phrases.

Reputation. In an increasingly social world, more and more customers and associates will have something to say about your business in a range of online venues. Perhaps people will be talking about you on Facebook, private blogs, or review sites like Yelp.com. You want to be in-the-know about what is being said about you and respond when appropriate.

You very well may have other assets that are important to your online business. By putting systems in place to manage all your assets you will be in an excellent position to grow a healthy ecommerce business.

If I dare bring up the subject of “passwords” to a customer I typically get an immediate response of an uncomfortable groan or moan. With the proliferation of social media sites, web service accounts, and other logins, managing passwords has become ever more daunting.

But, as painful as they are, good password policies are the cornerstone of any  sound security program. And, if you have an Ecommerce site and are serious about PCI Compliance, you want to formulate a password policy for your business and stick by it.

Here is a simple idea to help you with creating good passwords. You can think of it as a word game of sorts.

1. Start with a group of names that mean something to you. Perhaps the characters from Star Wars. Or maybe, your past spouses (okay, that one will only work if you have had a checkered marital past!).

2. Then layer on top a group of numbers that are already etched into your mind. Perhaps it could be the birthdates of your kids. Or it could be the uniform numbers of your five favorite basketball players.

3. And then think of a substitution you can use. For example, you will replace instances of the letter A with an Ampersand.

Using this methodology, I have come up with the following password: Y69d12n03&

What is that pattern, you ask? It is my brother’s name, Andy, spelled backwards, with his birthdate interspersed between the letters. For good measure, I swapped out the A with an Ampersand and led things off with an uppercase Y.

Compare this password to something like “Andy1234″ which would immediately flunk any password test. Why? Because a password with recognizable words, names, and number sequences is an easy target for a password cracking program. My more complex pattern only make sense to me.

If I used my password formula in conjunction with my other siblings’ names and meaningful dates, I could have a set of passwords that would be relatively easy for me to remember, but difficult to get hacked. The key is if I remember my formula, I can come up with a complex combination of characters without actually having to memorize a bunch of gibberish. The goal is meaningful gibberish.

Passwords and security are a dead-serious topic. But by having a little fun with your password selection you will help yourself in creating strong passwords that will serve your business well.

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving, is a day for family, friends, and appreciation of the gifts in life. And, hopefully, you have the luxury to take the weekend to relax and spend time with those you love. But next week… I encourage you to set aside a chunk of time to start formulating your Ecommerce strategy for 2010.

Not that you need to nail it right away, but see if you can set the process in motion. Review your ’09 numbers, look at the opportunities and threats before you, and begin to formulate a plan for how to best use your time and resources.

I will have more to say on strategic Ecommerce planning over the next week.

We have put together an article on the HEROweb website called “What’s Your Web Strategy for 2010?” to help get you going. Have a look when the time is right and see if it helps get the creative juices flowing. And, in the meantime, all the best for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

In the Internet business, with rapidly evolving technologies and platforms, many ideas have a short half-life.

I was pleasantly surprised to revisit an article we wrote in 2005: Thirteen Ways to Evaluate an Ecommerce Provide, and to see the article was still relevant.

Ok, maybe the Google Page Rank reference is a little dated. But in hunting through the hundreds of Ecommerce providers, you really need to be able to seek out a company that is going to be able to grow with your business.

Back in ’05 you could get away with selling generic products on a generic website. But those days are coming to an end as the web shopping audience matures and the competition continues to increase. Your Ecommerce vendor needs to be as much a service provider and strategist as a technology agent.

What factors do you see as the most important for choosing an Ecommerce vendor to work with?

If you get 1000 site visitors a day and have a conversion rate of 2.00%  you  are going to get 20 orders each day. Understanding this simple Total Order equation will get you on the road to planning your ecommerce strategy.

Pushing (and monitoring) either of those key numbers is a great place to put your attention and will help you toward meeting your website revenue goals.

Analytics Data is Your Friend

If you don’t know the details of the traffic flowing into your site you are pretty much hunting in the dark. There are quite a few analytics packages out there. Google Analytics is free, easy to install, and quite accurate.

To take the Total Order equation a step further, if you can track and analyze the sources of your site visitors  you can get more specific in your approach than just wistfully thinking you would love to have another 250 visitors next week.

Here is the Top Traffic Sources table from Google Analytics for a sample ecommerce site:

Now that you see the breakdown of the sources of traffic you can formulate some intelligent questions and dig deeper into your data.

1. The example site above is getting a high percentage from organic traffic. On your own site, are the search terms driving organic traffic the ones that will result in orders or are you seeing a lot of “soft” traffic from irrelevant searches?

2. Are you already putting a bunch of effort into search optimization or another source like Google Product Feed? If so, are you seeing any measurable changes in the traffic level from that source? Ecommerce sites should really be able to capitalize on Google Product Feed and other comparison shopping engines at this point in time.

3. Do you have a high flow from a particular referral source? In the graphic above, traffic is coming from ecomall.com. Have you checked out the listing on the referring site and made sure that it stands out on the page and goes to the best location on your site? Perhaps, since the one referral source is working for you there are other similar opportunities, either free or paid, that will really help boost your traffic.

4. Is Google organic traffic your first or second source? If not, this could mean you are radically underperforming with your search optimization. If you have a new site, you might need to be a patient, but if your site is more than six months old, you likely want to assess your search optimization efforts and incoming links.

5. Direct traffic is comprised of visitors who directly type your url in the browser, have created a bookmark, or come from some other source that Google can’t recognize the referrer. If you have a high percentage of direct traffic, it is worth considering whether this is coming from offline advertising. If so, we recommend adjusting your ad urls so you can track that traffic more closely. If the offline advertising is generating sales, that is a great piece of information to know as you will want to consider budgeting money for effective advertising venues.

The more specific you can get about looking at your analytics data the more effectively you can decide where to put your efforts and resources for driving more high-quality traffic.

We love to talk analytics. Let us know if you have any insights to offer.

I expected to wake on this post-Halloween Monday to the sight of ecommerce websites, plastered with holiday splendor. Surprisingly, the holiday spirit seems quite subdued.

Many of the big-boxers – Amazon, BestBuy, and the like – seem to have sparse holiday messaging and specials. They are taking the scattered snowflake approach. Target.com is pushing their Christmas message more strongly.

I can’t believe it won’t be long before we are hammered with the holiday sales blitz -  uh, I mean, spirit.

If you are a “little box” retailer it is time to get on your game. In the words of GaryVee it is time to Crush It!

We won’t repeat all of our past holiday strategical offerings, but in this year of high unemployment and frosty revenue forecasts, do your best to make some low-cost, high impact moves and dress up your website with your best holiday cheer.

We have two quick suggestions.

Task #1: Make sure you do in fact have a holiday strategy.

If you just passively sit on the sidelines and hope that holiday shopping is just going to happen, you are likely to be in for a few lumps of coal and not much else.

Task #2: Start to tune  your site with some up-beat holiday cheer. Make it clear, when your shoppers arrive, that you are ready for them with the best you have to offer.

If you want some feedback on your site and your plans, let us know. We would be happy to talk.

Greetings at 1:03 in the morning on November 1, 2009. We are upping the ante with the MightyMerchant Ecommerce Blog by jumping on the NaBloPoMo express.

What the heck is that, you ask? NaBloPoMo is short for National Blog Posting Month. It is, among other things, a commitment to do one blog post a day for the entire month.

Our ground rules are simple:

1. We will post at least once every day in November.

2. Each post will be LONGER than 140 characters. If not, then why the heck not just tweet it.

3. All posts will be somehow related to Ecommerce and web marketing for small business.

Blogging is a regular habit that needs to be cultivated and it is also a key piece of a successful social media strategy that many small ecommerce businesses should consider. A significant percentage of the businesses we work with often get stuck and frustrated right out of the gate and end up in the pile of dead and discarded blogs. (Ooh, that is a disturbing image.)

Of course, there are also the superstars who stick with it and learn to post great content on a regular basis and develop a loyal following.

Big talk ain’t worth much in the web business. We see a lot of so-called social media experts regurgitating all the bullet points about what you should be doing to be successful. Well, we are putting our money where our mouth is by getting in the daily blogging habit ourselves. And, hey, if NaBlogPoMo is inspirational to you, please join us and let us know.

Game on!

I had a great conversation with a new Ecommerce customer, Ann Marie, yesterday. She was jazzed about launching into our new website project. And the first thing Ann Marie did was go out and buy a little notebook. Smart move!

Whether you opt for the virtual/electronic notebook or the good old-fashioned spiral bound, you need to put some organizational tools in place before you plunge into the Ecommerce world.

To put it a little more sternly, unless you can keep a handle on your various accounts, web presences, administrative pages, and key business relationships, you will be sunk.

Ecommerce has evolved over the past decade. Success doesn’t hinge on just having a simple website. You need to also do some or all of these tasks: incorporate a merchant account, interface with shipping vendors, be on top of your domain registration, possibly manage social media accounts, and keep up with PCI security scanning.

A first step is to keep a list of all the mission critical accounts, usernames, and access urls that make up your Ecommerce business. You will also need to devise a system for tracking your passwords without actually writing down the complete passwords in a non-secure location.

I don’t mean to over-state the importance of good record-keeping, but we have seen too many horror stories of site owners who can’t get on top of the basics of managing their business.

The classic example is when site owners set up a new email address and neglect to change their original email address associated with their domain registration. The next steps in this saga: they don’t get their domain renewal notification, their site is off-line, and then they end up going through some heartache to get the situation resolved.

Get your Ecommerce house in order. You will be glad you did.