Ecommerce website owners know that offering affordable shipping options can set them apart from their competition. However, clearly communicating delivery expectations to your customers can also make the difference in the sale.

Many ecommerce websites often neglect including delivery information at all, are very vague about it or bury the information on a FAQ page.  This is a missed opportunity. Making the choice to actively include comprehensive delivery information on your site will help to distinguish your business, provide insight on the quality of your customer service and win the trust of your customers.

Certainly, it will take a bit of consideration to determine a delivery time frame but don’t let that deter you. The important thing to keep in mind is that it must be a reasonable time frame for your business. As the saying goes, it is never good to over-promise and under-deliver.

Why is it important?

Just imagine if a potential customer comes to your website looking for a product they need in a rush. It is much more likely that they will buy the item from your website if you include delivery details over a site offering the same item where this information is not clearly shared. The advantage is definitely in your favor.

What is the best strategy to communicate delivery information to your customers?

• Include delivery information in the banner or sidebar of your site.
  For example, a graphic that says something like “All Orders Ship Next Business Day” would be compelling.
• Include delivery details with your product information.
  Another very effective method is to place the information near the “add to cart” button for each of your products. With this approach you are informing the customer about your delivery details at the moment they are making the decision to buy the item.

Here are a few examples from 3 online booksellers that effectively utilize this strategy:

amazon.com

barnesandnoble.com

powells.com

• Reinforce your delivery message at every opportunity.
  Add your information to the shopping cart pages, the “Thank You” page when the order is submitted and the order confirmation email that a customer receives.

Don’t miss the opportunity to help your potential customers make an informed buying decision by omitting delivery information from your website. It may seem like a small thing but it can make a big difference.

Domain extensions are the domain name suffixes, such as .com, .net, and .org. With all of the country extensions as well as the specialty extensions,  there are over 200 extensions worldwide. And, soon, businesses will be able to buy (for a large sum of money) custom extensions.

So, how may extensions do you need to purchase?

In short, we do not recommend getting carried away with purchasing domains. If possible, you will want to get the .com domain name for your key brand name or the term you most want your business identified with.

There are several reasons why you might want to purchase a large number of domain names. These include:

1. Taking preventative action to try to “lock-up” a particular brand or business name.
2. To control misspellings or variations on your main domain name so you can route traffic to your site for those who mistype your name.
3. You plan to develop multiple sites related to your main business focus.

While there is some merit to controlling your brand and preventing others from encroaching on your business name, we think you would be better off to focus your time and money on creative marketing rather than attempting to lock up a lot of domain names.

This article “Domain Name Registration: Tips on Domain Selection and Buying” is a great resource for selecting a domain name.

Welcome to the Learning the Language of Tech Support sessions, where we discuss how to understand what tech support is trying find out from us and how we can communicate effectively in order to get our tech support needs addressed in a timely manner. Lets face it, most of us are very busy and the quicker we can have an issue resolved the better. This series of blog posts will hopefully assist in giving you some background on speeding up the process of getting your technical issue resolved by knowing what to communicate to tech support.

In today’s session of Learning the Language of Tech Support we will be focusing on a common area in which we have all had to contact tech support about, our email. Email has been around since the 70′s and it does not look to be going away anytime soon. So what happens when a tool we have become so dependent on stops working or gives us an error? We will be going over a few common issues that come up with using a tool in which most of us have become quite dependent on.

An issue that is quite common among email users is “I can receive emails, but I cannot send them.” Sound familiar? This issue is one in which there could be several potential causes and solutions. To provide a bit of background on this issue in particular, if you can receive email but not send, it means that something is likely wrong with how your email client is configured or there has been a change on the server that has caused it to work only halfway. This problem is one that is not limited to only desktop or laptop computers, but also encompasses mobile devices such as smart phones or tablets. When getting ready to contact tech support about the issue here is some essential information you will need that they will undoubtedly ask for:

1.    What email client you are using
2.    Incoming and Outgoing server settings
3.    What the server port number for the outgoing mail server is

These three items are pretty easy to find and are the most common questions tech support will ask when you contact them. The first one, Email Client, has a Tech translation of: Program you use to check your email. The most common email clients are: MS Outlook, Mac Mail, Thunderbird and Windows Live Mail. This should be an easy one.

The second can be a little trickier, Incoming and Outgoing servers have a Tech translation of: The addresses in which data is either sent or received through. In other words, the location in which the email client will be connecting to in order to send and or receive the emails. This information is mostly found within the Accounts area of the email client, this is where we go to create a new account and or modify an existing one. Here is the location within the four major email clients:

Outlook 2010:
1.    Go to File > Info > Email > click on the email in question > Internet E-mail Settings

Mac Mail for OS X (10.5 and up)
1.    Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Account Information.

Thunderbird
1.    Go to Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings (for Incoming Mail Server)
2.    Go to Tools > Accounts Settings > Outgoing Server (SMTP) (for Outgoing Mail Server)

Windows Live Mail
1.    In the side menu, right-click on the account in question and select Properties > Servers

Once you have found the Incoming and Outgoing server settings you can even provide those to tech support right off, as it will save a question and thus speed up the process.

The third is a little more tricky to find, the Port Number for the outgoing server has a Tech translation of: network connections, including those that go over the internet, have specific port numbers in which they use to send information. If a port becomes unavailable or is having a problem, then it can stop accepting new data through it, much like a highway; if there is a wreck, then traffic begins to slow down and eventually will come to a crawl. Once this happens the highway is no longer a good way for fast travel from one location to another. As with highways, ports can become bogged down and unusable, which is why there are alternate ports that can be used. Having the current port number handy will allow tech support to know which one is currently being used and allow them to suggest an alternate port, if the issue is stemming from the port.

Outlook 2010:
1.    Go to File > Info > Email > click on the email in question > Internet E-mail Settings
2.    Click on the “More Settings” button and click on the Advanced tab, the ports will be listed

Mac Mail for OS X (10.5 and up)
1.    Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Account Information > click on the current Outgoing server in the drop-down menu and choose “Edit SMTP Server List”
2.    Click “Advanced” and the ports currently available will be listed

Thunderbird
1.    Go to Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings (for Incoming Mail Server) (Ports will be listed on the same screen)
2.    Go to Tools > Accounts Settings > Outgoing Server (SMTP) (for Outgoing Mail Server) (Ports will be listed on the same screen)

Windows Live Mail
1.    In the side menu, right-click on the account in question and select Properties > Servers (Ports will be listed on the same screen)

Knowing this information and providing it right away you are able to give tech support the information they need to diagnose the issue quickly so they can get to the root of the issue.

Enhancing your website for greater trust and a better customer experience is important, but it can be one of the hardest things to know how to do. We just posted an article on the HeroWeb site about using trust seals on your site.

The article describes what trust seals are (third-party endorsements, essentially, that ensure that your site meets certain trust and security expectations) and some pros and cons about them.

Let us know what your experience has been. Have you ever used trust seals on your site? Did it make a difference in your conversions? Are you thinking about using them? Some sites have seen increased sales when using trust seals, but it can be hard to know whether the increased consumer trust (which hopefully leads to more transactions on your site) is worth the cost of purchasing the seals.

In some ways Ecommerce site owners like to think that Internet shopping is vastly different from shopping in a store and that it has its own set of rules. And that argument can certainly be made, but in so many cases, the fundamentals apply in any shopping environment: online or in a brick-and-mortar store.

A good experience for a person shopping in a brick-and-mortar store is relatively easy to quantify . . . a clean, comfortable environment; friendly shopkeeper; items in stock that the customer wants; items are easy to find and the presentation is appealing, agreeable prices; and a feeling of security in being able to return the item if it doesn’t work. Online, it’s really not so different. Clean, easy to navigate website; helpful, friendly information on the site; items in stock that the customer wants; items are easy to find and the presentation is appealing, agreeable prices; and a feeling of security in being able to return the item if it doesn’t work.

If you’re evaluating how to design your website or possibly considering a redesign, there are some basics of usability that should be your standards for a positive online customer experience.

Create a welcome relationship. Once people order from your site, of course you hope that they will order from you again. Your site should serve to build a relationship with your customers so that they will think of your site the next time they want something for themselves or a gift for someone else. Through the whole shopping experience, you want to welcome the shopper to your store, connect with them, provide them with what they want, and extend yourself to them to build a long-term relationship that will encourage them to come back. The usability on the site needs to support those goals.

Watch a friend or family member navigate your site. One of our recent blog posts, “Raise Your Conversion Rate With User Testing,” suggests sitting down with a family member or friend who does not know your site and is not an experienced Internet user. The blog posts describes key points to evaluate to see if they have trouble navigating the site and order process.

Design a clear and simple navigation system. Users want to know where to find things on the site without having to put much thought into it. They want to know where they are on the site. They want to know how to get back to pages that they previously viewed—a breadcrumb navigation system is great for this (click the link to visit our website for a visual explanation of breadcrumb navigation). And they want to know where else they can go on the site.

Include complete contact information. Present complete contact information including your business phone number and postal address on every page. Include a “Contact Us” page with mailto links or contact form, but also allow for other contact methods.

Include a site search box. A robust site search feature helps visitors quickly locate the information they want.

Keep colors and typefaces consistent. The customer should see your brand, logo and colors throughout the site.

Keep page layout consistent. Use a uniform page structure. Don’t switch the locations of important page elements from one page to the next.

To raise your conversion rate it is critical that you understand how the average user uses your site.  While ordering from your website might seem like a simple process to you, a person less familiar with your website may run in to unanticipated difficulties. User testing is the best tool for uncovering these trouble spots.

If you are on a low budget, one of the best ways to conduct user testing is to sit down with a family member or friend who does not know your site and is not a power Internet user. Take several minutes to watch them closely as they go through the process of placing an order. Observe closely where they have success and where they get stuck.

You might want to start the process by suggesting they go to your site, find a particular product and go through the complete purchase process.

Some of the key issues to evaluate:

1. Can they get from the home page to the specific product page.

2. Do they understand the charges and shipping options.

3. Can they check out.

4. Do they get stuck, confused, or concerned entering their personal information.

5. Can they successfully get their payment to go through.

You might be surprised to find where novice users get hung up. And, many shoppers for consumer products are novice web users!

If you have it in your budget to do some more advanced testing, you can use the service UserTesting.com.

For $39 one of their testers will make a 15 minute video of themselves navigating through your site. They will make comments during the video and send you written comments as well about their experience. You can ask them to do specific tasks such as place an order or find and fill out a contact form. To get a better sense of how it works visit UserTesting.com and watch their intro video. (We don’t have any business relationship with the people at UserTesting.com but think it is a great service).

Take advantage of user testing. Watching someone use your website is an excellent way to expose areas where your site needs improvement.

Recently I was part of a round-table discussion that included prominent people in the arts community where I live. The meet-up group created a Facebook Group, but the question was raised about whether the Group was the best way to get the word out about our meetings. One of the attendees was quite vocal about businesses (and by extension, groups like ours) not needing to bother with traditional websites anymore. Most of us in the group disagreed with him, but since Facebook and Twitter are so popular these days, it can be difficult to articulate to someone who is not involved with internet commerce and marketing just why a traditional website is still so important.

Facebook (along with Twitter) is the most-used social networking site on the web right now. It is becoming increasingly popular for businesses to create a Facebook page before they do much with their website, partly because Facebook is pretty easy to use and gets so much traffic. And yet, for businesses and group like ours, it has some real limitations. It is important for an ecommerce business to have a website and a Facebook presence, because they are very different and complementary vehicles.

One drawback to Facebook is that people must become Fans of your Facebook Page in order to receive updates, so they have to know about you before they can learn what you’re up to. Facebook Pages do not currently have an Inbox, so people can’t use Facebook mail to message you directly. The information fields that are available for you to fill in are determined by the Page category that you select when you first set up the Page, and it can’t be changed once you set it up if you later realize you need more functionality or you made a mistake.

While it’s perfectly fine—and in fact it is really important that you do have a Facbook page!— just keep in mind that it is a different way of interacting with customers, and don’t rely on that to be your only interaction with the world. Many, maybe most, customers will still seek out a regular website in which to find a contact page, at a bare minimum.

The main advantages to having your own website are that with Facebook, you are beholden to Facebook and its way of doing things. With your own site you have a much greater level of control over the content and presentation. Although Facebook enjoys a lot of usage, it is possible that your target audience would be more likely to be receptive to your business/service outside of their Facebook “social time.” (Most Facebook users are on Facebook to interact with their friends; they’re not actively looking up brands to identify with.) Businesses can use Facebook to encourage fans to sign up for a newsletter (you can even add a newsletter sign up form) which would be a great way to use Facebook way to stay in contact.

The need for a traditional website isn’t dead. Facebook reaches a primarily younger audience and allows for creative and often more casual way of keeping in touch with customers that works really well for many businesses and groups. Internet users are still going to search for a traditional website before they search for a Facebook page, so do both!

With some things, having different service providers makes perfect sense. You go to a mechanic’s shop for a broken transmission, and a tire shop when your car gets a flat. A carpet cleaning company can certainly keep your floors clean, but that’s not who you would hire when your walls need painting. The big difference between these examples and service providers for a website is that the carpet cleaner and house painter don’t need to be able communicate with each other in order to complete their work and do a good job. Many web-related service providers specialize in only one area of website design, marketing or tech support, which means you are left navigating many different vendors when you need service in different areas…

Read full article…

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.

One of the strongest pieces of advice I have for small business ecommerce siteowners is to make sure they have given their website the human element.

Doing business online is about building trust. There are many tactics for building trust on an Ecommerce website, including security call-outs, customer reviews, and visible contact information. But at the top of the list is giving your website the human element.

People respond positively to seeing other people who they can connect with. You can build a human connection on your website in a variety of ways:

• Include your own photo.
• Include an audio or video introduction.
• Weave your story into your website which, hopefully, will convey your passion for your business.
• Include photos of other people using your product and possibly talking about your product. (I don’t recommend using generic stock photos.)
• Create characters (people or animals) and weave them throughout your site. Clever characters will help make your site standout and create an image that visitors will want to come back to later.

If your goal is to build a loyal following of customers, the place to start is to meet them with a warm, personal greeting when they first come to your site. The rectangular browser window is not an inherently personal place, but with a little creativity, you can bring the browser window to life for your customers and help them feel great about doing business with you.