I-SALES Web Review
"Data -> Information -> Knowledge -> Wisdom"
List Moderator: Eva Rosenberg
E-Mail evarose@mmgco.com
Published by: AudetteMedia
URL: http://www.audettemedia.com
September 28, 1998 Issue # 122
" http://www.babybestbuy.com "
~ Rod Aries
Subject: http://www.babybestbuy.com
From: "Alain Dekoster"
Subject: http://www.babybestbuy.com
It is an baby clothing store.
Oddly enough the problem that I envision is our prices which are
very low (Every item is below $10.00 but one item) in comparison to the shipping fee which
is weight related. I fear that people would be put off by paying more in shipping fee that
for the cost of the item.
OK, I visited YOUR "baby" which features low priced items,
but I haven't found much success yet.
Now, I an not a net-pediatrician, but most people I know, seem to
think 'less expensive,' all things being equal, is better than 'more expensive.' A penny
saved is a penny saved...
Why are people on the net??? Information and price are two of the
most cited reasons, "Baby's got price!"
Many of my new clients and site make-overs have one common question
"Will it sell on the net?"
Well, this is how I answer... "Does it sell in the real
world?" Now, if cow-leather-flavored chewing gum, a specially designed paper clip to
hold used Snicker bar wrappers and Aunt Zelda's squirrel brain stew recipe aren't in
demand in the real world, they aren't going to be in demand in the virtual world. Simple
as that.
Oddly enough the problem that I envision is our prices which are
very low < Well, the folks at Marshall's and Ross (Dress for Less) solve that issue by
putting a little tag on their that says, "List $79.95 slash slash our price
$29.95" If you think prices are too low why not just address the issue on your web
pages. Something like, "Now many people call or e-mail and ask me why my prices are
so low.. Here is why... > I have gotten hold of end of stock from an American
manufacturer which creates great quality products. They're selling their products in
several major retail chains such as Sears, Target, Kmart, etc, and I thought I could pass
the saving on to the online consumers. These are first quality items, no seconds... <
but if you want to spend more, just buy several items...
Hey, just like babies need shots and vitamins, so does your site...
I peeked at your source code, and found a symptom impacting your sales... and you could
use a bit of tweaking to help the search engine, as it grades out at about a
"C": C+ <title>Baby Best Buy: Caring for the needs of Babies and
mothers.</title> C- <meta name="Description" content="Baby best
buy the best place to shop for the best baby products at the best price"> C-
<meta name="keywords" content="baby,babies,baby store,baby buy,babies
online,infant,babies supply,kid,newborn,parents,mother, best
buy,bathing,bedding,diapering,feeding,layette,nursing,swim wear,training,safety"
And I read your visible text, B/B- on some pages and C/C- on
others... Remember search engines score your visible text the highest, so let's not skimp
on a few healthy nouns FOR THE SEARCH ENGINES... an a touch of adjectives FOR THE
HUMANS...
For instance I read 1. Hooded Towel and Wash Cloth Bath Set $9.99
Why not a bit more sizzle, an adjective or two, such as: 2. When
your baby finishes their bath, our lush, terry cloth, hooded towel and wash cloth bath set
will gently caress their body and the soft 100% cotton will not irritate your child's skin
soft. Now you could pay more, almost everywhere has higher prices, often for a lower
quality product, but with the money you save you can afford to buy our value-priced wool
socks, on special now at www... hmm, I think I will take door number 2, "Babes in the
'hood."
Oddly enough the problem that I envision is our prices which are
very low < Hmmm, I may have been day-dreaming a bit during my graduate economics
courses at Ohio State, looking out the window at those warm, spring, halter top days on
the Oval, but I seem to recall that for most commodities, unless you wrap it in gold paper
and give it a French name, as the price goes up, the sales go down.
If you don't think that is true, wasn't it just a short time ago
that ATT thought nothing of 30 cents a minute to their "valued" customers, I
have a site with 35,000 visitors a month based solely on - pick a term - LOW, DISCOUNTED,
INEXPENSIVE price. ( http://www.net-savings.net/ ) Low price doesn't seem to hinder many
of my visitors. AND I bet if I raised prices, sales would NOT increase.
Keyboard diagnosis -- a couple rough rules of thumb, 1. there is a
cure for low search engine rankings, 2. there are not many cures for prices that are too
high...
Prognosis -- looks like there is hope, baby's just got
hyposearchenginitis... a booster shot should take care of your baby, but wait till they
hit the terrible two's...
So that brings us back to >Subject: Oddly enough the problem that
I envision is our prices which are very low
While the hypothesis is reasonable, I think a better question might
be...
Are low rankings synonymous with low dollar volume? :) How can
visible text impact my rankings, and subsequent sales? How does optimized HTML source code
increase visitor count, and subsequent sales?
At your service,
Rod Aries, How To Internet Your Business
Back to Tips Page
|