Saturday, February 7, 2009

How to Target Keywords for Your Product?

Keyword is a word or phrase entered into a search engine in an effort to get the search engine to return matching and relevant results.Many web sites offer advertising based on keyword targeting so an advertisers banner will only show when a specific keyword is entered.Keyword stands for much more than its literal interpretation.Choosing the right keyword is one of the most important factors to market online. 


How to choose the most effective keyword phrase for your product and service?

Tips for finding a name that is just right.

1.Your keywords should always be relevant to your site, product or service.

2.Know who and where your audience is.Different keywords speak to different parts of the country.Different terminologies are used all over the world so you should try to use these keywords according to your target market.For example, sweaters are also called sweatshirt, jumper, pullover and jersey.But remember, avoid using internal business jargon or region slang that your potential customers may never search for.

3.Think as your customers.Ask yourself several questions: How your customers search?What words do they use?What's their intent?Pretend you are your customer, you wanna purchase a certain kind of product, what keywords do you like to use?There are many channels to work on it.Your customers' feedback, consultancy from customers, salesmen, your agents, etc.You can even ask employees or colleagues to simulate customers and collect their keywords as a list.

4.Consider regional keywords.If your product or service belongs to a particular region, then your keywords should contain the city or state.For example, you are running a bookstore in Los Angeles, "Los Angeles Bookstore" looks better than "Bookstore".

5.Don 't depend on yourself to choose the right keywords.Your audience may not use the same keywords you think they'd use.In this case, why not turn to some friends outside your business?Or ask your customers for some recommendations?They may give you some very useful suggestions.

6.Stay away from general keywords.Before you are trying to choose very common and often-used keywords such as "computer" or "table", think about the following points.Firstly, generic keywords bring more competitors.The competition must be fierce.Is that what you want?Particular phrases are much better than single keywords which help you stand out among never-ending search results.What's more, searches show that when a consumer wants to purchase something, he or she will type exact title instead of single keywords.For example, your friends want to buy the DVD of 007, which do you prefer, DVD, DVD of 007 or Pierce Brosnan DVD of 007?

7.Consider your individual goods or services.Find some words to mark the characteristics of your own goods or services.Keep in mind that it's not only a name of products, but also a way of advertising online.If you are selling vanilla chocolate then use "vanilla chocolate" rather than using "chocolate".People who search for "chocolate" may be looking for black chocolate, coffee chocolate, hazel chocolate or any other kind of chocolates available.If vanilla chocolate is your concerned business category then getting an inquiry for coffee chocolate is worthless.It would be better to have fewer users interested in vanilla chocolate rather than high users interested in other chocolates.

8.Consider the age-group consumers.If your product or service is related to a particular age group, you'd better include it with your keyword phrases.For example: Kids T-shirt, Baby Shampoo.

9.Consider season-targeted keywords.If your products vary with season like apparel, you should mention the season name in the phrase.For example: Ladies' Winter Coats.

10.Take a general keyword and add a specific word to it.If you just favor general keywords, write a list of those and add some specific words to it.Different combination of keywords work out different results.

11.Know what keywords are your competitors using.Sometimes you might omit some words.At this moment, collect the typical websites of your competitors, see what keywords the are using and how they rank in the search engines.Of course you do not need to copy their keywords, you just go through those tags and pick out one or two keywords that may be helpful.

12.Use Keyword Tool (e.g.https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) to better your keywords.

13.Give your keywords time to rank.There are many factors affecting the ranking.So do not expect your site, product or service rank well immediately.

14.Once you've determined your keyword phrases, keep it on.Never leave it alone.Do not think your keywords are always perfect for your site, product or service.The world is changing.Internet is changing.Consumer is changing.Our competitor is changing.You should continue to re-evaluate your keywords and see which are well-done and which are failing.Find their ranking in the search results and analyze how comes.


About the Author

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ecvv.com is an innovative and comprehensive business portal in China, dedicated to saving costs for Chinese SMEs to find buyers and export to overseas markets.

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Monday, November 3, 2008

The Five Worst Real Estate Money Wasters

The real estate industry is one of the most profitable industries out there and the ones doing the profiting aren't always the agents. Real estate brokers and agents are continually bombarded with advertisements promising ways to make more money without having to lift a finger or brand yourself better.

Here's the thing: No amount of money is going to replace hard work and you won't have to feed the need for more expendable income if you cut down your costs and only pay for tools and services that give you a great ROI (return on investment).

Here are five products real estate agents/brokers buy that are a tremendous waste of money:

1) Magnetic Car Signs - I'm not sure who ever thought this was a good idea but putting your contact information on the outside of your car serves no useful purpose for two reasons.

First, if you're driving anywhere you will be doing between 30 - 55 mph and at that pace how a number of people do you consider (truly) will see your observe, absorb that you are a actual estate originator, contemplate by way of you for their authentic estate needs and at that time tolerate the ability to write bringing up the rear your total or website region.

Yet if you DID catch someone who was involved in your package beyond envisioning the clue whatever are you going to do if you see one another beyond you for two miles in your rear view mirror? Probably try to avoid each other. Now they consider you're a crazy driver and furthermore don't experience the preceding 2 digits of your phone sum.

Which brings me to my second steer: Whatsoever if you cut somebody off or someway cope with to subsume anyone on the passage? Is putting your cite, portion and different private tips out there in the open really a suitable hints?

Hypnotic car signs are a serious info for contractors, plumbers and analogous facility organizations but you should unless your $30 and use it for an Adwords campaign.

2) Third Festivity Website Vendors - I'm not authoring off all genuine estate online page vendors as I do think there are a handful of intense website vendors akin to Genuine Estate Webmasters but for the more allocation you are going to overpay and receive a poorly configured, find engine unfriendly web page.

In an upcoming parts I will be introduction you how to build your own bona fide estate web page for less than $500.

3) Take Generation Web pages - I've tested a few a lot of usher lifetime online pages and truly closed one domicile acquisition based on a lead I found but typically chatting you can burn up the equal $20-$40 that you may burn up on each direct to promote your website via PPC (Pay Per Click) and furthermore let alone further qualified leads than what on earth you may take cherish a take life span web page.

Tip: If you don't demand to get betrothed in hunt engine PPC (which can run hundreds of dollars a month if you're not vigilant) you may requested to agree promoting on heavily trafficked factual estate search engines utilizing an affordable sales promotion subscription model.

4) Newsletter Services also Recycled/Generic Chase-Up Letters - I often acquire unsolicited emails derive pleasure trainers in my Keller Williams workplace that are generically written (pre-written) newsletters provided by the agency they pay $X dollars a month to send each other. I don't understood each other and the accidents are your prospects don't read them either.

In its place, sit trailing and keep up a correspondence (or pay any person to keep up a correspondence) a civilization time table of newsletter emails that relate promptly to your steer's calls for. For instance, say a usher inquires regarding energetic adult communities in your group that they'd corresponding to to see 12 months enjoys now. By bobbing up your own chase up piece of email set for full of life adult buyers you are surging to pass through a higher conversion ratio than you would as well as, say, a generic "Hi Mr. Purchaser" and/or methods email.

Tip: A great, affordable service to use for your electronic mail trail up plus factual estate leads is Aweber. It's used by leading businesspeople in some industries and you can take it for a gratis task fight by visiting the link more than.

5) Recipe Cards and Extraneous On the spot Mail Commercial Pieces - I'm all close to branding oneself but branding yourself by the use of commercial materials extraneous to your interest is not gorgeous branding. If you are pouring to do instantaneous mail marketing accept as true that whatever you are a call for participation the receiver to do. Do you inquired them to roast cookies? For that's what a formula procedure card mailer implies.

Stock your commercial absorbed by sending bona fide estate advertise reports and procuring/merchandising idea that will establish positive to your likelihood should they appetite your services.

By holding your authentic estate fees accountable you will kick off to attention anything efforts are producing the Some problem for you and what's only burning a opening in your pocket.
Close to the Originator

Joshua Ferris specializes in Orange County New York bona fide estate in addition to new home communities and townhouses. To discover more on the subject of the locality, perceive gratis to assessment out Josh's Monroe New York recommend and come across homes for sale and for charter fee by way of his Orange County NY Factual Estate search.


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Saturday, October 18, 2008

6 Steps To Internet Marketing Success Shows You The Way To A Living Online

If you are curious about how you can start to make a living online with the internet as your open business opportunity, keep reading. People are making a killing online and it isnt that hard. Im not going to bombard you with hype and tell you how you can buy mansions and expensive cars just by striking it rich online, thatd be ridiculous. A lot of people are doing just that though they are becoming millionaires after developing solid, profitable strategies and yes, you can too.

There are 6 fundamental and incredibly straight forward steps that you should follow if you are interested in pursuing a career on the internet. You do not need to be a computer whiz or have a degree from a great business school. You can be a stay at home mother, a college student, a laid off construction staff, a big wig can do this. This is the exquisiteness of cyber web commercial. Your recommence is inappropriate as you are your own superior, you appoint yourself.

Each time you go to come out up your currency stimulating strategy surf the net, you should chase the not up to 6 steps:

Step 1: Study. acquire out if your development of producing money is a viable and dependable way to do it. As an instance you requested to keep up a correspondence a book on how to grow nice-looking roses and sell it, parenthetically you desire to monetize satisfied-pouring online pages or parenthetically a couple variegated artful clues. No theme the concept you will appetite to study it and make definite it will class you the money you are beyond. There is no notice in faded era on something that will not be profitable.

Step 2: Make plan. Beyond unearthing whether or not your test will be the accurately option, time table out a policy discovering how you will conquer possible pitfalls, costs, advertisement venues where are you pouring to publicize your class or information and any variegated aspect you can bump into or will desire dealing with.

Step 3: Developing Online page. You will crave a web page up and flowing to send your trade to and alter to sales, you hitherto knew that though. This is a effortless step and it shouldnt discourage you enjoys current your face. There are a lot of spots where you can go and set up a free of charge area. Or, it could be sensible if you purchase a webhosting service which allows you to host a website.

Step 4: Lettering A Sales Duplicate. Once guests abode on your district and see your page you will desire to advocate each other of your brand and get one another obsessed and concerned. How are you running to do this Be in contact your sales duplicate and get them to stay and become proficient at added with reference to your variety or facility.

Step 5: Electronic mail Advertisement and Plan Establishing. If guests are coming to your place and allowing for by the book afterward, you are behind change. If you had a way to acquire their comment observe, email area, etc. you can afterwards go to your program of buyers that submit to came over prior to and put on the market them consecutive wareses or services via electronic message. This is a opposition share to individual thriving online.

Step 6: Website Campaign. If you desire to get commerce and shoppers to your website you will appetite to publicize your neighborhood and get the accurately sorts of visitors. How do you do this It is effortless. Publicize your website either for free of charge or also remitted services such as expenditure-per-hit it off programs. The choices for website drive are limitless.
Almost the Architect

Netosis.com bestows liberal internet commercial courses to recruits involved in information superhighway sales promotion.
Receive more than 60 web commercial courses and education at

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

E-Coupons 101: Offering Digital Discounts

Marketing Through Influence
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It's no secret that shoppers love bargains, and if done the right way, offering discounts can increase conversions and nurture customer loyalty. In fact, Forrester Research analyst Lisa Bradner's report "E-Coupons Engage Customers Beyond Discounts" shows that Web shop owners would be wise to ramp up their efforts in this area. "Half of coupon users who go online use Web coupons as well. They make more money, shop online more, and talk about new products with peers more than offline coupon users do," according to the report. One-quarter of e-coupon users said they like to try new products and services before others, compared with 13 percent of offline-only users, which shows they also influence others with their opinions. Thirty-five percent say, "People ask me for information about products, places to shop, sales," compared to just 20 percent of their offline counterparts. But how exactly do you get started? Scott Kluth, founder and CEO of CouponCabin.com, wondered the same thing. He likes a bargain as much as anyone else, which is how he got started in the online coupon business. "I noticed when I was checking out online there were these boxes for discount codes and I never had any," said Kluth. "If I've learned one thing in my career in retailing and the Internet, it is that people love the opportunity to save money. And they hate it when somebody else is getting a bargain when they aren't." To that end, he decided to help e-tailers make it easier to offer promotions through coupons by creating CouponCabin.com, an aggregator of consumer discount codes. In his three years of doing so, he's become keenly aware of what works — and what doesn't — when administering coupons online. We spoke to him to find out, and here are his top 10 tips:

  1. Mass Appeal: When creating coupons for the first time, merchants tend to forget that they must create coupons that appeal to a wide audience and are simple to apply. One of the most common mistakes is creating a coupon that is valid only for a specific product or product category. Alternatively, merchants will create coupons that appear general but actually include as many as 30 or more brand and product exclusions. In limiting the product range, merchants are also limiting potential customers.
  2. Keep It Simple: A complicated coupon code is another common problem among merchants using coupons for the first time. Many shoppers tend to write down coupon codes on paper before entering them, and long and complex codes leave room for error. "I've seen some merchants use codes that are 15 or 20 digits long and case-sensitive," said Kluth. "That's not good." Coupon codes should be short, simple and avoid using characters that can be misinterpreted.
  3. Parameters Beyond Price: It is a safe assumption that a greater discount will result in a higher conversion rate; but here are some additional best practices for creating effective coupons:

    • Offer a solid discount of at least 5 percent.
    • Keep the coupon generic to all orders or a category.
    • Establish a coupon expiration date to create a sense of urgency.
    • Use simple characters to avoid confusion when entering a coupon code, for instance, confusing characters may include "i" and "l" and "1" or "0" and "o."
    • Create a clear landing page recognizing the discount.
  4. Flat Rate vs. Percentage: Coupons offering a flat-rate discount in dollars, such as a $10 or $50 coupon, are very popular. These coupons tend to attract more clicks and have a better conversion rate for sites with average order totals less than $100. Alternatively, sites with an average transaction size more than $100 find that coupons offering a percentage discount, such as 10 percent off $100, often perform better. Finally, coupons that provide a discount with a low minimum purchase threshold, such as $5 off a $15 purchase, or even no minimum at all, such as $10 off any order, consistently result in high conversion and click- through rates.
  5. Don't Be Too Greedy: Merchants commonly try to create coupons with a minimum-spending requirement that is higher than their average order. By imposing such a minimum spending requirement, the merchant is subtly suggesting that the consumer add an extra item or two to their product order. An example might be a book merchant whose average order is two items totaling $40. Recognizing this average, the merchant would typically offer a 10 percent off coupon for orders of $60 or more, thus enticing the consumer to add another item to their order to meet the minimum. "A lot of times it's better to at least start out just using the average order amount," said Kluth.
  6. Free Shipping Rules: Free shipping coupons are also quite popular with merchants as they consistently perform well. With shipping costs constantly on the rise, consumers take advantage of free shipping coupons, particularly for sites that would normally charge in excess of $6 in shipping fees.
  7. Target First-Timers: Since new customers typically have larger orders than repeat customers, many online merchants now attempt to attract first-time buyers by offering them greater discounts. Whereas repeat customers may expect coupons offering 10 percent off their order, new patrons might enjoy a 15-percent discount for their first purchase.
  8. Click to Activate: Another rule of thumb is that user-friendly coupons lead to higher conversion rates. Overall, coupons perform better when they can be activated from the shopper's click, thereby skipping the step in which the consumer must enter the coupon code during the check-out process.
  9. Decoding Code: At check out, e-tailers that do choose to use coupon codes should keep their entry boxes clearly marked so that visitors can find them easily. Entering the coupon code or clicking on the link should activate the code and allow consumers to see their discount. It is best that the discount be seen as a line item in the shopping cart before they complete the transaction so that the savings are visible and the customer knows that the discount has been applied.
  10. Smooth Landing: Finally, coupons should be linked to a specific page. Merchants new to the world of Internet coupons will sometimes link a category-specific coupon to a generic landing page, leaving the customer to search for the discount or appropriate page. Instead, e-tailers should make every effort to link a coupon directly to a landing page that represents the discount. By customizing this landing page, sellers save consumers time and provides them with the assurance that their coupon has been activated. This simple task typically results in considerably higher conversion rates.

Michelle Megna is managing editor of ECommerce-Guide.com.


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Thursday, September 6, 2007

Nervous About Writing Your Business Plan?

Some things beat a hefty paycheck
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I recently received this message in an e-mail. I’ve edited it to hide the writer’s personal details, but here’s some of what it says:

I'm currently in the process of starting my own business. I have extensive knowledge of and experience in…

I have the necessary resources for my startup and all of the necessary partners for the business to start…

Unfortunately, I'm not a writer. This is my Achilles' heel. I have this great business concept I'd like to put on paper and have been challenged every step of the way. My startup began two weeks ago, and I've consulted with several CPAs, but to no avail. They either don't have the time, charge too much or aren't interested in assisting me with my business plan. I just couldn't believe how neglected this area of business planning is when their profession deals with financial management and, to a greater extent, consulting.

My response starts with an emphatic “No, please, no!” You're missing the point of business planning--getting caught in the trap of the plan as a document--and making your life and your planning process far more difficult than they should be.

Notice how this e-mail puts the problem into perspective. The guy's starting his business, feels quite confident in the business concept and has “extensive knowledge and experience” in the specific type of business, but can’t go further because he’s “not a writer.” That’s crazy, right?

What’s wrong with this picture? Why do people assume a business plan is about quality of writing? Hey, I was a literature major years ago in college; I was a journalist before I was an MBA and a planner; and I love good writing as much as the next person. But being a writer has nothing to do with writing a business plan.

This is really important: A business plan is about content, not writing, formatting or pictures. I've listed some of the things your business plan needs to do below. Notice how none of them have anything to do with quality of writing.

  1. Define your strategy. Strategy requires focus. Figure out what you’re really selling, who wants it, why they want it and how your business provides something different from the competition.

  2. Control your destiny. Determine where you want to go and break that down into specific, concrete steps with dates, deadlines and budgets. Don’t merely react to events; be proactive and set a roadmap to follow and revise it as things change--and they will change.

  3. Plan your cash. You’ve got to make a good, educated guess, then manage your planned cash flow vs. actual cash flow very carefully. Growth costs money, and profits don’t necessarily mean cash, so lay this out in detail. The math isn’t hard, but getting your financials organized takes some time and effort (see "The Numbers in Your Business Plan" for more information).

  4. Allocate resources realistically. This doesn't just have to do with cash, but also with know-how and responsibility. Who's in charge?

  5. Communicate your plan. The business plan is the standard tool for communicating the main points of a business to a spouse, partner, boss, banker, investor, manager or other interested person. This is where we get confused, I think, about the plan as a document.

    First, we have to recognize that not all business plans are about communicating to outsiders. In planning, form follows function, so if you aren’t communicating to outsiders, then lighten up! Make the plan useful to you in as simple a format as possible. Maybe it’s a cash plan and a presentation, or a cash plan and notes, but nobody's saying your success depends on the document itself.

    Furthermore, if you're in a situation in which you have to communicate to bankers or investors, stay calm--and stay focused on business. If investors want a presentation more than a plan document, focus on the presentation. If bankers want financial projections more than an extensive look into your company's mission, focus on that.

We’re afraid our plan has to be well written because it represents us and stands for our intelligence, experience or ability to run a business. Get over it. It isn’t a writing contest; it’s a business. Tell your story. Keep it simple. Bullet points are fine.

Also, don't confuse your plan for the kind a business student would turn in. In business school, the plan is a teaching tool. When I give students a grade for a business plan, I look at writing. I judge the quality of the document in part based on spelling and grammar and, more important, completeness. That’s a special case, though, that shouldn't apply to you out there in the real world.

The bottom line is, well, the bottom line--not the editor’s pencil. A good business plan is about results, not writing. Don’t wait an extra minute for that “writer.” Get working on your plan. And never forget, the real value is in implementation. Prepare to track results, compare those results to your plan, revise, correct course and manage your business better because of your plan.


Tim Berry is the "Business Plans" coach at Entrepreneur.com and is president of Palo Alto Software Inc., which produces the industry's leading business planning software, Business Plan Pro, as well as other popular planning applications for businesses.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Make Money Online - Internet Marketing - Web Traffic Tools

Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand
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Make Money Online with InstantSoftwareRiches.com

Discover how you can easily increase your web site sales and make money online with your own advanced new software products. The various products in the Instant Software Riches package can be used for Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), List Building, Lead Generation, Keyword Research, Adsense, Adwords, Blogs, Pay Per Click (PPC), Viral Marketing and more.
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Sunday, August 19, 2007

Brilliant Rent-A-Bag Idea

eBay Listings That Draw New and Repeat Customers
Alpha & Omega In Diets

http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/

Got rich friends and need to look the part? Those that can't afford to buy the latest Fendi purse can still sport it thanks to Bag Borrow or Steal, a designer handbag rental firm that allows customers to pay a monthly fee, pick and order handbags online, and borrow them for as long as they like.

The company added fine jewelry to the mix after its 2004 founding. The service allows style-conscious customers access to the ultra-luxe and high-end products that they otherwise couldn't get their hands on. Monthly memberships range from $20 to $175 a month.

BusinessWeek.Com


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Monday, July 23, 2007

E-Coupons 101: Offering Digital Discounts

CanadianMedsWorld.com
It's no secret that shoppers love bargains, and if done the right way, offering discounts can increase conversions and nurture customer loyalty. In fact, Forrester Research analyst Lisa Bradner's report "E-Coupons Engage Customers Beyond Discounts" shows that Web shop owners would be wise to ramp up their efforts in this area. "Half of coupon users who go online use Web coupons as well. They make more money, shop online more, and talk about new products with peers more than offline coupon users do," according to the report. One-quarter of e-coupon users said they like to try new products and services before others, compared with 13 percent of offline-only users, which shows they also influence others with their opinions. Thirty-five percent say, "People ask me for information about products, places to shop, sales," compared to just 20 percent of their offline counterparts. But how exactly do you get started? Scott Kluth, founder and CEO of CouponCabin.com, wondered the same thing. He likes a bargain as much as anyone else, which is how he got started in the online coupon business. "I noticed when I was checking out online there were these boxes for discount codes and I never had any," said Kluth. "If I've learned one thing in my career in retailing and the Internet, it is that people love the opportunity to save money. And they hate it when somebody else is getting a bargain when they aren't." To that end, he decided to help e-tailers make it easier to offer promotions through coupons by creating CouponCabin.com, an aggregator of consumer discount codes. In his three years of doing so, he's become keenly aware of what works — and what doesn't — when administering coupons online. We spoke to him to find out, and here are his top 10 tips:

  1. Mass Appeal: When creating coupons for the first time, merchants tend to forget that they must create coupons that appeal to a wide audience and are simple to apply. One of the most common mistakes is creating a coupon that is valid only for a specific product or product category. Alternatively, merchants will create coupons that appear general but actually include as many as 30 or more brand and product exclusions. In limiting the product range, merchants are also limiting potential customers.
  2. Keep It Simple: A complicated coupon code is another common problem among merchants using coupons for the first time. Many shoppers tend to write down coupon codes on paper before entering them, and long and complex codes leave room for error. "I've seen some merchants use codes that are 15 or 20 digits long and case-sensitive," said Kluth. "That's not good." Coupon codes should be short, simple and avoid using characters that can be misinterpreted.
  3. Parameters Beyond Price: It is a safe assumption that a greater discount will result in a higher conversion rate; but here are some additional best practices for creating effective coupons:

    • Offer a solid discount of at least 5 percent.
    • Keep the coupon generic to all orders or a category.
    • Establish a coupon expiration date to create a sense of urgency.
    • Use simple characters to avoid confusion when entering a coupon code, for instance, confusing characters may include "i" and "l" and "1" or "0" and "o."
    • Create a clear landing page recognizing the discount.
  4. Flat Rate vs. Percentage: Coupons offering a flat-rate discount in dollars, such as a $10 or $50 coupon, are very popular. These coupons tend to attract more clicks and have a better conversion rate for sites with average order totals less than $100. Alternatively, sites with an average transaction size more than $100 find that coupons offering a percentage discount, such as 10 percent off $100, often perform better. Finally, coupons that provide a discount with a low minimum purchase threshold, such as $5 off a $15 purchase, or even no minimum at all, such as $10 off any order, consistently result in high conversion and click- through rates.
  5. Don't Be Too Greedy: Merchants commonly try to create coupons with a minimum-spending requirement that is higher than their average order. By imposing such a minimum spending requirement, the merchant is subtly suggesting that the consumer add an extra item or two to their product order. An example might be a book merchant whose average order is two items totaling $40. Recognizing this average, the merchant would typically offer a 10 percent off coupon for orders of $60 or more, thus enticing the consumer to add another item to their order to meet the minimum. "A lot of times it's better to at least start out just using the average order amount," said Kluth.
  6. Free Shipping Rules: Free shipping coupons are also quite popular with merchants as they consistently perform well. With shipping costs constantly on the rise, consumers take advantage of free shipping coupons, particularly for sites that would normally charge in excess of $6 in shipping fees.
  7. Target First-Timers: Since new customers typically have larger orders than repeat customers, many online merchants now attempt to attract first-time buyers by offering them greater discounts. Whereas repeat customers may expect coupons offering 10 percent off their order, new patrons might enjoy a 15-percent discount for their first purchase.
  8. Click to Activate: Another rule of thumb is that user-friendly coupons lead to higher conversion rates. Overall, coupons perform better when they can be activated from the shopper's click, thereby skipping the step in which the consumer must enter the coupon code during the check-out process.
  9. Decoding Code: At check out, e-tailers that do choose to use coupon codes should keep their entry boxes clearly marked so that visitors can find them easily. Entering the coupon code or clicking on the link should activate the code and allow consumers to see their discount. It is best that the discount be seen as a line item in the shopping cart before they complete the transaction so that the savings are visible and the customer knows that the discount has been applied.
  10. Smooth Landing: Finally, coupons should be linked to a specific page. Merchants new to the world of Internet coupons will sometimes link a category-specific coupon to a generic landing page, leaving the customer to search for the discount or appropriate page. Instead, e-tailers should make every effort to link a coupon directly to a landing page that represents the discount. By customizing this landing page, sellers save consumers time and provides them with the assurance that their coupon has been activated. This simple task typically results in considerably higher conversion rates.

Michelle Megna is managing editor of ECommerce-Guide.com.


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