lduke
12-13-2005, 01:46 PM
Hi
My site has been running for about 7-8 months, still no sales. I'm currently in several search engines, directories, classified ads, ppc(enhance). I'm getting about 40 visiters per day. Any suggestions would be helpful.
thanks Lynda
dcomiskey
12-13-2005, 03:35 PM
Design looks on the amateurish side, IMO, which I think turns people off. Also, you're in an industry - like electronics - where you are literally competing against thousands of online competitors. So, you may want to re-think whether or not trying to sell nutritional supplements is really where you want to be.
lduke
12-13-2005, 07:17 PM
I appreciate your feedback....
I'm starting to feel my competition is too strong. however I have invested $6,000 to storesonline and PMI Coaching...and they recommended the nutrition as a great idea.....now what do I do???? (is my face red)
markjohnl
12-13-2005, 10:14 PM
Hi Lynda,
I may not be the best person to critique your site, but being a regular internet shopper, I know what turns me on and what doesn't, so I'll do my best.
- Firstly, I'm not a fan of tiled backgrounds. I would do away with it completely, or replace it with something less obvious.
- I would also think that the fruits in your logo image might be better if they were less transparent, or faded from left to right on the left and right to left on the right (you still with me?). They would bring a little colour to the logo and give it a fresher look.
- I probably don't need to mention this, but your photograph has been squished to fit in the side bar. Try cropping or resizing it instead. Better still, I would replace it with brighter image taken during daylight.
- I don't think the site map link is really necessary. It also takes me to a page re-listing what I can already see on the side bar, so it adds no value. There's also a 'new page' link, which opens up a blank page (oops!)
- In the Product line section, is it necessary to have so many to choose from? I've counted around 33 product lines. Can you group the product lines into categories?
- If the product lines are under the products section anyway, why not remove them from the home page and replace them with a review, customer testimonial, magazine excerpt stating how vitamin supplements can improve your lifestyle, sex drive (can they? - where's my credit card!) etc.
- Perhaps you could add further value to your site by combining it with a few health articles, detailing how to improve your lifestyle through healthy eating, regular excerise, and of course the odd product plug with link to the relevant vitamin supplement. Try not to make it too clinical, people like me only know of vitamins A, B, C etc. I have no idea what each does. Might be possible to guide customers to specific products based on their needs.
- I've just taken a look at the product page, and I can see a few areas that need attention. The photographs would be better on the left, followed by the description, then quantity, then price. I would also have an 'add to cart' button next to each item rather than at the bottom.
- In general I think the site focuses on the product rather than the customer. I would focus more on how the products will make the customer feel and how it will change their state of health
- I think the about-us section is a great opportunity to tell the customer about you, not about the product. People like to know who they are buying from. Telling them a little about yourself, your lifestyle, where you live (maybe not in too much detail) and how taking vitamin supplements has helped you. This will build trust, and make the customer feel like they know the person they're buying from.
- Apart from the web page itself, like dcomiskey says, your in a very competitive market. The umpteen viagra and herbal viagra emails I get daily means that I pay little credit to any company selling pills or vitamin supplements. It's just one of those words that my brain has learnt to switch off when it hears. Another reason why I thinking targeting the lifestyle might be a better approach.
- You target market is pretty huge. Is there any advantage to focusing on a particular type of person? I'm thinking kids, the elderly (apparently a growing market according to this site), sports fanatics? It would at least help you focus your marketing efforts.
- Ok, one more note! Everyone seems to talk about search engine optimisation, but I think people sometimes get too caught up in web this and forget that it is a business, and there are other ways to promote a business. For example, why not accidentally leave a brochure sitting in your local doctors /dentists surgery? I'm sure there are lots of clever ways to market your business without having to empty your bank account.
Anyway, that's all I can muster at this time of night, so I hope something I've said might be of use.
Good luck!
Mark