Diddle Hill Associates receiving some traffic but no sales yet. Any suggestions?

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Diddle Hill Associates receiving some traffic but no sales yet. Any suggestions?

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diddlehill

posts: 20

Aug 19, 2008 11:04 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Thank you Jeff for your advice and help. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to help me. I have implemented new changes but I am finding out that those aren`t much better so I will be going back to the drawing board. With this ecommerce website I don`t particularly care for the templates that I have to use with it, but since my dad spent alot of money to get this website (this was before I knew about it), I will keep plugging away to find something that works. I will probably take you up on that offer of help in fleshing out specific ideas after I try one more time to find a template that works. I think I might have the "niche" market thing narrowed down, but it`s probably still too varied and unfortunately I haven`t found a way to take off the "See All" automatic pull down menu. Not very familiar with HTML code so I`m working on it. Again, thank you everyone.

Lora

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Lora L. Warta
www.diddlehillassociates.com
www.mysticdreamzcollectibles.com

"What you are is your parent`s fault. If you stay that way it`s your fault."

DefMall

posts: 99

Aug 20, 2008 9:27 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Lora -

an idea struck me when I read your last reply.

A few years ago, I invested $100 in one of those `we warehouse 1 million things for you and all you have to do is market them!` type of websites. It was...OK...but not great.

The templates, amongst other things, was quite generic.

What you COULD do, if you so chose, is perhpas invest in a website that is in your budget and has templates/editing features that are handsome and easy to use. Then, you could not only sell the products thru your existing website, but use the website as the `wholesales` and market them in a template you prefer on your new site as well.

(OR, create a free blog thru blogger or wordpress. Use the the blog to highlight 1 item/group of items a day...in a handsome and powerful template...and have the blog direct traffic to the `main stie`. This way, once people come to the site they are already interested and won`t be turned off by certain aesthetics.)

I hope this helps.

CraigL

posts: 9051

Aug 20, 2008 3:37 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Y`know, there`s a pretty strong business principle that speaks to the Kenny Rogers issue: Ya got t`know when t`hold `em, know when t`fold `em, know when t`walk away. :-)

There comes a time when the further investement in resources will reach a point of diminishing returns. We know that your father purchased this site for some amount. We know that neither he nor your stepmom care to invest any time or effort. Somehow, you`ve been pulled into this, but you have no particular previous Web development skills, so there`s a new learning curve.

The templates aren`t all that great, and at this point, the products "seem" fairly generic. You have the option of investing long hours to possibly tweak the templates, or you could host the site entirely on a different system, where you build it according to your choices and taste, walking away from the templates.

Or you have the option of walking away completely, maybe keeping the domain name (if you own it), and starting an entirely different business.

My question, at this point, is how much you`re invested in this particular site? Do you expect that following the large amount of work projected, that you`ll get a good return on your investment? Have you got a sense of how much annual revenue might you get from this site, if it`s working perfectly the way you want?

CraigL

posts: 9051

Aug 20, 2008 3:38 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Oops....hit the wrong button... LOL! Duplicated the above.

texashomestager

posts: 43

Aug 22, 2008 1:33 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Lora,

I just spent probably 15 minutes browsing and shopping on your site. I think you have some really unique things. I found it very difficult to find the special offers you mentioned and once I did, entering the code at checkout was ineffective as I received a message that the offer (in this case, 30% off) was no longer valid. I believe you need to make any special offers you have stand out boldly. If I hadn`t already known you were making these offers from your first post, I never would have thought to look for them.

What makes your Hot Deals hot? Have a regular price with a strike through and new, lower price, or a "their price...our price" comparison.

If possible, make the items on your main page a representation of a particular category with an option to click to see "more like this" so I can focus on what interests me.

As a woman shopper who enjoys browsing for unique items, I think you have the right stuff...it just needs to be presented in a more logical way.

Hope this helps. I`ll happily come back to your site to complete my purchase once I can redeem the special offer.

Best of luck to you!

-------------------------

First impressions are everything in real estate. Staging should be your first step in the home selling process. Make sure your home is in top condition before showings commence, and then Prepare Yourself for all of the benefits of staging your home!
Entrances Website

diddlehill

posts: 20

Aug 22, 2008 4:08 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Hi everyone! I can`t begin to express how much I appreciate everyone`s insight and input into this website that I have. I have been learning so much more than I ever thought possible. I have implemented all the suggestions and changes that I was able to, but until I can get a new website where I am able to change anything and everything that I want to, I guess this is as good as it gets. I do have one more question for you though, I`ve been checking into getting a new website and I`m really leaning towards going with Global Response Technologies. Does anyone have any knowledge of this company? Thank you again for all of your help.

Lora

-------------------------

Lora L. Warta
www.diddlehillassociates.com
www.mysticdreamzcollectibles.com

"What you are is your parent`s fault. If you stay that way it`s your fault."

vwebworld

posts: 1237

Aug 23, 2008 5:30 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I do think you should invest in a new web site for the reasons stated by others above. I do not know anything about Global Response Technologies, however, there are many many web developers around and on SUN.

Choosing the right one is always a challenge and scary. It is important that you have a good idea of:

what you want to achieve - your goals for the web site (and new design).
what features and functions the site should have.
what things you may want to do with /through the site in the future.
how much (or what) you want to do or maintain versus having someone else do or maintain.

Also, a budget - what amount can you afford to spend for the new web site. Recognizing that if done properly the new site should increase the potential for new/repeat business. I say "potential" because a new site can only do so much... what products you offer, your pricing and purchase terms (which are in your control) affect the potential customer`s decision to make a purchase.

For an ecommerce site, I suggest ZenCart (an open source - FREE ecommerce program). There are a whole bunch of ecommerce solutions available each with some pros and cons.

I`d be happy to talk to you about your needs or options, feel free to contact me.

-------------------------

Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

diddlehill

posts: 20

Aug 26, 2008 2:11 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Thank you for your help. I have decided to develop a small, extension website to the one I currently have and make it a "niche" website. I get a free one through Microsoft Office Live Small Business so I am building one there and I`m not going to do any different advertising with this one than I did with the one I have so I can see if this new website has better luck than the other one and then I can go from there. In the meantime I am researching some web builders and exploring different options. I can`t stress enough how much I appreciate everyone`s help and advice. Thank you.

Lora

-------------------------

Lora L. Warta
www.diddlehillassociates.com
www.mysticdreamzcollectibles.com

"What you are is your parent`s fault. If you stay that way it`s your fault."

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