Hi: It's Monday Review time. Here's Denise's request; =========================== What can I do to make my site productive? I've got 600 links to add and have separated the links up into different sections, but I think it needs content. My question is: What kind since it's a shopping mall? I was using a free site at 0Catch.com, but didn't like their pop ups all over my pages, so am trying out blogging as a source of promoting. Also, where should I advertise online? I think I've tried everything! http://dleesgifts.blogspot.com =========================== As you probably know, there are a lot of shopping sites online. -- I went to Google and typed in a search for "shopping" -- and found 866,000,000 sites listed. -- I typed in a search for "gift" and found 571,000,000 sites listed. Then I thought I'd get specific. I went into your catalog and picked a specific item that has a catalog number. -- I did a Google search for "#1506 Brass Cargo Lantern," which is one of the items you sell - and found 9,610 webpages that sell the identical item. As you see, there is no shortage of places I can shop online for gifts. What there is, though, is a shortage of people who will help me cut through the noise and clutter of shopping online. Author Seth Godin tells a story that illustrates it perfectly. He talks about wanting to buy an espresso machine. He goes to Google and does a search and finds thousands of places that sell espresso machines. But - he doesn't know which one to buy. Then he finds a site that gives him all the information he needs to understand the different features of espresso machines. NOW he knows what he wants to buy. So what does he do? Buys it from the shop that gave him the information he needed to make the buying decision. That's a very important point that a lot of online malls and catalogs completely miss. And, by missing that point, they fail to pass it on to their resellers. So, what we end up with is hundreds, thousands and even millions of pages whose owners are saying "how can I make this work?" And the answer is to help people cut through the clutter. Let's say I wanted to buy a new cellphone and I'm trying to decide what I want. Do I want a video phone? A camera phone? What are the differences in the features of each? Will I find that information at your site? No, I won't. Your site will send me off to another site, tagged with your affiliate id. The pages I land at will have a few lines of description and a buy button. Before it sends me off, it won't do anything to earn my loyalty or help me understand the difference between the items. The site it sends me to won't offer me those either. Please note that I am not saying that meanly, but as an observation, okay? Speaking from observation only, neither your site nor the parent sites that you link to help the viewer cut through the clutter or help us to make a buying decision. I know that from your perspective, you have 600 items to add. That's a lot of pages and a lot of blogs and a lot of images and links to add. But is there really a point adding all that if it's not doing anything to create loyalty in anyone that finds you? Would it perhaps work better to pick a handful of items and create content based on those items? And then grow slowly, so that you can add product information and reviews for each item as you add it? It seems to me that focusing on adding content that helps the buyer cut through the clutter of millions of shopping sites would be a better use of time than adding tons of links that aren't earning you any money the way they're set up right now. I think if I was going to set up a "store" type scenario, I would create one blog per category, as you have done. But, I'd base it on content. For example, I'd write a page that told a buyer all the different specs and features of video phones. Maybe compare the ones that you offer. And then offer links to buy each of the phones you reviewed so that if a viewer reads the comparisons or features/info and says "Oh... gee, this is good to know- THIS is the one I want" - they can buy it from you, too. With an approach like that, you probably don't want to start with 600 items. But, by paring back on the hyper linking and amping up the information presentation, you might find that people actually read and buy. Also, I'd suggest using the same blog theme throughout so that people don't feel that they've "left" your site as soon as the look changes. Hope that helps. : ) Linda P.S. Anyone else wanting a review, please post requests here; http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShowPost.aspx?PostID=155139

Just as an added note to Linda's review and more an observation as well....The very logic she is talking about is what eventually led us from a business where we had literally thousands of products and services to offer potential clients to a new business where we offer very few products (not saying that you have to be that extreme). I think regardless of the product or service you are selling there is a market for it out there somewhere. It would just make sense that you would reach that market faster and more effectively if you used a more focused approach (niche if you will) to start with. Unlike when you walk into your local Walmart, people are little less prone to impulse buying when shopping on the internet. The point being, if you can't find what your are looking for rather quickly or information about it, you are going to go to a site where you can as Linda pointed out.

Hi Winston; =================== I think regardless of the product or service you are selling there is a market for it out there somewhere. It would just make sense that you would reach that market faster and more effectively if you used a more focused approach =================== That's it in a nutshell. Very much so. : ) Linda

Hello Linda, Again, an instructive post. Sometimes, there is a difference of mood in purchasing online and offline. When I go to the supermarket, I normally do that during my off hours. And although I basically have an idea of what I want to buy. But I'm kinda open to do some shopping for items not on my list. My mood is somewhat open and relaxed. But when I want to purchase online, I seem to be on a "fast Mode" frame of mind. I want info that goes to the point and helps me make up my mind quickly. Too many choices and links do not really help in choosing quickly. I find I purchase more from those who zero in on one or 2 products than from a "supermarket" type site. But that could be just me. The "many choice portal" might appeal to somebody else. Cheers! Ricardo

Linda, This is awesome information! Thank you so much for such clarity and simple but straight forward facts. : ) Have a blessed and successful day! Your friend, Classic Corners "Nothing is impossible when you dream" The DreamTeam http://jcollins1.fggweb.com