Want to open an eStore affordably? There is a new option available...

Ebay has opened ProStores.com. I actually learned about them through CJ. I went to their site and reviewed everything. One thing I have discovered is that when you use companies with a solid economic foundation you tend to get more reliability and more options than other companies are able to offer. ProStores.com offers an interactive tour that details all their features.

I like ProStores because obtaining a shopping cart that is optimizable is CRUCIAL for any ecommerce business! ProStores.com has an SEO manager that is easy to use and it was created for optimum performance.

ProStores offers:

• A 30% discount off the ProStores monthly subscription price following the free trial for eBay Stores sellers.
• A one month free trial for anyone.
• PayPal is intregrated into the site (this is great- I have some clients that have large businesses that way to pay me via PayPal- nice feature)
• Web Site Hosting and Set-Up Tools- step-by-step design wizard- no HTML knowledge needed. You can use templates or create your own through Dreamweaver or use their design services.
• Merchandising and Marketing Tools
• Payment and Order Management Tools
• Inventory Management and Reporting
• Very easy to upload products and create subcategories.
• Cross Promote & Featured Products
• Marketing tools submit your listings to Froogle, Yahoo Shopping, Shopping.com, Shopzilla
• Search Engine Optimization Manager- Makes optimizing EASY for you!
• Ebay Integration
• Email Marketing
• Promotions Tools- Free Shipping, Discounts.
• Easy-to-use shopping cart
• Multiple Payment Options, Payment Gateways and Secure Checkout
• Real-Time Shipping Service Integration
• Order manager- pending orders, completed orders, orders shipping, credits, order history etc.
• Automatically notifies you when you are low on inventory and easy to hide a product when you run out.
• Real-time reports on sales that are also customizable.
• Performance Analysis
• 24/7 Support and Interactive Resources.

As you can see ProStores.com has all the features you need to have a successful online store, but most importantly it is easy to optimize. You do not have to be a pro to optimize your product pages with their SEO manager.

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I know how much it can cost for an optimized shopping cart. I have written numerous articles on why ecommerce businesses need them and the negatives of not having one. Now, it is affordable for everyone- large and small businesses. It is a great idea and a potential money maker for you.

Melissa Fach- Sarasota SEO Copywriter

Regarding Virginia Tech- Off Topic Obviously

First let me say that I am praying for all the students, the parents, the victims and their families. I have a teenager and I know how much I worry dropping him off at high school everyday. I know the parents are terrified and worried sick and I know there are many that feel blessed that their children are alright.

This has become a very tough world and I really feel like our government officials need to find a way to remove the massive amount of stress parents deal with. When our kids are really young we have to worry about kidnappings and child molestors. As they age we still need to worry about these things and then we have to add school violence throughout middle and high school. Now, we can clearly see that we cannot stop worrying about school violence when they go to college.

When you combine these worries with other worries, such as drug & alcohol abuse, HIV, girlfriend/boyfriend issues, teen driving, rape etc. you can see that parents have an enormous amount of things to worry about. I do believe people have a right to own a gun, but there needs to be some major changes in this country. How many more young people have to die before people understand that major change is needed?

Someone needs to TRULY step up and make some changes. I feel President Bush's statement was as true as any statement could be...

"Schools should be places of safety, sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom in every American community."

Melissa Fach
PanacaWriting.com

The Basics of Keywords and Keyword Phrases

Keywords and keyword phrases are used to differentiate your web site from your competitors' web sites. For example, if you sell fences made of wood in Sarasota and your competitor sells aluminum fences in Sarasota you could use the following phrases to optimize your site:

• Sarasota Wood Fencing
• Wood Fencing Sarasota
• Wood Fence Materials Sarasota
• Sarasota Wooden Fencing.

Basically, you come come up with a combination of keywords to set your site apart from your competitor's. The goal is to help Internet users find your site. When you optimize your web site, properly, with effective keyword phrases and other Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies you are essentially helping your web site become more visible on the search engines. You want people to find your site when they are looking for the product and/or services you provide.

HOWEVER, you may want to include the phrase " Sarasota aluminum fences" within your site somewhere. Your site could show up along with your competitors in the search engines, if it is optimized properly. You may not sell aluminum fences, but you could explain why wood is better and possibly gain a client.

SEO

SEO is all about helping businesses gain higher ranking on the search engines. We all know that there is only so far we are going to go when searching for an item or service on the web. If your business is on page 5 of Google, Yahoo or MSN you may not be seen very often. Page one of Google is always the goal, but this goal is not accomplished easily. A lot of research and consistent work is needed to attain this goal.

If you are hoping to have an optimized web site it is wise to consult an SEO company for help. There are many areas of a web site that must be optimized and a properly coded web site is essential for success. There are many other areas that cannot be ignored and I will discuss these in the upcoming weeks.