AuctionBytes Critique My Site: AdvatumDisplays.com

[Ina]

Today's Critique My Site is AdvatumDisplays.com
http://www.advatumdisplays.com

The AuctionBytes Critique My Site feature asks readers to visit an ecommerce website and make suggestions on how the merchant can increase its effectiveness and make it more buyer-friendly. Readers can submit their own websites, too!

Details are found in the December 17, 2006 issue of AuctionBytes-Update. Please keep the feedback constructive, and also let us know what Dylan is doing right. We'll check back with Dylan in the future to see what types of changes he implemented.

Details here:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m12/abu0181/s03

[Sabreena]

I put "tradeshow display" into Google and your site did not come up, at least in the first 4 pages. There were so many others with similar merchandise that if I were looking for tradeshow displays, surely I would find what I wanted within those 4 Google pages (40 sites)

By the way, I automatically ignore "sponsored" when searching as I realize they are paid and are not usually pertinent.

[IslandBob]

Right at the top, on every page, it says:
"ADVENTUM:
Premium Tradeshow Displays Direct from the Source"

"The" source, singular, means to me that if there's only one it can only be the manufacturer. I don't see them saying they manufacture anything. Elsewhere they say they are "a" source. Are they selling somebody else's products? Are they importing them from some far land? I read the whole "About" page looking for information on who makes these products. Not a clue. Are they hiding this obvious information? If so, what else might they be concealing from me? I figure if they were manufacturers, they would certainly say so, and brag about my not having to may a middleman to buy this stuff. I've only read the first 8 words of their website and already I feel like I've walked onto a used car lot.

"Source," of course, can also refer to MY source. Whoever I buy something from is my source. I conclude they're playing word games with me. Do I have to call my lawyer to have him interpret their website for me? Why bother? I don't trust them. What else are they going to mislead me about? I don't need this. I'm going back to Google to look for someone who sounds more ethical. Bye.

[BlueHoundAuc]

Probably the first thing you want to do is to determine if you want to be a salesman or a seller. A Salesman shows you all of the wonderful products and tells you all about them but commonly do not make a sale, but a seller is a person that sells the item.

First, your audience already knows what they want when it comes to trade show displays. Your site should go directly to the store, and then it should allow them to see the details of the items. If they want to know if you are trusted, your information should be at the bottom of the page.

Second, your store layout should be first categorized, then detailed going into seperate products. Most if not all stores are using this in order to better use their services. Bucking the trend don't help, but confuse the shoppers.

Third, don't worry about google adwords. We paid over $550 for them and we did not get any interest in our services either. We decided to pay $100 for a local networking group, and we have seen a 75% increase in using our services. The local word of advertising starts the fire, then it turns into an inferno. But the whole thing about advertisement is to know your audience. If you audience is those who do tradeshows, then you want to advertise in those events brochures.

Fourth, Let your people upload the artwork with their order, rather than have an FTP link on each page. They will try to upload it several times and become frustrated when it says successful but there is no order to accompany it. When they upload the artwork, they should put their order number in to keep you less confused and they understand that you are matching their logo with the order.

Last, You might want to see if the shopping cart is capable of up-selling, so if you sell a big set, then you can also sell the accessories. The more money you make at the one checkout is better than what can be done with several.
_________________
Matthew Price, Auctioneer
NCAL 8267
Blue Hound Auctions, LLC NCAFL 8325
Fuquay Varina, NC

[papertrail]

I think the site looks very nice and professional. Not too cluttered and easy to navigate.

I did notice that when I 'googled' Tradeshow Displays there were over 3 Million sites. That is A LOT of competition! For some reason Google is only showing 127 indexed pages which doesn't help get you up there higher in the 3 million sites that you are competing with. You might want to do some research on what you could do to get more pages indexed. Your PR is 0/10 so you have some work ahead of you.

Advertising and writing articles about your business and the items that you offer will certainly help in getting you some very important back links. The articles are not difficult to write and usually only require 200 words or more so they don't have to be lengthy. There are some very good suggestions of places that accept articles here in this forum. I've been submitting articles to a few of them and it has generated some nice traffic to my website.

Unfortunately the popular phrase, 'If you build it, they will come' doesn't work very well on the internet. Promote, Promote, Promote has to be any e-commerce merchant's mantra.

I wish you luck with your business...you have some very nice displays.

Bev Owens on The Paper Trail
http://www.bevspaper.com

The Paper Trail Blog
http://bevspaper.blogspot.com

[pmckinnis]

I think the site layout is nice but I think there are too many links to take me off the main product page. Once I click into a specific product there are somewhere around 6-8 additional links that take me off the page. Whether it be instructions on how to build, life time warantee, and many other links. I found this a distraction and I think customers can get lost and not wind up getting back to the original page they were on.

I think one long page with all this information will keep them on the same page even if the page looks long this does do better than short choppy pages.

[AdvatumDisplays]

Thank you all for the time you took to review the website and send in your feedback. I'm not a regular forum user so I don't know how to reply to each posting individually (geez, and I call myself an online guy...), so I'm just going post my responses all here:

***
Hi IslandBob,

I appreciate the time you took to review my site and make your eye opening comments. While I myself know that I'm not trying to deceive anyone and value honest business, it's very interesting to hear someone of your disposition's take on it.

I'm going to rewrite a clearer message of how we supply from the source, which, by the way, is from our own production facility in California. Though, we do source some accessories from other manufacturers, so I'll have to consider carefully how to present this clearly, honestly, and in a way that conveys the very, very good pricing that we're offering on high quality equipment.

One more thing: we're not importing from some far land. You'll note a 'MADE IN THE USA' stamp on each main product image, though you may not have gotten that far due to your hangup on our slogan and About Me page.

Thanks again, I wish you all the best.

***
Hi Sabreena,

Thank very much for taking the time to look at my site and post a comment!

Yes, I face a lot of competition on Google and other search engines for being found 'organically', and I'm trying to take as many step as I can to be found closer to the top. I think this may take a year at the least, though, as far as I can tell from reading several books on the subject and talking to some legitimate experts.

So, at the moment, I must unfortunately rely on those who do click on AdWords. Hopefully I'll figure out how to better present my product to those who do with the aid of very kind and helpful people such as yourself.

I wish you all the best.

***
Hi Bev,

Thank you so much for the time you took to review my site and send in your comments. You're very right about me having a lot of competition, it's a little daunting at times. But I'm very confident in both the quality and value of what we're offering, so I think that that reputation will eventually place into greater prominence and recognition as time goes.

I'm happy that you suggested the to write some articles, this is something I considered a while back but left at a lower priority. But I think you're right, I'll probably start developing some over the holidays.

Thanks again, Bev, I wish you all the best.

***
Hi Matthew,

Thank you very much for taking the time to review my site and send in your comments. Each one of your suggestions seem very prudent and I'll take a close look at them, particularly your advice on Google AdWords.

All the best.

[misterfindit]

The overall view of the site looks very professional, I make two suggetions - 1.) Take some classes on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). When you take these classses you will change your search engine rank, overnight.
2.) You should have no more than two or three links to point of purchase.
_________________
Providing resources to collectors, buyers & collectible price guides.
www.misterfindit.com
Mister Find IT

[Tradguy]

Clean crisp layout, looks professional. I like the credibility elements - "why choose" and the "testimonials". I would feel secure ordering from you, and that's very important.

But...

Navigation:

When accessing any of the categories, you completely lose relevant navigation. No way to jump to another category or even do a search.

While you struggled to keep everything "on one page with no scrolling" on the main page, when accessing categories you go very very deep on the page.

When there is a "page two" you wouldn't know it - the only way to get to it is to hit a tiny text link all the way on the bottom. This should be more prominent and also available at the top of the screen. You WANT people to see "page 2", so don't hide the option.

Design:

I have to tell you that I really don't like the design of the site. The light grey on white is so....white. It's very conventional and business-like. It's actually very boring, as if you sell modular office furniture that's supposed to be merely pleasant and non-distracting.

However, what you sell is creative, colorful, and artistic. It is supposed to capture your attention and stand out. Your audience are those that do marketing and are keenly aware of design elements. You are selling a "selling tool", so the site needs to be dynamic and colorful. Rich with texture and presentation.

It could really use some pizzaz to make me excited about YOUR products - which are designed to make my customers excited about MY products.

As a web designer, I would start with this concept - the website should be a reflection of your product. In fact, it could be based on a an actual tradeshow display. Colorful and dynamic. With lighting effects as your mouse moves over the options. It should be vibrant and artistic - something that would make a marketing director or sales manager go "ooooooo.....aaaaaaaah".

IMHO....

[Kustom Kartoons]

also... from an seo standpoint, consider using alt tags on your photographs..... an alt tag is the verbage that comes up when you hover your mouse over a picture......

spiders don't see pictures, but they do see alt tags

Good Luck
_________________
Original Cartoon Gifts

A slightly.... different shopping experience

[online-merchant]

Hi Dylan,

I think you need to have a portfolio page with examples of your work which can easily be found from any page of your site. I saw the photo links with your testimonials but it took too much digging to find them.

I agree that alt tags are important for your users that don't see the images, and you'll benefit from them in search engines. I don't know if you can do that with eBay ProStores.

Your problems with conversion could be so many things and you'll have to try different ways to improve it. With so much competition, you should consider giving your users more reasons or incentives to buy from you than from your competitors.

Having a portfolio and giving more information in general than what your competitors offer could begin to make a difference. Improving your SE ranking will certainly increase the possibility of greater conversion too.

I would not submit articles to article banks but rather put them on my site. They can increase search engine ranking which means more traffic for primary and secondary phrases as well as for long-tail searches. If you submit original articles to article banks, anyone is free to use them on their sites. This means your competitors can use them and possibly get credit for them in search engines. With 0 pagerank on your site, any site with established PR could very well have your articles seen as their work if they publish them on their sites, even if they keep a link to you intact. And most of the other sites that copy them are junk sites. By having original articles on your site, this could also generate natural links to your site.

If you have something newsworthy to report about your field, or something that may be of interest to your potential customers, consider press releases and submitting them to services such as PR Web. Publications may pick it up which would generate links to you from authoritative sources.

I would consider using another ecommerce solution rather than eBay ProStores. To be more competitive you'll need a more robust solution with a wide range of marketing tools and SEO advantages. There are better solutions out there which are also integrated with eBay.

Good luck!

[online-merchant]

I just took another look at your site. I think your product pages look fantastic, but there is something missing - keywords and phrases. If "tradeshow" is an important keyword it should appear naturally in your content, not just in your title tags. Your pages won't be found for words that don't appear on them.

It isn't clear if you accept credit cards. This could be a huge barrier as most online shoppers use credit cards. From your FAQ page

[Tradguy]

As far as CC's go, just make it clear that you take credit cards using paypal. I have a paypal banner that shows the credit card graphics, and I mention at my check-out page that "no paypal account is needed" if using a credit card. My FAQ just says I use paypal as my CC processor - period.

I processed about 300 sales off my website this holiday - only 3 of those were by money order. Of the remaining, only about 2/3 were by verified/validated paypal account holders - all the rest were non-paypal CC users that used paypal for the first time to process their orders.

Make sure your paypal is setup to allow non-acct holders to buy from you.

For what it's worth, I've processed about 4000 paypal orders and have only had 1 chargeback (for a $15 order).

[bid5]

i think you may of been paying too much per click with adwords. I used adwords for my auction site, however had similar results to you, lots of visitors, but little sales. however i could get first page listings for keyword "auction" for 10p a click. I think if you use adwords again id experiment with lower click rates.
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