Sales very poor

[pinbrook]

you can add a customvar for your alt tags, this way you have control over its contents

[RuralWeb]

I don't think this gives enough flexibility

I think thats pretty flexible.

[fentonalex]

Thanks Malcolm, but in this instance, I'm using image, text and title, so I can't do this. I'm sure the next version will be more accessible and allow this kind of thing, but for the time being, I'm glad that the store is accessible on some level - cheers for your help there.

>you can add a customvar for your alt tags, this way you have control over >its contents
Ah - good thinking. I think ultimately though, it would be nice to see an Alt attribute field next to the image field.


Returning to the topic in hand - I think the more accessible the store is and the more google friendly, then the more visitors it should get (both disabled and not).

[fentonalex]

I'm using text, image and title so that the client can easily create a new page with a heading on it. I think headings are pretty crucial for seo / accessibility also - although mine seem to be coming out as h3 rather than h1 - oops.
I think next time I'll try and figure out the customvar or wait for actinic 8

[jont]

the more accessible the store is.... then the more visitors it should get

Accessibility is part of a very complex equation in getting people to the site and more importantly parting with their money.

There are lots that can be done to improve accessibility other than the ALT tags for example on the Muse site you use a serifed font which is known to be more difficult to read on a monitor than a sans-serif font.

the more google friendly, then the more visitors it should get

Search engine friendliness should obviously go hand-in-hand with user friendliness as machines will not view a page the same way as a human and it is the human who is parting with the cash.

You can construct the pages to appear the same but with the underlying architecture being more SE friendly - again refering to the Muse site there is a lot of additional and complex <table> codes that could be removed to help SE's see the "flesh" of the page content further to the top of the page ... most (if not all) can be laid out via CSS to the same visual effect.

Very nice to see underlined links on the Muse site - no mistaking their intention from a usability viewpoint

[fentonalex]

Hi Jont, thanks for that - much appreciated. the client requested the script font in an animated flash movie, but this is now css text. With all the fonts, the text size can be changed using the browser or a users custom style sheet can also be used. Sometimes, particularly with industries like fashion / music etc. I think the look has to be balanced quite carefully with the accessibility. This site compared to its competitors is much more accessible I think even though it is using Actinic.

[jont]

the client requested the script font in an animated flash movie

Bet you're glad you stood your ground on that one?

[fentonalex]

Hi Jont, yes and no really. I've been making accessible websites that at times have to get past rigourous real life and automatic testing, so it made a nice change to be making a site who's focus was the look and not just the accessibility / Jakob Niellsen factor. Everything we do here is largely focussed on usability/accessibility, but this particular client specifically wanted something animated and flashy like her competitor sites (who by the way are not accessible or in the search engines! - but they can get away with it because they are huge.

I think what we have here is in a short time got the clients catalogue online - she was very specific about the look of it and I'm happy to say I think there is a balance struck between time/money/look/accessibility/usability.
I think it would be a shame if the web all looked like Jakob Niellsens website, so I think the occasional use of a script font or flash movie is okay in my book as long as there is provision made for people with disabilities. Also - although 95% of the sites I make these days don't use tables, I don't personally believe this to be a major barrier to people with disabilites. I think to get my head around creating this site with css would fry my brain and cost the client too much in my time

Okay - I'm ranting now - sorry
Still no sales however, its getting about 20-30 visitors a day from PPC with product names. Any more suggestions from anyone about increasing traffic / conversion would be great.

[RuralWeb]

As the products are quite high value I would expect a PSP or SSL rather than just PayPal.

[pinbrook]

Photographs of products is very poor, I can't see the detail of the fabric or the real colour due to colour casts.

Certainly would expect to see a more credible credit card processor.

Current average conversion rates are 1% so at 20-30 visitors perday you could only expect 1 sales per 3 or 4 days.

The thing about aninternet shop is to create a shop with afollowing, and make your store stand out from the crowd. Why would I buy from your shop and not go to the high St - if the reason is price, then tell me that, also with clothes you need a clear refunds/returns policy.

When I am buying clothes online I expect to pay postage (£3.95) but I don't expect to pay for returns. If its a shop I've not used before I tend to buy 2 different sizes with the intention of returning one.

[fentonalex]

Hi guys - thanks for this.

Photos had to be done in store - I think some are better than others - and you can see a bit more detail in the "more photos" part - do you think these pics should be bigger or higher quality? I'm not sure this is possible at this stage. What do you think about the idea of having front facing few products a little like this:
http://www.fatface.com/

I also have a problem with the name of the store, when I think Muse I think of the band called Muse and not 30 something designer clothing

That's the physical shop name.

Certainly would expect to see a more credible credit card processor.

Still early days though yet I'd say.

if the reason is price, then tell me that, also with clothes you need a clear refunds/returns policy.

I think suggested that above, but I'm not quite sure where - on every page maybe on the top bar?? Good point about the refunds policy, this is kind of up to the client, but I'll mention this.

When I am buying clothes online I expect to pay postage (£3.95) but I don't expect to pay for returns. If its a shop I've not used before I tend to buy 2 different sizes with the intention of returning one.

Interesting - well its free postage to the UK initially.

[SusanF]

I agree with Jo, the photographs on the site really let it down. I hate to say it but they look amateurish (it doesn't need much knowledge of Photoshop to sort out levels and colour balance - many of the images look washed out and it is just about impossible to make out any detail). Considering the cost of the garments I would expect much better views, preferably on models, with close-ups available showing detail etc. It's a shame, because no matter how good you make the web site, if potential customers cannot really see what they would be buying, they will go elsewhere.

I had a quick look on Google to find a similar fashion site that includes better photography. Sorry, it's not an Actinic site, but have a look at http://www.artigiano.co.uk for some ideas. It's not a particularly fancy site, but if my husband hadn't hidden the credit card I'd be very tempted to make a purchare or two here(actually what he doesn't know is that I know the credit card number off by heart anyway!!).

Best of luck,

[pinbrook]

I suppose you have to ask yourself is it worth making a store on such a limited budget?

i think this sums it all up.

I understand that as a designer you are not going to turn a job like this down, if you don't create the site, someone else will.

But this is an important issue that alot of people don't really understand, if you want a site to be sucessful you have to put the effort and budget into the project.

In my opinion this site probably will not be a huge sucess for the following reasons

1 bad photography
2 paypal
3 lack of full committment to the website. The site has alot of competition who, quite frankly are doing a better job. Its one of those sites where simply creating something with a limited budget is not going to be enough as a toe in the water experiment.

Alex - you have given the best advise you can, sounds as if the client is simply hoping for an internet miracle.

Re Adwords you may find it better to use keyphrases rather than brands. eg I notice that for "Paul & Jo" you sell tops, dress, tunics, how do you know all the people who clicked through on that brands weren't looking for paul & Joe trousers or shoes (please excuse my ignorance of the designers in question - but I hope you see the point I'm making)

[Faulkds]

Get your site optimised by a professional company.

I had a simular problem but now I get page 1 rankings in google using a very competitive keyword like motorcycle parts (out of 25 million sites).

Speak to a guy called Craig at

http://www.weblinx.biz

Hes done the business for me and it hasnt cost me a fortune.

Regards
Darren Faulkner
http://www.4-motorcycles.co.uk

[Faulkds]

Just had a look at your site and don't really agree on how you have done your title tag, your keywords and you have no h1 reference....

You need to go back to basics

Look at the source code of my site

The index page is optimised the rest of the site could do with some work ;-)


http://www.4-motorcycles.co.uk

If your wondering what keywords to choose then try this link. You will find out how many people are searching on your particular chosen keywords...

http://www.google.co.uk/webhp?hl=en&complete=1

Great looking site but no good if it isnt picked up in the SE's :-)