However, our focus on NetBlazon left us with too little time to manage the customer and vendor relationships for Coolest Kids Furniture effectively, and as a result we turned off the ability for customers to check out on the site. It gets some traffic, so we didn’t want to take it completely offline – but without bringing in revenue, it likely wouldn’t have been very enticing for a buyer. As it was, the site was just sitting there doing nothing.

We were left with the question of what exactly to do with it?

Then I ran across a neat set of posts by Eric Nagel on coding a datafeed site using PHP. That sounded like a lot of fun! I don’t get to do much PHP work anymore, and the thought of getting my hands dirty on some code was enticing. So weekend-before-last, I sat down with his scripts (there’s an entire series of posts Eric wrote), my ShareASale and Commission Junction accounts, and the templates from Coolest Kids Furniture’s shopping  cart. Although I made a number of tweaks and adjustments to the scripts Eric provided, they saved me hours of work (especially on the CJ web services) and let me get the site up fast.

The site is now pushing traffic through to a number of other furniture retailers through the two affiliate networks. I shut down the old merchant accounts (that should save me $35/month) and moved the shopping cart to a backup directory. Plus I threw some Google AdWords campaigns on there to see how they might perform too.

Last week I added a WordPress 3.0 blog to target additional keyword phrases for the site’s SEO efforts. The new version of WordPress is so easy to install, and the default template is wonderful. I made a quick header graphic, installed a few SEO-related plug-ins, and it was ready to go. Plus, all the work I did on the site a couple of years ago left me with enough knowledge about the products that the posts are quick and easy to write.

Almost makes me wish I hadn’t let some of those other domain names expire!

Do you have any old sites sitting around that you don’t know what to do with? Are you up for a rehab? Or looking to sell? Let us know your plans by dropping a comment below.

1. Be Transparent - In a medium as anonymous as the Internet, the concept of transparency means being clear about who you are and your motives and goals. Transparency is especially important on ecommerce sites. Customers want to know that the people behind the site are honest and trustworthy, not someone who’s using the site as a front for fraud. One way to do this is on your “About” page. Identify the person or people behind the business, including a brief background as it pertains to the business (education, career, etc). A picture is a great benefit, because visually-oriented customers can develop a sense of the people they are doing business and communicating with. Video is even better!
   

   About Page from Melissa and Doug

2. Start a Blog – Publishing a blog takes commitment, but it’s a great way to show your business personality to customers, and to show them that behind the site is a living, breathing business. Frequently-updated content also shows commitment, a kind of “TLC” to your audience. Allow comments, too, so that you can start a conversation back-and-forth with readers of the blog.
3. Use a dedicated SSL certificate - They are relatively inexpensive and typically require very little work on your part. When customers see your site go from http://www.yoursite.com to https://site12345.somelargehost.com/yoursite/whatever during checkout, it can be disconcerting. On a related note, make sure that your checkout pages don’t include content that is not loaded securely, because a warning message will appear.
   

   Avoid Security Warnings

4. Use Security Badges – Demonstrate security with standard graphics that customers have come to expected. Credit card icons show that you have taken the time to select and integrate true payment-processing into your site, instead of relying solely on Paypal or checks by mail. Many SSL certificate providers offer badges that customers can click to confirm that the site uses standard encryption. Take that a step further by signing up for McAfee or Controlscan, which also offer site testing measures. Traditional businesses often display Better Business Bureau window stickers or Chamber of Commerce plaques; there are equivalent BBB and Chamber images that accomplish the same thing on ecommerce sites.
   

   Credibility Badges from Newegg.com

5. Phone, Email, Live Chat – Make it easy for customers to contact you using a variety of methods. Publish a phone number – a toll-free one if possible – in a prominent location on all pages, and try to answer calls during business hours. If you can’t always answer it, return voice messages quickly. Use a live chat service for customers who don’t want to interrupt their surfing to look for a phone, or offer contact forms on every page that are quickly answered by email.
   

   Crutchfield offers a variety of contact methods

6. Display Customer Testimonials – Gather customer testimonials and publish them on your website. While it’s ok to ask customers for testimonials, don’t make them up; people can spot fakes pretty easily. Offer a single testimonial on your homepage, and link to a page of additional testimonials.
   

   IDWholesaler.com shows one testimonial on their Homepage

7. Publish Store Policies – Publish your policies and link to them from your sitewide footer and within your help section. At a minimum, you should publish:
   • a privacy policy covering customers’ personal and financial information
   • a return policy outlining what products can be returned and what the process is
   • shipping policies that describe what carriers you use, what the lead or fulfillment time is, and whether you guarantee shipping delivery dates
8. After The Sale – Follow up on your promises and thank your customer for their business. A customer’s first order with your store solidifies (or demolishes) any credibility created on your actual ecommerce site. Offers customers a fair price and a good shopping experience, and many will return. When you make a mistake: Explain, apologize, and offer to make amends.