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Nowadays, it would seem like every company is trying to sell something over the internet. But behind the various websites the sell goods and services is the complicated process of setting up a payment system that is both reliable and secure.

Merchant Account

In order to understand how payment systems for ecommerce would work, you must first try to think like a banker. Every offline business establishments needs to have a merchant account in order to accept credit card payments but this is especially true in an online business where card payments is the preferred payment method. In the past, merchant accounts were harder to set up because banks used to require that a business should have existed at least two years before their application can be approved. In addition, this business must be tied up with a property or a street address to be considered. But this is not the case today because various service bureaus such as the First Data Merchant Services, Authorize.net, and many other providers has made it easier for online business owners to open a reliable merchant account.

When a customer uses his credit card to pay for something over the internet, there are several stages he has to go through for his transaction to be processed. These include authorization and capture. Basically, authorization refers to the act of verifying in an account number is valid, if it still has enough credit, and if it is not reported as stolen or lost. The address of the customer will also be matched against the account to deter any fraudulent activities. Meanwhile, capture refers to the approval, the posting, and the shipment of the products. Capture can happen in three ways. First, it can occur during the authorization process with the bank wherein the bank clears both the credit card and the storefront’s account. Second, it can happen after the authorization occurs but you will need to conduct a separate capture process. And lastly, it can occur on hourly batches where the storefront owner will need to coordinate with a card processing intermediary.

PayPal

Aside from credit card payments, another popular way to send money online is PayPal. If you are wary about revealing your credit card information over the internet then using PayPal may be the answer for you. PayPal is basically an online account that allows you to send and receive money instantly. Note though that to fund or withdraw money from your PayPal account may take several days.

Online stores such as Ebay.com promote the use of PayPal extensively partly because Ebay.com also owns PayPal. Sending and receiving money from PayPal is also easier for international users because they do not need to shoulder the costs associated with credit card payments when they use this account. PayPal accepts various cards such as Visa, American Express, MasterCard, and Discover so you can fund your account easily and conveniently.

Right now, a lot of merchants already accept PayPal payments but there are still some that only accept credit card payments. Even if this is the case today though, it is undeniable that more merchants will accept PayPal payments in the future because customers have already accepted it as a reliable payment method.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Everyone is harping about the advantages of using user generated content to increase search engine ranking. But what they failed to consider is that your site is actually welcoming virtually any “user” who chanced upon your site. So one moment you may be happily uploading content to your website and the next moment, you will discover that you had been banned by Google.

How is this possible? Well, you will just be surprised that your site is suddenly the host of thousands of parasites that are advertising anything from travel deals to pharmaceutical products. Even large website such as the Guardian has not been spared although these sites still rank high in search engines. But it would be a mistake on your part to think that Google will be wise enough to figure out what is a “spam” website from a legitimate website overrun by spam. This is not the case though so a site owner should take every precaution necessary to make sure that user generated content will not do more harm than good to the SEO of a website.

Overall though, it would simply not be right to disallow user generated content altogether. Web 2.0 is an incredibly good development in the internet because it enables internet users to build a community where they can interact and share their opinions with like-minded individuals. It is up to the site owner to make sure that things will not get too far because the site can easily become overrun with spam.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Popularity: 7% [?]

In 2007, it is estimated that there are 143 million websites currently in existence; this means that there are untold millions of web pages over the internet. Now, the good news is only a small percentage of the 143 million websites have active owners that actively promote them. However, letting your site rise above this clutter is a challenge every web owner face.

If you want people to find your site from the millions of websites out there, you should use strategies that will promote your website, your products, and your services to get traffic. But remember that there is no use in reinventing the wheel so you might want to try of the primary methods of site promotion that is already proven to be effective.

Search engine optimization (SEO) – a website will rank higher in search engines with the careful choice of keywords in your title, meta tags, text, and incoming links from social bookmarks, directories, and related websites.

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) – this is the paid search on search engines. Your text links will appear at the right corner of the search results when a searcher look for information on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. You will only need to pay when a searcher actually clicks on your ad. The downside to this is it can be quite expensive depending on the keywords you choose.

Affiliate programs –your affiliates will promote your site and they will get paid when a searcher click though or purchases a product from you. Affiliate programs can be quite effective but it is difficult to find a large number of motivated affiliates who will actively promote your site.

Advertising in newsletters – your ads can appear on existing newsletters that are already being sent to your target market. This is a moderately effective approach to get people to visit your site.

E-mail campaign – your e-mails can be sent to subscribers of an ezine list or even a rented list. With a well-written copy, a good landing page, and the right list, this kind of promotion can be highly effective but costly.

Online communities – you can expand your network in online communities by becoming an active member. Try to participate in forums, blogs, and other discussions; put your site using your “signature”.

Viral marketing campaigns – make people want to share your site to their friends and acquaintance by creating something so unique and compelling that they cannot help but to pass it on.

Joint ventures – basically, it involves a cooperation among websites wherein other people will carry your marketing message and you will carry theirs in return. This can also involve sales commission and other forms of incentive. With the right joint venture partners, this can be beneficial to everyone.

The wrong question to ask is “Which is the best promotional strategy?” This is because there is no right answer to that question. Various marketers have found success using several of these techniques without touching on the others while others. It also does not follow that a strategy that worked incredibly well for one person will do the same for another. So it is up to you to find out which strategy is the best for you. 

Popularity: 14% [?]

Popularity: 14% [?]

Affiliate fraud is getting worse. The only way to successfully combat this kind of fraud is to meet it head-on. Knowing more about its different manifestations is important to effectively fight affiliate fraud:

Fake transactions – some fraudsters actually created scripts that generate fake leads, clicks, and transactions. There are others who first sign up as an affiliate and then make large purchases using stolen credit cards. Of course, the merchant will eventually find out about the fraudulent transaction but it is highly likely that he will pay for the affiliate commission because of the said purchase.

Typosquatting – this may not seem as damaging as the first but it can be annoying nonetheless. Typosquatters are the affiliates who register variations of well-know domain names and then they sign up for the merchant’s affiliate program to get the traffic which should have been the merchant’s in the first place.

Parasites – these are the bane of legitimate affiliate marketers. Parasites are adware programs that installs on the affiliate’s computer to steal traffic from them. It steals their links by replacing it with new ones. The legitimate affiliate marketers will not get paid because of this.

Spammers – there are affiliates who send out unsolicited e-mails or spam to their prospects. These kinds of affiliates tarnish a merchant’s reputation and make can make marketing promotions harder for legitimate e-mailers because readers can no longer separate spam from legitimate offers. Spammers can also get a merchant’s name on the blacklist.

There are other signs you need to watch out for to determine if an “affiliate” is actually legitimate or not. Most of the time, affiliates who asks for immediate payment through PayPal are turn out to be fraudulent.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Popularity: 11% [?]

One of the best ways to build trust online is to use testimonials or endorsements from satisfied customers. But most marketers would think that since testimonials are so easy to fake, people would never believe them. The opposite can be true though if it is used carefully to the target audience.

The main function of a testimonial is basically to catch the attention of the reader while conveying benefits at the same time. Keep in mind though that the most important thing in using testimonials is establishing credibility. If the testimonial sound something like “this is the best product in the whole wide world”, chances are, the reader will just snort in derision. However, if you are wise enough to use testimonials that came from actual customers, your conversion rate can increase dramatically.

The placement of these testimonials is also essential so don’t cram all testimonials together in one page. Try to space them out to deal with different customer concern and objections. For example, if a testimonial reads, “this XY product was worth every cent”; put this particular testimonial in the page where the price is indicated since some customers might think that the price is too expensive for them. Make them see the value of the product and not just the price of it.

Most of all though, don’t ever use fake testimonials because it can destroy your customer’s trust in your product and in your company. Testimonials are actually rather easy to get if you offer great products or services. Some satisfied customers will send e-mails and feedback as their way of saying thanks for the benefit they experienced. On the other hand, you can also ask for evaluation every time a customer buys your product; you can include the positive points they indicate but remember to ask for their permission before you use it as a marketing material as well.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Popularity: 12% [?]

A lot of people wonder why their ranking can go from being on the top five in search engine results only to drop sharply the next day. Slight fluctuation can easily be understood but there might be a deeper reason as to why your ranking may fluctuate so drastically. It is important to realize that Google and other search engines make use of a variety of algorithms, filters, and other barriers that are effective in producing relevant results. So if you are wondering why your site is not ranking anymore, here are some common reasons:

• The Page is Too Well Aligned – it is possible that you become too aggressive in targeting the same phase in your anchor text, page title, meta description, and page headings that search engines simply filter out these phrases.
• Scraping – if you own a new website with a limited number of trusted link, a scraper site can get credit for the contents on your site. Make sure you have absolute links in your navigation and you must build more authoritative links to make it more difficult for scrapers to lower your ranking.
• Problems with Page Rank – if your PR is spread across a lot of pages with duplicate content, some of the good content might be placed in the supplemental results and this will not rank well. Meanwhile, your remaining pages may rank worse than before because it no longer has as much equity link as before.
• Community – if you are a new player in the market, it would help your site to get some community links. Google can re-rank results based on your community link.
• Too many reciprocal links – reciprocal links are not bad in itself but if too many of your links are actually reciprocated then you can get hit. Remember not to get too many reciprocal links when your site is only starting out as well.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Popularity: 6% [?]

Aside from the standard text link ads that Google AdWords is usually associated with, there are also various other formats that an online marketer can take advantage of if they do decide to use AdWords, some of options are summarized below:

Image Ads/Flash Ads

These are the regular banner ads displayed in a variety of shapes and sizes. For maximum exposure in the content network, it is recommended for you to use all the allowed sizes.

Mobile Text Ads

Millions of users use their mobile phones to find products and services on the internet. You can offer users the option to connect via telephone or through a mobile web page. For example, if you enter a telephone number, the call link will come out at the end of the ad. In addition, there is the “click-to-call” technology wherein people can call the advertiser when they click on the phone icon found on the ad.

Click to Play Video Ads

This is a great method to deliver multi-media information to the user. These ads look very much like YouTube videos wherein users can click on the “Play” button to activate the multi-media ad.

Text Links Ads

Currently, this type of advertisement is only available in pay-per-action campaigns. These ads are simple text links that are distributed in Google’s content network. Text links are admirable in its simplicity and its ability to blend with the rest of the content seamlessly.

Local Business Ads

These are Google Maps’ listings. When you search for businesses in the local area, Google will identify local advertisers with active business ads and provide you with the list. Local business ads are a great way to get foot traffic.

Gadget Ads

One of the newest ads option from Google, gadget ads are exciting because they are “mini-sites” within websites. A sample of this rich media ad is an ad that has multiple actions integrated such as RSS feeds, movie clips, text, and outside links. It provides a more interactive experience for the user.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Popularity: 10% [?]

If you are reading this article, chances are, you already have an existing site. But as every webmaster knows, a single site never seems to be enough because there is always the urge to develop another. It is true that focusing on one site instead of a hundred different site is easier; it also has the potential to give you as much revenue as the hundred sites if you do it correctly. Despite this knowledge, building a new website or blog seems to be irresistible for many. So if regret the domain name you choose before, try to make the right choice now. Here are a few tips to guide you:

1. Choose a short name – most popular domain names are relatively short for good reasons. It can be established as a better brand, it is difficult to misspell, and it can fit into logos easily. There are some companies who decide to name the whole company name their domain name; this can be unwise because it will look awkward and it would not fit into Google PPC ads.

2. Choose a memorable name – people will easily remember generic names such as House.com or RealEstate.com but most of these domains are already taken. The alternative is to look for fun and unique names that will catch the visitor’s attention; for example, Yahoo.com and Amazon.com can be considered as “fun” names.

3. Choose a name that relates to your business or business name – when searchers see your domain, it would be great for your site if the searchers immediately recognize your name and they know what to expect.

4. Choose a popular domain name extension – it is recommended for you to get a .com or a .net extension because this is the most commonly used extensions that are typed by searchers.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Popularity: 12% [?]

Online marketers always aim to grow the number of subscribers on their e-mail list. Most of the time, these subscribers will read the first few e-mails you send them. But after awhile, they will experience something akin to “list fatigue”, this is the term used in the direct mail industry that describes a list that becomes irresponsive. Take note though that these subscribers don’t really want to sever their relationship with you because they still believe that they might be able to get valuable information from your e-mails in the future.

Here are some tips you can try out to fight e-mail fatigue:

1. Provide fresh information – high quality content is most likely the component that made the people subscribe to your newsletter and this may be the factor that will keep them.

2. Avoid over-promotion – it is noticeable that quite a lot of marketers provide relevant information on the first few newsletters. Later on though, these newsletters become some kind of promotional material. It is important to find the right balance between content and promotion.

3. Watch your frequency – don’t send too many newsletters too soon. This will just overwhelm the readers and they might even associate your e-mails with spam.

4. Provide attention-grabbing titles – the title is often the deciding factor between reading and deleting. Try to provide a title that makes them itch to open your e-mail.

E-mail fatigue is certainly a challenge an online marketer needs to overcome if he is to be successful in his ventures. However, it is also important to keep in mind that no one can entirely prevent this fatigue so don’t get discouraged when you start to notice that your list is becoming gradually irresponsive because it will happen. You just need to reenergize their interest on what you have to offer.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Popularity: 13% [?]

Some marketers underestimate the power of viral marketing; this may be the biggest mistake they will ever make when it comes to online promotion. A word of warning though, viral marketing is not the technique for impatient marketers who want results now. This is because the “virus” will take time to spread until its sheer number makes it impossible for anyone not to notice it.

There are several elements in viral marketing that you should take time to explore, among these are:

1. Free Products/Services – the word “free” catches everyone’s attention. “Free” is the most powerful tool in a marketer’s arsenal. Even big websites such as MSN and Yahoo gives away free services such as E-mails and private messengers.

2. Easy transfer or sharing to other people – “viruses” will only spread when they are easy to transmit. The media that carries your message should be easily transferable and replicated (eg. graphics, software download, etc); this is the reason why the internet is such as good place for viral marketers. Online communication is also instant and inexpensive.

3. Takes advantage of human motivation – clever viral marketers take advantage of human motivational factors. For example, Napster became incredibly popular because people wanted to be “in”.

4. Makes use of existing networks – all people have networks both online and offline. A person’s online network can be seen in his e-mail list, number of MySpace friends, and his regular blog visitors. Viral marketers can use these networks to get message across.

5. Use other people’s resources – using the resources of other people can widen and improve the impact of your message. For example, affiliate programs such as Amazon.com would not be as successful as it is if not for the number of associates it has.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Popularity: 9% [?]