Simplx Blog

Congratulations! You’ve been on a super sales streak and it’s time to recognize your achievements! Your membership has been upgraded to Titanium.

Your business is a top priority at eBay and we’re standing by to provide the support you need. As a Titanium PowerSeller, you now have direct access to an eBay account manager through a special hotline number…

Today I got the above invitational letter into the highest and most prestigious Powerseller level currently offered by eBay.  I pulled up my eBay Dashboard page and it shows $465,116 among 2070 items sold in the past 90 days.  Here is a snapshot image of my Powerseller status page.

Titanium Powerseller Snapshot

eBay will be introducing a new level of Powerseller status before the end of the year with the motive to attract big box retailers in providing their product data feeds to the eBay marketplace.  eBay introduced an API that allows merchants with large databases of product to easily upload their dynamically changing data and, the new Powerseller status that is rumored to be called DIAMOND, with the primary benefit of allowing big box retailers to negotiate directly with eBay for the fees that they charge.  The controversy with this this aggressive move by eBay is that this move creates unfair advantages in the marketplace for smaller sellers that may be offering the same products that the larger retailers are offering, but are not subject to the same final valuation fees.  I’m sure eBay recognizes that they need to proceed with caution with any final decisions with these proposed changes since the success of the eBay community over the years is derived primarily of small eBay sellers.

Popularity: 16% [?]

You don’t have to look very far into forums to see discussions or rather statements from people claiming Simplx is a scam.  Frankly, I am sick and tired of all of the negative publicity and false statements that may scare people away from trying to make Simplx work for them when those people (the ones that never try it for themselves) are probably the ones that really could be blessed by what Simplx could do for them personally.  So…let’s have an open and transparent discussion about the negativity that you can find online about Simplx.  How did this happen?  Why is there so much negative publicity about a product that I stand here and claim will make you money?  I think we can better answer these questions by looking at what people are saying about Simplx.

Simplx is not a wholesale drop shipper (TRUE, Simplx is a retail drop shipper and connects you with stores that pay you a commission to resell their product and then they ship it for you)

Simplx is a rip off (maybe I’m biased here but with an option to try our program free for 7 days and get ALL your money back if you don’t like it, and pay just $40 per month if you do like it, I’m going to have to say FALSE)

Simplx is a scam (As FALSE as my dead Grandpa Wilkinson’s teeth…may he rest in peace)

Simplx is just an affiliate marketing program (TRUE! Simplx uses traditional affiliate marketing relationships and gives clients the full negotiated commission when they sell a product.  With millions of dollars of products moving through Simplx merchants, Simplx is able to negotiate top tier commissions with their contracts.  This is what Simplx clients get for their $40 per month.  In a later blog I will post my sales report tracker and you will see that this key element is the difference between breaking even [without the Simplx commission in my own eBay business] and making a $13,000 profit last month [with the Simplx commission])

Simplx can’t help you make money (umm FALSE see this post)

Simplx costs $5000 (FALSE, there are several different pricing options to get started with Simplx, just like with any company.  The majority of all Simplx clients get started with a package less than $200 and $40 per month.  Simplx products and pricing have evolved over time and we have charged clients $5000 or more in the past, but the value of what we have offered for that price has always been justified and supported.  Recently we have focused on providing much smaller price points with less one on one training and support.  As of today I have decided to reintroduce the $5000 option for a select few businesses that want one on one training and attention from me.  I can guarantee success when I hold your hand and walk you through the steps of creating a successful eBay business, but I get to choose who I work with :).  If time weren’t a limitation I wish nothing more than to provide that same service and personal attention to every Simplx client)

Simplx just sends you to websites the general public can buy from (TRUE, stay tuned for a whole blog I can’t wait to dedicate to this topic)

Simplx customer service sucks (I’m going to have to say TRUE AND FALSE.  We’ve made mistakes and left some customers feeling less than respected and appreciated in the past I’m sure.  I sat down last month with the entire company and gave an hour long presentation with one message to everyone….WE ARE A CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRIC COMPANY.  Everyone needs to do better at providing top notch customer service….developers, salespeople, customer service reps, trainers, administrators, and me.  We can do better.  We will do better.  That is our commitment to you)

Simplx stole X dollars from me (FALSE, we don’t steal; we never have.  We have written and/or verbal record of every customer that has ever given us permission to charge their credit card for the service we offer and a corresponding record of that service being provided according to the documentation they signed.  If a customer is not happy with doing business with us, then let’s find out why and we will make them happy)

Simplx is not a member of the BBB (TRUE, the BBB is a paid membership program.  We have never paid for a membership into the BBB, but have applied for membership in the past.  Two years ago we met with the fine young ladies that run the BBB of Utah as they made a visit to our offices in Springville.  Their message to us was they would like to see us go 2 years from that meeting date with 0 unresolved BBB complaints on our record and they would approve our application for a membership.  We met that goal just recently and resubmitted our application to them.  Regardless of their decision for membership our internal commitment to our customers does not change.  YOU WILL BE SATISFIED!!!  Let us hear from you if you are not and we will make it right)

Ok, am I missing anything?  I spent a considerable amount of time tonight scouring the forums to make sure I didn’t miss any of the statements.  It is long overdue that I addressed these statements publicly.  I do have to say that there are several very colorful anonymous individuals out there that seem to have some beef with Simplx.  My message to you is, if you feel you have been wronged in anyway then please tell us who you are and let us help you.

I think this blog became more about addressing the TRUE AND FALSE statements that have been presented in the forums with so much negativity that I never really addressed some of the initial questions we posed…..but no worries…..we’ll save it for Is Simplx a Scam??? PART 2.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Last month I drop shipped over $250,000 of product with my Simplx account on eBay and I did so with the efforts of just me and my fiancee.  I felt like I needed to blog about this fantastic accomplishment because it is the type of positive press that prospective Simplx users need to hear and that existing users want to know.

Simplx really has an amazing program and the ONLY real drop shipping method that WORKS in my opinion.  I have been selling stuff on eBay for years and I will challenge the Simplx selling method against any other program out there.

I started thinking about the Simplx product today and realized we need to do better on telling the world about Simplx and showing the world how to make it work for them.  There are millions of products in the Simplx network and millions of customers on eBay.  I’m not afraid what a little competition from Simplx users might do to the success that I’ve been having personally on eBay.

For a small monthly fee Simplx gives people the ability in this down economy to provide for themselves without the fear of what future economic circumstances may hold for their job and their finances.  There is no reason for anyone interested in selling product online not to get started with Simplx.  You will make money if you stick to it and try to get the help you need.  I can sit down with anyone and in a matter of a few days I can have an eBay account with a rating that is ready to sell, a way to start collecting money into your bank account, and products listing and selling that are making you at least $10 per product.  We are drop shipping products here so don’t try to find a product that will make you a $100 if it sells.  It takes me less than 10 minutes of my life to take a prospective customer from the beginning to the end of their buying experience from me on eBay.  That includes emails I have to answer from a prospective customer, receiving and fulling the order from a buyer, answering the buyer’s questions after the sale, fulfilling the order for my customer with the drop ship supplier I have identified, and recording the sale in my sales tracker.  That means that in 60 minutes of my life working in my eBay business I should be able to produce $60 an hour.  To me that number speaks volumes in terms of scaling a business.  If I can produce $60 an hour with a system that most of the time is spent in data entry and customer service, then I can hire people at $10 per hour and scale the business as large as eBay market permits.  You may not care about that and be fine with generating $60 an hour with the time you have at home working on your computer.  At a minimum every Simplx client should be doing at least that.

The tools and resources that I personally have access to are no different than what a Simplx client has access to that is paying $40 a month.  I think $40 a month for a system that should be generating $60 an hour with the time you are spending is a no brainer.  I am committing from today forward to getting more involved with Simplx customers and helping them be successful with their eBay sales.  As I stated in a previous blog, I am committing to providing more regular blog entries and helpful information for prospective and current Simplx members.  I want to make myself available as much as possible to helping you.  I am successful on eBay because of Simplx.  You should be too and I want to help.

Stay tuned for future blog entries of topics I feel like we need to discuss.  We’ll start with these headlines for my next 2 entries when I get a free moment….

1. IS SIMPLX A SCAM???

2. WHY WOULD PEOPLE BUY FROM ME ON EBAY IF THEY CAN BUY FROM THE SAME STORES I HAVE ACCESS TO ON SIMPLX?

Popularity: 18% [?]

Merchants Added in the last 45 Days

Popularity: 10% [?]

Part of running any sort of effective business is a basic understanding of value and worth the way economists understand them. In order for your business to fit into the marketplace profitably, you need to understand something about the basic principles of how price is determined.

How Much is Something Worth?

Without getting too far into the philosophy of it, the answer to the question of “How much is something worth?” is actually answered very easily: “Whatever people are willing to pay in order to obtain it!”

The entrepreneur knows this idea by heart. How much something is worth to someone is, at its core, a totally subjective idea. It’s something they “feel” more than something they can measure. A glass of water is worth more to a thirsty person than it is to a satisfied one. An autographed picture of a movie star is worth more to a fan than it is to someone who is unfamiliar with the actor. Brand-name clothes or designer shoes tend to mean more to a person who values appearance more than they do to someone who is more interested in function.

But if worth is such a vague idea, then how do you set a price for something? If the value of a certain product can vary from person to person, and they will pay different amounts for it, how do you decide how much to charge for it? The answer is a combination of knowing your customer base, and understanding the economic ideas of Supply and Demand.

Supply and Demand

Although Supply and Demand are actually pretty complicated ideas, you only need to understand them on a basic level to use them in business. Supply refers to how available a product is for purchase, or basically how easy it is to get. Demand refers to how many people want a product, and how badly they want it.

When demand goes up for something, so does the price. When supply goes up on the other hand, the price declines. In other words, the “market price” for something is the place where supply and demand agree about what something is worth for the majority of buyers and sellers.

Let’s suppose you are selling tickets for a sporting event. You have tickets for four-hundred seats in the arena where the game is being played, and you want to make the most money possible selling those four-hundred tickets. You know from selling tickets before that you will sell all four-hundred tickets and have to turn extra people away if you charge $5.00 each, and you will sell three-hundred tickets and have one-hundred left over if you sell them for $7.00 each. Supply and Demand are meeting somewhere between those two values: the place where you sell the most tickets, for the most money.

But what if this is a championship game, and more people are interested in attending? As the Demand goes up, you will find that you will sell all four-hundred tickets and still turn people away with a higher price, because more people want to see the game. The opposite can also occur: if the stadium expands its size so that more vendors are selling tickets and more spectators can attend, the price you can get per ticket will tend to go down because the seats are easier to come by and competition among the sellers is tighter.

You learn about where supply and demand meet by studying the market around you. What are other businesses who sell the same thing selling it for? What costs and services are they adding in do determine the price they think is “fair?” Do you have the same costs to compensate for? Do you add the same services?

Knowing Your Customer Base

There is more to the worth of products than simple supply and demand; quirks in your customer base can also influence price. Sometimes customers will be willing to pay for intangible things like convenience and customer loyalty. When you know the tolerance of your customer base for these sorts of things, it can help you to know what prices you can charge.

For online businesses, watching for these quirks can be especially important. If your website doesn’t ever come up in your customer’s internet browser searches, you’ll never sell products, no matter how in demand your products are or how low you can get your prices. On the other hand, customers may be willing to pay a premium for the convenience of not searching out multiple online stores if you offer an inventory that fits all of their needs in one place.

Learn what the customers in your niche want. Will they pay a little extra for better descriptions and information about products before they buy? Will they accept a slight markup for a website that offers them everything they need in connection with the good or service you’re selling? Do they want to purchase larger (or smaller) volumes than what is available in other stores? Will they come back to you again and again because of the quality of your customer service? Will they recommend their friends to you?

Conclusion

All retail, online included, works around these vague principles of worth. No one group arbitrarily declares what things are worth in the marketplace; the value is determined by something much bigger than any one customer or vendor. It’s a marvelous thing to watch really, as different customers and different vendors, all with different needs, negotiate together to decide how the market is going to price its products.

As a business owner, you’re part of those ongoing negotiations. You add your voice to the conversation by how you run your business, serve your customers, and price your goods. As you watch the shifting all around you and learn to play along, you will find countless ways to become more profitable.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Imagine that it’s your birthday, and someone special has given you an online gift card, good at any number of website shops. Do you buy something from the first website you come across? Do you do a little price or product comparison to makes sure you are getting the best bang for you buck? Do you read the descriptions of the products you are interested in? Do you look closely at the online images for the products? I would venture to say that as a prospecitve buyer, you do many if not all of these things.

You are not alone, whether you are a buyer on eBay, or a website store, you’re not just picking a product to buy randomly. You’re looking for a seller that looks trustworthy, a product description that feels compelling, and a product that has some pizzazz.

And let’s not forget about the competition! There is hardly ever just one place in which to buy a product. Usually, once a buyer has decided to buy a particular product, it comes down to a choice between two or three places that offer it for sale. When all is said and done, what tips the scales in favor of one seller rather than another?

Today’s article is going to discuss nine tips that every online seller needs to make a successful sale, whether it’s on eBay, or on a retail website. We’ll call these Tips For Irresistible Product Listings, and these tips have already helped thousands of sellers maximize their chances of selling and increase their selling prices.

Trait One: Clear Photographs with No Distractions

After many years of internet market research, we can confidently say that there are very few products out there that don’t sell better with at least one photograph. Photos play an important role in the online sales process because they tell a potential buyer far more about what they are buying than words alone ever could. Of course, photos can also go the other way as well: while clear, crisp, compelling photos can enhance your chances of selling and your selling price, poor images can significantly hurt the success of your auctions.

If you’re selling a product from a drop shipper or a wholesale supplier, you can often get images from their websites. This is an ideal solution and a snap to implement:

1.  Find the product on their website using their search tools.
2.  With your computer mouse, right-click on the image you want to use. A menu pops up.
3.  Select Save Image As from the pop-up menu. A save dialog opens.
4.  Browse for the location where you want to save the image on your own hard drive.

If you’re selling items that aren’t from a distributor, such as a lamp from a garage sale, an antique chair, or a collectible Coca-Cola® bottle, you’ll need to take pictures of your items yourself.Just make sure your pictures do your product justice. Would you buy the product below based on the picture?

Here are some tips:

• Be Careful with Light

Don’t use a flash with your camera. Instead, try setting up a few inexpensive lamps near the item. Place the lights so that they don’t created dramatic shadows or produce bright spots on a shiny object. The idea is to just create a general glow that illuminates the item you’re photographing.
If you’re taking pictures of smaller items, an inexpensive light tent will help you create just the right effect, and provide a clean background. You can find one on eBay with a keyword search for ‘light tent.’

• Take Care with the Background

When you take your pictures, make sure the background is tidy and non-distracting at the very least. If you want to go the extra mile with not much effort, try draping a solid, neutral-colored sheet behind the object you’re photographing. Remember, you’re objective is to make the object your photographing the focus. The person looking at the picture shouldn’t notice anything but the product.

• Make Sure the Exposure is Right

Take the time to make sure the exposure is right on your camera to avoid getting pictures that lack detail or look washed out. If you don’t get it right the first time, don’t be afraid to go back and take more pictures until you do. The wrong exposure can make a picture look faded and old—which will make the product look faded and old too.

• Show the Important Details

Make sure you take more than one picture and pick the ones that give the best idea of what you are selling. Remember, this is the only way your buyer is going to get a “feel” for your item since they can’t pick it up themselves and look it over. They want more than just evidence that the item exists.
The first picture you include should show a good representation of the overall object. Other pictures should provide close-ups and angles that highlight important details. Remember to think about it from your customer’s point of view; what would you want to see if you were them?

Trait Two: Searchable Title with Great Keywords

Buyers are going to find your product listings by performing a search.

eBay makes it easy by offering two search options: a category search and through search words (keywords). Buyers use keywords more often, which means you need to pay close attention to how easy your item is to find using them. When a buyer enters search words, eBay’s search engines look through all the words in the auction titles to find a match.

For your title auction title, you get 56 characters. That’s it. Among those 56 characters, you have to include all the words you think your potential buyers will use to find your product. It’s important to use every available space.

Don’t waste your characters on punctuation or words that you think buyers will not enter in their searches. For example, words like “the”, “a”,”for”, or “at” are not a good use of the limited space you have for your title. Use specific ones instead, especially brand names and characteristics.

On your website builder, there is also a search function that you can set to look for matching results from the based on matching keyword in the product description, or the product category.

Trait Three: Complete Description with Plenty of Details

In an earlier lesson we mentioned using words to describe both the benefits and the features of your products. Too often, listings are posted with very short descriptions.

The description in the example below is far too short:

“Three Mary Kay Satin Hands Hand Cream, new! Provides instant hydration to condition and moisturize hands for hours. 3 oz each.”

While your buyers will want (and deserve) a clear description of what they’re buying, a clear description by itself won’t convince them to buy. There’s nothing compelling in the description above, nothing to encourage them to buy beyond the cold facts.

Someone who feels compelled to buy the Satin Hands® system is already imagining how their hands will feel after using the product. Words and phrases like “luxurious,” “pamper yourself,” and “your hands will stop aging,” will help to reach right past the question of cost and into the question of benefit.

Buyers want to be convinced that they need or want your product before they buy. In addition to your clear description, include a compelling statement about why they should buy it. Answer the “So what?” or “What’s in it for me?” questions.

If you are selling a product from a dropshipper on your website, don’t feel like you are “stuck” with the inadequate description that the dropshipper provides for the product. I have yet to see a dropshipper whose product description covers what the benefits of the product are, or answers the questions mentioned above. Make the description your own, and make it worth the customer’s time in reading it!

Trait Four: Clear Shipping and Payment Policies

You need clear shipping and payment policies for two reasons:

1.  To establish trust
2.  To spell out expectations and ensure a smooth transaction

Experienced sellers understand the value of spelling out what the buyer can expect from them, and what the seller expects of his or her buyers. These policies help eliminate problems before they can begin. Experienced buyers will also notice if you don’t have clear policies too, which can hurt a potential sale. Finally, well-established policies will give you another layer of safety against fraud or sloppy buyers.

Trait Five: Informed Decisions about Pricing

In a previous lesson, we talked you about the eBay fees (particularly insertion fees) associated with the starting price you choose. Sometimes the insertion fees associated with a starting price of $100 will be much larger than the fees you’d have to pay for a $99 start price. Before you choose your starting price, make sure you check out associated the insertion fees at http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html and plan around them.

You will also want to keep a clear record of what you are having to pay your supplier for the product on your end. Remember that a large profit on a single item may not be as lucrative as a smaller profit on an item you can sell more often!

Trait Six: Clear Shipping Costs

Most of today’s online shoppers are sophisticated and have some very specific minimum expectations. If there is missing information, such as the price for shipping, many will not take another minute to look at your listing, no matter how great a deal it is.

Make sure you clearly inform your potential buyers about how much it will cost them to have the item shipped. Then, make sure that you don’t charge much more than it will actually cost to ship the item. You’ll be more likely to make the sale, and have a better chance of repeat business

Trait Seven: Appropriate Use of Color and Fonts

Have you ever been in Walmart while a sale was going on? Marked-down prices are around every corner. Imagine if, for every item on sale, there were a sales person with a megaphone to announce every item on sale. Where would your attention go? With so many megaphones calling you in every direction, you probably wouldn’t be able to pay attention to any of them. The megaphones would lose most of their effectiveness, and would just be maddening instead. You might just leave the store, rather than endure the chaos and make a purchase.

The same is true of the use of color and fonts. If you try to draw attention to too many selling points at once, or do it the wrong way, the effect is confusing. Do it badly enough, and your potential buyer might not finish looking through your auction.

With your fonts, stick to one font style. Make the majority of your text the same size, and color. Only use a larger font, bold, or color for the one or two things you most want your potential buyer to read.

Trait Eight: No Grammar Errors or Typos

Since your buyers have never met you before, they understandably want to feel like they can trust you before they give you their money. This trust doesn’t just extend to honesty either (though that is critically important); customers also want to trust that you are competent.

Grammatical errors and typos will significantly lower your customers’ confidence in you. If you’re worried about what you’ve written, cut and paste it into a spell-checker. Pay attention to your punctuation as well; make sure your sentences begin with a capital letter and that they end with proper punctuation.

In the example below, the seller’s sloppy writing gives the impression that he or she does not pay attention to details. Buyers might assume that the seller isn’t competent, which could easily cost him a sale when dealing with something as quality-oriented as a guitar.

“this is a Jay Jr Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar in Black. its sounds great and plays great also. Just a good all around guitar..”
Attention to all the details of your listing, including the spelling and punctuation, add to the buyer’s impression that you are professional, know what you are talking about, and capable of delivering what they expect.

Trait Nine: Romance

This is my favorite trait. It’s a little intangible, but it will make a huge difference in your success. The “romance” is the way you hope to make your buyer feel about the item before they ever buy. This message is delivered in the tone of both the photograph and the sales text.

For example, if you’re selling an antique, don’t just describe it: tell the story of how you found it. If you know its history, tell that, too. Let the pictures you use support the story you tell.

eBay buyers, in particular, respond well to a good story. Don’t be afraid to reach out, on a personal level, to your customers. It’s the heart of the online buying experience.

Conclusion

The bottom line is, you want to sell your products, and sell them more often. Make sure that you don’t have anything that is hindering your ability to do just that. Take some time and go through your website products, of the items you are listing on eBay, and double check them against these nine traits. Chances are, you’ll find something you could be doing just a little bit better, and you will notice a difference.

Popularity: 26% [?]

I apologize to the regular followers of this blog for not providing any new content for the last several months.  It’s not that there hasn’t been new updates and improvements to Simplx; the truth is I just got out of the habit.

I know providing one BIG update doesn’t make up for the silence, but at least it proves that we have been busy at work improving the service :)

So…the proof?…here are almost 400 new merchants we have added to the system in the past few months and their corresponding commission payout:

Corporate Casuals    10
4 Wheel Parts    3
Firebox.com    8
SmileMakers    10
Blooming Bulb    15
PC Tools    50
BlockBuster.com    2
Roxio    10
Dr. Siegal’s COOKIE DIET    8
Luxury Link.com    6
All-Ink.com    30
DropshipDesign.com Basic Plan    12.5
DropshipDesign.com Auction Plan    33.32
DropshipDesign.com Website Plan    41.66
DropshipDesign.com Feed Plan    52.5
DropshipDesign.com Combo Plan    70.82
Holabird.com    5
Four Points by Sheraton    3
Musician’s Hut    10
MacSpeech    18
Magix.com    20
Zone Alarm    16
MagsForLess    24
Scrubs & Beyond    10
Costume Kingdom.com    12
Identity Truth    30
Logoworks    10
Shop Callaway Golf    6
PsychicCenter.com    20
Gazelle    10
49ers.com    10
Consumers Marine Electronics    3
DuracellDirect.com    8
iRobot.com    5
OneShare.com    9
Shoplet.com    1
VizonTech    5
NCsoft    7
Pink Mascara    7
Calendars.com    10
Diapers.com    2
Hireko Golf    10
Simply Youth Ministry    15
Huntington Surf & Sport    8
SportsMemorabilia.com    10
Edwin Watts Golf    5
Under Armour (CA)    7
TCPGlobal.com    8
JoggingStroller.com    6
EliteCarSeats.com    6
Audio-Video-Furniture.com    6
Dillards    4
RedOctane.com    7
RugSale.com    10
TanThrough.com    17
Apples of Gold Jewelry    8
Tickets Now    7
The Pyramid Collection    5
BackInTheSaddle.com    5
ExtremeHalloween.com    10
Annie’sCostumes.com    10
ExtremeWigs.com    10
StageAndTheaterMakeup.com    10
EasterBunnyCostumes.com    10
SpoiledRottenKittens.com    10
SpoiledRottenDoggies.com    10
SantaSuits.com    10
CostumeDiscounters.com    15
North Style    5
Uniform City    10
Dickies (Girl)    8
BaseballSavings.com    5
Skin Care RX    20
AnneMichele.com    20
SkinBotanica.com    20
SealyBedding.com    8
WhiteCanyon    20
HP Snapfish    8
Sullivan Boutique    7
BooksOnline.com    10
Pet Street Mall    8
LeaseTrader.com    18
Baseball Rampage    13
Humana Medicare    20
Time Jewels (Fine Jewelry)    5
All-Battery.com    16
Home Bistro    8
Amazing Clubs    3
ProHealth    8
Time Jewels (Brand Name Watches)    2
ProBoardShop.com    10
Charisma Dolls    14
The Knot Wedding Shop    13
Cyber Link    15
Good Avocado Web Hosting    90
The OEM Shop    10
FansEdge.com    10
Metro Medical    10
The House    10
MuscleSurf.com    15
Water.com    34
Oneida    10
Punch! Software    15
Speedo USA    6
Carnival Cruise Line    3
New Vitality    12
MyCorporation    20
Mrs. Beasley’s Bakery    10
Legends Tickets    10
CoffeeForLess.com    12
NeckTies.com    14
Ties.com    14
Holiday Inn    3
InterContinental Hotels Group    4
BaronBob.com    14
Scholarship Experts    0.5
Zone Diet    12
Online Fitness    8
Collectibles Of The Game    10
Nitro-Pak    10
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts    3
Vitalicious    12
EyeSave Sunglasses    5
Ferret.com    9
Smashbox Cosmetics    8
Banana Republic    2
Lush Cosmetics    5
Superior Nut Store    10
La Cense Beef    24
Community Coffee    10
Legal Sea Foods    10
eDiets.com    15
Sunfood Nutrition    8
Executive Search Online    6
UpsideOver.com    10
Steiner Sports Memorabilia    12
RoadLoans.com    150
Online Sports    10
Bistro MD    34
Delivery.com    5
King.com    30
Anonymous Venice    6
2MCCTV (Security Cameras)    4
Textbooks.com    6
Meijer    1
E Publishing USA – Unsecured Credit    25
Always For Me    8
illy caffe    12
FujiFilm Partners    3
TickCo.com    7
ShockHound    5
World Wrestling Entertainment    7
Gourmet Monthly Clubs    10
Genisoy    14
Dollhouse.com    6
MobileXpression    14
CreditCards.com    3
CostumeHub.com    12
JetBlue    3
Worldwide Sport Supply    7
Chef Giant    7
Cosmetic America    12
Christian Singles    18
Degree Harmony    28
Amie Street    20
Lending Tree    8
Xperience Days    8
Valued Opinions    1.8
ShoeSale.com    14
Best Western    5
SpeedyPin.com    30
Gifts.com Gift Card    6
iCarKits.com    10
Cruiser Customizing    5
PreOwnedAerons.com    5
chumby    3
GiiNii    10
DenTek    15
Horizon Fitness    8
Military.com    10
RomanticGifts.com    12
FitFuel    12
The Flip    4
TriSports.com    7
ExclusivelyWeddings.com    10
LightInTheBox.com    11
Lip-Ink    13
Sandvik Publishing    10
StylinOnline    10
CTRL Acne Treatment System    4
Bigelow Chemists    12
Blue Nile US    5
Spock.com    8
Artisanal Premium Cheese    10
GolfShoesOnly.com    6
RingCentral: Virtual Phone and Fax    20
Climber.com    15
BuildOffers.com    20
Murals Your Way    8
SkyBox USA    4
Medifast    20
24 Hour Fitness    5
Rockwell Tools    10
Test Country    14
Perfect Pushup    10
PearlParadise.com    10
Anjolee – The Art of Jewelry    6
Baby Age    4
Sun Diego    6
Kotula’s    8
Ella Moss    8
Visa Black Card    100
AutoTap    10
Nexx Web Hosting and Domain Names    90
Dr. Whitaker.com    12
Tracfone Wireless    18
My Own Labels    0
Andy’s Auto Sport    0
Teachers’ School Supply    0
GotVMail.com    0
Supercomfort.com    0
Air France Canada    1
Jelly Belly    0
Zephyr Sports    5
Alaska Airlines    2
SplendidLife.com    8
Nantucket Brand    25
Bunny Bury Baby    7
Pear Tree Greetings    10
Swoopo    7
Sam’s Club    1.5
DrSinatra.com    12
DrDavidWilliams.com    12
BBQGuys.com    6
KeepIt.COM    30
United Airlines Vacations    3
Shirtcity USA    25
Sheraton    3
Westin    3
Always & Forever    8
Rebtel    25
Cable Shopping Network    8
Active Forever – Medical Equipment and Supplies    6
Baby Catalog    5
TextbookLink.com    5
DriveTime    8
1000Bulbs.com    6
FineLobster.com    12
Beau Ties LTD    6
CardScan    12
FastFloors    7
BedrooomFurnitureMart.com    5
Support.com    40
AdirondackChairs.com    8
Virgin Atlantic Airways    2.5
Things You Never Knew Existed    10
The Teaching Company    8
Buy Online Now    6
BlingJewelry.com    10
Wedding Channel Store    13
Xtremez    5
Heavenly Treasures    10
1-800-PetMeds    6
Large Software.com    50
Tractor Supply Company    5
deLa Flowers    20
Cribs.com    5
Logitech    4
Big Fly Sports    10
Buy.com (Fragrances Only)    8
UPrinting.com    14
Nautica    10
Account Now    5
Electronics Expo    5
Kipling USA    10
eSource Nutrition    12
Time For Me Catalog    10
Webroot Software    20
Chic Mystique    8
All Bike Supershop    8
PC Security Shield    30
Amsterdam    10
Refurb Depot    3
Anytime Costumes    10
Big T Calendars    14
Brandlet.com    7
Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes & More    5
Canvas On Demand    10
eOffice Direct    7
Part Store    7
PerfectMatch.com    30
PerfectMatch.com    30
Baby Earth    6
Carolee    7
Lord & Taylor    6
Netshops.com    8
Barstools.com    8
eLightBulbs    5
Everything Office Furniture    6
Quick Books    6
Bebe.com    5
Watchco.com    7
Famous Footwear    13
Printing For Less    18
Colorado Pen Direct    10
Earphone Solutions    4
Lancome (CA)    20
Electric Fireplaces Direct    8
Express    5
Wild Games    34
PrintMyRibbon.com    8
PrintMyThing.com    8
Fannie May Candies    12
Easy Bake Ware    8
Tower.com    6
Folica.com    5
Grassroots Computers.com    5
Cycle Gear Direct    5
2KTShirts.com    5
Vivid Racing    6
Motel 6    3.5
Décor Universe    3.5
Lighting Universe    3.5
Knobs and Hardware    3.5
ATG Stores    3.5
Modern Bath Universe    3.5
Fixture Universe    3.5
Floors Surfaces    3.5
123SPOOF    20
Bath Fans.com    4
Faucet Direct    4
Improvement Direct.com    4
Kitchen Direct    4
Lighting Direct.com    4
More Home.com    4
Pulls Direct.com    4
Stock Blowout.com    2
Tools Direct.com    4
Venting Direct.com    4
Reading Horizons    25
Epoque Hotels    15
BestBuyEyeGlasses.com    8
Laguna Tools    4
LaMonir    15
My Kids Bedding    7
48 Long Stems    17
Glasses USA.com    11
Sally Beauty Supply    10
Live Person    50
HP youneek.com    18
My Nursing Uniforms    8
Penton Overseas    10
123 Print    20
Krause Books.com    12
Gift Collector.com    7
Grooming Lounge    8
4 All Memory    8
Celazome Skin    30
Discount School Supply    5
StorePhotos.com    5
Hammocks.com    8
Modern Furniture.com    8
Designer Plumbing Outlet    1
Driver Detective    54
Doghouses.com    8
Heartland America    7
Mantels Direct    8
Cheap Caribbean.com    5
Podium    10
Cartoon Bank    5
Checker, Schuck’s, Kragen and Murray’s Auto Parts    6
FlagHouse    7
Herbs Pro.com    10
Home and Beyond    5
House of Brides    3
Kordial Nutrients    12
Nurses Station    16

Popularity: 29% [?]

Designing your own website can be daunting. What font should you use? What colors would look best? How can your font and color choices attract customers—and get them to stay? With a push in the right direction, everyone can put together a website that´s both eye-catching and effective. Below are some tips to help you get started on font and color selection.

Keep It Simple
When choosing a font for your body text, remember that readability is key. For web content, a sans serif font (a font without serifs or embellishments) is easiest to read. Because font selection varies depending on your computer, choose a well-used, widely-available font like Verdana for your body text.

Make sure to monitor the amount of text on your website. Use shorter line lengths and keep your text crisp and concise. Shorter sentences and smaller paragraphs will be easier on your customers´ eyes, and will keep them from feeling bogged down in text.

Flaunt That Font
Your font can help to pull customers into your site—or push them away. Here are a few tips to help you select effective, eye-catching fonts:

• Body Text: as mentioned above, sans serif fonts are the easiest to read. Choose a sans serif font with clean lines and an easy-to-read layout. Use only one sans serif font in your body text to preserve continuity. (Note: Bolded sans serif fonts also work nicely as headers—as long as they´re the same font as your body.)

• Headers: Serif fonts (fonts with decorative finishes) are best used in headers or as added emphasis. Feel free to use a more creative font—but use it sparingly. Also, keep in mind that more obscure fonts may not show up properly on all computers. If you use a serif, be sure it compliments your sans serif body text.

• All Caps: Avoid using all caps to emphasize text. First, capitalized words are more difficult to read (our eyes are trained to recognize the shape of a words as well as its spelling). Second, capitalized words tend to appear overstressed (readers will feel they´re being shouted at). Instead, apply emphasis by using color, bold, or italics.

Size Matters
After you´ve chosen your body text and header fonts, take a look at their relative sizes. Make sure your body text is readable without appearing too small or too large. When pairing a heading with body text, make sure the heading is large enough to stand out from the body. Try increasing its size, bolding it, or selecting a more distinct (yet readable) font. Headings should attract attention and compel the customer to read further.

Pack A Colorful Punch
Color can add flair and personality to your website—but if used incorrectly, it can actually repel customers. Here are a few tips to help you color your site successfully:

• When choosing a font color, be sure to select one that is easy to read and that contrasts well with your background color. While the easiest color combination is black text on a white background, you can experiment with color to create a visual appeal.

• Don´t use more than two font colors on your site. Occasionally three work, but it´s safer to just use two—one for the main body and another to draw attention.

• When choosing a background color, make sure your body text does not fade into the background. Choose contrasting colors as well as contrasting tones—one must be light and one must be dark.

• Studies show that light text on a dark background doesn´t read as easily as dark text on a light background.

• Avoid fluorescent text and background color—it´s difficult to read.

• Keep in mind that people with color blindness may have difficulty viewing a red/green color combination.

Browse the internet for websites that appeal to you. What do you like about them? What fonts do they use? How do they employ color? Keep track of the elements you like. Likewise, look for websites you find unappealing. What do you dislike about them? In what ways are they visually unappealing? Once you know what works and what doesn´t, apply the same concepts to your own website and watch your profits soar!

Popularity: 74% [?]

New Merchants:
Blooming Bulb – 15% commission
Gardening is America’s #1 hobby and BloomingBulb.com is America’s #1 source on the web for flowering bulbs. We offer the highest quality and the lowest prices!

Firebox.com – 8% commission
Firebox.com sells all the latest gadgets games and gizmos for the young at heart. From Las Vegas to Los Alamos, Tokyo to Tashkent, they scour the world looking for the ‘next big thing’, then make it available through their fabulously orangey website. Firebox.com has amusing product descriptions and photos, fast shipping, and excellent customer service. And with customer reviews, photographs and even videos you can be certain that your purchase is just as fun as it looks! After all, getting old is inevitable, but growing up is optional.

PC Universe – 3% commission
At PC Universe, we realize that when it comes to buying technology, your choices are many. We are confident that we are the best at what we do. As an experienced online value-added reseller (VAR), we save you time, money and help you make the right decision.

SmileMakers – 10% commission
Over 30 years ago, SmileMakers was started with one simple idea – to be the absolute best supplier of fun, consumable products used to incent, reward, and entertain children – young adults – even adults! Our quality products bring smiles to both the young and the young at heart.

The Land of Nod – 7% commission
At The Land of Nod you’ll find everything for your kids’ room from A to ZZZ! Shop for beds, bunks, bookcases, desks, play tables and chairs, cribs, dressers, wall décor (deep breath, please) kids’ bedding, rugs and soft seating. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Land of Nod now has Baby Gear including strollers, car seats, baby carriers, high chairs, baby seats and bouncers (another deep breath, please) bath and potty products, skin care products, and organic and eco-friendly products!

Deactivated Merchants:
Alle Fine Jewelry
Gospel Direct

Popularity: 68% [?]

Your website´s title and description are the most important factors when preparing your site for search engine registration. Not including a title for your web page is similar to publishing a newspaper without a headline. The title not only displays at the top of the browser window, but also appears when potential customers perform a search in a search engine and review the results. The description is equally important, as its purpose is to entice customers to click once the title has their attention.

In this discussion, please understand that we are referring to your web page title and description, not your company or position title/description. We are referring to the actual title and description of your web page, as defined by the title and meta name HTML tags.

Where are the Title & Description?
These tags are in the HTML code in the <HEAD> tag near the top of the document. They look like this:

<HEAD>
<TITLE>Your Page´s Title Here</TITLE>
<META NAME=”description” CONTENT=”Your Site´s Description Here”>
</HEAD>

Important Note: Some search engines do not use the description tag. Instead, they index the first 30-40 words of your site or the text around the keyword phrase being searched and use that as your description. For this reason, you should plan a well-rounded strategy for achieving high search engine rankings. This series is designed to help you create this type of strategy.

Tips for Writing Titles and Descriptions
Think of your title and description as an advertising campaign and spend as much time writing an effective title and description as you would writing an important ad.

Include Your Researched Keywords: To have a realistic chance of being listed on search results for certain keywords, make sure those keywords are used in your titles and descriptions. This is because when a search is requested through a search engine, the search engine gives highest priority to the words within the title tag. Since each page of your website can have its own unique title, it is vital for you to customize each page with its own keyword-rich title, focusing on just one keyword phrase per page. Tip: Do not use keywords multiple times in the same title or description tag.

Evoke Emotion: Don´t make the mistake of using just your company name for the title or stuffing keywords in the title with no other emotional pull. Your web page´s title MUST grab attention, create curiosity, and evoke emotion. Pay close attention to TV and radio news programs and how they use short “hooks” to keep viewers and listeners through a commercial break. The same “hooks” can be used for your title and description.

Use Compelling Words: What words are compelling? We have compiled a short list of compelling words to choose from: bold, breakthrough, magical, revealing, accomplish, favorite, security, save, stunning, personal, outrageous, you, announcing, warning, secrets, enormous, love, best, earn, more, wealth, protect, dazzling, exciting, incredible, free, fear, imagine, succeed, gain, money, sale, stunning, how-to, proud, health, prosper, future, easy, extreme, and fate.

Make Titles Short: Shorter titles are more effective than longer ones because web surfers scan the words on a search result page—they don´t read them.

Avoid Search Engine “Tricks”: There are many “tricks” out there to allow you to have more than one title tag, a title longer than the maximum 78 characters, and multiple descriptions. We advise against these methods because search engine criteria and algorithms change frequently. Unless you are keeping up-to-date on the latest changes, what may be legal today could draw a penalty tomorrow.

Make Sure You Can Support Your Claims: Make sure you can back up any claims you make in your title and description. If you can´t, you may be sued. Recently a large online site was sued for stating they were “The World´s Largest Bookstore.” They weren´t. They were sued. They lost.

Use Capitalization Wisely: Do not use ALL CAPS. They are difficult to read and are considered “shouting” on the Internet. Instead, capitalize the first letter of each word (when appropriate).

Make Titles under 78 Characters: Generally, your title should be 78 characters or less (including spaces). We prefer short, crisp titles. Some search engines only display a maximum of 78 characters, so by following this guideline, you are assured your title will not be cut off.

Examples
Your title and description will be the catalyst for traffic coming to your website. Just because your site ranks at the top of the search engine results does not necessarily mean you will receive the most traffic of the sites listed in the results. In fact, if your title and description are more compelling than your competitor´s title and description, you can attract more traffic than the #1 listed website in terms of referred traffic.

Effective Title Example: For a Corporate Help Desk, instead of using the title: “XYZ Corporation—Corporate Help Desk,” use “Corporate Help Desk: Meeting Core Business Demands, Keeping Users Productive.” This title is more effective because it incorporates the main solutions the service provides.

Effective Description Example: “Meeting your core business demands and keeping your users productive is your top priority. It is ours too. Allow us to be your Corporate Help Desk with guaranteed response times and high-quality service.”

Search engines do not alphabetize the results, so refrain from using symbols such as “!!” or “AAA” in your title. Place your most important keyword in this tag, but keep it readable and descriptive, with an emotional pull. Don´t just make your title a list of keywords.

Poor Title Example: For “Hawaiian Vacations,” one website´s title is: “windsurfing vacations lodging Maui budget accommodations Hawaiian vacation ren.” This title fails because it´s not only unappealing, but also doesn´t read well; therefore, few will click on this site, even if it´s listed as #1. The last word, “ren,” is actually “rental,” but was cut off, as the title was longer than the search engine allows.

Suggested Title: “Hawaiian Vacations in Maui—Budget Lodging Available.” Result: A shorter, more effective, and descriptive title.

Don’t Use Two Titles for One Web Page
Although using more than one title on a page is allowed on some search engines, others (including Google) will heavily penalize you.

Questions to Ask Yourself
Read your finished title and description and ask yourself:

• Are my title and description compelling?

• Do they solve a problem?

• Do they suggest that my product or service solves that problem quickly?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, you may need to rewrite your title and/or description. The bottom line is, when a search is performed on a search engine, two elements are displayed in the results list—the website´s title and description. And based on that title and description, your website may be welcoming potential customers—or turning them away.

Popularity: 75% [?]