can ya'll review

Ok, so I'm fairly new at all of this, but think I have it under control...would ya'll be nice enough to take a look at my site and let me know what you think? (be kind...I'm home sick today and tend to cry easily , LOL). I think that I have good products, and I love the fundraiser I'm doing with the VFW, but can't seem to get anyone to purchase anything, no matter how many people go to my site....http://www.sarascribbles.com.

Also, if I can take a minute to vent, it would be great~the past two mornings, when I check my e-mail, I have new guestbook notifications (GREAT-you know), but when I read them and go to visit the signers site, it's "****-related"--NOT something I want to advertise on my site .

So thanks in advance for those who go to check it out, (tell your friends..), and I'll talk to ya'll soon!
Sara

[jonra01]

I guess I'll the plunge here, Sarah.

To begin with, it takes more than sticking a few pages on the Internet to have success. Just as it takes more than renting some retail space to have success with a traditional store. Almost every business rule that applies to a successful brick and mortar store applies to the web. If you think this way you should have success.

1) have a good looking, easy to use web site (this is your 'store')
2) have a good product (your's look good and should sell to the right people)
3) competitive prices (I have no idea about this, that is one area that should be researched).

All of the above items are crucial, but, by themselves they will never translate into success. The most crucial item of all is to attract customers. Some of the many techniques traditional store owners use are advertising, store window attractions to lure the customer in to view the stock, and a yellow pages listing.

Some of those also work on the web. Advertising is always a good way to attract business. One difference is that some forms of advertising on the web don't really seem like advertising at all.

One of these is having links on other sites that point to your site. For instance, since you are donating some of your revenue to the VFW (a worthy cause, by the way) they should be willing to have a link on their site promoting your site. Every link you can get on another site is a possible source of visitors.

Another method of free advertising is a reciprocal ad service. There is a list of Search engine optimization tools in the post at the top of this forum. I believe some of the ad services are listed in there.

The web equivalent of a yellow pages listing is a search engine. Google is #1 by a large margin over the next closest search engine. You can use the tools in the post I mentioned to optimize your site for the search engines.

As far as you site design goes, the gentlest way I can put this is that it lacks professionalism. It reminds me more of a table at a craft show than a store. Your site should be designed and organized in such a way that the visitor is started on what I call 'the slippery slope to a purchase'. Everything on your site that doesn't contribute to that goal or to attracting visitors should be pruned from the site. Your product images need to be well-lighted and attractive. The text that accompanies the images needs to be compelling.

I'm sure some of the other members of this forum will contribute some suggestions now that I have broken the ice.

Building a successful web site requires far more work and knowledge than most people realize. It seems simple to most people before they attempt it, but just because the tools are fairly easy to use doesn't mean that building a good site is simple. A paintbrush and paint are easy to use, but few people can pick them up and create a painting that someone will pay money for without a lot of study and practice.

I wish you much success with your site. It will take time and effort. I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm only trying to inject a little realism into your dream.

John

[Jeanie]

Hi Sara,
I am making you a new home page. Buttons and all if you want it.
Send me an email...hey its free and worth looking at.

I will then send you the zipped files.
webmaster@freebiesforwebsites.com

Let me knowwwwww.