E-COMMERCE DEVELOPMENT

Do you have geographically diversified web development teams that operate on different time schedules? Take control over their contributions to your project by utilizing version control and task management software. Increase efficiency and redundancy while creating documentation and organization of changes to the project. Whether your working on a single website, or a cluster of complex software applications, take the upfront time to standardize the method to control the source code, and task schedule. You will be grateful for this when your lead developer quits, or you hire some new team members. A version control system (VCS) is basically a running log of all the source code changes within your website. It allows a developer or designer to quickly analyze source code changes and enables them to revert, modify, or delete change

Trying to track your incoming and outgoing email through Outlook 2007 could easily turn into an Easter egg hunt.  Out of the box, Outlook has some easy-to-use features to handle email flow and processing-if you use them. If you don't use them, your read email can get lost in the abyss never to be seen again! Especially if you get dozens and dozens of emails a day. What about those email messages you send out as tasks that  require responses (that may or may not come on time)? I've developed a system to help manage these two different processes; easily and quickly! Manage Incoming Email Create a “ToDo” email folder under your Inbox Go to Tools -> Options -> Other Tab -> Reading Pane (third section down), then deselect the checkboxes “Mark items as…” and “Mark item as read”: This will help to crea

Google Products optimization or as it was: Google Shopping search optimization, is a process to help your Google listed products gain higher ranking in the SERP and Google Products/Shopping site.   Google’s shift toward using its Shopping feed in search results is setting a new precedent for SEO and Internet marketing initiatives. For example, if you search for samsonite luggage, you will see product images in the Adwords/sponsored link area, pushing down the text ads. They also add the Product Shopping results above the organic listings-see the image below for illustration.   There are three different areas for product image visibility: the "+" sign next to your Adwords ad (+ Show Products from...)-this is generated from your Adwords and Google Product Search integration above the right column Sponsored Links sectio

In a industry where talent is difficult to find (and even harder to keep), a growing ecommerce business needs constant attention and re-invention to remain successful. If you are finding it difficult to hire staff to develop new features, design cool graphics, or update your marketing initiatives, step outside your company and compare the variety of outsourced providers available. Use  my tried and true process below to cherry pick the most expirenced provider at the lowest cost. Learn how to filter out the amateurs so you can negotiate with experienced professionals. From owners to webmasters, this outline will prepare you with the information you need to start outsourcing your next project! While there are many resources to locate and communicate with providers, I am focusing on a specific website where I have had an extremely

A highly subjective, yet extremely important component of a website-the Design Phase-encompasses the layout, font, hierarchy, color and image use of a website. Add in operating systems, browsers, download speeds and monitor resolutions, and you can quickly become engrossed in a never ending design process. If the technical challenges weren’t enough, you also have a client or clients to please. This article will present a few key methods for managing the expectations of your client(s) while designing a user friendly, conversion centric, and cross compatible website.    Directed more towards project managers, designers and webmasters, this article will provide some tidbits of knowledge to help you get through the design phase without having to Frankenstein your design! After implementing some of these tactics you should see an in

A very important, yet often undervalued service critical to your web business success is your web host. If you are looking to migrate to a new host, be thorough in your research, and compare a variety of companies to find the perfect fit. If you are a website owner, manager, or webmaster, take the time to review the different hosts and server scenarios available to you. There are a plethora of different hosting companies out there-use the attached checklist to make sure you don’t get swindled! This article is a great resource to get started, and applies to smaller web businesses. Larger web businesses will consist of more advanced schemas which are outside the scope of this article. Download the spreadsheet here: Web-Hosting-Checklist Define Your Hosting Needs The first step in the hunt for the perfect host is to be clear i

If you are currently hosting your website in-house, or through a hosting provider/data center, you should know how your data is backed up, how long it will take to restore from barebones, and who to contact in the event of disaster. If you are a website owner, manager, or webmaster, and the term disaster recovery is new to you, use this basic checklist to help you get started in building a disaster recovery strategy for your web business. This article is a great resource to get started, and applies to smaller web businesses. Larger web businesses will consist of more advanced schemas which are outside the scope of this article. Part 1 - we will focus on discovering what your current backup process is, and what it should be Part 2 - we will make a list of the time needed to restore information should it be damaged, deleted, or