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Digital Marketing News Marketing

How to Start Your Online Supplement Store

As a supplement brand, there’s a good chance that you are looking for an easy way to get your products in front of customers but are struggling to find a platform that doesn’t have rules that keep you from promoting products the way you want to. While you could settle for less, you shouldn’t have to as a business owner. But how can you start your online supplement store the right way and maintain full creative control and, more importantly, income? Keep reading to find out how the team at Skynet Solutions can help!

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Digital Marketing News Marketing

What Metrics Should Every eCommerce Store Track?

Many of the most successful eCommerce stores are evaluating their business data to determine new ways to reach their most active customers and ensure they are closing sales any time that they visit their website. While you will undoubtedly want to focus on metrics that have an impact on your ROI, it is easy to start worrying about vanity metrics that may have little impact on overall performance like page views, likes on social media or unqualified leads. With this in mind, what metrics should you be tracking as an eCommerce store to ensure you are getting the most value?

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Business Development Support

Business Automation with Software

Business automation software is the future of consumer-business and business-business interactions. It streamlines all your company efforts into one, seamless process and designated channel of communication. We believe in efficiency and we have the means to achieve it.

Have you ever had a complaint or question from a customer and realized you would have to spend the rest of the afternoon digging through piles of paper files to find their bill and respond to their inquiry? Or have you ever accidentally not billed-or even worse, double-billed-a customer for a service because you didn’t have an effective system to keep track of billing and receipts? Or what about losing the resume of a great prospective job applicant because you have no system in place to keep track of incoming applications? As some point, most small business owners have had to deal with one of these problems or something similar to it.

The problem is, that not only are these things annoying, they’re also a waste of your time and money. We know that as a business owner, you work harder than just about anybody else around and you don’t have time or money to waste-especially when it comes to running your company. The good news is that all of these problems can be easily avoided with simple, automated systems. Everything from sales, human resources and IT to supply chain logistics, management and billing can be simplified with business automation.

Business automation software is the future of consumer-business and business-business interactions. It streamlines all your company efforts into one, seamless process and designated channel of communication. It creates accountability in the office because every action has a responsible owner. Every action is tied to the individual who started that process, so if you or a customer has questions about any service or order, you can trace it back to the source. Business automation software also keeps you from making human errors that can cost your business money. Things like unpaid bills that might go unnoticed in a busy office will never be forgotten by an automated system. By removing the potential for human error, you protect against things like wasted time, wasted money, forgotten accounts and missed steps.

All the little details of running a business can really slow down your process and overwhelm you. We believe in efficiency and we have the means to achieve it. Implementing business automation software reduces the cost of doing business by taking out the labor intensive activities like filing, sorting through stacks of paperwork, copying and faxing and other similar activities. This allows you and your employees to focus on what’s really important-your business! No matter your industry, from the restaurant business to auto body repair to technology development, parts of it can be made easier and more efficient if everyone spends less time looking for paperwork or using the fax machine and gets to spend that time on doing their job to the best of their abilities.

There really isn’t any part of an office process that can’t be automated and made more efficient. Everything from accounts payable to most human resources hiring practices. Looking to hire? We can help you easily streamline your onboarding process for both applicants and your human resources staff with business automation software. Implementing this makes it easier for everyone. Even the best HR employee may lose track of an application or two if you are inundated. And if you have multiple postings at once, it gets even more difficult to track. You don’t want to lose out on a great candidate because you didn’t have a system in place to track them!

We have experience designing and creating software that makes the entire process smooth and streamlined. And if our existing software doesn’t do everything your business requires of it, we can customize software for your unique needs.

Our business automation software allows you as the business owner to focus your time and efforts less on the busy-work and more on the fun stuff. You started your business because you’re passionate about your industry and you know you can do it better than anyone else is doing it. However, when you spend two-thirds of your day bogged down in paperwork, logistics and human resources issues, it’s easy to forget why you actually started your business in the first place. We want to help change that with our business automation software. And rest assured, if none of our existing software works for your business, then we will do what we do best and create custom automation tools specifically for your business.

What is Business Automation and its Purpose?

Business automation starts when a customer makes a request and ends when the customer receives their completed request and pays for the good or service. Every step of the way through is cataloged and organized so that every step of the process is documented and can be referred back to later if necessary. This way, if a customer has a question or a compliant or you or an employee are trying to remember what stage of completion a certain task is at, all you have to do is check the system. No more relying on a he-said, she-said or someone’s distant memory. And goodbye to all those business nightmare scenarios we outlined earlier.

In short, business automation software replaces manual triggers with software. So, instead of you walking over to your coworker’s desk and telling them, “hey, I completed this task, please take over the next step and then send it back to me when you’re done,” the system automatically creates and alert and moves the task from your to-do list to your coworker’s to-do list. You can have set this up in whatever way seems most logical and convenient for you and your employees to use. You can have the system send an email alert or another type of alert when you receive a new task. You can ensure that each task comes with a timestamp and a chain of custody so you can always trace it back and see who sent what task to who when and who completed what step when.

For every project you work on for a customer, no matter how large or small, you can create a task. That way there is always a record that you can reference to see how long it has been since you started a project and what stage of completion it is in. That way, if you or a customer ever has a question about something, all you have to do is check the task so see when and where a problem occurred. No more searching through your email trash folder or wondering where you put that Post-it you had taken notes on at the last client meeting. This creates an end to end process and eliminates the potential for human error and which increases efficiency.

Still not Convinced? Check Out These Statistics.

91% Percent of companies with more than 11 people use a CRM system, compared to 50 percent of companies with 10 or fewer employees

81% Percent of CRM users now accessing their software via mobile devices, leading to greatly increased productivity

79% Percent of top-performing companies using marketing automation for more than two years

  • Sales reps saw productivity increased by 15 percent when they had mobile access to CRM applications
  • Research has shown that 65 percent of sales reps who have mobile access to CRM meet their sales quotes, compared to only 22 percent of those who don’t have mobile access to company CRM
  • Companies considered best-in-class are 67 percent more likely to use a marketing automation platform of some kind
  • 75 percent of customers say they’ll spend more money with a company as a direct result of a past positive customer relationship experience
  • 70 percent of businesses already using CRM software intend to increase spending on it because they’re so happy with it
  • 78 percent of successful marketers say their marketing automation system is most responsible for bringing in more revenue
  • 61 percent of CRM users said security and privacy were not challenges when adopting or using their CRM system
    However, 56 percent said they faced challenges when trying to customize their CRM without professional help
  • 74 percent said their CRM offered improved access to customer data
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Digital Marketing News Marketing

Does Your Website URL Really Matter?

When starting a new website, it can seem like the hardest part of the process is ensuring that you have a catchy URL that will stick in the mind of your customers. However, while this may seem like an easy task, you may spend inordinate amounts of time finding that your perfect URL is already purchased or parked by someone else that wants a large amount of money to sell it. But does your website URL really matter or can you make do with a third or fourth choice from your list? Keep reading to find out!

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Development Digital Marketing News Website

Checkout Styling for WooCommerce and Elementor

As eCommerce experts, the team at Skynet Solutions is always working with small businesses to determine what needs they have they can’t be addressed by the current plugins available for WordPress. One of the most common issues we experienced is that eCommerce stores will often become frustrated with the inability to customize their cart and checkout pages with WooCommerce to make them reflect the rest of the website theme. Checkout Styling for WooCommerce and Elementor adds two new widgets to Elementor PRO to allow you to style your WooCommerce Cart and Checkout with the Elementor page builder.

Following the installation of the plugin, the standard WooCommerce Cart and Checkout pages are extremely limited by design. This creates a cohesive look for businesses that use the plugin but doesn’t allow for the individuality needed to shine against other eCommerce competitors. Historically, the only way to change this was through the use of custom coding or leveraging a plugin that may not be compatible with your existing template or page builder of choice. To combine the best of both worlds, Checkout Styling for WooCommerce and Elementor unites the power and popularity of Elementor PRO with WooCommerce to provide expanded functionality and extra styling options for WooCommerce Cart and Checkout pages.

Unlike other plugins that may completely override your existing theme or template options to provide customization, Checkout Styling for WooCommerce and Elementor adds two new widget options to further improve your store design options. After installing the WordPress plugin, just remove the WooCommerce short code that is currently in use and add the designated CSWE widget through Elementor Pro to match the page you are editing. Once done, you will have new and extensive options to easily customize your WooCommerce Cart and Checkout page.

| ELEMENTOR PRO IS REQUIRED FOR THIS PLUGIN

What Features do the CSWE Widgets Add?

CSWE Cart

CSWE Cart is a custom-designed widget for Elementor Pro that allows an eCommerce store to customize their WooCommerce Cart page using existing Elementor functionality. The goal of this widget is to ensure anyone can personalize their WooCommerce cart page with Elementor PRO as long as they have a basic understanding of the existing functionality the page builder provides. Some of the features you can expect when using CSWE Cart include:

  • Custom Button Text for Coupons and Checkout Buttons
  • Header Text Modifications for Font, Color, Border and More
  • Comprehensive Button Styling Options
  • Responsive Options To Hide Forms Based on Device
  • Custom Background Options and Motion Effects

CSWE Checkout

CSWE Checkout was developed to allow for increased styling options on the WooCommerce Checkout Page that were previously unavailable. By integrating the widget with existing Elementor functionality, eCommerce stores can quickly and easily personalize their checkout page to make it unique. Some of the features that you can expect when using CSWE Checkout include:

  • Custom Field Headers for Billing and Shipping Details
  • Individual Control of What Fields are Required
  • Typography Control for Buttons, Headers and Labels
  • Comprehensive Button Styling Options
  • Responsive Options To Hide Forms Based on Device
  • Custom Background Options and Motion Effects

DOWNLOAD PLUGIN NOW

How Can Skynet Solutions Help?

Skynet Solutions is committed to providing the best web design services possible. If you are ready to expand your web presence, refresh your website design, start your eCommerce website or enhance your digital marketing, we are here to help. You can fill out our online contact form on our website or connect with us on FacebookTwitter and LinkedIn.

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Business Support Website

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental and essential for any ecommerce or mobile website design. Properly created and executed SEO will help position your website properly on search results; allowing it to be found at the most critical times.

A professional website design service company like Skynet Solutions can build your website in a way that will please both your visitors/customers, as well as Google, Bing, and other search engines. More importantly understanding how SEO can help your web presence become more relevant and profitable is our job as website design professionals. Skipping the basics of SEO will only leave your site’s foundation a mess and prevent you from fully maximizing revenue opportunities.

During the Introduction to SEO session at SES New York, Carolyn Shelby (@CShel), Director of SEO, Chicago Tribune/435 Digital, fully explained the extreme value SEO can deliver to a site, and stressed the importance of basic SEO using the following analogy: “Skipping the basics and spending all your time and money on social and ‘fancy stuff’ is the same as skipping brushing your teeth and showering, by buying white strips and wearing expensive cologne.”

Although the Introduction to SEO session was intended for industry newcomers, Shelby’s tips offer important reminders for even experienced website design companies who have been optimizing websites for years.

What is SEO and its purpose?

We will start with the purpose of Search Engine Optimization and move into what it actually is next. So, what’s the purpose of having good SEO?

  • To create an informative and seamless user experience for your visitors.
  • To communicate to the search engines your intentions so they can recommend your website for relevant searches.

Think of your website like a cake. Who doesnt like a good analogy? Your links, paid search, and social media act like the icing, but your content, content management system, and infrastructure act as the sugar in the cake. Without these items your cake it would be tasteless, boring, not eaten and would grow stale. A professional website design company like Skynet Solutions can help explain and maintain your website so that it never gets stale.

What are search engines looking for:

Search engines want to do their job as best as possible by referring users to websites and content that is the most relevant to what the user is looking for. So how is relevancy determined?

  • Content. Is determined by the theme that is being given, the text on the page, and the titles and descriptions that are given.
  • Performance. How fast is your site and does it work properly?
  • Authority. Does your site have good enough content to link to or do other authoritative sites use your website as a reference or cite the information that’s available?
  • User Experience. How does the site look? Is it easy to navigate around? Does it look safe? Does it have a high bounce rate?

What search engines are NOT looking for:

Search engine spiders only have a certain amount of data storage, so if you’re performing shady tactics or trying to trick them, chances are you’re going to hurt your website’s performance in the long run. Getting a website design service company to develop specific tactics catered for your needs will help you hit the ground running straight!

  • Keyword Stuffing. Overuse of keywords on your pages.
  • Purchased Links. Buying links will get you nowhere when it comes to SEO, so be warned.
  • Poor User Experience. Make it easy for the user to get around on your website. Too many ads or a confusing navigation can make it too difficult for people to find content they’re looking for and will result in an increased bounce rate.
  • Images. Images are not indexable or readable by search engine bots. If the most important information about your service is listed in an image then you are omitting this information from being visible to the search engines.

Knowing, understanding, and reviewing your website bounce rate is an important element for any business. Discussing and reviewing our clients bounce rate is a regular tactic practiced by Skynet Solutions that has proven to increase overall performance. These are some of the items that are provided for our clients in our monthly reports. If your business is need any of the items mentioned above please contact us today!