What's important to know...

In the interest of fair disclosure, I have recently taken on a new client, Furnituredealer.net which runs the websites for 36 independent brick and mortar retailers in the United States. My association with this company has taught me several things already that are really important for my readers to know and I want to share a few of them with you.

First and foremost, what's important to you as a retailer is that your website is FOUND by people who are looking to buy furniture from you in your local trading area . This is what the term "search engine optimization" means. By search engine optimizing your website for local search, it helps Google, Yahoo, etc. find the pages that are relevant to the words(keywords) that consumers in your local market are typing into their browsers.

Secondly, once they have found you, they need as much specific product information as it is possible to get so they can SAVE TIME and make an informed, intelligent decision. They do not,necessarily, want or need to be able to buy it over the internet, but they need a lot of good, solid information and pictures so they can compare and decide WHICH brick and mortar retailer they want to visit.

Here's a little story to illustrate my points. I have recently made a major move. I have spent countless hours searching over the internet looking for furniture-maybe some of you remember that I was looking for home office several blogs back. Now, I'm looking for bookcases and dining room furniture. Here is what I found:

1. With the exception of Becker Furniture World, almost no independent brick and mortar stores appeared when I typed in "bookcases minnesota" to Google. I couldn't find out where to go to touch, feel, and examine the new bookcases I wanted to buy. . When I narrowed the search down to "bookcases minneapolis" I didn't fare any better. This is not good. Your customers HAVE to know that you exist in your local markets.

Keep in mind that even the BEST search engine optimized websites will not always appear at the top of Google's ORGANIC rankings. You can't buy or predict those rankings. They are predicted strictly by Google's algorithms and are bases on a huge number of factors-none of which Google makes public.

However, you CAN buy local search pay-per-click ads for certain keywords so that those ads appear next to the organic rankings. So, even though the local retailers did not appear in organic rankings for "bookcase minneapolis" they might have considered a sponsored search ad that appeared next to the organic ads. That way I would have at least known they were in my local area.

Pay-per-click can be hugely expensive and a waste of money if you're not careful, but, it can be a way of letting your customers know that you exist if your sight does not appear in organic rankings very easily. Something to think about....

2. When I DID find bookcases I liked, I couldn't zoom in to see the details-with one brilliant exception-Pottery Barn. Unfortunately, I didn't like their bookcases.

3. When I found other bookcases I liked, I couldn't get the product information and many of the pictures were of very poor quality. Some of the information I needed was there, but not all of it-it was frustrating. You may say, "Well, if you liked it, now would be the time to call the store." Yes, that would be true if I had decided on that particular style, BUT I was still in the phase of choosing a style and size. Which brings me to my next point-

4. People shop on the internet at different times in their buying cycles: when they are researching styles and,then, again. when they are comparing actual alternatives once they have found their style. It's very important to provide room setting pictures and individual product shots.

5. When I went to manufacturer websites, I had an even harder time finding the information in a format that was really valuable to me-as a consumer. 

So, here's what I would like to tell you about making money from your website as a retailer:

Make sure your customers can find you on local searches.

Make sure your product offerings are as richly described in text (this is the only thing that Google and Yahoo can "see" when returning search results-their crawlers don't see images) and photographed as possible and make sure your customers can see details close up. Tell your customers everything they need to know so that when she/he comes in to your store or calls you, they are ready to make their purchase.

Make sure that whomever in your store is taking phone inquiries and email inquires knows how to convert those leads properly. This is where good training comes in to play.

Make sure your manufacturers are supplying you with the best possible information about their product offerings. Insist on it from your reps. It benefits them to make sure your website is up to date on their lines.

By allocating or re-allocating your resources to make your website as relevant and content rich as possible to the consumer who is looking to buy in your market area, you stand a good chance of getting his/her attention and getting the opportunity to convert their inquiry into a sale and then, into a relationship for life.