The icons are inteded to be used on e-commerce websites where you can show what types of payment the shop accepts. Each icon comes in curved and straight edge variations. As usual, the set is free to use in private and commercial projects — no credit is required.

You can use the set for all of your projects for free and without any restrictions. You can freely use it for both your private and commercial projects, including software, online services, templates and themes. The set may not be resold, sublicensed or rented. via www.smashingmagazine.com

Many businesses have e-commerce websites that feature their products, prices, etc, and these products can be found through a basic Google search. Google allows e-commerce companies to upload their products to a software application called The Google Merchant Center (Google Base). Google gives room for businesses to directly link their online inventory updates to their Google Merchant account. This avoids the complicated and time-consuming act of having to update both at different times.

Whether you are a beginning user of Google base or an advanced user, you are probably wondering, “how can my product rank better in Google Product Search?” Here are a few tips to help your online business rank higher in Google Product Search.

Title Tags

Having strong, relevant and clickable title tags can have a major impact on SEO rankings and overall traffic numbers to your e-commerce business. Make sure to use relevant keywords for what you are selling online to attract searchers.

Pricing

If your prices are lower than your competitors for the same products, then your online business will definitely see more traffic.

Product Descriptions

Product pages need to be easy to navigate through and clearly depict exactly what the customer is purchasing. Show the products in the best way possible with lots of images at different angles that sell the product. Make sure that the price is up front and center and that descriptions are a quick read. Use bulleted lists so that your product descriptions are concise and easy to see for online shoppers. The text around images is also very valuable and using captions for images is beneficial as well.

Keywords

The more people you can get interested in your website to share information with, the more chances you will have to sell them your products online. Use your top 25 keywords in the anchor text of your links. Another important point is that you should not overuse any one keyword. It tends to look unnatural if all of your links have the same anchor text.

Content

Content is the master of attracting online searchers. The more useful and unique your content is on your website the more opportunities you will have to create interest around the products and services that you are selling online. Great content gives freshness and relevancy to your e-commerce website to boost the ranking.

Link Building

Links on relevant sites are more powerful and should be the primary focus of your link building/buying efforts

Site Map

Adding a site map makes it very easy for search engines to find and index every page on your website.

Image Descriptions

The text around images is very valuable for SEO and using captions for images is beneficial as well.

Develop Relationships

An easy way to direct traffic to your website is by linking to other sites.

Product Reviews

A great strategy for unique content is by displaying user-generated content from your online shoppers. Allow customers to review products they’ve purchased and comment on them.

Here are few rules of good website marketing:

Keep page layouts simple

A simple design invites people into your site, allowing them to find what they are looking for and to make a purchase.
Use easy-to-read fonts. Use sans-serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica and keep type size at 12 point and above so everyone can read your site.

Allow breathing room. White space can serve to break up overpowering blocks of text and also emphasize important points that you want your reader to see.

Make smaller pages. You have three seconds for your page to open before your visitors click away. Limit bandwidth by replacing large graphics with smaller ones. Ensure optimal website performance by using a reliable web hosting provider with a superior service level agreement.

Guide customers with good navigation

Website visitors prefer a simple, intuitive navigation system based on popular, accepted design principles.

Include links. Provide easy-to-find links to your homepage and main category pages so customers can navigate around your site more easily.

Place the search tool prominently. A simple search tool can provide a much faster and cleaner experience for shoppers, especially those who already know what they’re looking for.

Obey the three-click rule. Shoppers generally need to find what they are looking for in three clicks; otherwise they move on. Prominent icons, such as your shopping cart and clearly labeled products and categories, can simplify the search process.

Outrank the competition

The higher your site ranks in the search engine results, the more potential customers you can attract.

Choose specific keywords. A “keyword” is a search term that you want associated with your company, such as your business name (“le maison”), your business description (“french restaurant in Katy Texas”) or your products (“chicken cordon bleu”).

Create relevant content. Articles, blogs and other educational content can help improve your ranking on the search engines, but be sure to give them relevant titles (e.g., “How to choose the best French wine”).

Link with partners and peers. Links to your site from other sites, known as “backlinks,” show that people value your site and can boost your rankings on major search engines.

Be browser- and device-friendly

Today’s shoppers are just as likely to be on a laptop or smartphone as a home computer, so design accordingly.

Embrace diversity. Be sure your site displays properly for all major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari.

Design for mobile devices. If possible, create separate pages for mobile devices that face unique challenges both in terms of bandwidth and screen size. Take advantage of mobile-centric features like click-to-dial that allow customers to quickly take action from their cell phones.

Think visually

Too many images slow download times, but customers still like to see what they’re buying.

Focus on product images. With a good digital camera and image editing software, you can capture some nice product shots and save them as low-resolution “thumbnail” images for faster downloading.

Include video tutorials. Videos help keep customers engaged on your site and can provide a value-add that traditional brick-and-mortar stores cannot. A video tutorial of the product in action can have a dramatic impact on sales.

Simplify the checkout process

Shopping online is about trust and convenience. Win the sale by focusing on both.

Offer flexibility. The more payment options you offer—credit and debit cards, PayPal and e-checks—the more likely you will make the final sale. Look for a Web hosting service that supports multiple types of secure payments.

Tout safety. Customers need to feel secure when they provide their personal information online. Use secure encryption (e.g., HTTPS) and consider a digital certificate service, such as VeriSign to assure the authenticity of both buyer and seller.

Use sound marketing strategies

Time-tested strategies like cross-selling—offering additional items of interest during a sale—and after-selling work just as well in the online world.

Follow up with customers. Even though the sale is over, your relationship is only beginning. Craft a follow-up e-mail that thanks your customers and offers a discount or reminds them of other products they might be interested in.

Include product reviews. Sure, customers visit your site looking for products and services, but they’re also looking for advice and expertise. With customer-written product reviews, you provide an impartial forum for product information.

A clean design, good content and a sound marketing plan can encourage potential customers to become lifelong customers and help increase your sales.

Contact us for free consultation to see how we can help your business to be successful online.