Revamped site - no sales. Why?

[gercam]

Thanks for all your comments. Am making a few changes to site overall but have changed Buy it Now button. Better?
http://www.bagnificent.co.uk/featured-bag-of-the-week/brown-leather-jamie-shoulder-bag.html

 

[MrsPWN]

Much more obvious, hope it helps sales pick up.

 

[James.Dunford]

Thanks for all your comments. Am making a few changes to site overall but have changed Buy it Now button. Better?
http://www.bagnificent.co.uk/featured-bag-of-the-week/brown-leather-jamie-shoulder-bag.html

Much better, now when i look on the page and want to buy i can easily see where to click, and it doesn't blend in, yet still goes with your colours, super

 

[Evan]

Thanks for all your comments. Am making a few changes to site overall but have changed Buy it Now button. Better?

Hey Ger,

Yes it does seem a more obvious now. I nearly bought a bag myself! No just kidding. But I will recommend your site to my girlfriend. Hope things are picking up.

Evan

 

[inigomedia]

There's currently a broken link on every page. Your web developer has a link in the footer box which goes to a page that is under construction, but it pops up a link requesting a username and password.

Having a broken link on every single page will mean Google won't be particularly happy and may downgrade your site as a result.

Two other tips - if you can get your developer to take out that link (and reinstate it when he's organised enough to have a site):

See if you can set the Title to Miss or Mrs by default instead of Mr - how many men buy fashion handbags? Look at your stats and see what the largest group of buyers are (Miss or Mrs) and use that.

Remove the background from behind the Buy Now. It makes it harder to read than it should be. Then the Buy Now on white will do much better.

All the best.

Dan

ps - get a favicon so that the site doesn't look like every other Magento site - they're the little logo next to the web address bar - easily missed in a rush to get a site live

 

[fisicx]

Much better but still not quite right. You need to make it less integrated into the product description box. Even better would be to Also need to add buy now to the category pages.

You might like to reconsider the order in which the info is dispalyed in the page. The image and description box are disconnected (different sizes and style). The price and 'by now' are before the description - change the order and have the sale copy at the top. You don't provide an incentive to buy (women like to be seduced). Every female I know checks the inside of the bag before they buy. Add these to the site to increase potential sales. Why the slider and double click? Keep it simple: click on the image to enlarge is all you need.

The more and more I look the more issues I see wth the site. As I suggested in a previous post your best bet is to put the old site back up, it was converting so getting rid of it was not a good move. All you are doing with the current site is fiddling with the layout instead of investigating why people don't convert. THe solution is your analytics and other tracking tools (heat maps, click trail etc).

 

[simon-at-shopfitter]

Hi Gercam,

I've just caught up with your thread and looked at all the comments and advice you've received so far.

I can see you've altered the 'add to bag' to 'buy now' as suggested.

There are no prizes in e-commerce for being different, the only metric that really counts is a sale and i think there are still some areas that could be improved.

Firstly, you would be better having a 'buy now' button on your category pages, this will remove one click from getting your prospective customers to a point where they can make a buying decision, in fact it will mean that they are only ever one click away from you making a sale.

Secondly, the 'buy now' button, despite looking nicely integrated into the design, still doesn't look like a button - do not compromise sales opportunities for design sensibilities.

Third, check your stats to see how many people are pulling out on this page bagnificent.co.uk/checkout/onepage/. Although Magento doesn't insist on customers registering it still complicates the checkout process by asking a question - you just want your customers to buy the product by adding their payment/delivery details.

On that third point, we did lots of buyer behaviour research when we were designing the Shopfitter process and without fail those polled stated that they just want to pay and that registering was a hassle that they went through under duress. Many people said that they often bail out at that stage.

I don't think the left menu being long is a problem, web users use the scroll wheel quite happily and are more likely to see the list if it's visible that if you hide it in a flyout menu or sub-categorise everything.

Finally, bearing in mind that most people use laptops with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800 or 1200 x 768 on a desktop machine, it's worth looking at the animation on your homepage and analysing whether it's doing enough to draw visitors into your site on it's own.

The animation box uses up most of the visible portion of the page but the visitor has to sit and wait while it goes through all the information you're presenting. It may be worth considering making it less deep so that you can display static links through to key site areas that can be seen in a quick glance - remember that you have very little time to attract someone into the site.

Good luck.

 

[zimple]

only keyword I see is Bagnificent

<meta name="keywords" content="Bagnificent" />

 

[iboxsecurity]

there is a bit of SEO work needs doing on the site but im glad the OP is getting there with these comments - goes to show this forum can be extremely helpful and not overly critical!

 

[gercam]

Everybody here has been incredibly helpful- thank you so much. The advice has been invaluable

 

[simon-at-shopfitter]

Don't worry about not having many (if any) meta keywords Google and the other major search engines dropped support of that tag in 2002.

The main places to concentrate on for search terms are title tag for each page and visible text content. You should also have a different meta description for each page - these ought to be 'converting text' because it shows up as the detailed text in a search return.

It is worth adding terms to the keywords section, I usually advise webmasters to include common mis-spelling here because it they don't show on the page but do get noticed.

For example "Louis Vuitton" is regularly searched for as "Louis Vuiton".

You might also consider adding "bags" to each of the title tags to make "Louis Vuitton Bags" (or even "Louis Vuitton Designer Hand Bags")the primary search term.

I've said it before on this forum but here it is again; optimise for your customer base and the terms they may enter rather than worrying about targeting for a specific search engine.

 

[emerchant]

Did this quick for you, sorry about the spelling and if I missed anything

1. Have you changed URLs (set up 301 permanant redirects on the old urls) - this is important
2. Have a add to cart button on the product teasers, all the cta's dont really stand out enough
3. Have a more obvious "View basket" / cart status control with what items are currently in and how much.
4. The site is way too slow when browsing between categories (I havent read all the comments but I see others think its fast... but while its not painfully slow, just at that point when clicking to another page isnt instant when it should be) I am on a decent internet connection as well. Just seems to lag a little.
5. Whats the blank section at the bottom of the checkout for? (not that important).
6. Drop the two backlinks at the bottom promoting your web designers / developers sites (or make them nofollow if you must have them) the anchor text is great for them but wont be helping google work out what your site is about... its about top end bags google is probably wondering why every page has two back links to web design / development services.
7. Why is the alt text / title text of every product "FRONT VIEW" - get this fixed?
8. Move the search box above the cat browser and watermark the box with "search our site", drop the search heading and move the find button up to the same line as the box (rename it "go" if you have to. this will give you a little more vertical space).
9. Get listed on Google base and use Google webmaster tools and the MSN / Yahoo equivilants.
10. Check all site pages in ie6 / 7 / 8 / ff / chrome. I just checked in chrome and it looked great.
11. Make sure you have all the ROI code written out in analytics (value of sale / individual items etc).
12. Get title text put on all links in the side nav (all links if you can).

Really nice design, love it.

Some more promotional tips (might not help your conversion issues so much):
http://www.easywebstore.net/Promoting-your-Online-Store

 

[gercam]

10. Check all site pages in ie6 / 7 / 8 / ff / chrome. I just checked in chrome and it looked great.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Can anyone help with above - what does that actually mean? (Not very technically minded!!)

 

[BFAB]

I think your site is great - I don't know why people aren't buying. Maybe its just a bad time with the recession?

Have you noticed any improvements after implementing some of these suggested changes?

 

[gercam]

Thanks for compliment. I like site - just don't think it is in your face enough. Am making further changes and hope to have these done by end of week. Then fingers crossed things will look up.

 

[Evan]

10. Check all site pages in ie6 / 7 / 8 / ff / chrome. I just checked in chrome and it looked great.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Can anyone help with above - what does that actually mean? (Not very technically minded!!)

Ah, he means check if your site is displaying properly in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 is the latest version of the browser. Chrome is Googles browser. By FF he means Firefox. Sometimes your pages could look fine in Firefox by would look completely wrong in Internet Explorer: such as various parts of pages appearing in the wrong position. And sometimes a page might look fine in Internet Explorer 7 but will look wrong in version 6 or version 8. To check your page just download each whichever browsers you aren't already using. Then simply open your website and check that the pages look correct.

There are ways in which you can still get old versions of Internet Explorer but the easiest thing might be to ask a friend who still has an old version to check it for you.

 

[emerchant]

Ah, he means check if your site is displaying properly in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 is the latest version of the browser. Chrome is Googles browser. By FF he means Firefox. Sometimes your pages could look fine in Firefox by would look completely wrong in Internet Explorer: such as various parts of pages appearing in the wrong position. And sometimes a page might look fine in Internet Explorer 7 but will look wrong in version 6 or version 8. To check your page just download each whichever browsers you aren't already using. Then simply open your website and check that the pages look correct.

There are ways in which you can still get old versions of Internet Explorer but the easiest thing might be to ask a friend who still has an old version to check it for you.

Sorry I wrote the reply in a rush (hope it was useful anyway) but this is what I meant - and you might like to thank Microsoft for making such a mess of internet explorer and making it so difficult to test multiple versions.

A message to everyone please dont use internet explorer (especially version 6) please upgrade to FireFox

 

[gercam]

Sorry I wrote the reply in a rush (hope it was useful anyway) but this is what I meant - and you might like to thank Microsoft for making such a mess of internet explorer and making it so difficult to test multiple versions.

A message to everyone please dont use internet explorer (especially version 6) please upgrade to FireFox

Yes thanks all your points were very helpful

 

[Evan]

A message to everyone please dont use internet explorer (especially version 6) please upgrade to FireFox

Yes, indeed. I heard U2 and Sting are refusing to support Internet Explorer 6 any more. So their websites might not look right on it anymore, but they are sick of catering for it. Not sure if that's true: maybe just a rumour. I suppose someone who has 6 will soon find out.

 

[emerchant]

Yes, indeed. I heard U2 and Sting are refusing to support Internet Explorer 6 any more. So their websites might not look right on it anymore, but they are sick of catering for it. Not sure if that's true: maybe just a rumour. I suppose someone who has 6 will soon find out.

Wow with names like that fighting the good fight then it wont be long before IE6 is dead

Only joking, the real problem is:

a) non technical home users with low spec machines who cant / wont upgrade
b) corporate users with legacy (intranet) apps that reply / were coded specifically for ie6 (and its terrible standards / rendering model)

And thats why despite what anyone tells you we are stuck with it for a while yet...

 

For me I did a very quick scout about and lost patience very quickly...and I'm your target demographic as the owner of a reasonable size collection of designer bags, so that not a good thing!

Your buy now link take me straight to a product page, totally defeating the point of the buy now button, which should just take me straight to the checkout page!

When I get to the checkout page you're making it fairly obvious that I have a whole heap of pages to trawl through - 6 stages in fact! This is too much, you're sticking so many barriers in the way to me just getting the item and buying it that within a matter of minutes I've lost all interest and have clicked away from the site.

I can never see the point of checkout as guest or register, its a waste of my time and yours, what you need is a simple clean effective checkout that collects all of the necessary info to register me at the same time without me feeling the pain. Its quite simple, my invoice & delivery address and the contact email address and password for my account registration should all just be on one page, this should then lead to me clicking a button to make payment...simples!

The other thing I found really hard going was the site text font, your navigation font and product font is really harsh on the eyes and actually quite small, the logo and banner fonts are nice, but for the general text I would use something clearer.

Images are also an issues, you want me to part with anything up to c£400 for a preowned/pre loved bag, but the images on the initial page are really poor, they're much better when I open the item up, but the compression of the image on the focal page is bad enough that there is a very good change that for most of them - particularly the red mulberry bag - I simply wont bother to click on the item at all. I'm not sure what the answer is as you obviously have better images when the product is clicked on, but there must be a image size, or other setting for which your software can optimise those at and display clearly?

 

[Evan]

... Its quite simple, my invoice & delivery address and the contact email address and password for my account registration should all just be on one page, this should then lead to me clicking a button to make payment...simples! ...

I couldn't agree with you more, Boho. When I looked at this site, I didn't analyse the site as much as you, but your advice to Bagnificent is very prevalent and I'm sure it will help him lots. I can never understand why websites make you go through a series of pages to supply information that could all be input on one page.

Surprisingly this problem is not limited the small fish. A major national bank, AIB, recently updated their online banking site, turning one page transactions into three or four page transactions. Why? The aim seems to simplification, but the problem is that, especially when you have a slower connection, it takes so much longer to get through the process, making it a frustrating experience.

Cheers,
Evan

 

[fisicx]

Thanks for compliment. I like site - just don't think it is in your face enough. Am making further changes and hope to have these done by end of week. Then fingers crossed things will look up.

And that the whole problem. You like the site but your visitors don't. If they did they would be buying bags.

Changing the layout and a few styles isn't going to work. The problems lie right down in the core of the design. Reading back through all the post I realize that everyone is saying the same thing: you aren't sellijng the bags, all you have done is display the bags with apparently no thought to the actual process of buying a bag.

It matters not one jot what you think looks good - it's the opinion of the customer that is important and more than one potential buyer in this thread has said they don't like the layout.

And the checkout process is going to lose you customers by the bucketload, fixing this should be one of your priorities.

 

[phil0s0pher]

With a changed site, you may have been deindexed by Google? Is this possible?

 

[phil0s0pher]

If you've permanently changed your website structure, you need to do 301 redirects on all of your old pages to the new ones that have replaced them, otherwise Google will forget you

 

[patientlady]

Hi
Just wondered how you are getting on now with your changes? We have just had the worst six weeks of trading for some years! We know it is the 'credit crunch' nothing else. Just a thought...
I must say that the points above are very valid re as much info on one or two pages. Our broadband speed at the office is torture and we lose the will to live most day's with it...

 

[My Little Customs]

agree with all the comments made in this thread - I just wanted to note that once I click on an image, the images do not load in IE8 - if you wanted a screen shot so you can see what I am seeing, just shout

The images work fine in FireFox.

So many people use IE still, that could also be an issue? I can't even see the bag let along buy it.

 

[Kev Jaques]

IE8 has broken some Javascript/JQuery renderings, although I can't remember if the OP is using that, but just something to be aware of. Not sure if JQuery has released a fix for it as you know MS won't
The use of the compatible button may be needed on sites, or even the compatible meta tag so the site uses IE7 within IE8

 

[My Little Customs]

IE8 has broken some Javascript/JQuery renderings, although I can't remember if the OP is using that, but just something to be aware of.

ah of course! <insert "D'OH" here> - I of all people should remember that as my own blog is easily broken in IE due to YouTube vids - LOL I switched to FF a while back.

However, in that case, may be worth loosing the fancy gadgetry to view the pics or maybe even have some static photos there?

From a customer point of view, if I only used IE, I certainly wouldn't think to download a different browser just to view some photos, I would go to another site

 

[Fuzzy]

If you have not had the redesign done under the supervision of an SEO you have probably made a big mistake.

Many many people think there old site needs a facelift and just pick what they consider to be a nice modern design without giving a thought to how it may impact there rankings on the engines.


Earl

Earl is totally right I made this mistake twice, before I learnt my lesson and got an very nice SEO'er on board to liase with our designer.

On a side note, just last night I was looking for leather bags on google and all the sites I found were pants - your's is amazing. I would def buy right now - but couldn't find a bag I liked . You got anymore stock ?

Lots of Luck

 

[dave_webb]

I really like your website. Maybe because your old customers liked your old site you have put them off.

 

[urbanmale]

In the same boat as you OP, site revamp, traffic through the floor, not had a sale since the 6th Oct, I've put it down to the RM strike...

Steve

 

[gercam]

If you've permanently changed your website structure, you need to do 301 redirects on all of your old pages to the new ones that have replaced them, otherwise Google will forget you

We did 301 redirects at the time - so don't think it is that. But thanks anyway

 

[gercam]

In the same boat as you OP, site revamp, traffic through the floor, not had a sale since the 6th Oct, I've put it down to the RM strike...

Steve

Our traffic is only little bit down but conversions are through the floor. Maybe is recession , strike ..... all just seems a bit too much of a coincidence. Fingers crossed it picks up soon

 

[gercam]

I really like your website. Maybe because your old customers liked your old site you have put them off.

Thanks for compliment- doing a few more tweaks so hopefully things will pick up soon

 

[gercam]

Earl is totally right I made this mistake twice, before I learnt my lesson and got an very nice SEO'er on board to liase with our designer.

On a side note, just last night I was looking for leather bags on google and all the sites I found were pants - your's is amazing. I would def buy right now - but couldn't find a bag I liked . You got anymore stock ?

Lots of Luck

Thanks. Got more stock to put on this weekend - check back soon and have a look. Were you looking for something in particular?

 

[Fuzzy]

Thanks. Got more stock to put on this weekend - check back soon and have a look. Were you looking for something in particular?

Brown leather or suede and a messenger type

 

[gercam]

With a changed site, you may have been deindexed by Google? Is this possible?

I don't know - what does it mean?

 

[Upshot Media]

Originally Posted by phil0s0pher
With a changed site, you may have been deindexed by Google? Is this possible?

I don't know - what does it mean?

It means your site is no longer in Google's results, your site is with about 867 results - click below link to see
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz=1R2GGLL_en-GBGB338&q=site:www.bagnificent.co.uk&meta=

You can check what is displayed and what pages are indexed by typing - site:www.www.bagnificent.co.uk

Note: Indexed pages is different to ranking, many sites have pages in the index but are on page 1000 for a search term

Regards
Stuart

 

[gercam]

Hi
Just wondered how you are getting on now with your changes? We have just had the worst six weeks of trading for some years! We know it is the 'credit crunch' nothing else. Just a thought...
I must say that the points above are very valid re as much info on one or two pages. Our broadband speed at the office is torture and we lose the will to live most day's with it...

Still not great.
Am changing checkout and a few other things- so maybe that will help. Hope things pick up for you soon