Mike Duncan provides strategies for effective e-commerce, including driving traffic through search engine optimization, paid search, shopping networks, and social media. He recommends personalizing the customer experience through customer reviews, personalized recommendations, segmentation, and mobile optimization. Key tactics include on-page SEO, link building, site navigation, buying guides, loyalty programs, and international expansion.

1. Effective E-commerce
Strategies
Mike Duncan
mduncan@SageIsland.com
facebook.com/MikeADuncan
twitter.com/MikeADuncan
Sage Island CEO

3. Sage Island
• Birthday - February 10, 1997 (Google Sept 1998)
• 24 Full Time Employees
• Full-Service Interactive Marketing Agency
• Startups to Fortune 500 Companies Worldwide
Me
• Geek (computer, design, MBA)
• Surfer / Vert - Pool Skater / Cycle
• Vintage Auto Racer

5. Amazon.com Conversion Experts
• 2009 Sales of $24.51B (+28%)
• 275M visitors/mo (56.5m unique)
• Converts 9.6%
• Avg. Sale $170
Traffic Comes from:
• Search Engines (32%)
• New Shoppers (30%)
• Return Shoppers (70%)

6. Amazon.com Formula
• Low prices + Great Selection
• Free Shipping Offers
• Amazon loyalty
• Personalization to highest degree
• Combination of account history and behavioral
learning to convert
• Combines multiple merchants

7. Finding YOUR Customers
Getting them to buy

8. Know your Customer

12. Speak your Customers Language

13. Keyword Research
Have a Strategy, Careful keyword selection is the heart of any campaign!
Create a robust keyword portfolio of relevant keyword phrases that are
searched on by potential customers.
www.keyworddiscovery.com
www.wordtracker.com
Google Adwords Keyword Tool
www.seobook.com
www.seomoz.org

14. Drive Traffic to your Store

18. SEO On-Page Optimization
• Use keyword research to determine how customers search
• Inject keywords into body copy, titles, and images
• User friendly and search engine friendly site.
Ranking factors:
www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors
www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/internet/google-ranking-factors.htm

20. Meta Data
<TITLE>Skateboards - Warehouse Skateboards offers Complete Skateboards,
Skateboard Decks, Trucks, Wheels & Much More!</TITLE>
<META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Biggest selection of skateboards,
skateboard decks, complete skateboards, skateboard wheels, skateboard trucks,
skateboards delivered right to your door!">
<META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="skateboards,skateboard,complete
skateboards,skateboard decks,skateboard wheels,skateboard trucks,skate
decks,warehouse skateboards">
Mike Duncan’s Best Practices
h"p://www.sageisland.com/SEO-­‐best.pdf

22. Sitemap Submission
Google WebMaster Tools - www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
Bing (MSN) WebMaster Tools - www.bing.com/webmasters
Yahoo! Site Explorer - http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com
Create a Sitemap
www.gsitecrawler.com
Do you have a Robots.txt file?
www.yourdomain.com/robots.txt
User-agent: *
Disallow: /my-dirty-photos
Sitemap: http://www.domain.com/sitemap.xml

23. SEO OFF-Page Optimization
Link Building

24. Jan 25, 2007

25. Quality/Quantity external links is
what you are after!
What is a Quality link?
Answer:
Good Google Page Rank (3+)
Relevant
Great! How do I get them Duncan?
(yes, I’m a mind reader)

36. www.websitegrader.com
How does your site rank in SEO?

37. Paid Search

40. Shopping Networks

44. Company Blogging

49. Social Networking

62. E-Commerce Design Trends
• Building Loyalty w/ Customer Service
• Product Reviews
• Enhanced Search & Navigation
• Shopping Guides / Videos
• Personalization
• Segmentation & Behavioral Profiles
• Mobile E-Commerce

63. Customer Service

64. Yes you need all this
Return Policy
Shipping Rates
Order Tracking
Contact Info
...and then some!

69. Consumer Reviews
• 70% of shoppers trust consumer reviews on products.
(Nielson)
• Provide reviews, to encourage consumers to trust your
products/brand.

72. Site Navigation
Filters
• Sorting (bestsellers)
• Customers want a fast path to their specs

74. Buying Guides Work
• Video Library
• Featured Articles
• Involve Customers
• Help & Advise
• Great Images
• SEO Advantage
• TIP - Social Media!

78. Personalization (You, Your)
• Welcome, Mike Duncan
• Recommendations for You (behavioral learning)
• Your Browsing History (cookies & account
registration)
• Rate these items (social, reason to return)
• Your Communities (social)
• Want to see Today's Deals? (conversion)
• Individual Treatment Creates (Loyalty)

80. Segmentation & Behavioral Profiles
• Market Individually
• Create Email Alerts
• Convert Later (Social, wishlist)
• Compile Profile
• Record Everything
• Convert Now (you may also like)
• Tip - Segment Emails

81. • Personalization
• Sync with Account
• Payment Integrated
• Product Reviews
• Price Shopping
• Conversion
Mobile E-Commerce

83. E-Commerce Strategies to Implement
Basic
Site Navigation
Integrate Social Media
Segment Customers
Add Shopping Guides
Create Best Sellers
More Visual Approach
Create Videos
Add Live Help
Advanced
Personalization
Account Registration
Enhanced Search / Nav
Mobile Application
Cross Sell
Email Alerts
Loyalty Program
International

84. Search Engine Optimization – Kristopher Jones
Get to the top on Google – David Viney
Landing Page Optimization – Tim Ash
Building Findable Websites – Aarron Walter
M I K E D U N C A N
mduncan@sageisland.com
twitter.com/MikeADuncan
twitter.com/sageisland
www.sageisland.com