There is a lot you can learn from watching trends.  One of my favorite tools is called Google Trends and Google Insights for Search.  Both tools give you an idea of what people search for on Google over a period of time.  

One trend is that the quantity for searches ...

Have you seen links that start with bit.ly, tinyurl.com, or goo.gl?  These websites generate shortened, compact URL out of long URLs.  For example, the URL to this blog post is http://www.websitesforquilters.com/blog/2011/11/23/using-url-shorteners-gain-information/ -- a very long URL.  I could use a ...

I read a comment recently on a Facebook wall post that reminded me of the importance of giving as much detail as possible for products on a shopping cart.  When you look at companies that do very well with e-commerce (such as Amazon.com), it's amazing how much detail ...

Is online fabric sales seasonal?  If you're seeing a slight decrease in online fabric sales this time of year, it may be because there are fewer people online looking for quilting fabric this time of year.

There's a really neat tool called Google Trends.  Google Trends is a ...

In our morning meeting we talked about competitive advantages.  We've all heard it, but I found it refreshing to review and take stock and think what our competitive advantages really are.

What is your company's competitive advantage?  What do you have that nobody else has?  Why would someone ...

I've been doing a lot of study recently on the consumer psychology of Free Shipping.  It's been really fascinating.  Some online stores do really well offering Free Shipping.  Others may not do so well.  Like most business decisions, it all depends on a number of factors.

In my ...

Watching trends and anticipating changes is necessary for any business to survive long-term.  The way people use the Internet has changed a lot over the years, and the next year will be an exciting year for all of us!  How will 2010 be different from 2009 as far as the ...

Website experts term the process of achieving a certain website goal a “conversion”. A conversion rate is the ratio of visitors that took action to the number of total visitors. For example, if your goal is to sell a product, and you have 100 people visit your website in a ...

Have you ever looked at your website statistics and wondered why you have had so many visitors but few shoppers or new leads?  Do you sometimes struggle knowing what kind of content (text, images, etc.) to type up for your site? Today's discussion about the different "levels" of website ...

The key to any successful form of advertising is to target what you're offering to those that are looking for it.  Search engine advertising lets you be very specific in what you're targeting.

There are four benefits to search engine advertising:

1. There are over 8 billion searches performed ...

Imagine getting paid just for having a useful website!  In this article, I'll show you ways you can earn money by helping your website visitors. I will also list a few quilt and quilting-related affiliate marketing resources that will benefit you.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing may sound ...

The key to operating a successful business online is to making it easy for the customer to find what they want.  What do online shoppers want?  Why do they shop online?  The better you understand the answer to this question, the better you can plan for your online store.

Shoppers ...

What is a blog?

What does it take to run an effective online store?

I regularly get phone calls or e-mails from people asking me what I can do to help them with their online store.  This is a very good question, and should be something everyone considers before jumping into an online business ...

I want to pass this information on to anyone that may be interested in some great information.  Isn't this what blogs are for?

My all-time favorite marketing book is called "Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You've Got" by Jay Abraham.  It isn't a "how to ...