Big Commerce online stores now offer over 96 built-in e-commerce templates to choose from.  Although many of these look great, store owners often want an entirely custom design to make their Big Commerce online store really stand out from everyone else.  That’s where Redhead Web Development comes in.  Redhead is a Certified Reseller and Big Commerce design partner who can develop a look for your web store that is hot and sexy or simple and minimalist – your choice.

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Why invest in a custom Big Commerce template design?

• You need to keep people on your website – studies show that you have just a few seconds to capture and keep the attention of your website’s visitors.  If you don’t maintain a visitor for more than a few seconds on your website, they are gone!
• You don’t want to lose sales – if your website looks the same as hundreds of others, or if it looks like a cheap template, chances are you’ve lost, and the customer will leave your web store.
• You need to build instant credibility – a good online store design can do this by showing your customer that you are not a cheapskate.  Reasonable logic would conclude that if you take the cheapest route possible with the look of your new store that you might take the cheapest route possible with the quality of your products.  Why do restaurants and retail stores spend 10’s of thousands of $$ to make their store look great?

It all boils down to making more money in the long run from your e-commerce venture.  Better stores mean better sales.

Contact us with your store ideas.  We can develop the Big Commerce design from scratch, or we can take your design and create a Big Commerce template for you.  Call (417) 272-1932 or Contact Us through our website.

BigCommerce is quickly becoming the Gold Standard by which all other Ecommerce shopping cart systems are being judged.  BigCommerce allows individuals with a great idea to launch an online store quickly and easily.  Redhead Web Development is a BigCommerce Designer and Ecommerce Consultant who can help you launch a store online.

Check out the latest BigCommerce design project completed by Redhead.  Yukester.com features trend-setting fashion accessories from around the world.  For this project, the client approached us with a design concept that they had developed in conjunction with Burghdorf Media Group.  Burghdorf supplied Redhead Web Development designers with layouts that included the colors, fonts, and styles that they desired for the Yukester.com web store.

Using a variety of CSS, HTML, and Javascript code, Redhead Web Development translated the design concept into an active BigCommerce template that carried the design elements throughout the store.  Unique performance features of the finished web store include:

• Dropdown menu product drilldown navigation
• Dropdown search box with dynamic search
• Pop up newsletter signup form
• Image only product display
• Transparent menu backgrounds

These are just a few of the customizations that Redhead can make to a BigCommerce store.  Redhead has also created BigCommerce Templates that include:

• Mega dropdown menus – those really nice header menus that “show it all” saving the browser time as they navigate the site
• Custom links in the side columns
• Widgets to display news, customer comments, weather, etc.
• Fade in Fade out slideshows
• Sliding slideshows
• Custom splash pages
• Rotating images
• Social media icon links
• Footer design and layout
• Custom product pages with customized information displays
• Custom view cart pages
• Drill-down search and navigation tools
• Custom product category displays
• and almost anything else you can dream up!

With BigCommerce, there is almost no limit to the design options available when using an experienced, thorough designer.  If you are interested in taking a test drive, you can sign up HERE for a 15-day free trial…no credit card required and no obligation.

Redhead Web Development is a Certified Design Partner for Big Commerce.  If you need help with this or any other Big Commerce customization, BigCommerce SEO, or consulting, contact Redhead for more information.

If you need a solution for your customers to quickly and easily find stores or dealers that carry your products, check out Geosprawl.  Integrates easily into any website.  www.geosprawl.com

Big Commerce online stores offer the best opportunity for high Search Engine Position of any e-commerce shopping cart software on the market.

This article discusses 10 ways 20 ways that YOU can increase traffic to your BigCommerce online store.  High search engine position, means more traffic which in turn means higher sales.  If you want to get first page Google results, take full advantage of all Big Commerce SEO tools and incorporate some external Search Engine Optimization and marketing strategies to boost your web store’s rankings.

1. 1. FIRST, research what keywords or keyword phrases people are searching to find similar products.  Go to the Google Keyword Tool to see the exact phrases people are using to find products in your market.  The tool can be found here – https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal.  Make a list.  These will be your target keyword phrases.
   2. On each product page in your BigCommerce store, click on Other Details tab, and enter keyword phrases into both the Search Keywords and Meta Keywords fields
   3. Enter descriptive product tags in the Product Tags field, such as: “dog leashes” or “guitar strings”
   4. Enter the product’s name along with a few keyword phrases in the Page Title field – do not exceed 70 characters for your page title.  Make sure the title is readable and makes people want to click on the link.
   5. Enter a description, starting with your targeted keyword phrase in the Meta Description field – use no more 160 characters in your meta description as Google cuts it off beyond this.  Make sure your description is readable and would entice a person to click on your link.
   6. Use keyword phrases within the first sentence of your product descriptions.  Make some of your keywords in the product description bold.  Don’t repeat, repeat, repeat your keywords.  That’s a spammy technique that is looked down upon by the search engines.
   7. Enter Page Title, Meta Keywords, Meta Description, and Search Keywords on each of your BigCommerce store’s Web page and Category page
   8. Fill out image titles and image descriptions where appropriate on category pages,  product pages and web pages
   9. VERY POWERFUL – Start a Wordpress blog. This blog can be hosted on a subdomain, such as www.blog.mywebsite.com.  Make posts often.
   10. Write articles and use your keyword phrases near or at the front of the article headline.  Pay for premium placement that includes at least one link to your site.  I like www.free-press-release.com for immediate results
   11. Start a facebook page for your Big Commerce store.  Add a link to your facebook page on your store sidebar or footer
   12. Start a Twitter account for your business.  Add a link to your twitter account on your store sidebar or footer
   13. Save time by linking your blog to your facebook page by using NetworkedBlogs or a similar facebook app
   14. Save time by linking your blog to your Twitter account by using a tool like www.twitterfeed.com
   15. Use the SocialShop application in BigCommerce to add products to your facebook page
   16. Set up your Google Base Product Feed to feed products into Google Product Search
   17. Start a Youtube.com account and begin uploading videos about your products or services.  Use keywords in video titles and descriptions.  Link some of these videos into your Big Commerce product pages
   18. Get as many quality website links coming to your site as possible
   19. Promote, promote, promote – online AND offline!  Don’t forget the value of marketing your business through any creative means possible.  Run ads, tell your friends, tell your colleagues, tell your friends to tell their colleagues.  Be a cheerleader for your brand, for your business.

Also, make sure that your Search Engine Optimization settings are correct in your Store Settings.  Next to Search Engine Friendly URLs, select “Enable if Available” and enter a page title, keywords, and meta description in the appropriate fields.

When starting your online business, there is no magic wand that creates instant traffic to your store.  You must market, you must sell, you must promote your business to be successful.

Redhead Web Development is a Certified Design Partner for Big Commerce.  If you need help with this or any other Big Commerce customization, BigCommerce SEO, or consulting, contact Redhead for more information.

Check out the Wordpress 3.0 Video Right here.