Big Commerce

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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.

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.

Big Commerce

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.

The services of service-oriented businesses like web developers are difficult to compare exactly.  It’s not like comparing identical iPhones with identical features from two different stores.  Service offerings are different.  Service providers have different levels of expertise, education, creativity, social skills, technical skills, business aptitude, foresight.  Even if you are comparing apples to apples…show me two apples, and I’ll show you one bruised, small, mushy apple from Walmart and one big, shiny, round, crunchy apple from the local farmer’s market.

Sometimes we say, “please don’t compare apples to oranges.”  The web design industry is filled with both apples and oranges of all shapes and sizes, and there is one common thread that goes through the entire lot of them…each one of them can put together a website.  Beyond that commonality, their paths diverge.

The services from Redhead Web Development are neither apples nor oranges.  What we provide is more like a big bowl full of chocolate covered strawberries.

We are professional web developers.  We are artists.  We are detailed, finicky, perfectionists when it comes to content and copy.  We constantly study, we learn and refine the craft.  We don’t cut corners.  We are e-commerce experts.  We are marketing minds who freely share ideas beyond web design.  Some of these ideas have earned thousands of $$ for our clients.  Our skills are broad, and our minds are focused.  We are in the business of building business.

When you are considering the services of a professional web development company who will define your image online, for better or worse; or will be your partner to build the engine that runs your online store or training website, it will serve you well to know what kind of fruit you are dealing with.  A little extra investment on the front-end could mean a big payout on the backend when your potential client is impressed enough to buy from you.

Forget about apples and oranges, and go for the good stuff.  Your business will be better off for it.

Big Commerce

This message can be a hassle if you want to create category pages in your Big Commerce web store that are used as web pages without including any products in those categories.  For instance, we often use the WYSIWYG in Big Commerce’s category pages to create regular web pages for wholesale websites.

Using categories allows us to display private pages to wholesale distributors or wholesale dealers by assigning certain categories to the wholesale customer groups within Big Commerce.  This is our workaround, as we can’t currently assign regular web pages to private categories viewable only by wholesale clients.

But with this method, after you’ve created a nice page, who wants that pesky “no products” phrase at the bottom.

How to Remove the Message “There are no products in this category.”

1. Login to your Big Commerce store admin area
2. Click on… Store Design > Design Mode tab > Open My Store in Design Mode
3. After your store is open, navigate to one of the category pages that includes the message
4. In the upper left hand corner, you will see the Design Mode window
5. Click on “Toggle”
6. Then put your mouse on the “There are no products in this category.” message and click
7. This will highlight message (if it is not entirely highlighted, select it)
8. Hit your space bar one time, then click  the “Save” button directly below
9. Click “Save” on the Design Mode window

That’s it the message should be gone.

By the way, while you have the Toggle selected, you can click around pages and on other messages or headers in your store and change them.  Just keep in mind that when you change a header or piece of text, it will change it on all other related pages.

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

Big Commerce stores

This does not work for store owners who sell products in bulk who may need to allow customers to add 100’s, 1000’s or 10000’s to their cart.  The fix for this is really quite simple.

Please note that it is much easier to fix the quantity text box than it is the dropdown quantity box. I would not recommend using the dropdown box if your customer needs to add more than 50 items to their cart.  At that point, it’s usually easier for them to just type in the quantity.

How to Fix the Quantity Dropdown Box

1. Login to your Big Commerce store admin area
2. Click on… Store Design > Browse Template Files
3. Under Other Template Files scroll down to the SNIPPETS area to “CartQtySelect.html” and click it to open
4. Now select the entire line of code on Line 32, where it says, “<option %%GLOBAL_Quantity30%% value=”30″>30</option>”
5. Copy this line and paste it directly below and in each spot on the the line of code where it says “30″ change it to “31″
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5, changing the numbers to 32, 33, 34…and so on…till you get the desired maximum quantity you want to allow
7. Then click “Save” in the upper left hand corner
8. IMPORTANT:  Do not overwrite any code or characters or you could mess this up.  If you do mess it up, you can always change the code back to default by clicking “Revert to Original” in the upper right hand corner

How to Fix the Quantity Text Box

1. Login to your Big Commerce store admin area
2. Click on… Store Design > Browse Template Files
3. Under Other Template Files scroll down to the SNIPPETS area to “CartQtyText.html” and click it to open
4. You need to change the following values – input size=”2″ and maxlength=”2″.  These values refer to the size of the text box and number of digits allowed to be typed in to the text box
5. In place of the number “2″ enter the value you desire – a value of “3″ allows up to 999 items to be added, a value of “4″ allows up to 9,999 items added
6. Then click “Save” in the upper left hand corner
7. IMPORTANT:  Do not overwrite any code or characters or you could mess this up.  If you do mess it up, you can always change the code back to default by clicking “Revert to Original” in the upper right hand corner

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

1. EASY to Build Your Website Pages…Just Like Typing in Word
2. Kick Butt Search Engine…With Dropdown Suggestion Like Google
3. Wholesale / Retail Group Management is a Breeze
4. Super Easy Control Panel for Store Management
5. Sell Your Stuff on Facebook…Really!
6. SEO That Can Rock Your Store to the Top
7. Multiple Discounts & Coupons
8. SuperZoom Photo Zoom For Extreme Detail Views
9. Store Traffic, Conversion, Product Performance Reports in Abundance
10. Drag & Drop Store Customization (plus full CSS/HTML customization by Redhead)

Click Here to see the other 340+ Big Commerce store features listed on their website

Start your trial store, then come back to Redhead Web Development to learn about the ways that we can help your new Big Commerce store become an instant success.

Although there are hundreds of Big Commerce Designers, Redhead is one of only a handful of Big Commerce Design firms listed on the company website. If that is not proof enough that we can help you launch a great web business, I don’t know what is.

Redhead offer:

• Big Commerce templates
• Logo design
• Store settings
• Big Commerce SEO
• Internet marketing
• Product entry
• Product photography

We help you with everything!

PURCHASE your Big Commerce store account through Redhead and receive $100 in free SEO services.

Just Click Below to Start Your Store Through Redhead Web Development