By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-12-13 19:08:19 | Word Count: 664
All eCommerce shopping cart solutions have not been created equal, they feature complicated set-up processes, optimization techniques that take an advanced degree to implement and functionality that doesn’t quite hit the mark. A group of designers and programmers got together to address this problem and created ZenCart. This is an open-source (free) shopping cart and the software includes functional features, easy to follow instructions, customization options and optimization functionality. At Optimum7, we have worked with several Zencart projects and we are very familiar with how this shopping cart system functions when it comes to SEO capabilities.
ZenCart has answered one of the most common problems: product capabilities. Unlike most other solutions, ZenCart offers unlimited categories and products, meaning that even a customer with 1000’s of products will find this solution useful. Category depth is unlimited as well, making sub-categories, products listed in multiple categories and management of the whole setup easier. ZenCart works for any size online storefront. However, the server handling capabilities with over 5000 products may not be optimal. It would definitely require a dedicated server.
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Backend management is another traditional problem. The amount of time that an online business owner can spend managing product lists, controlling pricing and discounts and tracking shipping options can be overwhelming. Zen Cart’s simple admin interface takes some of the stress out of backend management by offering several key functions to its users.
1. Shipping Control: It has multiple shipping options and interfaces with third party shippers.
2. Payment Control: real time credit card processing, PayPal acceptance and other payment options give customers flexibility and makes conversions that much easier for the business owner.
3. Product Control: managing catalogs and large inventories are made simpler. Add and delete products, recatagorize them and track current inventories, all from one simple screen,
ZenCart is simple to install. While webmasters have the option to edit code, those without an understanding of coding and web design can follow the intuitive set-up instructions to create a custom store based on hundreds of templates and skins. Instead of creating a generic storefront, the set-up, design and customization features mean every store will have the look and feel the owner is looking for.
Customer communication is easy to manage with ZenCart. A variety of options including content and newsletter functions make communicating with customer efficient. Automated notifications are built in and help establish a sense of reliability and trust in a customer base.
ZenCart allows business owners to effectively optimize URL’s, product, content and more. Sitemaps are easy to prepare for submission to the major search engines. This functionality helps ensure that your website will be indexed – the first step towards increasing search engine results and generating continued traffic.
Optimum7 understands the need for executing a custom SEO Strategy for even a shopping cart that seems to be a fully optimized. As a store owner, you should keep in mind that the following has to be completed for any successful SEO strategy aside from the functionalities of a shopping cart solution;
Keyword Research: This is the backbone of SEO. Without identifying the correct keywords to target, it’s almost impossible to reach profitability in terms of traffic and conversions. This step is essential and should be completed by a professional internet marketing company.
On-site Optimization: While most shopping carts give you the functionality of adding custom titles and meta tags, being able to add them correctly and efficiently is a different story. Make sure that this is done correctly and that you select the right format for your URLs for the most effective SEO results.
Off-site Optimization: No shopping cart system provides this service out of the box. Building an attractive ecommerce site with a lot of functionalities and products is not sufficient. You will actually need to market it and increase the popularity of your site. This can only be done by increasing the number of relevant backlinks as well as other marketing methods. (Shopping comparison, affiliate marketing etc.)
Conversion Optimization: How profitable are you? Which marketing mediums are generating the most amount of dollars? Could you do better? How’s your checkout process functioning? The answers to all these questions rely on data, research, analysis and optimization.
ZenCart is an ideal option for those looking for functionality on both the customer side and the management side. The open source nature of the project means submitting issues for resolution is feasible. However, please keep in mind that the more you edit the code for an open source shopping cart, the more unstable it will get. So be cautious making permanent changes.
Contact us if you need help with your SEO strategy for Zencart Ecommerce. We are a professional SEO company that understands sales, profit margins and visibility. We can help. You can call us at 1-800-736-9618.
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