Have a great product with GREAT niche market, but.....

[Zap Labeler]

Heya folks!

New member here. No time like now to jump in the deep end of things.

So I've got a couple online businesses and a day job. Both of my businesses deal with a product manufactured and sold exclusively by me.

I started my first online business with a product of mine in 2007 with $20 and it's grown into something quite substantial. I've been through the ringer learning the pitfalls of marketing and advertising, of SEO and web presence, as well as the day in and day out of operating a business. At the end of the day I would say it's been a great success.

2 months ago I started my second business. There is most certainly a demand for my product. There are types of it out there costing 5, 10 and even 20 times what I'm charging. (Mine runs $500ish) Everyone else that has something similar has a target audience of any businesses that have products, the bigger the better. My niche is small and home business. The product sells, but just not like I feel it should. I've been working on my SEO to get organic searches up. I'm on the 1st page for a couple and 3rd and 4th page for a couple more (they're all moving up). I utilize the necessary evil that is adwords. I have video demos and info on blogs. My web presence is building. I've researched offline niche advertising, but those options are limited from what I see.

The question I have is: Why aren't people pulling the trigger and buying? I keep beating myself up over the name of the product and am on the verge of changing it. I've had variations and improvements on the website, but is it the look and feel of the site that are keeping people from buying? There is a decent call to order on the site with a very clear image of what my product is, how it would help them and why they should buy.

The downside is that I truly am seeking help, opinions and thoughts but don't want to put my website info on here for fear of getting booted for spaming the business.

Thoughts? Post the website? PM the site? Just have Q&A's here?

Thank You!
Dave Presley

[thewebwriter]

Hi Dave,
you may want to put your website in your profile so we can see your product but if you are selling at a fraction of similar items, have you tried showing a comparison?

[Zap Labeler]

I haven't thought about a side by side comparison. Wouldn't imagine doing a vid or picture comparison, but can definitely see maybe a pro/con chart with green and red checks or something of the sort.

The more I think about it though, the more I need to procure the services of a good web designer. By good I mean inexpensive of course. :-P

I put the page in my profile. If the Admins here aren't okay with that I hope they'll let me know instead of an outright ban. :-/

Thanks again!
Dave

[thewebwriter]

Sent you a PM.

[Harold Mansfield]

Not everyone has a PayPal account. You may want to get a secure shopping cart and merchant account. Quick Books Twenty Thirteen (http://www.QuickBooksTwentyThirteen.com)
You don't need a Pay Pal account to use a Pay Pal checkout on a website. You can use any credit or debit card by clicking the "Don't have a Pay Pal account? " link at check out.

Hi Dave,
I assume you are talking about the labeler. I took a look at the website and for doing it yourself, you've done a good job. However, seems like you need to go a little "bigger" and by that I mean big time.
If you are getting the right traffic to the site and no one is buying, it's either one of 2 things. The website isn't closing the deal, or the price is too high. My first reaction is the website, cause I think you can charge almost anything if you present it the right way.

You are presenting your product like a home based business, and it has that self made website look to it. I think you need to go "As seen on TV" style.

For instance:
I would definitely make the website wider and you need to get the video and buy buttons above the fold.
You may also want to consider putting in a real ecommerce solution. The straight to pay pal buttons are convenient for you, but having a dedicated product page where you can can give more details and product images will make you look more like an online retailer, than some guy selling from his garage. It doesn't matter if you are, we just don't need to look like it.

Also, some of your images are a little blurry, so that, along with the narrow canvas, gives the impression that this is an old website.

You also don't have some things that people look for when they are about to drop $400, like a return policy, shipping info, and so on.

You've basically done OK. You just need to organize and design it better so that it has more salesmanship. A better site with more content will also help you with SEO. It's hard to get much traction with a one page website with barely 300 words in it.

I like what you've done, I like the product, I like the fact that it's yours and you make it yourself. I like the fact that are experienced with running ads. I like the fact that you put some videos together. All of that is golden stuff man. I totally believe that you can sell this online and you are making the right moves. You are 90% there, but the website is holding you back. It's not ready for prime time and is not set up to convert.

[Zap Labeler]

You're confirming things i've been thinking about, but not too sure of. I appreaciate the time it took for the response. I'll post the progress on the changes im making whether or not it affects sales.


THANK YOU!
Dave

[Zap Labeler]

Made some of the changes you mentioned. I'm going to have to wait on the integration of a full featured payment processing system. Thank you again!

Dave