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After designing 8 online shops with Virtuemart Shopping Cart, I thought it would be helpful to provide some additional tips for those sites, other Virtuemart webmasters hosting elsewhere as well as those prospective clients who may consider developing their online shop with OGO Sense.
If my tips are too brief for you or don't know how to implement them, you may contact me and/or leave comments/questions in the comment
box below . My list of recommended improvements, which includes SEO, web strategy, functional and other tips is pretty comprehensive so let's get started:
1. Create unique and keyword rich friendly URLs for your product pages. Make sure that they are unlikely to change.
2. Try not to swap your products in-and-out. If a product is out of stock, don’t unpublish it.
3. Create unique keyword rich titles and interesting metadata
descriptions for your Virtuemart pages. Consider what
you would use if it was your ad in newspapers.
4. Regularly check sh404SEF urls that your site is generating. Virtuemart
can sometimes produce some odd extra URLs, but if you check them
regularly you’ll be able to quickly solve any problems.
5. Use <h1> headings instead of wrapping page titles in code such as <td class="contentheading">.
6. Remove all unnecessary links including PDFs, email and print buttons,
Vendor Information (if theres only one vendor) and Manufacturer link.
7. Activate Silent User Email Activation so users do not have to validate their email before checking out.
8. Move user login from the top of registration form to the side to improve the checkout process.
9. Implement "Where did you hear about us" during the registration process to know better where your best customers find you.
10. Set up an option for new shoppers to sign up for a newsletter.
11. Use automated shipping calculator to easily calculate shipping on
international orders. Weak dollar today makes your
products more affordable on the international market.
12. Require only email for resetting password instead of both username and password.
13. Limit the subcategory depth to 3 if possible. 
14. Don’t just link to “Store” from your main menu. Link to all your main category pages.
15. If you use PayPal set up a custom banner on the paypal page.
16. Customize your Thank you page instead of using Virtuemart's default thank you page.
17. Customize Virtuemart's notifications to better meet the purpose of your store.
18. Embed Virtuemart products in your pages or next to your pages that are not within your store.
19. If you have a product that would work on Froogle (Google’s shopping site), implement a Froogle Feed for Virtuemart. Demo .
20. Secure your control panel with https:// especially if you are handling credit card
information on your virtuemart site. Pay attention to your site's security , don't fall a victom of hackers and don't bring your reputation and shoppers at risk.
21. Use Virtuemart to sell digital downloads if it works for your shop.
22. Make sure your online store is cross browser compatible. 80% of web
users are using IE on Windows, which means that an average site that
doesn't work in anything else could easily be losing 20% of sales.
23. Be Bold! What happens when a user decides to buy a product? They
add it to a shopping basket. What happens when they can't see the
button?
 24. Have a Clear Returns Policy. Users are impressed with sites with
a good returns policy and are more likely to buy from them. Have people
phone for returns. Free return shipping is usually a good option, if
commercially viable. Finally, give the user plenty of time to return
things. 28 days from the date of delivery.
25. Keep the User Informed. When somebody buys something online, they
want to know when it's going to arrive at their door. Giving an
estimated delivery date during the checkout process is good. Emailing
them when their product is dispatched is great. Keep the user informed
at every step of the process. Leaving the customer happy once they have
made a sale means they are more likely to speak well about you
later.
26. Offer Different Payment Options. It might sound obvious, but you
should offer the user a reasonable selection of methods of payment.
Make the user's life easy and give them what they want.
27. Consider Upselling and
cross-selling. People that buy from you are doing
so because they like what it is they see. If a user adds a product to a
basket, show them other things they might like as well. Upselling and
cross-selling are tried and tested sales techniques, and there is no
reason not to use them on the web.
 28. Be Memorable. A good site will include information. A poor one
is just an online catalogue. Users start with research online, just as
they do offline. Information (articles, advice, reviews and so on) all
help the user early in their buying process. Make contact with the user
at that stage of their process and succeed.
29. You must have a Unique Selling Point (USP). Branding is important,
as well as the quality of your site and information. Your USP is what
sets you apart from your competition. Great customer service, low
prices, products that can't be bought elsewhere, free delivery, great
support - all of these are USPs. Make sure everyone knows what yours
is.
30. Be trusted. An address is a good start. A phone number, with people answering the phone, also helps.
31. Have a privacy policy. Showing a privacy policy and explaining
shipping procedures clearly can also help the user to trust you. Design
and content also play a part in trust. A poor design gives
off an unprofessional feeling. If content is inaccurate or badly
written, the same applies.
32. Use Google Analytics to measure your conversions and increased sales.
Have additional Virtuemart tips that you would like to share? Please use the comment box below .
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