Where/why the balk?

I get around 1000 visitors each day.

My website (I think) looks pretty clean and accessible.

The prices are the same/lower than competitors.

Shipping is fairly reasonable (although I cannot control/reduce it anyway).

When the people come, I've observed them (who's online) putting products into their shopping carts.

But I have not had any order since I put up my new website.

Where am I going wrong?

And... if you do not mind me asking you:

1. What's your monthly net income from your website?
2. How many products do you have?
3. How to do you advertise and how many vistors per day/ purchases per vistor do you have?

P.S. I am not asking for a very big chunk of the pie. Just making 1000 profit each month would keep me going as a college student. More would be nice, but 1000 would be sufficient.

Whoops sorry, my website is https://www.southbayperformance.com. Thanks!

Your page opens with: Welcome to South Bay Performance!
Hello Guest! Would you like to log in?

And absolutely nothing about who you are or why I should buy from you. :yuck:

Have you considered NOT asking for date of birth on the create account page?

Not really but since you mentioned it you make a valid point. My reason for leaving it was to verify it wasnt someone underage using their parents credit card. Although I remember well, it's pretty simple to fib, so your right.

AS far as putting something up about what we're doing, I'm just really not sure what to say. WE're an auto parts dealer specialziing in performance parts and accessories. There really isnt a lot too our company that I can think to say (not to mention the trend on larger parts companies is to say nothing on the front page...)

Yeah, that may be true- but you aren't a well know name - if I am NAPA everyone knows who I am. You have to establish your credibility.

I ment moreso places such as Summit Racing, but yes I see the point. Everyone in our industry or who plans to buy something from our industry does know who we are.

I added some information to the front page, it probably could be better, but I am not sure how. I know its only been 5-6 hours but I'm anxious to get a sale. (I'm a college and this is my sole way of having money).

I also removed the birth date thing. Is there anything else I can do to better my website/increase sales? I have one Adword add out... I really don't know what to do.

Again prices are competitive, shop (i think) looks pretty clean cut and "web 2.0". Marketing wise everything seems to be in place fairly well. (I'm a marketing major, but no professional yet).

Everyone in our industry or who plans to buy something from our industry does know who we are.

Then you need to be talking to your customers and finding out what they don't like.

Perhaps run through your site and make sure all is tidy and inviting and not going to scare someone off like the Privacy page that reads:

Privacy Notice

Privacy Sample Text ...

This section of text is from the Define Pages Editor located under Tools in the Admin.

To remove this section of the text, delete it from the Define Pages Editor.

More text is better ...

Prices in the Title are not always a good draw from search engines ... might consider if those are a help or a hinderance to people browsing through search engines ...

Descriptions in the Categories help a lot ... Makes it appear you know what you are talking about rather than just the name of a Car ...

Kim:

Then you need to be talking to your customers and finding out what they don't like.

Oh I so made a mistake when i said that. I ment to say "everyone in our industry knows who THEY are". Not us, we're just a little guy.

Ajeh:

Descriptions in the Categories help a lot ... Makes it appear you know what you are talking about rather than just the name of a Car ...

What exactly would I do for a description. The hierarchy goes Make-Model-Year-Product Type. I'm not exactly sure how I can add any descriptions. I'm very competent with cars (hence I own this website) and I just cannot see how this would help. I'm not saying your wrong, I just need a little clarification.

Oh yeah and um... how do I get prices out of the titles? It seems zen cart has done that by itself and its one of the things I've never... removed. (like the birthdate thing). Silly me... novice mistakes.

Pictures or text or both make things more inviting ...

You want to draw them in and keep them ...

Even the logo/emblem of a car makes for a nice display ...

Oh you mean the categories on the center part of the page. I thought you ment in the sidebox. I was like, whoa, not enough room. But yes, I do agree there. I am compiling images of all the different cars/makes/manufacturer's logos so that I can do that. :)

Search engines LIKE text to chew on,

I am using this as an example,

250 V Alternator

vs

Chrome plated 250 V Alternator with long life brushes double insulated housing
1 year waranty....

this gives the user a little more to go on, and the spiders as well

Sounds reasonable enough. How do I accomplish giving search engines something to chew on with Zen Cart?

This kind of got a little burried. Can you give me an idea of how to give the engines something to chew on?

Also how would I get the prices out of the titles. I'm going to digg around my admin a little but im not sure if i will be able to find it.

Words - text - full descriptions

Sorry. I'm assuming you ment for the givin them something to bite onto part ( i figured out the other part) but it didn't really make sense. I do have full descriptions on all of my products, and their is no files for me to sort by words-text-full description so i guess you mean something that i either do not understand or am not grasping (aka being stupid)

Based on the industry that you are dealing with you site looks really undone.

Take a look at some of the competitor’s website.

You are selling high dollar items, if I am purchasing from you I want to make sure that I can contact you not only via email, a phone would be help full.

When I add an item to the cart click shipping estimate it says:

Per Unit (Best Way). What is best way?
I believe you are trying to say, you would use the best shipping method, but your customer don’t know that, because it is not explained.

I know you mite say that I have the shipping explained under Shipping and Returns, customers get frustrated easy, the checkout process is already long do make a customer have to go back and read the Shipping and Returns policy.

There is also an error on the main page, mite not stop sale, but it's still an error.

But your main problem is that you cannot checkout, when you try to checkout you get an error page cannot be displayed.

I know that you are excited to make some money but, there is a saying back in my country “Hurry bird does not build good nest” ecommerce is just like any other business it takes work and if you are looking for easy quick money ecommerce is not the place, you can go months before you get your first sale.

I hope this information was helpful.

Thanks. I'm not really sure how my website is undone. Yes, its not as like... wonderfully beautiful as some of my competitors websites, but I do not have any $ to spend on a designer.

I was under the impression that my phone number was listed. If it isn't, as I've set it up to, then yes I need to fix that.

As for the best way... that is just what zen cart has said by default. I would prefer that it didnt say anything and just showed the shipping price... (and no it doesn't explain "best way" on my shipping page. Just that we do always seek the best value).

It is odd that you say I cannot checkout, because I had a customer successfully checkout yesterday. And I see no errors on the main page...

Also you say that the problem I am not getting sales is because of the error on my checkout, but I don't think so because people do not even sign up (until my sale yesterday).

I agree that you cannot rush, but I have been running this business since August, making upgrades, getting better, etc.

I must seem rushy but it is my only income. I need a good website so that I can attract sales. I am paying $ for adwords, paying $ for 14.99 and if I cannot recoop this money than I am in serious trouble. I've been pretty patient with the whole process, but I'd rather not have a "kinda" business, I want a REAL business, and that's what I am trying to accomplish this time around (with my upgrades).

P.S. I just went through the checkout process and I couldn't find any errors. Same with the main page. What browser are you using?