Building An Effective Furniture Sales Web Site

Web sites that feature products ? especially furniture or other large items ? require a careful balance of text and images to convey the value of each product.

Let's face it. Consumers like to see, feel, and "experience" a product before they make a purchase decision. If you can elicit the senses in your on-line presentation of an item, you will increase your chances of making a purchase tenfold.

In addition to the basics of an effective web presence, such as complete contact information, a successful furniture sales web site will convey the following:

* Credibility of the merchant to provide any product available through the site;
* Dimensions, an invigorating text description, and multiple images for each product;
* A replacement or repair policy in the event an item is damaged during shipping;
* Delivery or shipping options, with pricing;
* Customer testimonials from those who have shopped with the merchant;
* Full payment options, preferably with telephone, on-line, and invoice credit/debit options.

Style and Navigation

Again, developing a successful furniture sales site depends on the web designer's ability to elicit the senses through a careful combination of text and images. "Presentation" design elements, such as Flash and Java components, may be useful in establishing a professional, yet comfortable tone across the site.

Site navigation should be effortless and flow seamlessly throughout the entire web site, including on pages that do not relate specifically to products. Subconsciously, the site's ease of use will affect the prospect-customer's impression of the merchant.

Content Elements

As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." This is certainly the case in on-line furniture sales.

Each product should include at least two unique photos, complete with thumbnail and enlarged versions, but may have as many as six. The goal here is to encourage the prospect-customer to become familiar with the product, to envision the furniture in their home from all angles in the room.

Product descriptions should vibrantly relate the texture, colors, size, and "feel" of each item. Choose words that connect directly to the senses. A throw pillow, for example, could be presented as "a soft burgundy compliment to any sofa pictured above." Of course, while it is appropriate to be vivid in your product descriptions, remember to remain true to each product's features.

Customer service options are a must. A hyperlink to the merchant's contact page or customer service area should be available on each page of the site, uniformly. The merchant's telephone number should also be listed on each page.

A shopping cart system is not required, but can certainly promote prospect-customer conversion based on convenience. For the product-based web presence, the next "action step" after selecting a product is to make a purchase decision. If a purchase requires picking up the telephone, the merchant risks losing the customer during this transition. Offering on-line payment with telephone support is the optimal way to promote an on-line sale.

Tweaks and Tips

* Offering financing options and/or incentive-based sales offers, such as no interest for a 6- or 12-month period, will increase your competitive edge and promote a quicker purchase decision.

* When developing content, be sure to include plenty of key terms and phrases in the site's general text. Search engines such as Google rely on content text, not meta tags, to determine search placement.

* Include key terms in image description tags and hyperlinks. Describe each image or link using terms and phrases relevant to the image, industry, and merchant.

If you are a furniture merchant attempting to develop your first web presence, seek the advice and support of a full-service small business web design firm. Professional, affordable web design is available. Creating a "do it yourself" site may appear cost effective, however this can quickly become a complicated and time consuming project. Stay focused in your profession, and recruit the wisdom of a web professional.

Jim D. Ray is a seasoned web developer and president of Web Presence, a web design firm serving the needs of small businesses nationwide. To learn more, or for a free quote for your own web site, visit the Web Presence at http://www.web-presence.net.

---

Why Long Web Pages are Better than Short Ones

Many Internet sites that try to sell you something have... Read More

How to save money on a website

Know what you wantMake sure you know why you... Read More

Content - the Key to Long Term Success

Every day internet marketers are inundated with the latest fad... Read More

8 Tips for Designing a Great Website

Square buttons, round buttons, flashy buttons ? will they match... Read More

Creating a Basic Web Design Template

A "template" is simply a design format which you can... Read More

How a Custom Designed Website Can Help Your Business

Over the years, the internet has grown into a marvelous... Read More

You Need RSS, Atom, and ROR/RDF Codes on Your Website--Now You Need Google Sitemap as Well!

Do you have a website? If so, you need an... Read More

Three Things You Must Do When Designing and Building Your Small Business Website

If you are going to have a web presence for... Read More

What Happened to My Website when I Deleted the Home Page by Mistake?

There is a widespread confusion among lots of new website... Read More

Web Design - 7 Key Things to Avoid

A search for "web design" on Google returns more than... Read More

One-Product Sales Sites: Avoid These Top Blunders

One product, one long web page: this kind of web... Read More

Tried and Tested Tips to Improve Your Website - Part 1

1. DO NOT use excessive graphics or banner images on... Read More

A Great Banner Only Needs Simple Things

To create your own great banner, you only need five... Read More

Website Savvy: 10 Key Steps to Turn Your Customers ON!

"How to turn "slightly interested" customers into "I've got to... Read More

How To Get A Pay Raise From Your Web Site

How many of the visitors to your web site take... Read More

Top 10 Web Design Mistakes

As a webmaster, you want to keep your visitors content... Read More

Website Design: Redecorate Your Web Site To Increase Sales

Getting traffic to your website is not the only factor... Read More

How To Write An Effective FAQ Page

Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked... Read More

How to Make Your Site Attractive to Potential Link Partners

Every now and then, I receive a link exchange request... Read More

Website Design: 10 Web Site Design Pitfalls To Avoid

If you've a website that is not generating a lot... Read More

Questions to Ask When Designing a Website for Clients

Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More

Website Re-Design?

My site is working fine. The links work. Content is... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Increase Web Sales - Part 2

You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer.... Read More

To Flash, or Not to Flash

When considering whether or not to incorporate Flash into your... Read More

Website Advertising: 10 Dynamic Tactics To Super-Charge Your Sales

Here are 10 dynamic website advertising tactics to super-charge your... Read More

Why Hire a Professional to Design Your Web Site?

Creating an appealing, functional, and effective Web site is much... Read More

3 Simple Ways To Dramatically Improve Your Website

Before you start worrying about marketing your website on the... Read More

Website Design - Choosing Your Colors Wisely

Colors convey emotions and emotions heavily influence the decision-making process.... Read More

5 Ways To Automate Your Site

Automating your online business is one of the most important... Read More

The Golden Rule Of Website Building

Copyright 2005 Robert EvansSetting yourself up to earn a steady... Read More

Developing An Effective Physical Therapy Web Site

Physical therapists have unique web presence needs. An effective site... Read More

How To Improve The Professional Look And Feel Of Your Website

Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success.... Read More

The Brutal Truth

Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More