Struggling With My Own Website

[Shaunread]

In the past ive been able to make a few sales via etsy and in person with people but im struggling to attract significant traffic to my own website to make sales.

At the moment im using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to promote my products/website as well as adwords with specific search keywords and have alright SEO (Dont have a huge amount of experience though in all honesty) but am barely managing 25-30 views a day (most of them UK though which is atleast something - as this is my preferred market).

Has anybody else had this struggle with gaining traffic? Can you recommend a way in which I can improve it? Despite being a marketing student and having done everything I know to attract people im still just unable to improve and its getting frustrating as you can imagine.

Any help would be thoroughly appreciated!

[ConradPark]

There is no short answer to your question and I'm not really sure this forum is the best place to get any real helpful advice more than is already written. Success in business depends on so many different factors that you're probably better off spending some afternoons at your local library reading books about managing small business, online marketing, etc.

On top of that you need to focus on providing a better and more unique product than others. If you can't or aren't maybe you're better off having your items produced for you and that gives you more time to focus on marketing. Running a business is very different from just having a hobby. It takes patience, sweat and long hours for a few years. At least.

Not trying to put you down or anything but this is the truth. The library will have all the information you need. You need to be prepared to do this for years to come. There are no shortcuts. Others that seem to have a quicker success have most likely had a good funding and probably a small army of employees and others to help them out and on top of that previous experience in starting up a business.

While I know that your question was more specific about your website and traffic, I think that you need and should focus on all aspects of your venture. With time and hard work you will see that things start to pick up. If you manage to endure.

All the best.

Edited May 6, 2015 by ConradPark

[Dwight]

To be brutally honest, . . . looking at your website, . . . I would not bother past the first page.

Simply stated, to me it is not attractive, . . . shows me no reason whatsoever to go to another page, . . . and shows me products that look unfinished to me.

Your belt prices (in US dollars) are far and away too expensive for what "appears" in the picture. That same looking belt can be purchased at Walmart in the US for probably 10 to 15% of your price.

Steps to improve:

1. Move all the legal mumbo-jumbo to the bottom of the page, . . . in smaller letters, . . . or, . . . just take it down. Most people will ask about what concerns them, . . . whether it be your shipping policy, . . . return policy, . . . etc.

2. Put products with some pizzazz on that front page, . . . let it be the first thing the customer sees.

3. Draw attention to YOU, . . . do that by mentioning your university, . . . age group, . . . where you live, . . . in so doing, you identify with certain groups that "may" pick up on the "birds of a feather flock together" syndrome, . . . making them feel more attracted to you, and therefore possibly your products.

I may have hurt your feelings, . . . and that was not the intention, . . . because in today's world of advertising / attracting customers, . . . you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE UNIQUE in something, . . . and your website simply does not do that.

I certainly wish you the best, . . . you are to be commended for your effort so far, . . . just polish it up a bit, . . . don't get discouraged, . . . and you'll get there.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited May 6, 2015 by Dwight

[Shaunread]

Can I ask if you can screenshot what you saw regarding legal mumbo-jumbo on my home page? The website should be laid out as it is on the picture ive uploaded below. If not then I can only assume its a website malfunction and will sort that out.

As for the pricing, my belts are handmade out of premium Italian leather which reflects in the price as well as including delivery so I think I offer a fair price in comparison with the significant amount of British leather goods companies which expect upwards of £80 for something similar. However, that being said I am planning on adjusting my prices somewhat downward as I do agree expecting something that high at such an early stage isnt the most attractive price for a new consumer.

What do you mean by products looking unfinished? Could you elaborate on anything in particular I could improve?

I have added featured products to the main page below the initial banner, in my stupidity I hid that collection meaning it didnt appear, woops!

I'm going to revamp my 'about' section to make it a bit more personal as you suggested, thank you!

[JLSleather]

Truth is, I don't know why some things sell well, while others not so much. Neither does anyone else, if they're honest. You mention Etsy, which I hadn't even heard of until I saw it here. By simple searches, I have seen some things sold for good money that I wouldn't take if they were free. Go figger...

It's not a quality issue - I see shoddy materials assembled poorly selling everywhere. People use "walmart quality" and "made in China" as if they were "bad" - almost with contempt. But Walmart and China - as we think of them - sell a HUGE amount of goods (more $'s than I could list).

Not a question of unique, either. Those "minimalist" wallets are sold by thousands of people. They'll harp about "hand made" or go on about the 'type' of leather used, but in the end they're pretty much the same.

Doesn't even need to be a useful product, or an attractive one. Pet rocks sold by the MILLIONS. Then there were "imitation" pet rocks copying them. A few years went by, and there was a "re-release" of the "original" pet rock. Remember those? It was a rock. Put in a box. With "air holes" in the box so the rock could breathe. Not enough example? How about the 'mood ring'. Spongebob. The Kardashians (yes, they're cute, but so are a couple BILLION other girls).

Shifting gears a bit.. here's my personal take on goods in general. When I see someone making a point of "hand made" or "hand crafted", then I expect to see something that required so skill. Or at very least some attention to detail. It USED TO BE that "handmade" meant it was more expensive, but people are figuring out that if the product isn't BETTER than I get at walmart (crap, did i use that analogy) the WHY PAY MORE? Looking for example at your first page belts.. I dont see anything I couldn't teach someone to do in under half an hour. Machines will cut an entire hide into belt strips in seconds. And seriously.. if it's the same leather, what does anybody care HOW it was cut?

Which brings us to the "social" thing people are on about (and on and on). It's ridiculous to call it "social", when it's clearly just one more avenue of marketing refuse. My wife uses it to talk with her family on the other side of the planet - THAT is social. Many people using it - quite simply - because they are terrified of NOT doing what (they perceive) 'everybody" is doing.

Personally, 'minimalist' says to me 'look how little i did'. This does not cause me to admire it or want one. But, I'm just one person, so maybe doesn't matter what I think.

[JLSleather]

Oh, about the social muck ... opened the fridge one day, first thing i see is the CHEESE says 'follow us on faqbook'. Anybody can tell me WHY I might wanna do that?$@#FG@!$!

[Shaunread]

I see what you're getting at. The fact is that the majority of the world are either too busy or cant be bothered to do it themselves. For that, I'm thankful though. Its people like that who buy our leather items - for better or for worse. Everybody sees quality differently and although out products arent as unique as some, the individuality of the designer and the subtle differences we make in our products by stitching a different way and burnishing or not burnishing. I personally love minimalist, simple stuff and thats why I started to make it. "Keep it simple stupid" I was always told. I've always wanted to get into carving and the like but it just isnt my style sadly!

Luckily, we life in a world thats very materialistic. Some people will pay £5 for a wallet, some will pay £500. Without these different people we wouldnt be doing anything more than a hobby! Despite the fact we all make similar stuff in one way or another, we're not that much in competition with our fellow leather workers because everybody has their own twist or style that attracts the people we want to buy our stuff

[JLSleather]

It's possible you've missed my point. Perhaps it's more accurate (or at least more 'social') to say that I've failed to answer your original question. Well, it happens .....

[Dwight]

Can I ask if you can screenshot what you saw regarding legal mumbo-jumbo on my home page? The website should be laid out as it is on the picture ive uploaded below. If not then I can only assume its a website malfunction and will sort that out.

As for the pricing, my belts are handmade out of premium Italian leather which reflects in the price as well as including delivery so I think I offer a fair price in comparison with the significant amount of British leather goods companies which expect upwards of £80 for something similar. However, that being said I am planning on adjusting my prices somewhat downward as I do agree expecting something that high at such an early stage isnt the most attractive price for a new consumer.

What do you mean by products looking unfinished? Could you elaborate on anything in particular I could improve?

I have added featured products to the main page below the initial banner, in my stupidity I hid that collection meaning it didnt appear, woops!

I'm going to revamp my 'about' section to make it a bit more personal as you suggested, thank you!

Hey, Shaunread, the screenshot below is a better one, . . . the first one I got looked like the one you posted. With the links to delivery, shipping, returns, etc just too prominently posted, . . . that was what I referred to as legal mumbo-jumbo.

Your belts, key fob, the strap, even the wallets simply look like raw cut straps with a buckle or sewing. There is no design, no tooling, and worst of all, . . . the edges are simply raw leather. They need to be burnished, slicked, and professional looking, . . . which they are not at this point.

The color you chose (tan) looks far too much like raw leather, . . . giving the idea that it isn't even dyed, . . . much less finished.

I know you are trying to project yourself to the young, willing to spend, trendy crowd, . . . and perhaps a model, tastefully adorned with your products would do more than the simple pictures.

Not to be bragging, . . . but take a look at my website: www.dwightsgunleather.com and you can see something of what I am talking about. The opening to the front page shows a product, . . . and how it is used, . . . with a model. The clothing was specifically chosen to appeal to the cowboy customer, to the male customer, and to the conservative customer. The model chosen is just a good average, . . . not pencil thin, . . . not fat, . . . and the shirt chosen is associated with working men, the blue chambray shirt. When you open the page, . . . your eyes naturally go to the pictures, . . . they tell a story, . . . and they attempt to create a "he's one of us" thought in the eyes of the beholder.

Think in terms of your favorite commercials or ads on TV, . . . what did you see that peaked your interest? Product being used ! Competitive or "less expensive" ! A little humor ! Incorporate some of that, . . . it goes a long way in separating your product from the "rest of the world", . . . which is what you have to do to succeed commercially.

In the US, . . . a number of years ago, . . . there was only one identifiable trait to the Avis car rental agency that thousands of dollars of research could pinpoint. They were 2nd in size to Hertz. They locked onto "We're only the 2nd biggest, . . . so we try harder" and their business $$$$ soared. Find your niche, . . . you'll succeed.

You have the main things needed to be successful, . . . good ideas, . . . willingness to re-vamp, change, learn, . . . using quality materials.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Shaunread]

Dwight, You are an inspiration!

I will definitely take your advice and use it to improve my products and website. At this very moment im drawing up a plan of action for myself to improve

I can only hope that when I am older I can understand the business as much as you and the other people on this forum. Hopefully I can return in a short while with something bigger and better than what I have now, thank you all for your guidance.