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.

[gmace99]

I looked at the source code on your site and could not see any keywords and also thought that your meta title could be improved to help the search engines. I am in no way a expert. I am a saddle maker who has built a few of my own sites for years and was always told you need keywords for the search engines. The other thing you need is robot text from Google and Bing to put into your code. This code you can get direct from google. www.google.com/webmasters and Bing www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster

Most search engines you can submit your site to them to let them no you exist. Their are programs that do this for you or you can do it manually.

I agree with Dwight, I think your site could look better if you move the stuff at the bottom and only show a few products like the picture he posted of your front page.

I again agree with him about the unfinished look of your belts and keyfobs. It could be as you said you like that look and it has a more modern to you. After all beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am not a fan of carving leather but that does not mean it is a bad thing.

I do think if you where to put a little more work into your products it would look more professional. Edge strip and stain the edges would give them a quality look.

However if you like that minimalist look where you just cut a strip of leather and rivet it then don't change your design. Leave it to the public to decide. If they buy it then your idea works if they don't then you have to change.

I also believe mention your business as often as you can so I will finish of with an advert.

If you need a hand to perfect some of your techniques you can always come to my Staffordshire shop for a day days course.

[MonicaJacobson]

Shaun, you should also branch out a bit in your product line. The more variety you have in your products, the more interest you gain.

[Shaunread]

Thank you Monica, weirdly enough at this very moment im cutting parts for some bifolds, clutches and some skinny belts. Slowly but surely adding pieces!

Dopp Kits and bigger things are in the works for summer also

Edited May 7, 2015 by Shaunread

[DavidL]

A few things that need to be added is a logo and also the name is feminine. Website isn't too bad 7/10, no logo, needs more pictures for the products (people wearing them wearing the style of clothing that you would imagine your target buyers is wearing), the front page should have some attractive pictures of the hand sewing process, cutting or dyeing process. You aren't putting enough of the brand out there so people don't know what the brand stands for, they have to connect with the brand, pictures of yourself working or your workshop can create a bond with the customer knowing that everything is handmade and done with care, not made in an assembly line. You decide what the brand essence will be and work everything based of that.

Which type of people are you trying to get to buy your leather goods? If its hipsters, 18-28 y/o men white collar, or whatever your website, your logo, your product, your name, your brand essence, your vision need to be in line with the target customer. Otherwise no one will connect with the brand as it should be deeper than just leather goods. Its a magpie belt (not a department store belt) that was hand crafted in britain, made to last and is stylish.

All the items are more towards the male buyers but the name isn't something I would want to associate with, as odd as that sounds magpie isn't what the male 18-28 demographic would want in my opinion. Same goes with the leather tool company called elfita, they have some nice tools but the logo has an fairy on it and is clearly targeted to women.

try to get your product in a local newspaper, online magazine, fashion website or where ever to get exposure for your brand.

Good luck

Edited May 7, 2015 by DavidL

[JLSleather]

nice tools but the logo has an fairy on it

[MonicaJacobson]

I tend to think David is right about the name... you could masculinize it by coming up with a tattoo-ish, crow-like magpie. . . or start making some products for women, too.

I also agree about the pictures of process and tools. If people are going to pay more, they're paying, in part, for the experience of something hand-made, and knowledge of the artisan. If they don't care about that, they might as well buy from Wal-Mart. Your website is about as impersonal as a shopping center right now, but it's a very easy fix.

[Shaunread]

All the items are more towards the male buyers but the name isn't something I would want to associate with, as odd as that sounds magpie isn't what the male 18-28 demographic would want. Same goes with the leather tool company called elfita, they have some nice tools but the logo has an fairy on it and is clearly targeted to women.

The reason I actually chose the name is because the name "magpie" is heavily associated with and is nickname for a huge football team from my home city - of which the demographic is mostly males 18+ so I would disagree with that personally.

I stuck with the text alone as a logo as its simple and keeps with my minimalist thoughts on design but I do have a Magpie image I am not thinking of adding to have an 'icon' which people could associate my products to rather than just text. Im in the process of sorting out some people to photograph with my products so hopefully that can be an improvement I can do over the next few weeks/month! Ill get right on adding photos of my processes and tools and hopefully will personalise the website a bit more. Im hoping to add more female-aimed items to my collection so hopefully that wont be a huge issue when I get them online too

Thank you for all your comments.