Hi-
I am using SCC to create my website instead of VSD. So far it is going well. The planned SCC pro, will help a lot. Extra pages will let me add links, etc. My domain is registered and I have a host that is fantastic!

Anyway, sometime in this spring, I will ready to get my website (shop) online.
Has anyone outlined the steps required to get ones website online and get listed with the major search engines? I have seen many posts on SEO with regard to VSD, but may be different using my shop as my website. Would like to have a checklist to work by……

Any help greatly appreciated!!
Pete

There is no definitive list as such Pete. The first thing is to reflect on is what you are actually selling. How well the item is described, is all the essential information contained within that description? Do you have clear pictures, is your pricing realistic and do you have applicable shipping options in place? Only when all of those elements are in place, can you begin to think about seo.

Once your site is uploaded and fully tested for functionality, then you need to start submitting to all the major search engines. Unless you have a unique product or already have an established business, you will also need to think about some form of offline promotion too. Simply submitting to a search engine will seldom result in sales for a new venture.

Will- Thanks for you input.
I have the shop just about ready to go. I have tested it and will soon be submitting to search engines.

I know in VSD you can add a list of meta tags (keywords) which would help the search engines use to locate my site. Since I am using SCC, I'm not sure how I can do this.....

Anyone else have some ideas?
Thanks,
pete

Hiya peter,

There are Meta Tag and Keyword options for each of your pages on the right side of the program window, not sure if it's in the normal options area or in the more options tab, check them both and see, but I do know the pages have those tags you can fill in.

The meta tags that Jo Ann refers to can only be applied to the extra pages Pete, not to the product pages themselves. With shop products the item title fills in the meta keyword tag and the item short description fills in the meta description tag. Neither are ideal in the basic version of cart creator at the moment though, as they minimise the opportunity for adding additional keywords and for having a comprehensive meta description, that doesn't physically appear in the shop..

Actually they do appear where you can edit them. Now whether or not those are letting your words go through or not is another thing lol. I don't know if it fills in all of the stuff automatically, but the Pages area where you can see the extra pages you have has some pretty large Meta and Keyword boxes that you can fill in on your own.

That is the product you are currently evaluating Jo Ann, not the current version of cart creator. That facility is not available yet. Could be yet another reason for people to make a 'leap' in the near future.

That's the current version I'm using WILL not the beta

I am on about the actual pages that list the products Jo Ann. The item title becomes the meta keyword and the short description becomes the meta description. The program itself generates those tags and they cannot be altered in the current version of cart creator. The ability to edit meta tags is only for the extra pages, not the meta tags for the individual categories, or products.

Yeah not for the products, but the main pages themselves which is what he's looking for... I think? LOL He said for tags so people could find his site, I would guess that would be the ones for the actual pages not so much the content which as you said already is generated by the program.

The main Index.php page, Category and View Cart pages, as well as the Home Page if you have that one turned on in any manner all have specific places for those tags though, as well as any other extra pages you create such as a Contact Page and such.