Ecommerce News Around the Web for August 27, 2010

“Ecommerce News Around the Web” is our weekly review of articles, blog posts and other news items that could interest ecommerce merchants.

Keep Them Coming Back – Michael Gray Graywolf’s SEO Blog

Once a shopper has made a purchase from your website, how do you keep that customer coming back for more? Here are some sensible tips for courting and cultivating repeat business.

When to Hire a Social Media Expert – MarketingVOX

It takes a lot of time to keep up with an active social media campaign, yet 90 percent of Internet businesses are doing social media on their own, according to a survey by HubSpot, King Fish Media, and Junta42. This article has some ideas about when it is time to hire a full-time social media director.

New Google Features Promote Fresh Content – Bazaar blog

Two fairly recent Google features can help websites generate more fresh content, and that’s a good way to rank better in the SERPs (search engine page ranks). Rich Snippets allows Google to display product ratings, review counts, and actual review text direct in its search results, and Google Caffeine is its new web indexing algorithm.

Take Business Calls in the Bathroom? – cellular-news

A survey released by Samsung Mobile says that smart phone users are taking business out of the office and into their everyday lives. The survey polled 503 Americans ages 18 and older that own a smart phone and work in an office. More than half (59 percent) said they answer business calls in the middle of the night, and 72 percent said they even take business calls while in the bathroom!

Add Facebook ‘Like’ Plugin to Your Site – Ecommerce-Guide.com

Social media leader Facebook has launched a number of new plugins this year, including ‘Like.’ Facebook allows merchants to add the ‘Like’ button to their websites so that site visitors can share content with their friends. This article details why merchants should consider installing the Like button, and exactly how to do it.

Targeted Display and Video Ads Trending Up – ClickZ

A report released by media and advertising firm Borrell Associates predicts that targeted spending and streaming video ads will increase by roughly 60 percent in 2011. The company’s CEO, Gordon Borrell, says the trend away from ROS (run of site) ads will be “driven more by the small and medium businesses because it’s a new market.”

Learn to Write Compelling Email Subject Lines – Constant Contact

It doesn’t really matter how exciting and informative you make your email newsletter if it doesn’t get opened. Boring subject lines can turn off recipients in an instant, while a compelling subject line could send your clickthrough rate through the roof. This blog provides five practical tips for writing subject lines that should get your emails opened.

More Advice on Writing Better Email Subject Lines – copyblogger

This blog starts out by reminding us that a subject line is the email version of a headline—if it doesn’t get the reader’s attention right off the bat your message will likely go unopened. The blogger offers what he calls the “secret sauce” for writing better subject lines.

Confusing Log In Drives Shoppers Away – GetElastic

There are many factors that can cause customers to leave your online store, and customer log in is one area that could deserve some attention. When potential customers are filling in form fields, a message such as “The information you submitted is invalid” or “Sorry, your login didn’t work” might turn them away for good.

2011 Tax Changes Worrying Small Businesses – Entrepreneur Daily Dose

Some small business owners are already starting to sweat about April 15, 2011. A number of stimulus-related tax breaks are set to expire at the end of the year, and there are some confusing new tax regulations in place. Additionally, the IRS is auditing the taxes of more and more small businesses, and online retailers may have to start collecting sales tax in all fifty states.

How Well Do You Know Your Employees? – Fast Company

This blog, written by human resource expert Roberta Chinsky Matuson, seems to pick the brains of non-management employees to discover their deepest thoughts. If you ever wondered why your employees won’t take one for the team, or why they don’t behave the same way as someone who manages the business, wonder no more.

Twenty-three Great SEO Blogs – HubSpot

This post contains links to 23 of the most relevant and helpful search engine optimization blogs on the web, including a brief description of each. Many have been on the SEO scene for years, and some are new. All of them deserve a thorough read.

No Trash in this ‘Link Dump’ – Yoast

There are more than 50 links to recent and topical Internet news in this so-called “link dump.” They are divided into categories that include coding, plugins, analytics, web design and development, online marketing and social media, science, and more.

Mobile Commerce Survey Results – Mobile Commerce Daily

A survey from AT&T Inc.’s Sterling Commerce and ecommerce service provider Demandware Inc. reveals some interesting trends in mobile commerce. While 96.2 percent of respondents said they own a mobile phone, only half of those devices are smartphones. And, among all mobile users, only 15 percent have actually completed a purchase on their devices.