In today’s thrifty econo-climate, online businesses are struggling with smaller budgets while trying to retain and build business. They are constantly looking for ways to cut their costs while still improving the online experience and bottom line. Many of these e-commerce sites have used custom web development initiatives and e-commerce software in the past to shower their visitors with the pizzazz and sparkle of offline marketing blitzes. E-commerce firms are now considering new ways to save significantly on their ongoing maintenance and licensing costs by adopting non-customized platforms and open source software.

Open source e-commerce applications will allow easy to use and manageable functions, such as shopping cart management, search product merchandising and management, and personal account creation that aren’t bogged down by the custom developed software that is monopolized by the freelance designer you dropped a new cadillac on to design. It is estimated that large corporations can save up to 35 percent from ongoing maintenance and licensing costs, while small companies will save 25 percent of these costs in 2009 alone. Drupal is one of the best open source content management systems available for any e-commerce or online retailing business that wants to implement a manageable and affordable open source alternative.

E-commerce firms should also look into the technology they have already deployed online and extract more return on investment (ROI). Businesses should try to investigate their current technologies and see how they can decrease costs of service, sales and marketing. It is recommended to try and cut 15 percent, if you are a large company, and 10 percent if you are a smaller company. This should be an affordable strategy to implement because it should only require the honing of already established resources within the organization. If any established technology doesn’t achieve a use rate of 95 percent, it should be considered to eliminate the technology.

Another way to avoid a budget blunder this year is to invest in Social Media and leverage their application tools to develop sales efforts with higher conversion rates and traffic generation. The web is now rich with media, flowing freely from many Web 2.0 tools to identify and analyze the traffic coming from the socially-influential networking sites. But don’t go “Social Crazy”, just because Social Media has the stigma of “fun”, doesn’t mean you can’t mean business when you are there. This is also a great way to track trends and product development ideas and feedback that you may pay a pretty penny to get otherwise.

Do you use a typewriter to communicate with clients? Are you still advertising in the phonebook? No? Then why use obsolete web platforms for your e-commerce or e-retail site when it is just costing you money in upkeep and loss of conversions. No one feels comfortable when they board an old plane and they feel the same when they land on a website. If time and knowledge is holding you back from optimizing your business online, it is imperative to find a Search Engine Optimization firm who can give you the expertise and knowledge you need to reach your online sales goals. Volacci is the leading Drupal SEO company and very passionate about your online success. By the end of your contract you will have at least as much additional business from your web site as you spend on our services... or we'll work for free until you do.

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