We live in a digital age where it is easier to log on to the web to browse the coolest new gear than it is to trek out to the mall. But for the longest time the retail space on the web was dominated by large companies which had invested heavily in brand image and real brick and mortar stores. Often time’s smaller companies would struggle to gain a foothold on the web since consumers would invariably choose to purchase from the larger retail outfit.

The reason consumers choose larger retail outfits is pretty easy to explain. When the web was fresh and new stores like BestBuy and Sears had already built a reputation as being reliable merchants, an image which consumers carried over when they shopped on the web. Consumers felt more comfortable giving a credit card number to a large company they already knew and did business with than a small internet retailer. Brands like Amazon and Ebay advertised fairly heavily in traditional media to establish that brand image, giving them credibility with consumers. This led to a few large online outlets for retail sales but still left the smaller retailers fighting for scraps.

But the internet has changed and grown dramatically since then. Services like PayPal and Google Checkout have given consumers peace of mind when dealing with online merchants. Online merchants may not have a massive distribution network but they don’t have to, they can use any number of shipping options. Online merchants can also operate the cost of maintaining a physical retail store, increasing margins.

To be fair, two years ago I would not have bought anything online unless it came from a large brand which I knew. Now I have both Google Checkout and PayPal accounts and I feel comfortable shopping anywhere on the web that offers those forms of payment during the checkout process.  Buying online is often cheaper for me than actually traveling to the store to purchase a product. I never have to spend on gas, I can compare various retailers side by side instantly, and I can do it all while watching reruns of M*A*S*H.

 I’ve always been interested in television and the Nielsen ratings. But keeping track of a large populations television viewing habits can be a difficult and non-precise. Nielsen ratings rely polling and user feedback amongst other reporting tools.  

The internet, on the other hand, is much easier to track. That’s why Google and other search engines use Alexa. Anyone can download the add-on to a browser and it tracks which sites you visit. Thus, Google uses this data as part of its algorithm when determining natural search rankings.

Now think about it…who goes to your website more than you do? No one…

Download Alexa and you are bound to increase your page’s ranking! 

Another cool tool by Google is Page Rank. This works similarly to Alexa and tracks traffic to the site and the number of links. To quickly get a Google Page Rank on any website just install the Google toolbar. Page Rank is one of the original core features of Google, one of the reasons why Google search results contained more relevant information. Page Rank ranks web pages based on inbound links weighs but not all inbound links are equal. And inbound link from a small website such as the Marietta Journal does not contribute as much to a Page Rank as a link coming from a large site such as CNN or the New York Times. Therefore, pay attention to this number, any number greater than four is awesome, when joining sites and directories. Remember: quality NOT quantity! 

By using tools such as Alexa’s tool bar and the Google Toolbar you can gauge the quality of your inbound links and work to build a stronger network of websites that link to your store. But there is one caveat to this Page Rank is not the sole tool Google uses to place sites in search results, relevant content is also important. A link from the New York Times may give your site a large boost but if someone is searching locally for restaurants in Marietta a link from the Marietta Journal, a local newspaper, could be just as important.