The updating process has begun!

[JUYBoutique20]

I've been working from a checklist I created from the beginning of the year to be able to transition from in-store to primarily online. During this audit process I've literally been going through all parts of my online experience, and I've noticed there are parts of my e-boutique I haven't touched since I went live 5 years ago.  How often are you guys updating your automations, website formats, pop-ups, etc. It's been a very eye-opening process.  

[TCSlaguna]

We don't do much eCommerce. Probably because we are terrible at social media.

Our website is more of a showcase of what we have in store. Haven't really made structural changes since we started. 

At some point we need to look at creating a social media strategy and redesigning our website to encourage purchases. 

[JUYBoutique20]

I do Instagram and Facebook right now.  I've done a small bit of TikTok but definitely not enough to attract customers yet.

[DinaLRosenberg]

We SURVIVE on social media (and we're in similar spaces)- your product is literally MADE for social!!!! You don't really need a strategy- you just need to figure out what "voice" you want out there & then you just sorta need to start 

[Fetched-Up]

We update regularly.  The over arching style and design hasn't changed that much over the years, but do leverage when Square adds feature enhancements.  We also publish our product catalog to google, and that can be a bit of a challenge sometimes resolving issues that google doesn't always like.

We've made updates to our product searches, as we didn't know the total effect when we started with putting items into categories.

We do regularly update featured items on our main page, as we get in new products.   

A big item that I have been working on is updating image names and image alt text.  We mostly use manufacturer provided images and the naming convention varies and does nothing for SEO.  Because we have thousands of products, that updating is a slow process.

[JUYBoutique20]

Right now, I'm updating my categories and making sure all my items are correctly placed.  After that then I'll update photos from stock to pics of me and my family wearing everything. Our catalog is on google as well and like you said it's a monster of its own.  It's definitely a slow process, but I'm so glad I'm going through it now.

[JTPets]

Gemini / NanoBanana Can do some CRAZY shit with your photos

[JUYBoutique20]

Thanks for that...I'll have to try that out!

[JTPets]

So when do we get to see the checklist?😋

[JUYBoutique20]

I can definitely post it here.  My checklist is more of steps for me to take on transitioning my business to online mostly. I haven't completely decided to close my brick and mortar, but I want to switch my focus to online first so I can see what difference if any it makes.  Right now, I'm going through the website audit and that's where I noticed I upload new products and descriptions, but none of my automations had been touched since I went live 5 years ago. I also updated my loyalty program.

[ascoach]

My overall page and layout has pretty much stayed the same through the years. I try to keep ours items up to date according to trends, seasons and sport seasons.  It does not always happen because of timing.  Like you said, it takes a lot of time to go through everything.  I also know when slower times are, so I try to make sure I'm scheduling time to just sit at the computer and do it.

If you do have a checklist you wouldn't mind sharing, I'm sure all of us could benefit from it or help each other out with adding things to it.

[JUYBoutique20]

@ascoach so my checklist is more of steps for me to take on transitioning my business to online mostly. I haven't completely decided to close my brick and mortar, but I want to switch my focus to online first so I can see what difference if any it makes.  Right now, I'm going through the website audit and that's where I noticed I upload new products and descriptions, but none of my automations had been touched since I went live 5 years ago.  

[JessPoynter]

@JUYBoutique20 I'm with @JTPets : would LOVE to see that checklist! 
I'm having to transition to a 100% online business with my scalp care services so having that would be SUPER helpful! 
Definitely needing to revamp my online presence through Square

[doc_choc]

We are always working on our wbesite, hence our continual call for more features, however what we need to do is go back on a more frequent interval to make sure the information we provide is accutate, that the automations we use work as they should and also that we are up to date date with the new features, as sometimes they appear without fanfare.  

[JTPets]

I have almost 2800 items thst are constantly being added and deleted as consumer trends change and my customer base evolves. 

I had to create and entire dashboard to keep me updated and I am still  behind...

 

[Lisa3002]

Is this a board you created in Trello?

[JTPets]

So i made my own app that connects to Square API's, its still a work in progress but it allows me to organize data in a way that I couldnt do efficiently inside Square's native app. I've released the code on my github.

[Mbon]

I review my site quarterly and do a deeper audit once a year. Products, pricing, and featured items get updated more often based on trends, while automations and pop ups are checked every few months to ensure they still convert well.