• The StoresOnline Storebuilder is a dynamic and extremely easy-to-use website publisher.

  The StoresOnline Storebuilder allows online merchants to take e-commerce to the next level of professionalism and originality.
  
  StoresOnline software allows merchants to easily add individual products, assign product numbers, supply multiple images, offer features and specifications respective to the product, provide links, add keywords, supply downloadable files, and et cetera.
  
  The Shopping Cart feature is seamless, allowing for secure and safe online purchases from online customers. In its infancy, the Internet was not secure enough to satisfy customer concerns about sending billing information over the Internet. Yet, after exponential improvements, the Internet now has the ability to send and receive tightly encrypted data of all sorts, including billing information. A link on this page thoroughly discusses the new advantages of the StoresOnline Storebuilder's Shopping Cart.
  
  StoresOnline merchants can easily adjust the Checkout Process. The checkout process is designed and established to have customers easily purchase products from the merchant's online site. Every aspect of the checkout process provides ease and security to the customer as well as the merchants. Plus, the added security features of online processors provide safe, fraudulent free E-retailing between merchants and consumers. A link on this page will outline the many aspects of the StoresOnline Storebuilder's Checkout Page.
  
  Within the “Ordering Rules” section of the StoresOnline Storebuilder, merchants have the ability to define shipping and handling, taxes, discounts to customers, shipping destinations to deny or accept, shipping companies to utilize, currencies to use, payment methods to accept, and shipping and billing forms to be filled out by the online customer.
  
  One of the most important elements of online retail sales is the ability to collect money from willing customers. In its infancy, the Internet was not secure enough to satisfy customer concerns about sending billing information over the Internet. Yet, after exponential improvements, the Internet now has the ability to send and receive tightly encrypted data of all sorts, including billing information. The StoresOnline Storebuilder has capitalized on the use of secure information transfer from customers to merchants.
  
  The StoresOnline Storebuilder provides the entire Shopping Cart functionality for them. The merchant does not need to know or to do any web-programming at all. The Shopping Cart page will add up all the items and their respective quantities selected by the customer. These items, quantities, and costs are displayed clearly and simply, so potential customers understand the prices and totals of their potential purchase.
  
  The Shopping Cart page has the ability for the StoresOnline merchant to customize it contents. If the merchant chooses to add any additional elements to the Shopping Cart page, it is done in the same fashion as all the other web pages; one easy step at a time. Elements such as images, texts, links, contact info, security info, etc. can all be displayed along with always-seamless security of the Storebuilder’s Shopping Cart.
  
  After customers are at the StoresOnline Shopping Cart page, they then have the choice to change quantities, continue to select more items, or checkout and purchase their items. The simplicity of the StoresOnline Storebuilder process provides no hindrance to the customer; moreover, it allows for a very simple and secure online purchase. The remainder of the checkout process is found under the respective link. Here you will find additional explanation of what merchants can do to help customers complete the checkout and finish their purchase.
  
  In the StoresOnline Storebuilder “Ordering Rules” page, the merchant can figure in taxes, shipping, destinations, etc that will be required to finish their customers' transactions. Once entered, the ordering rules are automatically calculated into the purchase without any other work from the merchant. View the Ordering Rules link for an explanation of how ordering rules are established and how they affect potential customers.
  
  StoresOnline is a certified UPS Online Tools® Provider. What does this mean to you? It means that shipping and fulfilling orders has now become almost automated. You can calculate real-time UPS shipping rates, print shipping labels, and call a truck to pickup the package, all from the convenience of the Storebuilder.
  
  
  This is where it all happens in respect to the customer Shopping Cart and the customer Checkout process. Within the “Ordering Rules” section of theStorebuilder, StoresOnline merchants have the ability to define shipping and handling costs, domestic taxes, discounts to customers, shipping destinations to deny or accept, shipping companies to utilize, currencies to use, payment methods to accept, and shipping and billing forms utilized by the online customers. Shipping and Handling costs and taxes are easily modified in the Storebuilder at the command of the StoresOnline merchant.
  
  When adding a new ordering rule, merchants can define whether they want it to be a tax, shipping cost, a fee, or other parameters. The tax rule allows merchants to add all sorts of taxes that apply to certain countries and regions throughout the world. The shipping rules work much in the same way. If the merchant desires, they can add shipping rules to customers who select the various methods of shipping. If merchants choose only to ship within their own country, their own country's shipping methods can easily be added. However, if StoresOnline merchants choose to deliver internationally, they need to add shipping methods that deliver internationally.
  
  Recognizing that domestic and international shipping costs vary, the Storebuilder allows merchants to enter in various shipping costs. For example, DHL international might charge less than the UPS or FED EX, so the shipping rules allow the StoresOnline merchant to automatically add extra costs to the customers who use the more expensive shipping methods. (Free shipping, however, is always a plus for customers who want to buy online, so charging shipping expenses is at the will of the merchant). However, merchants can specify whatever options they desire when it comes to this rule, yet their challenge is to make it enticing for potential customers.
  
  Once the tax, shipping, or fee rule is in place, themerchant's rules are tested against information supplied by online customers. For example, StoresOnline Canadian merchants have the ability to insert the VAT or/and GST to the rules on their site. If the rules apply to an online customer, theStorebuilder takes the subtotal of all products of interest and applies the appropriate tax in the total customer cost. It is completely self-sustaining and maintenance free, as long as merchants enter in the correct rules for their region, state, province, country, etc. This is also applied to the shipping costs and fees. Automatically, according to what information the online customers provides, the StoresOnline Storebuilder charges the appropriate amount and sums this to the total amount.
  
  StoresOnline merchants are also able to offer discounts to their customers. Discounts range from percentages off total costs, buy 2 get one free, and other common discounts associated with retail sales. Discounts are also entered in the same way as taxes and shipping charges, yet they have the ability to discount the price. Discounts can be arranged by codes sent out to email memberships, one-day discounts for any customer, or any method the merchants choose. Essentially the discount option is extremely versatile, allowing StoresOnline merchants to decide which, when, and how often shoppers get discount.
  
  For merchants who only deliver to certain locations or continents, shipping destination parameters can be adjusted. For example, if a StoresOnline European merchant only wants to deliver to New Zealand, they simply enter the correct ordering rule and those outside of the allowed shipping area will receive a message, crafted by the merchant themselves, stating their policies, their concerns, or whatever the StoresOnline merchant chooses. Furthering the example, perhaps the European merchant desires to use certain shipping companies for customers in Australia, New Zealand, and USA. Respectively, the merchant could arrange the similar principle mentioned earlier.
  
  If a customer selects a shipper, such as UPS, and the customers resides in Australia and wants the products sent to where they reside, they will immediately get a message, crafted by the StoresOnline merchant, stating something to the effect of how themerchant only utilizes DHL to ship to Australia and they need to choose a different shipper. The same could happen to a customer residing in New Zealand who selects a shipping method dedicated by the merchant to ship only in Australia. This customer as well, would immediately see a message stating the conflict and the need to choose a different shipper.
  
  Essentially, ordering rules are extremely dynamic, allowing StoresOnline merchants to establish their rules and then permit the Storebuilder to utilize submitted customer information to finish the transaction.
  
  StoresOnline merchants customize acceptable payment methods in connection with their online processor. Major credit cards are a good way to accept transactions over the Internet, yet for customers who are still leery of this type of commerce, merchants can allow for checks and money orders as well. StoresOnline merchants can have customers print out the order form with cost totals and then send off the payment and order form in the mail. Again, it is all in the hands of the StoresOnline merchants to decide what type of payment method is acceptable and efficient.
  
  Finally, all forms on the billing and shipping pages can be altered and changed in any manner the merchants choose. Any field can be marked as required information from the customer for the transaction to continue. Names, addresses, countries, phone numbers, etc can all be options for what the merchants need in order to facilitate their e-retailing activities and avoid mishaps. Of course, the StoresOnline Storebuilder has arranged necessary form elements that are typically required in the shipping and billing sections (e.g. name, address, state, country, phone number, e-mail, & shipping methods) of the order form. Therefore, merchants satisfied with the StoresOnline Storebuilder's established elements will not have to do any alterations at all.
  

  
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  StoresOnline Merchant Support is here to help educate Merchants learn how to use their StoresOnline Pro or StoresOnline Express software. In this support chat, the StoresOnline Merchant learns how to work with Meta information. The Merchant left this comment for the StoresOnline Support Representative: she was very helpful and patient.
  
  

  	<Customer Review> hello
  	<Merchant Support> Welcome to Stores Online Store Front Support.
  	<Merchant Support> Hi
  	<Customer Review> hello
  	<Merchant Support> Good to have you on chat! How may I help you today?
  	<Customer Review> a would like you to explain a few things for me
  	<Merchant Support> Okay.
  	<Customer Review> first the key word analysis report
  	<Merchant Support> May I know what about the keyword analysis report?
  	<Customer Review> the headline
  	<Customer Review> the meta tag key words
  	<Customer Review> meta tag description
  	<Customer Review> entire page
  	<Customer Review> image alt tags
  	<Merchant Support> First the Headline, it is basically the Meta title of the site. The Meta Title is a 6-12 word headline that should grab someone’s attention, as it is the first thing that a search engine lists when listing sites.
  	<Customer Review> does that come up on the blue bar at the top of the screen also
  	<Merchant Support> Yes that is correct.
  	<Merchant Support> While the Meta Keywords is a list of relevant keywords for that page. A relevant keyword is usually used somewhere within the content of that page, whether it's text, a link, etc.
  	< Merchant Support> And the Meta Description is a 25 words or less short statement, or paragraph that gives a description of what this page, or site (if we're talking about your home page), is about. This should also use the keyword(s) that you are focusing on with this page.
  	<Merchant Support> The entire page is the results of the total text and the chosen keywords found in the text of the page.
  	<Merchant Support> The Image alt tags are keywords that are assigned to the images on a certain page. If you go to sites and try to move your mouse over to a certain picture, there would be a small pop up window with words in it.
  	<Customer Review> alright can you please explain to me how to implement these into my site
  	<Customer Review> we know how to do the headline/meta title
  	<Merchant Support> I see. For the Meta Keywords and Description, you have to add them in the Meta gray tab section of each of your pages.
  	<Customer Review> so i decide what the relevant keywords are
  	< Merchant Support> That's correct. Make sure that the keywords are found in the actual text of the page.
  	<Customer Review> thank you and what about the image alt tags
  	<Merchant Support> For image alt tags, when you use the Image or Text elements to show your pictures on a page, there's a field there that's named "Alternate". That's where you need to type your alt tags in.
  	<Customer Review> what if i have not added a element only a icon can i add a alternate to that
  	<Merchant Support> There's no Icon element in the store builder. Where did you place the image to?
  	<Customer Review> its a page icon
  	<Merchant Support> Oh, there's no way for it to show an alt tag.
  	<Customer Review> ok what about for the products can i have a image alt for the photos on them
  	<StoresOnline Merchant Support> Well, for the individual product pages automatically has image alt tags
  	<Customer Review> and where do they get the image alt tags from
  	< Merchant Support> The product names
  	<Customer Review> is there a way of changing the image alt tags from the name of the product to key words
  	<Merchant Support> No there's none. Actually, it's best to use the product name as keywords.
  	<Merchant Support> By the way, for individual products, you can also set up the meta tags like Title, Description and Keywords.
  	<Customer Review> can you please explain how
  	<Merchant Support> In each product, go to the Description gray tab on the right. At the bottom of the actual product description field, you'll see a Meta portion.
  	<Customer Review> ok so if i want widgets and also gadgets
  	<Customer Review> as my meta keywords
  	<Customer Review> do i just type widget?
  	<Support> Yes, just make sure that those words are found in the actual text of the page.
  	<Customer Review> sweet
  	<Customer Review> thank you
  	<Customer Review> i think that is it for now
  	<Customer Review> you have been very helpful
  	-Customer Review has left the chat.

  
  As you can see, the StoresOnline Merchant Support Representative was able to not only assist the merchant properly, but also teach the Merchant more about the power of the StoreOnlinePro Storebuilder. Another example of the high caliber customer support that StoresOnline Merchants rely on can be seen in the following Merchant Support Chat record:
  

Even if it is something as simple as correcting a password, StoresOnline Customer Support is quick to reply and assist our merchants. This merchant took the StoresOnline Survey and left the following comment: Prompt response...Thanks again. Even in a brief interaction, the StoresOnline Support Representative was able to provide the service that the merchant needed most at that time.

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If you haven't checked out the StoresOnline Newsletter Blog, you are missing out on helpful knowledge that all online business owners should know. For example, in the February 2008 StoresOnline Newsletter posting, Vice President of Customer Relations, Rob Schow, talked about the importance of marketing offline to gain new customers online. Mr. Schow notes, "To make a profit and stay in business, business owners need a reliable way to get more customers in the door that are willing to spend money. One of the best ways to acquire more customers is through a direct response marketing system..." Click here to read more.