What sort of professional do I need?

[Boops]

Hi, I'd like professional help or guidance on all things website but not sure what type of professional I need.

I've built a website, I've read about SEO, I'm using Google Merchant Center, I have social media pages. It's a surprising amount of work.

GMC was working but suddenly it has issues with a policy violation that I don't know how to fix. 'Reviews' is activated but greyed out.

I've made a post on Facebook, a week ago, and that's it, so I think I need a marketing plan.

Google SEO, I'm a beginner, I've seen a couple of apps that might help with that.

Ultimately I need to drive traffic to my site as it's not happening at the moment, and I don't want to waste time and money on getting it wrong 🙂

Who do I need? An E-commerce manager? I've looked on Fiverr and Shopify experts but no one seems to cover all bases.

Thanks

www.boops.co.uk

[PaulNewton]

Hi @Boops  seek out either CRO agency/service just be aware you gonna burn a lot of money trying to get metric guarantees.

https://www.shopify.com/partners/directory 

Or really find a local business consultant and start addressing fundamental business philosophy issues.

I don't want to waste time and money on getting it wrong 🙂

---

💣be self aware of how big a cliche that is for a new merchant, you don't know what you don't know you will always get it wrong unless all the variable dice roll the right way.

Most businesses fail, fail fast.

Don't set your own traps to fall in.

Research the graveyard of those that also didn't want to waste time getting it wrong https://community.shopify.com/c/forums/searchpage/tab/message?q=no%20sales 

[Boops]

Thanks Paul. What I meant was, I've already spent hours trying to figure out what I don't know and I probably need to throw some money at promoting, but I imagine that's incredibly easy to get wrong without the right guidance. That search you shared is very interesting, I'll be combing through that some more. Thanks!

[EmmanuelFlossie]

What are the errors in Google Merchant Center? If you share some details, I can guide you.

[Boops]

Hi Emmanuel, here is the detail from GMC. It happened shortly after:

a) I installed a menu app Globo Menu

b) I gave Globo Menu collab access to fix an issue

c) I added a couple of 'coming soon' collections (which is probably also known as a placeholder).

So I uninstalled the menu and deleted the coming soon but it still failed the reviews. So perhaps the changes were just bad timing and a red herring.

Website or online store needs improvement

Limits visibility of all products in United Kingdom

There was a problem identified with your website. Update your entire website to provide a useful and transparent shopping experience for customers.

Make sure your website meets the following requirements

• Your website should have a domain name that matches the uploaded domain name
• Your entire website shouldn't have any broken links
• Your website shouldn't contain any placeholder images or text
• The product details and categories should match those that you provide in your product data
• Your website shouldn't contain generic information and shouldn't miss crucial information about products 

[EmmanuelFlossie]

Ah yes, placeholders is not good, as google sees this as an unfinished website. Which is a reason for suspension.

First finish your website, so that everything is working.

Make sure to add your contact details (business addrss, email, business name, business hours) in the footer of all pages. Also add a contact form on your contact page. Don't say vat number is not applicable, just remove this.

The address you added looks incomplete. Missing postcode, missing unit or house number.

Make sure if boops group is a limited company that it is factually the case.

Make sure to add descriptions that are at least 500 characters long.

Make sure to add if an item is in or out of stock on the product landing page.

You may have a lot more issues, as the above are just examples, so make sure to check:

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150127?hl=en
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6363310/follow-the-merchant-center-guidelines
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7052112
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/4752265
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/13693865

[Boops]

Thanks alot. I should add that the website was working fine for a couple of weeks until that one day of changes. How long would it take Google to pick up on a violation - is is pretty quick, or is it possible I failed 7 days ago and it only just caught up?

[EmmanuelFlossie]

Normally you get an email regarding the suspension. If you don't have, you can check in your GMC account the email history, and check the date. Click on the cog icon > email

[Boops]

Thanks, I got the email from GMC ok, there were a couple in quick succession. It's unfortunate that Google can't include the issue that triggered the violation 😕

[EmmanuelFlossie]

I know, once suspended, google does not share specifics, it's actually due to a few bad apples in the tree. In 2020, there was a rampant spawning of spammers, bad merchants etc, so since 2020 Google has stopped supporting suspensions, and let merchants figure it out for themselves, for the purpose of avoiding these bad actors, which means honest merchants have a much harder time.

[Bundler-Manuel]

Hello there @Boops my main suggestion would to check on Upwork (which I personally prefer to Fiverr) and find anyone who has SEO experience as well as email marketing experience (preferably with Klaviyo) and has helped promote a Shopify store before. I think these are the two major avenues you need to help promote your store on a much wider scale. 

[JeremySantiago]

Hi @Boops,

A professional who specializes in e-commerce can help you with various aspects of your online store, including SEO, marketing strategies, and troubleshooting issues with platforms like Google Merchant Center. They can provide a holistic approach to improving your website’s performance and driving traffic.

Also, since you’re new to SEO and need a marketing plan, hiring someone with expertise in SEO and digital marketing can be beneficial. Look for someone with experience in Shopify stores who can help you optimize your site, address issues with Google Merchant Center, and develop a comprehensive marketing strategy.

[cromedia]

If you need to drive the traffic, then you have 2 options, or run PPC, using google ads, or facebook, or instagram, or any of platforms that provides paid traffic.

Or longterm - optimized the website for SEO, this might take even more than a year, but on long term this gives more secure and stable traffic. 

I would recommend to choose some relibale CRO agency and first run a cro audit

https://clutch.co/profile/cromedia#highlights

[DaisyVo]

Hi @Boops 

To address your needs, you likely require assistance from multiple professionals or an agency specializing in e-commerce. Here’s who can help:

1. SEO Specialist: To optimize your site for search engines, resolve SEO issues, and improve visibility. They can also assist with apps to enhance SEO.
2. Google Merchant Center Expert: To fix policy violations and ensure your product listings comply with Google’s requirements.
3. Digital Marketing Specialist: To create and execute a marketing plan, including social media strategy, paid ads (Google/Facebook/Instagram), and content marketing.
4. E-commerce Consultant: To provide overall guidance, improve your website's performance, and manage your e-commerce strategies.
5. Freelancer or Agency: Look for an agency offering end-to-end services or freelancers with expertise in SEO, Google Merchant Center, and marketing. Shopify Experts might also have agencies that can cover all bases.

Start by clearly outlining your goals (traffic, sales, compliance, etc.) and budget before hiring.

I hope this can answer your question.