Shopkeeper Basics for Success

Whether you’re starting out or just revisiting, use our handy checklist to optimize your CafePress Shop for success.

Make the most of your designs and shop layout

• Market your products using descriptions. Name your products and include interesting and accurate descriptions for each item. Not only will it tell a story about your products, but will help optimize your products for search engines.

• Be selective on your product choices. Don't feel compelled to offer every product for every design. Choose the products that are well-suited to showcase your designs.

• Upgrade to a Premium Shop. The features of the Premium Shop will enable you to create a better customer experience. Such as: The ability to add multiples of each item, categorize products, and set up a more customized shop appearance.

• Organize shop layout. With the Premium Shop, you be able to help your customers easily find items by categories, optimizing their experience. Categorize by designs, recipient, merchandise, theme, or whatever makes sense for your customers.

Check out Merchandise Your Shop for Success to learn more tips.

Update your shop often

• Offer new designs regularly. Create new designs and retire designs that do not sell as well. Drive last minute orders for your retired designs with a message that conveys a sense of urgency (Ex: Last Chance to Get this Design) via your shop, website, and/or newsletters.

• Think beyond the logo. Do no limit your shop to just your logo. Create designs that reflect your audience.

• Create newsworthy and timely trend designs. Follow a holiday or current events calendar. Keep up on what's hot in the media. Make your shop the place to go for timely trends and gear related to current newsmakers.

• Offer Limited Edition/Time designs. Let your customers know your Limited Edition designs are available for a limited time. It creates urgency, encouraging customers to buy now, rather than later.

• Consider new products. CafePress is always adding new items to our Product Center so watch for additions. See if new items work with your designs. Take advantage of new offerings including seasonal gear, and spotlight them on your shop.

Help your shop show up on search engines

• Describe your products. Be sure to fill out all Product Titles, Product Descriptions and keywords so major search engines categorize your shop and products. Be patient, it can take a couple of months for search engines to pick up on your keywords.

• Add meta-tags and keywords. Make sure the proper meta-tags/keywords/phrases are added to your shop. Find this on the "Shop Info" link for your shop.

• Make your links descriptive. Be descriptive when naming links; they're more likely show up on search engines. For example, instead of naming a link "Design 1" on the left sidebar of your shop, name it "Westie in the Park".

• Optimize the "Section" and "Teaser" titles. If you have a Premium Shop, be sure you fill out the "Section" and "Teaser" title with relevant keywords. In the world of search, all text can be optimized for search.

• Tag your images. For your designs to show up in the CafePress Marketplace, make sure your images are tagged. The CafePress search is based on Tag relevancy and if your images are not tagged, your designs will not show up.

Check out the Search Engine Optimization tutorial to learn more about SEO.

Promote your shop on your website

• Add a shop link. On your website, add a shop link to your top or left sidebar. As your visitors navigate throughout your website, the link will be accessible.

• Place a banner. Have banner ads on your website? Add a banner promoting your shop. Create a short, strong action phrase to motivate visitors to click through! Don't forget to take advantage of CafePress promotions and use the banners we have available.

• Create designs for relevant topics. Promote designs relevant to the topics found on your website. For example, your latest entry on your blog is regarding Pug puppies - link and/or show your visitors to your Pug designs.

Send regular newsletters

• Communicate with your visitors. Get your website visitors to subscribe to your newsletter and get a relationship going. Your visitors will become customers within time when you communicate through a great newsletter plan. If you don't have your own newsletter, use our Newsletter System.

Learn how you get a newsletter program started.

Promote your shop offline

• Create a catalog or flyer. Showcase your products in a catalog or flyer and distribute it. Pass it out at events, send out a direct mail, leave a stack at a public place, etc. Get your products seen offline.

• Build your buzz. Tell the story behind your shop or designs. We have Shopkeepers who have generated their own publicity. Once their story hit the media, they saw a big increase in sales.

• Wear your designs. If your designs are cool and interesting, chances are people will ask where you got your shirt. Perfect for an event - keep those business cards handy so potential site visitors can link to your shop when they get home.