Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.
Issue link: http://automaticmerchandiser.epubxp.com/i/118328
BUSINESS BASICS Design Swindale believes having a modern design that dazzles the consumer is the frst step to drawing them in. The home page of a site should be well-representative of the operation. Having a large, strong logo, images of the operation and interactive links that clearly inform the consumer and navigate them through the site is a must for any vending Website. Optimize for multiple platforms It is important to consider multiple platforms in Website design. Along with traditional computer browsers, people are using their mobile devices to gather information as well. Having a responsive mobile site that is as functional on a desktop computer as it is with a smartphone is important to reaching as many visitors as possible. Swindale suggests avoiding technology that isn't functional on all mobile platforms, such as Adobe Flash. Images and video Information Consumers will not go out of their way to fnd information, according to Swindale, so making it accessible and easy to fnd is important. Having links on the homepage that lead to subsequent pages dedicated to information is a good way to help consumers navigate the site. Links Swindale suggests include: About Us — a detailed history of the operation, including background, achievements and affliations. Products — a complete listing of products available in all channels, be it vending, coffee service or micro markets. Technology — any new and innovative technology in the vending operation that might intrigue consumers. Contact Us — this area should include all contact information including the address, phone number, fax number and direct email link so visitors can leave a message directly from the page. 36 Automatic Merchandiser Localize SEO Engaging site visitors is an important part of having an interactive site. Because of that, Swindale suggests having up-to-date photos and interesting video snip-bits. They are a good way to inform the consumer about an operation and add to a Website's appeal. Most consumers will narrow down their searches by entering local keywords like cities or states. This ensures the consumer a more concentrated list of operations for them to do business with, explains Swindale. This is to the operator's advantage. Because consumers are searching locally, vending operators don't have to compete at a national level. Instead of solely using the word *vending* as a keyword, operators can accom- Search engine optimization Search engine optimization, or SEO, is all about being found, explains Swindale. Customers use search engines to fnd information, and having a strong SEO presence ensures an operation's name is toward the top of the results, improving the chances it will be viewed. Swindale has seen the numbers. He knows the more consumers that fnd a business through search engines (due to good SEO), the more site visits for that operation, which in turn brings potential sales. His tricks to utilizing SEO include keeping the target local, using business listings online and digital advertising. VendingMarketWatch.com April 2013 Create keywords Search engines use algorithms to fnd keywords from the text on a Website. Swindale explains that the more times a specifc keyword is found throughout the site, the better the chances of that word pulling the Website up in search results. Therefore, operators should repeat keywords on each page and multiple pages of the Website.