Creating Multiple Website Niches with the Same Product Line


Creating multiple sites is like having your own chain of stores. The more chains you have, the more money you will make. Opening a second or even a third store can give you more exposure, and you also can try different marketing tactics with minimal expense. For Neeps, the main website is www.theferretstore.com (see Figure 11.9). The website URL targets only a niche market of ferret owners, but the company also sells products for dogs, cats, rabbits, and other critters. Neeps wanted to target other pet owners who would otherwise avoid the site because the website domain name is too specific. So, it started www.petcarecentral.com (see Figure 11.10) to target the general pet owner market.

Figure 11.9. TheFerretStore.com specializes in ferret products. You can purchase other types of pet products by clicking the buttons on the top navigation bar.


Figure 11.10. PetCareCentral.com focuses on the general pet product market. The website caters to all types of pets.


But what about the pet owners who would rather buy from websites that cater to their type of pet? Some customers would rather purchase products from websites that they think are the industry experts on their type of pet. Specific product-related websites can also make it easier for the customers to find products that relate only to them. Neeps added 11 more websites, including www.rabbitcentral.com (see Figure 11.11), www.activek9.com, www.thecritterstore.com, and others to do just that. If you go to ActiveK9.com, for example, the home page shows only dog-related products. Although you can purchase other types of pet products, the focus is on dog products. Creating additional sites that segment your product line creates a niche within your general product website. This is an advantage especially if you have a large product line with lots of product categories. Creating a niche website gives your customers the perception that you are an expert in that industry.

Figure 11.11. RabbitCentral.com focuses on only rabbit products. The products are pulled from the same product data file as the other websites owned by Neeps.


Another reason you should create additional stores is to experiment with marketing techniques. For example, one store will have products that are cheaper but will have a shipping fee. The other store will have products that are a little more expensive but will include shipping. You can also tinker with your layout, look and feel, and marketing pitch.

Yes, you are competing against yourself, but who best to compete with? You win either way.

Managing Multiple Websites

Managing multiple websites sounds like a lot of work, right? Not really, if properly designed. The 12 sites that Neeps owns all pull from the same product data file. Yes, folks, one product data file. The data file contains all 5,400 products. Each site is programmed to pull certain product categories and display them accordingly. For example, ActiveK9.com places only dog products on its home page, and RabbitCentral.com places only rabbit products on its home page.

Although you will need to upload the product data file to each Yahoo! Store Editor, it will be the same file.

Tip

If you plan to use the multiple-niche website strategy, make sure your Yahoo! storedevelopment company or programmer is aware of this. The programmer will need to add special identifiers so the website will know which products to display.





Succeeding At Your Yahoo! Business
Succeeding At Your Yahoo! Business
ISBN: 0789735342
EAN: 2147483647
Year: N/A
Pages: 208

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