At first you’ll probably be a little skeptical that Wordpress can handle such an important role. If you want to have a relatively small online store then this is probably the solution for you. Best of all, it’s free!

There are a few steps involved to make this happen:

1. Download and install Wordpress: The first step is of course to set up the latest version of Wordpress on your website hosting account. There are several great articles that explain how to do this. Check out the official Wordpress Installation Guide.

2. Install a theme: Choosing the right look and feel for your new e-commerce store is important. You’ll want a website that reflects your products and conveys a message of professionalism. There are literally hundreds of themes available for free. You can also have a professional website designer customize a theme for you!

1. Download and install the WP E-Commerce Plugin: The next step is to install an e-commerce plugin. One of the best and the easiest to use is the WP E-Commerce Plugin. Download the file & unzip it, upload the whole directory to the plugins folder, log into the admin section of Wordpress and activate the plugin.

2. Setup a payment gateway: The easiest way to receive payments for your products is to use PayPal for business. It’s free to set up and quite inexpensive. You’ll be able to accept payments by Visa, MC, American Express, Discover, Bank Transfer & PayPal accounts!

The rest is up to you. Of course choosing the right line of products to sell is arguably the most important step of all. You’ll also want to consider some form of Online Marketing or Search Engine Optimization to get some traffic to your site.

For more information about Wordpress or to have a custom website designed for you, contact JSS Marketing today!

Traditionally Wordpress has been used for blogs. Over the last few years it has evolved into a system that can be used as a full Content Management System for your website. It still contains all the features that have made it popular but now you can manage page content as well through an easy WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor much like a Word document. You can upload images, create links and even manage media files.

Because Wordpress is Open Source there are tonnes of extra “Plug-ins” and “Themes” you can download for free. Plug-ins are extensions that can make your website do just about anything. Themes are free website templates that style your site. These add-ons are customizable as well so the possibilities are endless.

Here are a couple of our favorite plug-ins:

• WP E-Commerce – Use Wordpress as an e-commerce website! Believe it or not this plug-in works quite well and really is useful.
• Contact Form 7 – Develop custom forms to use on your website. This plug-in is great for contact forms and even gathering customer feedback.
• Simple Newsletter – A very easy to use plug in for customer newsletters with opt-in and opt-out functions.

There are approximately 800 themes available on the Wordpress website. Most of these are free and easy to install.

Contact JSS Marketing today for a free no obligation consultation on your website needs. We can install and host a Wordpress website and customize it for you and give you control over your website content!

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a very broad term and encompasses many different areas and techniques. The desired end result is the same, to get a high position on the search results in Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines.

So how do you do this? There are lots of things involved. Let us assume you have a perfectly optimized website already and you have lots of original content that uses all the correct keywords that best describe your products or services (if you don’t then that is what you need to start with).

The next logical step is to get the search engines to notice you! Once again there are several techniques to achieve this. One of the key things involved is called Link Building. Although it’s not rocket science, it is time consuming and does require a creative mind to think outside of the box. Basically Link Building involves posting links that lead back to your website from other relevant and popular websites.

Here are some things to keep in mind when building links:

1. Use relevant websites – if you sell shoes don’t request a link from one that talks about radios.
2. Only link from reputable sites – don’t request a link on a gambling or pornography site.
3. Ideally you should get links from highly ranked sites – pay attention to things like the amount of traffic they get, their positions in the search results and their Google PageRank.
4. Use the right keywords – make sure you are using keywords in your links that are related to you and the page they are pointing to.

There are SEO companies out there that promise lots and lots of links in a short period of time for little money. This technique works in the short term but in the end will only hurt you. The term for this is Link Bombing. The search engines look for this and will penalize you for it!

Ideally you want a steady amount of new links posted on a regular basis for a long term effect. The ideal way to do this is to use the Social Bookmarking websites (Digg, Delicious), Social Networking websites (Twitter, FaceBook) and Article Posting websites (Go Articles, Articles Base) to post your content. You can also use relevant directories and localized sites (community forums, etc…) to post links but these take a bit more work and planning.

The long and short of it all is that if you want to get to number one on Google or Yahoo then you need to Build Links to your website. If you don’t have the time to invest in this type of project yourself there are companies out there that can help.

Contact JSS Marketing today for a no obligation consultation. We charge a low monthly fee to write the content and post it online for you. We even provide you with access to keep track of the links we have posted and regular reports with your positions in the search results on Google, Yahoo and MSN. SEO and Link Building doesn’t have to be scary, we’re here to help you!

So, now the time has come that you either need a long term solution because of a move or change in relationship status or a short term fix to create some extra room for visitors or a remodeling project. Whatever your reason, the fact of the matter is, you need a place to store some things.

It may seem like a good idea to ask a friend or family member if you can store some items at their house, but have you thought about the cons? What I’m referring to is, what if you need one of the items you’ve stored, do you want to have to make an appointment to retrieve it? Also, do you really like the idea of having your things stored in a place where other people can move or disturb them? When you’re dealing with your important belongings you seriously need to think about these possibilities.

Don’t worry though, it’s not all doom and gloom. You do have another option thanks to LightHouse Self Storage. Here are some reasons why using a self storage unit is the best choice. They offer:

- multiple sized units with affordable prices
- 24/7 accessibility
- 24 hour video surveillance
- a fenced in property with a computerized security gate
- a sophisticated alarm system which includes individual door alarms
- weather resistant units
- additional insurance and so much more!

By storing your belongings in a LightHouse Self Storage unit you are basically adding an extension on to your home because you and only you can access your belongings whenever you want and you can be assured that everything will be right where you left it!

For more information visit LightHouseSelfStorage.ca today!

For some it’s meant that they’ve had to scale back on the family vacation and eat out a little less often but for others the crisis has had a more drastic affect with jobs being lost, savings being spent and retirements being pushed back indefinitely.

Being Canadian, it’s in us to offer a helping hand to anyone who needs it. Lately though this helping hand has required us to be more then just a shoulder to cry on, now more often then not it’s been necessary for us to offer a place for friends and loved ones to stay until they get back on their feet.

This being said, I feel that it is my duty to share with you some tips on how to avoid letting those close quarters cause friction. Here are my top three tips:

1. If you don’t want anyone sharing your razor, don’t leave it in the shower. Enough said.

2. If your guests are coming with kids and or animals, put your Fabergé Eggs in a safe place.

3. Even if they say that they will only be bringing a few items with them, play it safe and rent them a self storage unit from LightHouse Self Storage. Trust me, you don’t want your hallways, closets and cupboards overflowing with your guests possessions.

Whether you’re looking to store only a few items or you need space to store a 5+ bedroom house, LightHouse Self Storage has the unit for you. Here are some fast facts:

- The self storage units at 266 Edinburgh Drive in Moncton, New Brunswick are under 24 hour video surveillance.
- Storage units range in size from 5×5 to 10×35.
- Every storage unit is weather resistant.
- Great rates.
- No security deposit or hidden fees.
- No notice required when moving out.

The most important fact is that you and only you have 24/7 access to your self storage unit and the belongings inside. If anyone besides you tries to enter your secure unit an alarm will sound. Keeping your belongings safe and secure is their number one priority.

LightHouse Self Storage, it’s like a home away from home for your important items. For more info visit www.LightHouseSelfStorage.ca today!

Magento covers a full range of features to satisfy any businesses needs. Here is a quick overview of the standard features:

- Easy product management
- Multiple product categories
- Marketing and promotional tools
- Analytics and sales reporting
- Control multiple websites from one administration panel
- Catalog management including batch import and export
- Google Base integration
- Product comparisons and reviews
- Search engine optimization URL rewrites
- Google sitemaps

What will I require?
In order to install and run Magento you will need a Linux based hosting account or virtual server and a MySQL database. There are a few specific PHP extension requirements for Magento that your hosting provider will need to confirm that they support. Installing Magento takes some planning and patience as this is a very large system.

Is it easy to use?
The administration of Magento is quite user friendly and provides you with easy access to sales reports, category administration and product administration. There are a few advanced settings you need to be aware of but there’s lots of documentation on their official website and a great user forum.

What will Magento look like?
There are several excellent commercial Magento templates available that you can purchase and install to customize your web store. You can also have your own template designed to your specifications to include your logo, images and colors.

What are the drawbacks?
This system is large and there are lot of things that the average “non-technical” person may find confusing. This is especially true when it comes to installing the system and customizing the layout and look of your store. We recommend using the services of a professional website development company who specializes in Magento installations.

Final Word:
We recommend Magento to any business looking for a professional E-Commerce System with lots of features and room to grow. Visit http://www.jssmarketing.com today for a free no obligation consultation on your E-Commerce needs.