Answers
Jan 03, 2019 - 06:05 AM
There could be a couple hidden gems somewhere, but remember you might also be searching for something that might not be there. If you do not mind digging deeper into stuff like optimization, or some little known ‘viral loop’, then you might find a couple interesting reads laced with pro stuff.
From experience, the more I learned and the more skills I acquired, the more I realized that it is the effective application of basics, as opposed to a focus on all the excesses, which has more impact. This could just be my rationalization of why I stopped looking.
To answer your question on where to look for experienced e-commerce blogs, you first need to almost abandon the word ‘e-commerce’ and focus on its individual components. Eventually it comes to a point where there are no more ‘tips and tricks’ and just figuring out what works and what not.
Just to help you out, you may consider the following topics for deep dives:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Search Engine Management
- Conversion Rate Optimization
- Customer Support
- Pricing
This is just the tip of the iceberg but there are plenty non-marketing e-commerce issues that I would recommend diving into. Once you broaden your view away from marketing, you instantly up your game to ‘advanced’.
Since you did not specify where you are looking at in terms of e-commerce, I will recommend that you check out Neil Patel’s Blog. He is a pro and has a good collection of blogs, videos, and podcasts from where you may draw insight.
Others that you may have a look at for general e-commerce are:
- Capital & Growth, needless to say!
- Shopify Plus
- LeanLuxe
- 2PM Commerce
- A Better Lemonade Stand
Jan 07, 2019 - 07:45 AM
Although I’m not sure how long ago it was when you got started, today, many ecommerce blogs exist primarily for SEO purposes. The purpose of those blogs is usually to boost search engine rankings, not to offer the most valuable or detailed information.
To find the information you’re looking for, I’d recommend stepping away from blogs and onto forums. I think you’ll find better information on company forums than on their blogs, simply because forums are written by experts, for experts. With blogs, that’s often not the case (although brands may try to make it seem like it is).
Here are a few of the top ecommerce forums and resources you might want to check out.
Shopify
https://ecommerce.shopify.com/forums
Shopify breaks down its forums broadly by subject, and almost every subject has thousands of discussion topics. While not every topic has many replies, the ones that do are often packed with valuable information from ecommerce experts.
WooCommerce
https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/...
WordPress forums for specific plugins also make great ecommerce resources. However, while other forums on this list contain general ecommerce questions, the WordPress WooCommerce forum is geared toward questions about this particular plugin.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ecommerce/
Reddit’s ecommerce forum will take some parsing through, but you can find hidden gems here. While the forum is populated with some spam questions, the real questions often get in-depth answers from professionals across the globe.
Digital Point
https://forums.digitalpoint.com/forum...
Digital Point is one of the biggest online forums, and it’s beloved by professionals in industries like SEO and ecommerce. With so many active members, you’ll find tons of replies on many of the posted topics.
Ecommerce Fuel
https://www.ecommercefuel.com/ecommer...
I’d recommend Ecommerce Fuel only if you’ve exhausted all the free options first. It’s aimed at experienced professionals, and requires both an application and $49 per month to join. However, these requirements can help filter out the amateur questions that fill a lot of other forums.
STM Forum
This is primarily for affiliates (people who spend their own money promoting other people's products). It is a paid forum but well worth it. Affiliates are usually on the cutting edge of what is currently working online for making money although many of the tactics they employ tend to be short lived and sometimes 'black hat'.
Lastly, you might also consider going to conferences if you really want to take it up a notch. While it can be expensive, learning one key idea from one conference can pay for itself many times over!
Additionally you get to meet influential people (especially at the parties) who can help grow your business. I met an owner of a company with a list of size of 100k and negotiated a deal to promote our product to his list on a rev-share basis.
But if you find the cost of a conference prohibitive you may consider paying for the session recordings or following them live remotely, which usually a lot cheaper (around $200 to $300 for three days worth of conference sessions).
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