The store that I’m reviewing today is 2sand.com, a sanding supply store that is run by someone who I will refer to as RJ in this article.

RJ did not have any specific questions or problems in regards to his online store. He basically asked for an overall site review with an emphasis on how to improve traffic.

First Impressions

Overall, RJ’s site looks good. On the front page, he states his value proposition very clearly and gives a brief bio about who he is and why he runs his store. As soon as I enter his website, I immediately know what RJ’s store specializes in and why I should buy from him.

The store design also looks professional and there are various security badges displayed around the site that makes RJ’s site look legit. In addition, he offers a live chat service as well. Overall, I don’t see any glaring problems with his overall store design. If I were looking for sanding belts or sand paper, I would have no reservations about making a purchase here. I especially like how it says that RJ, the CEO will personally respond to emails and questions. Makes me feel like I’m dealing with a small shop that cares.

Honestly, I don’t think getting conversions should be a problem for RJ (though I didn’t compare prices). Looking at compete.com and other traffic estimation sources however, RJ’s main problem is that he doesn’t get as much foot traffic as he would like.

SEO

R has done a decent job with SEO already as he ranks on the front page of Google for the following searches.
4 3×24
4 sanding products
4 sanding supplies
4 white hook
5 pads dust free
5 sand belt
5 white hook
6 sand belt
6 sanding belts
7 belt sander belts

Sanding belts and belt sander belts are his primary products so cracking the front page with these keywords is certainly a good thing. The majority of RJ’s backlinks seem to come from a forum called woodsweb.com. Looking at some of his competitors, it doesn’t look like it would be that difficult to crack the number one spot which would improve organic traffic tremendously.

One problem I did notice was that some of RJ’s category and product pages have little or no meta descriptions which might be a reason why his category pages don’t get much love from the search engines. For example, the category page “Abranet Discs” has a meta description that simply says “Abranet Discs (2sand.com)”. This needs to be changed.

Action Items

One thing that was going through the back of mind as I was browsing RJ’s site was why I would go online for sanding belts when I could just take a short trek over to the local Home Depot and pick some up there?

I’m probably not the target customer but what would compel me to purchase a sanding belt online as opposed to a brick and mortar store? One, I would go online if I needed to make a bulk purchase. Two, I might search online if I needed sanding belt advice or if I was looking for a specific belt that wasn’t sold in stores. Addressing these 2 factors is where I think RJ can help with his web traffic the most. So here’s what I would do.

  • I would add a lot more educational content to the store. What is different about the different brands of sanding belts? Why would I use an Abralon disc as opposed to an Abranet disc? It would be very helpful to have recommendations on what to buy depending on the project that I’m working on. Reading the product descriptions, all of the products seem very similar to an uneducated sander. Adding more verbiage will also help with search engine traffic as well. Honestly, I think RJ is in great shape here. His website looks better than most of his competitors. With extra content, uneducated customers will arrive at his store looking for recommendations and will purchase based on his expert opinion.
  • RJ is an expert in his field and needs to leverage his expertise. I noticed that he had a video in his tips and resources section. He should definitely expand on this section with more how-to advice. How do I use the tools that he sells? What is the proper technique with which to use a belt sander? If his content is good, people will naturally link to his site and be more likely to buy
  • RJ should get his name out there and establish himself as an authority. I would look around at the various DIY websites out there and write some guest posts. I think RJ would be able to offer some great woodworking advice. Then, he can go back to 2sand.com and say that his store was mentioned on “diy.com” or a similar site.
  • Offer bulk discount incentives for those looking for quantity or wholesale pricing.
  • RJ needs to be fix the SEO issues with his website. Fortunately, this isn’t a big deal. He simply needs to add unique meta descriptions to his product and category pages.
  • Add more shipping options. What if I want my products the next day. Right now, there are only 2 shipping options and they are both slow.

Conclusion

Overall, 2sand.com is in pretty good shape and RJ’s focus should be mainly on marketing. The basic strategy is to attract visitors through product recommendations, advice or how-to articles and then pitch them the right products to use as an expert. RJ needs to establish himself as an authority on sanding and woodworking. It doesn’t really matter where he starts. Whether it be on the forums or on various DIY blogs or websites, RJ needs to get his name and his store out there. In this respect, it might be helpful to add a woodworking blog of his own to his store.

Adding content takes time, but if RJ gets into the habit of just adding 1 or 2 articles a week to his store or blog, he’ll have an enormous library of content over time. Good luck RJ! I have no doubt your store will be successful.

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