Today we are putting the spotlight on our ECommerce-Guide forums members and the issues some are facing — from boosting a small business owners' morale, to questions about choosing a domain name to advice on Web site navigation. If you haven't had the time to read and participate in our forum discussions, we highlight several recent threads that provide insight for small online businesses. Of course, we encourage you to add your own comments by following the links provided to each discussion.

E-Commerce Issues: Domain Name, Including Numbers

According to Domain Tools, there are currently more than 71 million registered .com domain names. Unless your business has a very unique name or obscure spelling, finding a good domain name match for your online business can be a daunting task. One forum member, bijan_sha, is starting a new e-commerce business and is considering a combination of letters and numbers in the domain name. Member bijan_sha asks the forum if anyone can offer advice and insight on whether numbers in a domain name would be a wise choice.

bijan_sha says, "I have noticed none of the successful Web sites use any numbers in their domain. Does anybody have any idea why that is the case? Is there any disadvantages to using a number in the domain name from the business point of view, if the number is something easy to remember like 50?"

Shoptistic.com replies, "Actually there have been a number of successful e-commerce stores using numbers in the domains. There is no disadvantage at all to using numbers apart from the fact that you have to say 'the digits' when you tell other people your domain name to prevent them from writing the word for the number."

cometmall says people frequently use numbers such as 2 and 4 in place of spelling out their namesakes, for example,"4me" or "2go."

Corey Bryant reminds forum users of the success of 800-Flowers which uses multiple domain names with numbers like 1800-flowers.com, 800flowers.com and 1800flowers.com, covering a few of the possibilities that consumers could type into their browser.

You can offer advice or tell us about your own success with using numbers in your domain name here in the forum thread.

E-Commerce Issues: Boy, Am I Getting Discouraged...

Every small e-biz owner, unfortunately, at some point has experienced frustration and low morale, but thankfully ECommerce-Guide forums members are on hand to provide a little encouragement to those who just can't meet the next goal in line. Forum member talltom is seeking a bit of advice and support after launching several sites in February 2007.

talltom says "The topsportsupplies.com site has several items ranked as #1 in Google and generates a few visitors daily. No orders in three months. The other two sites are monetized with a variety of things, clickbank, e-books, Commission Junction, AdSense, etc. The earnings in the past three months are miniscule. Traffic at the two sites is running about 50 uniques per day at each site. I need to get some revenue streams going here! Am I not being patient enough? I am really getting down and discouraged!"

Forum members JPnyc and Shoptistic.com both suggest that at least one of the Web sites just does not have a professional enough look and design, and that could definitely be a contributing factor to lackluster performance. According to Jpnyc, "The third site looks little hurried and doesn't have the kind of slick Pro look that instills confidence in the buyer."

Corey Bryant suggests getting rid of the sign-in procedure. "Yes, it's a great thing but it can be a big turn off to people. Consider making them a member while they are checking out instead of asking to become a member before checkout. And the More Info link did not work (on explaining why I should become a member)."

rstarost reminds us that traffic is key to sales. "Just like any sales in any business, it is a numbers game. Targeting community sites like MySpace and Facebook are great free ways to get the word out. I would also consider really targeted PPC campaigns. This could get you on the front page of Google. Set your daily budget low and make sure you targeted campaigns are not broad ones like 'sports.' Also try to get some PR through newspapers, magazines and targeted publications. Marketing can be done fairly cheap for a home-based business."

usasportstrain weighs in with this: "Do you stock all that stuff? I'd suggest a few things. If you do stock those items, you may want to sell on Amazon, too, but if you use drop shippers, then don't go with Amazon. Also, you could find various clubs, amateur teams and groups. Offer them discounts. You may get some business from them and maybe even a back link. The problem that I see for your topsports site is that it is too general. You're competing with some major players, such as Sports Authority, Dick's Sporting Goods, REI, Target, etc. Tough crowd. I wish you well though. You seem to have done a good job with the design and the impressive amount of inventory."