Measure a seller's reputation with 'Frooly Score'

Monday 22nd August saw the release of frooly's long awaited tool to showcase seller reputation; Frooly Score.

Word of mouth makes the local commerce world go round.

It takes years of consistent service and happy customers to build a local reputation, but only seconds to destroy it.

We've all heard the stories of a favourite local restaurant or boutique that has lost its way. I suppose it's proximity - everyone loves a good gossip!

Why is reputation important?

A good reputation, means a seller is well respected, they have good products / service and deliver on time.

Recent research shows that a personal recommendation is worth 20 TV Adverts when it comes to purchase intention. People are like sheep, we all like to go to that 'cool' bar, but its hard to measure 'cool' or 'reputation' when it comes to e-commerce.

Services like Klout are great for measuring personal reputation. The frooly score applies a similar logic to help you make informed decisions about who to support and where to shop.

It's real world reputation, but applied to the web, which is the promise of social commerce.

How is the Frooly Score worked out?

The Frooly Score is our attempt to measure the shopper 'signals' to give a reputation score.

We measure Facebook Likes, Frooly Fans, Shop Sales, Traffic, Customer Enquiries and more to build a picture of a seller. These raw figures are given a weighting, for example a shop sale has more value than a Facebook Like, but they all contribute to the total score.

How does Frooly use the Frooly Score?

At the moment, we display the Frooly Score in the seller info on product listings. We also rank the top 12 Frooly Shops based on reputation - these are displayed on the frooly.com landing page:

We include a Frooly Score weighting in our search results algorithm and we're working on a dynamic league table for shops, locations and categories.

So that you can find the best Vintage Shop in London based on frooly score.

For now, we're open to your feedback about the weighting we give to shopper 'signals'. and how you think we should use the score to help shoppers.

Thanks

Michael

Ps.

If you have a shop on frooly, one way to gain more prominence is link your Facebook Fan Page, this way we can count your 'likers' into your score.

Here's a video of how to link your frooly shop and facebook page.

5 Tips for SEO Friendly Copy and Product Information

We look after 1000+ shops/websites and its the question we get asked the most - "how can I get my products found?"

I was going to write a blog giving guidance on SEO friendly copy, particularly how to optimise product information so that it gets more traffic and sales.

Instead of typing straight into blogger, I did what we all do and searched for "5 tips for SEO friendly product descriptions" - it turns out there's loads of stuff out there, so there's no point me re-inventing the wheel!

I'll give you a quick overview and share some of the best articles/links on SEO that I found.

Ps. Search Engine Optimised (SEO) content is only part of the battle. Don't forget great product photography too.

Quick Tips

1. Write using the language of your shoppers - think 'what would I search for?
   
   It's easy to use internal jargon when listing products or talking about your business - we all do it. It's best to avoid 'pet' names or acronyms and give full brand name, spelt out clearly in a phrase that potential customers will search for.
   
   Shoppers searching for this picture are likely to use the term 'VW Camper Van Photo' - the artist name for this product is ADF Buses Colour''- this should be used in the product description as supporting information but not in the product title.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Unsure what terms are popular? Google has a great free keyword tool
   
   2. Don't use manufacturers descriptions 'word for word'
   
   
   I'm not asking you to become JK Rowling, but unique content works best. There are probably 50 other sites using the manufacturers descriptions, so to gain an edge why not re-write them in your own style.
   
   Stuck for time? Why not ask a media / journalist graduate (they're all looking for experience). Contact your local University or College
   
   
   Want to do it yourself? Here's a good article on SEO Copy (there's more at the bottom)
   
   3. Mention your product name, brand and category more than once (key word density)
   
   Different people argue different %ages (between 2 & 5% of the text) but I'd say, don't spam the user, but don't be shy of using the brand name, product name and category in the title and description.
   
   For example:
   
   
   Artist name is known for his/her fantastic VW Camper Van paintings. At insert shop name we specialising in bespoke framing with a prompt delivery.
   
   VW Camper Van paintings are available in both white or black frames.
   
   
   etc. (you get the idea)
   
   4. Keep it Simple, Stupid (KISS)
   
   Think from a shoppers point of view. Answer all the 5 questions; What? Who? Why? How? When? in a concise way and tell the story to make the product a) compelling and b) trustworthy.
   
   Generic, incomplete content makes it easy for a shopper to go elsewhere.
   
   
   5. Did I mention unique content?
   
   
   Research has shown that 60% of shoppers require clear product information and images to make a purchase.
   
   What with phishing, 'Anonymous' hacking and all that, the internet is a scary place to give your data - dont give shoppers any excuses to choose someone else.
   
   
   Useful Links
   
   
   
   
   E-consultancy - pathway to conversion report
   
   E-consultancy SEO Best practice guide
   
   SEO Tips
   
   How to write SEO friendly product copy
   
   10 tips for SEO friendly product descriptions
   
   
   Advanced - Search Engine Land - 10 tips for SEO sound product listings
   
   
   
   
   Hope this is helpful (its only the tip of the iceberg)
   
   
   cheers
   
   
   Michael
   
   
   
   All frooly shops are optimised for SEO. Products are sent to Google Shopping and there's loads of under the hood stuff which takes the pain out of getting found on search. The only thing left to do is add content.