Aeolidia: Shopify Experts

Hi Reader, I've just finished reading Predictable Success by Les McKeown. He discusses the seven different stages that businesses go through (learn a bit more about these here), and it rings so true for me. After "early struggle" comes "fun," then "whitewater," then "predictable success" (followed by the stages that kill a business). He says many businesses hit whitewater and then intentionally return to the fun stage. He believes staying in the fun stage is a valid way to run a business. So,...

Hi Reader, I hope you have been doing okay. Obviously, a lot is going on. Normally, I pop into your inbox with advice and solutions. Sometimes, it's more helpful to acknowledge that things don't have an immediate solution and spend a moment in solidarity. So... tariffs! YIKES. I don't have any answers, and since things are changing chaotically with lightning speed, it's hard to tell how much of a problem this will be, though it's clearly a problem now. Here are some highlights and stories I...

Hi Reader, I have more to say on the topic of what to do based on what your traffic is telling you. One of the wonderful shop owners we helped with a Shopify redesign replied to my newsletter to say, "Looks like we are in the low-traffic group, but it's great for the two of us! We are meeting all our business goals." Of course, that's great! "Low traffic" is a descriptor, not a judgment. I've used three traffic groups to determine what to focus on next, but I am not recommending growth for...

Hi Reader, I want to round off our series (email one | email two) about deciding what to prioritize for your online shop by considering exceptions to the general rules. Low Traffic For businesses that get less than 5000 visitors a month (or match some of the other indicators in my second email), I said your priority should be growing your traffic to build a customer base online. When would you want to have a different priority? Other priorities if you have low traffic: Build a website if you...

Hi Reader, Last week, I talked about what to do if you're seeing momentum with your ecommerce channel, and how to grow from there (you can read that here). If that left you wondering what "momentum" looks like, today I'm sharing some numbers to help you evaluate where you're at and what to do next. You can decide on your best next step based on whether your traffic is low, medium, or high. But what group do you fall into? Here is how I think of those buckets. Low Traffic If you fall into this...

Booking website projects for late April—reach out soon! Hi Reader, In my twenty years in ecommerce, I've often seen business owners do the right thing but at the wrong time for their business. Or they've gotten some momentum, but they're wasting it by not taking action. Because of that, I recently put together a talk about how to decide what to do at each stage of your business based on the amount of traffic you get. Did you join me live or get a chance to see it? If not, we uploaded it to...

Hi Reader, There is a marketing term that I like that can sound ridiculous if it's not explained well. Sam and I were recently on a discovery call with a shop owner we've worked with many times over the years. These are the calls where we talk about a business owner's current goals and challenges so we can make a strategic plan. I mentioned "storytelling," and while she didn't quite roll her eyes, I could see that it didn't seem like a priority, so we discussed it a bit further. No one is...

Now booking projects in April & May! Hi Reader, I have some Aeolidia updates for you today. If you keep on scrollin', I'd particularly like to draw your attention to the time-sensitive "Interesting Clickables" section for some links you may want to check out. I was writing to you to celebrate our 100th review in the Shopify Partner directory when we received our 101st one! I love the mutual support we can offer the small businesses we work with. Last month was our 13th anniversary as official...

⭐️ Get our rates to improve your online presence ⭐️ Hi Reader, A website is never done–having an effective website is an iterative process. It's a mistake to redesign and then leave it as it is. Not only do you want to update the content regularly, but it's important to continually analyze stats, try experiments, and make changes that will increase sales on the site—all of which we do at our boutique Shopify web design agency. In the book Think Again, Adam Grant references a research study...