Most retailers are not taking full advantage of the opportunities the Internet provides them. Their web sites aren"t kept up to date and are changed infrequently; their sites do not generate enough sales; they are not using links or social media effectively, and most have not employed a positive search-engine strategy or embarked on an e-mail marketing program. This book is a how-to handbook that explains, in simple terms, what needs to be done and how to do it if retailers want to make their web sites a more effective advertisement for their stores and an improved communication platform. It also explains what retailers need to do if they wish to increase (or begin making) web sales. Web sites of a variety of retailers illustrate many of the techniques being employed by other merchants, with web addresses so the sites can be explored more fully. The book"s 14 chapters explain why retailers need a better web site and how they can be improved. Each self-standing chapter is a how-to manual, including the following: • How to Establish a Search-Engine Strategy • Analyzing Web Statistics (and using them) • Are You Taking Advantage of Links? • What You Should Know about Social Media • How to Use Social Media • What You Should Know about Blogs • How Mobile Computing is Changing Things • Will E-mail Marketing Work for You? • Upgrading and Improving Your Current Web Site • How to Make More Sales from Your Site The book includes many other web resources that can be accessed by readers who wish to learn more about any of the topics presented. Web site examples include those of a variety of retailers,ranging from hardware stores to drug stores and apparel merchants, plus a list of other web sites that readers can review, based on summary descriptions of them. Bob Vereen, one of the authors, is a marketing and merchandising guru with 60 years" experience in the hardware industry, while Dennis Stillwell, the co-author, has been a pioneer and leader in Internet and web advertising developments. Together, their experience blends practical retailing knowledge with web expertise-all written for the average retailer, not for the nerds of the world! Dennis Stillwell brings his vast experience in marketing and advertising to this book, especially his marketing savvy using the Internet. He is considered one of the early pioneers in Internet advertising, having been on the Internet in the early years before the creation of the Worldwide Web.