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Rodney · February 22nd, 2008

Quote:


	I understand that no one really knows what thaoimage really is... and coming up with a new name is no cakewalk either... but we'll see what happens

I don't mean you have to rename your store

I just mean that the TITLE that shows up at the top of a webpage is one of the most important ranking factors that search engines use.

So the more descriptive you are in the TITLE, the better.

For example, check out this cafepress shop named "Chess Mates".

Awesome Chess T-shirts & Gifts - Chess Mates : CafePress.com

See how the TITLE actually says something much more descriptive of the products they are selling?

That way, when people search google/yahoo/msn for chess t-shirts or chess gifts, they are more likely to show up (they actually show up first)

If they would have just left the title as Chessmates, then they would only show up for searches for "chessmates" (which doesn't happen nearly as often as people search for "chess t-shirts".

Read more here: seo related topics at T-Shirt Forums

Thao1mage · February 22nd, 2008

Rodney,

Hey, I changed it just like you said... Thanks for the help buddy. How's your baby doing? Hope all is well.

Ricky

eProdigy · March 17th, 2008

So what made you guys go with cafepress over the other big 3?

Jeepwidow · March 17th, 2008

I have to plead ignorance. But now that I've done my homework (read a lot from this forum ) and looked at ZZ, PF and SS, I'm going to order from each to see how well they do before I guide family and friends to the sites. Plus I've decided that keeping myself in one fulfilllment house is not going to gain me any more customers. I need to find a local printer and pound the pavement. So the jury is still out on CP.

Check out the thread under Fulfillment Services titled: Zazzle vs.Cafepress vs. PrintFection vs Spreadshirt, print quality pics. You can view photos of each shirt. Great thread.

wormil · March 17th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by eProdigy


	So what made you guys go with cafepress over the other big 3?

I have to admit, I don't take Cafepress very seriously. I put up a shirt about a year ago and sold one right away, haven't sold another since. I added a few more shirts lately and have started spreading the link around but no bites.

eProdigy · March 17th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by wormil


	I have to admit, I don't take Cafepress very seriously. I put up a shirt about a year ago and sold one right away, haven't sold another since. I added a few more shirts lately and have started spreading the link around but no bites.

Thanks for the heads up. looks like Cafepress may not be the one to go with. I was impressed with SS and ZZ. So I think I will give them a go.

Rodney · March 18th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by wormil


	I have to admit, I don't take Cafepress very seriously. I put up a shirt about a year ago and sold one right away, haven't sold another since. I added a few more shirts lately and have started spreading the link around but no bites.

What did you do in that year to market that t-shirt design yourself?

wormil · March 18th, 2008

I didn't do anything, like I said, I don't take it seriously. The only one making significant money from Cafepress is Cafepress.

Rodney · March 19th, 2008

Quote:


	The only one making significant money from Cafepress is Cafepress.

That's not true at all. Where do you get this information from?

There are people making good livings just from CafePress income.

You have to remember that just because you don't take it seriously, doesn't mean that other people aren't taking it very seriously.

There are many people that treat cafepress like a business and market/advertise it as such. People making thousands of dollars without ever having to lift a finger to print a t-shirt.

wormil · March 20th, 2008

Sorry I'm really skeptical about this claim of many people making thousands of dollars and I will never believe there is anyone making a living from cafepress unless you show me the books. The price/quality ratio is just not there for sufficient repeat business. Not to mention that browsing the site I find the majority of designs are copycats. I bet there aren't half dozen people here making more than a hundred dollars a month.

Rodney · March 20th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by wormil


	Sorry I'm really skeptical about this claim of many people making thousands of dollars and I will never believe there is anyone making a living from cafepress unless you show me the books. The price/quality ratio is just not there for sufficient repeat business. Not to mention that browsing the site I find the majority of designs are copycats. I bet there aren't half dozen people here making more than a hundred dollars a month.

That's fine for you to believe

But having personal experience with CafePress since 1999 and having talked to, met, with fellow cafepress shopkeepers and talked with CafePress management, I can say with 100% certainty that there are WAY more than a half dozen people making more than $100 per month.

You have to keep in mind that there are people who really treat it as a business. They don't rely on the "marketplace" to send them sales. They have a business plan, advertising, websites to promote their products. You may not even see their designs in the marketplace, because they don't sell that way.

Quote:


	The price/quality ratio is just not there for sufficient repeat business.

That may be your opinion, but it's definitely not fact

Adam · March 20th, 2008

He's 100% right

There are also people who solely rely on the marketplace for sales and pull in "leave your day job" sums of money. CafePress allowed me to quit my day job and it's allowed many others too. Top earners make $10k a month in the Holiday season.

Wormil, it's fact. I've been using CafePress since 2000 and know many people making decent money with CafePress. Just because you don't take it seriously, like Rodney said, doesn't mean others don't. People live and breathe CafePress and that's what it takes to make the cash. Treat it as a business and you will see an increase in sales. Find your niche, establish a brand, have a good product, market well and you can indeed succeed with CafePress.

dancethoughts · March 21st, 2008

I have been at CP for 4 months, and have made a few hundred each month. I didn't think it was real either, until I cashed the first two checks and spent the money.

Don't knock it. I plan to open a few more stores and my first goal is $1k a month. And people really are paying those prices - a few everyday, a least in my stores

I can easily see how someone who really worked hard to build traffic could do a few thousand a month.

prometheus · March 21st, 2008

Kristin,
Do you do any kind of marketing to drive people to your store?

stuffnthingz · March 21st, 2008

I can tell you that CP has really opened my eyes to the potential for making a living on the internet. I have sold on CP for a year and a half and am honored to see that I am halfway there to the "big guys" in earnings according to Adam's post. My November and December checks were insane! My husband (up until this year) thought all of my hundreds of hours of time was for naught, and then this year's holiday checks proved him wrong. I have over 150 designs hosted at CP and 5 premium shops. As a result of this experience (and money) I have expanded to making my own custom shirts for my niche areas. Without CP I could not have bought a brand new Laptop, Color Laser Printer, Inkjet printer and three heat presses! And all with NOT a penny of my own personal money used. And I paid CASH. If that is not proof enough, then you will just have to trust me

What did I do to promote my sites (CP and otherwise)?

1. I am a seasoned SEO trained IT professional, so all of my sites reflect good SEO tactics. ( I code my own websites.)
2. I use adwords, very carefully, and not much last year, but can afford more now...
3. I have CP Premium stores AND my own content rich websites that the CP shops tie in with.
4. I diligently seek out reciprocal links and even PAY now for ad space on high profile niche websites.
5. I pay to be a sponsor for local organizations that are in my niches.
6. I vend at local events (last year I did NOT vend my apparel, but did have CP catalogs for folks to look through, this year I have lots of my own apparel as well as the CP catalogs - I sell lots of other hard goods, apparel is just a small portion).
7. When invited to donate items for a relevant charity I always participate. Have a few extra CP items on hand to donate. Get them tagged, make your own cards, have this material ready to go.
8. When invited to participate in any printed material, like a gift guide in a magazine I hustle up and do it, never waste free advertising opportunities.
9. I pushed hard for 25 + designs in all of my premium shops. I never open a premium shop until I hit that mark, I don't want my shop to look empty. I still have one niche with only a dozen designs, so they are all marketed via free shops, and they do VERY well.

I hope this is convincing and informative. I cannot stress enough how surprised and excited I was to see my efforts pay off.

I would say the starting point to all of this is: 1 Are you artistic and 2. is your niche in need of cool apparel? My niches were so under represented in CP that now most of my designs make the first page for that topic.

When people see me at an event I feel like Lou! I am "THE" bling apparel expert they come to see for advice, it is very satisfying.

Dancethoughts, awesome shop! You have really fleshed out your site well, I love it

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