The alternate title for this should be “How did I get here and how do I get more?”. The answers to these questions can be explained simply but in order to fully understand, like anything else; you need a detailed explanation. Furthermore, if you expect to do anything with Internet sales you have to get this under your cap and mastered.

This article details methods DWA has used to become very successful at the art of Internet publishing. This goes beyond what is now typical "search engine optimization" and encompasses the additional realm of social networking site utilization and the use of the search engine and search site itself. The DWA systems have been designed so consistently feeding these monsters is a task that is completely automated. Using the best of what the Internet, search robots ,social networking and blogging have to offer; there is no real substitute for what DWA has assembled.

The Meat!
First you have the website. The DWA ProToolbox. Compiled and updated consistently to serve up to the large scale search engine all a site can offer. A well organized and easy to understand format with lots of text links to get you to where you want to go quickly and easily. The site utilizes meta data that is dynamically created for each page. There is no need to tediously go through page after page and manually enter meta data. The sites infrastructure is designed to accomplish this for every page and every product you feed it. Consequently, higher SERP (search engine result page) ranking is achieved because the page is cataloged properly and thus, page relevancy is greater.

DWA makes a serious effort and applies considerable resources to understand and share the knowledge of how a system can feed search engines for better results. An example of this can be explained as follows:

Sites that have repetition of a particular word, phrase or term across a page, navigation or text displayed; yield higher SERP rankings. In short, repeat a word or phrase in multiple locations throughout your site and it comes up higher on the SERP page. Simple enough? You would be surprised how many sites leave this out and rely solely on the robot to come across the data. In no uncertain terms you can leave the meta data off a page and you can leave text just sitting out there on a page. Later rather than sooner your page will most likely be cataloged but at the expense of time and missed sales. A quicker and more profitable route is to make an effort to feed the data and cater to the robots so your site is viewed by robots and searchers as more relevant and useful. Robots and searchers will return to your site finding it as a source of useful information. You, as the owner of the site will see the results in increased sales.

This is all done by using data fed from client POS systems. DWA's Enterprise POS Solution and DWA in 1 system all feed data directly to the website on an automated schedule. Other systems require your data to either be exported in a file or DWA will drill into the system and pull the data out. This is especially advantageous to clients who have older systems and are not quite ready to update their POS system.

The Potatoes!
DWA feeds data to VINFIX.com. A free and well stocked searchable database of wine, beer and spirits in stock and ready for sale online. DWA and VINFIX do not host virtual inventory. We make it a point not to. Why? First and foremost it is illegal for a licensed retailer to sell something they do not have invoiced to them and in stock. Period. Secondly, too many people search for a wine to buy online, clicking through to a site with the wine listed; going to the trouble of ordering and paying for it, only to find the retailer didn't have it in the first place. Then they get a phone call trying to sell them something they never wanted in the first place. Annoying! Third, you now have to; as the retailer, refund the sale losing any credit card fees as an expense as those fees are non-refundable. All in all a very costly and losing proposition for all parties involved. The most important point of all is that you have lost for good a customer that you worked pretty hard to get, that prior to this fiasco, had no chance of gaining let alone losing in the first place!

VINFIX is updated hourly. Making the odd chance of a retailer over selling a particular product less the norm rather than the rule. Retailers who subscribe to and host virtual inventory take it and you for granted, in the hopes that you won't know the difference and you don't know enough about what you want to buy so you will simply accept something in replacement. Try VINFIX and see how you like using a site that actually gets you where you want to be, finding what you want and actually getting it delivered!

The Gravy!
DWA, VINFIX and the associated systems have been built, tried and tested for the wine industry. Now in our tenth year of business; we have a consistent track record of getting our clients higher volumes of sales than that of other providers. It is not enough that internally our systems are catered to the world of wine. DWA takes that data and also feeds it out to all major search sites. Some you have to pay per click for and others are free. Google's shopping results section "Froogle" is one worth talking about. Many of DWA's clients use this site exclusively and do very well by it. If you are using the DWA Enterprise system or DWA in 1, your data is automatically fed out to Froogle. The sites that require a per click fee are set and fed in the same manner on a case by case basis. No less automated, just set up individually.

DWA recommends certain sites over others. In years past, a site like www.winesearcher.com, DWA would encourage clients to pay to have their products listed. Over the years the site (www.winesearcher.com) has become far too expensive and now yields lower and lower results. It seems that Wine Searcher has become populated with retailers solely checking up on other retailers pricing. DWA and VINFIX have no such problems and to the consumer is FREE! Sites like Wine Searcher require consumers to pay for a "Pro" version of the site to see what is labeled as more complete sets of search results. Silly. Its sad to say but many referring sites have fallen into this realm.

Referring sites are important and can drive considerable traffic to your business. It is a process that needs to be consistently managed and monitored. Keeping a referring sites data updated is a complex and time consuming task. (That I know from experience.) To do it and do it well is a skill. To have it really work is still another. The whole pay per click concept to me is one I have never been comfortable with. How do you know that what you are paying for you really got? That is to say the clicks you paid .35 cents a piece for are real.

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