Since this is the first Build a Niche Store site review for one of our readers, I will likely get into some detailed descriptions of each section. The goal of these reviews is for the BANS community to grow as a whole and realize success with each site. Please keep in mind that the suggestions below are only what I would do to further develop a BANS store, from its already strong, “Out of the Box” capabilities.
Build a Niche Store Site: www.miogps.net
Target Niche: GPS Products
Date Reviewed: 08/29/2007
By: Mark Hansen
Overall Score: 5 out …

Promote eBay Signups with your BANS Store! (Skill – 2) 
In the setup process of your Build a Niche Store, you have the option of displaying the eBay logo on all your page listings. In general, it is the standard eBay logo and you can see it by turning the feature on.
I decided to upload a different eBay logo as you see above, and go into the code that controls the display section and add the referral tracking code to the FrontControl.php file
Disclaimer – ALWAYS make a backup of any of …

Add a Link-Back to the Bottom of your Store (Skill : 4)
The whole reason behind the link back is for search engine spiders. One of the methods I have used for years is to try and get the FIRST and LAST bit of text a spider reads, in line with the meta and content of the page itself.  When the opportunity presents itself to have the LAST bit of text in the form of a perma-link, or link back to the same page… why not invite the spider to that info as …

Change the Default Store Link (Skill : 2)
As you navigate you live BANS site and click on one of your main categories – you will notice the main link to return to the parent category is listed as “Catalog Home“. This link really tells nothing about the site, so you may want to change it to something more descriptive, that represents what you parent menu is about! For instance… if your site is about “Blue Widgets” why not change the default “catalog home” to “Blue Widgets Home”.
How to do it!
In …

There has been quite a few emails lately from Build a Niche Store users. Some of the most common questions are listed below with very general answers. If you have other questions about BANS – feel free to ask!
Q: How much time does it take to install a Build a Niche Store site?
A: Assuming you already have the domain name registered, installing the BANS script to a site can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. I have the ability on my server to keep a default copy in a …

After working with Build a Niche Store for 30 days now and having a total of 7 functional BANS stores running, I have found there are 10 essential things that you must do in order to have a remote chance at success with the product! All in all, Build a Niche Store is very easy to use and search friendly software for eBay affiliates.
So – you may ask – Mark, what qualifies YOU to tell me there are 10 essentials for Build a Niche Store?
Aside from liking to hear myself talk, or read myself talking… (does that …

The other day – a reader (Jenny) asked about choosing the right niche for your Build a Niche Store website. This would apply to ANY site, not only the BANS sites you may setup. You are likely to find ALL SORTS of different opinions and strategies on the subject of choosing the right niche – the one below, is mine only… it works for me! Remarkably, some of your research in this subject will also serve as good information for your search optimization strategies!
The goal of your reasearch is to find a …

Alot of this will depend on the tools you have at your disposal. I like to use wordtracker to narrow down the focus of terms and phrases I want to target! My own experience tells me to start a website out with longer 3-4 word phrases in the beginning (-6 months old) and slowly narrow the focus to shorter, general terms as the site matures (+6 months). Shorter, very general terms will likely have high competition with sites that are several years old with thousands of backlinks! The goal is to get …

I have been in several discussions about how to best optimize a Build a Niche Store website for search engine placement. I have a breakdown of general search engine optimization tips for any website in another post, but for now, I am going to get into the search optimization of Build a Niche Store, using www.carolinacloseout.com as the example.
Why should you optimize a Build a Niche Store Website? 

Hi All -
After a full week of developing several sites with Build a Niche Store - I have decided to write a fairly indepth review of how it works and how you can make it better for your own little niche store! If you didnt read my initial review of Build a Niche Store – I would suggest jumping over there first, just to get an idea of the product and why I got it in the first place! This series of articles will be a 4-part series that follows our …