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Here is a good reference if you use Facebook to promote your store. It will display any image you choose, instead of Facebook randomly choosing an image.

They are call OG Meta Tags and are placed in the HEAD section of your store.

https://developers.facebook.com/docs/sharing/webmasters

I have a customer that has a lot of specials. I enter an valid end and start date and all seems fine, but when I log back into the admin panel at a later time, under the promotions tab for the products it's been reset to 1/1/1970. Anyone else having this issue? I've cleared cache of course, but I'm baffled at the issue.

[Big HINT!]

Thanks for all the hard work guys, especially Dmitry who fixed a few issues today.

Here is what the successful upgrade looks like!

https://naturalhandcraftedsoaps.com/secure/

The only caveat is an error being generated, that makes no sense. 

App Error  Message status: critical Date:06/26/2015 04:08:43 PM Number of repetitions:14 Error: cannot to load config.xml of extension coupon. in /home/bigzbeve/public_html/naturalhandcraftedsoaps.com/secure/core/helper/utils.php on line 527

I had no coupon, so it seems to be an error with the core somewhere.

The error caused no issues, but I have not tried to create or use a coupon, but it's on my list to do!

Big HINT!

If you have done any customizing, make sure you back up the altered files, this upgrade will change the style.css, page.tpl, footer.tpl and product.tpl as far as I can see. Those are the only customizations I made and it changed them back to the default. Simple to get the customizations back, I had them backed up in a seperate file.

[2015-06-13 13:26:03]

I've just built a new store and I'm using stripe as my payment system.

I'm getting the following error:

2015-06-13 13:26:03 - error:  AbanteCart core v.1.2.2 Class 'Modelextensiondefaultstripe' not found in <b>/home/bigzbeve/public_html/southerntierbeerevents.us/advertise/core/engine/loader.php</b> on line <b>100</b>

I have it up and running without a flaw on 1.2.1, not sure what's going on here.

+++++++++++Update++++++++++++++++=

The value the is on line 100 core>engine>loader.php in 1.2.1 is on line 113 in 1.2.2.

Hope that helps with the fix ... I assume that the extension is looking for a value on line 100 when it was written for 1.2.1 and it's moved in 1.2.2 .. I'm just sayin'

I have several instances of a product showing up in the same category twice.

In the admin panel, under products or categories, they are only listed once.

And the products, when clicked on, go to the same product page, so it's not like there are different copies of the products in question.

Any ideas guys?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Update++++++++++++++++++++

I checked DB and nothing is duplicated there either.

I have noticed that if I change the sort option on the category view, it changes which products are duplicated. Very strange.

[Thank you guys, for developing such a great platform ... it's only going to get better from here!]

We recently opened our shop online, and we also distribute our wares locally, which is leading to more sales from the web-store.

I got one of the nicest compliments today from a customer when I was visiting one of the locations to re-stock.

She said:

"I love your soaps and I went to your website to buy more, because you don't have all the types in the store. Since we live in a remote area (our little town is 60 miles from the nearest mall) I do most of my shopping online.

I've gotta tell you that your store not only looks great but it was the one of the easiest purchases I've made online. Checkout was a breeze (I'm using stripe) and the order confirmation was immediate! I'll be back many, many times."

I'm thrilled she loved our soaps, we've been selling them locally for years, but it was her comments about the ease of shopping and checkout that really made me glad I chose AbanteCart Cart as my eCommerce platform.

Thank you guys, for developing such a great platform ... it's only going to get better from here!

I love AbanteCart so much, and in this post I'm going to show you how to change a little CSS to make the titles on Featured block on the home page stand out.

First, take a look at what I mean. https://naturalhandcraftedsoaps.com/secure/ You will see that I darkened the text, increased the size, made it bold and added a shadow.

Next, just follow the marked up image below if you want your Featured Titles to look like mine. You can add as much or as little as you want, it's up to you.

["Rich Snippet Markup".]

Recently Google upgraded it's algorithm and one of the things its doing is giving more weight to what they're calling "Rich Snippet Markup". I have added an easy "Rich Snippet Markup" to my home page in the form of a title done in h1. Previously, h1 mattered, but now it's even more important. There is a ton of rich snippet markup that can greatly enhance your rankings and we'll get into those in another post.

Take a look at my home page https://naturalhandcraftedsoaps.com/ and you'll see that I've added an h1 page title to the header instead of using a logo in the upper left hand corner. This is what is known as a "Rich Snippet Markup" and very valuable to your ranking.

I have attached an image to show where I place the code within the template. Keep in mind, this requires a little knowledge of html to accomplish. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, then find someone to help you.

Much of the code you see in the image is not necessary, just the table structure and the h1 is all that is really necessary, the rest was inserting the humming bird pictures and css to shadow the text.

As I've said, I'll get into more "Rich Snippet Markup" in another post, since it requires a more advanced knowledge of html, but it's definitely worth the trouble (even if you need some one to do it for you) to get a leg up on your competetion with regard to SERP!

The current site map generated by the template is in .php

Is is possible to generate a site map in html. Bing and Google no longer recognize site maps done in php.

I can generate one easily, but I'm thinking about those that don't know how to do it.

There is a simple line of code you can add to your style sheet to give a nice shadow to your header and it'll seem like it's 3D.

Check it out here https://naturalhandcraftedsoaps.com/secure/

If you'd like to add it, it's as simple as falling off a log.

Follow this path storefront>view>default>stylesheet>style.css

Add this line of code to line 261 in the header section. (You'll need an editor like notepad++) It's in the first group of code after the hack for the header /*----------Header----------*/

   

Code Select Expand

box-shadow: 0px 10px 5px #888888;

Here is an image to help.

Enter a carriage return at the end of line 260

Code Select Expand

background-color: orchid; then enter the box shadow code on the new line created, line 261.

Save and upload and viola, you have a new looking header!

I have noticed that on the product edit page of the Admin Panel (1.2.1), one must input a weight, even if there is no shipping or flat rate shipping is selected.

It won't prevent the product from being added, but it gives an error and is highlighted in red if one does not input a weight, even if it's 0.0005 or less!

Just a minor tweak, but could cause a newbie to question things.

[especially those selling downloadable digital products]

I recently found a bug with the Stripe extension. When you have a product that requires no shipping, the extension will not process credit cards, it runs into a technical error. Otherwise, the extension is flawless!

I PM'd Pavel about this, since he did such an excellent job creating it and within a day he posted a fix!

Thank you sir, job well done. The fix is flawless now for No Shipping required.

Here is the fix link! https://github.com/abantecart/abantecart-src/commit/02016d07da5b8950665fecf72198da909854ac7a

This fix will really help everyone using the Stripe payment extension, especially those selling downloadable digital products or (like my customer) selling tickets to a live event online.

[As an experienced SEO guy, this is some important information and needs your attention.]

The following are excerpts from a newsletter from A2 Hosting.

As an experienced SEO guy, this is some important information and needs your attention.



Get Your Site Ready For These Google Updates
Google is constantly tinkering with their algorithm. They update it over 500 times per year on average.

Many of their updates are pretty minor. However over the course of the past few weeks, Google has two very important algorithm updates that you'll want to make sure you're prepared for.
 
Death Of Doorway Pages
Google has recently announced that they are cracking down on the ranking of doorway pages.

What is a doorway page?

Google defines them as:

"Doorways are sites or pages created to rank highly for specific search queries. They are bad for users because they can lead to multiple similar pages in user search results, where each result ends up taking the user to essentially the same destination. They can also lead users to intermediate pages that are not as useful as the final destination."

Google's New Mobile Ranking Criteria

This week Google announced new mobile based criteria which will affect your search result ranking for users searching from a mobile device. This makes sense, Google wants to return higher quality mobile pages to users on mobile devices. But it means if pages on your site aren't responsive or the responsive design doesn't meet Google's criteria, you may see those pages drop in the results.

Fortunately, Google has provided a tool which you can use to check your site. It will let you know what you need to improve on your site in order to avoid being penalized when these new criteria go live April 21st.

Is It Time To Stop Link Building?

We've been warned about the potential dangers of link building schemes for years. Most site owners are well aware of the threat of having their website blacklisted by Google and avoid such schemes. Natural, white hat link building is still OK, isn't it? According to a recent Google+Hangout, it sure sounds like Google is telling us that link building should be avoided.

Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller was asked, "Is link building, in any way, good?" His answer was quite interesting...

[1. Mind Control: Google Wants To Change SEO Behavior]

Has anyone else noticed that we've been seeing fewer algorithm update announcements from Google in recent years? That Google's PR campaigns about changing search results has been quieting down?
If you have, rest assured: you're not crazy.Two Reasons For Fewer Google Algo Update Announcements I don't think that Google will ever kick back, put up their collective feet, and stop updating. So why the drop?
1. Mind Control: Google Wants To Change SEO Behavior First, Google doesn't make those big announcements just to ensure sure that all their friends in the SEO community are on the same happy page. They announce algorithm updates because they want to change SEO behavior.
They want black hat SEO's to just go away.

In that regard, fewer updates means Google sees less of a need to change our behavior. Have they beaten the SEO world into submission? Whipped us into shape? Or just stopped caring if we're on board?2. Conditioning: Google Wants To Switch To Constant, Imperceptible UpdatesGoogle search results are always gettings smarter. The changes in results are becoming deliberately more subtle and more intuitive, such that most users hardly notice them at all. If Google's algorithms are in the early stages of learning, they can easily make small, undercover changes on the fly.
The number of unnamed and unconfirmed updates bears this out. Just last month, SERP-trackers and webmasters noticed some major shifts in search results, but Google has yet to officially confirm the update. Are those relatively minor updates unannounced because they're not worth the PR effort, or because Google didn't intend for us to notice?

Haven't seen this before, but then I'm new to the 1.2.1 admin panel.

I did a test order a couple of days ago to make sure I had things set up correctly. That was Thursday.

However, in the quick-stats in the admin panel it's still showing as new orders today. (Sunday)

Screen shot

[WOW]

I am a long time user of AbanteCart, but had to take a break of more than a year from eCommerce due to family personal issues.

I'm back now and I have just installed 1.2.1 for the first time and WOW what a difference.

Of course, being well versed in using AbanteCart helped me speed up the process considerably, but it was refreshing to see the many changes!

1. I love the new Admin Panel. It's a great improvement on the older version and I want to thank the core guys that worked so hard on it. An amazing job indeed!

2. My new install was set up with minimal customization on my part, using flat rate shipping and Stripe as the payment option. I love stripe so much better than PayPal (I hate PayPal) and anyone with a bank account in many countries can set it up for free and their rates are very low and funds are deposited directly into your bank account. Best part is that they don't keep the funds, they are transferred directly to your bank account, unlike PayPal that has a habit of seizing accounts for little or no reason!

3. After adding one product in one category I made a purchase.
   A. I first tested Stripe in test mode and it acted exactly as it was suppose to! Declined the charge and told me the system was in test mode.
   B. Live mode went just as smoothly, with a seamless transaction via Strips. So much better than that bothersome pop-up window open cart uses with their extension. I'm told that Pavel (AbanteCart user name) wrote that extension. Amazing job my friend ... simply awesome

4. Emails received by the admin and the purchaser were extremely well done. So much better looking than the previous versions. Nice HTML formatting ... very professional

I would put AbateCart up against any other cart out there, even the paid systems for it's professionalism and ease of use.

Hats and Horns to AbanteCart, Basara, eCommerce Core and Abolabo for all their hard work. It's really beginning to pay off and soon AbanteCart will be the one others try to emulate.

Now my work is cut out for me as I begin to add all the products to the store.

Want a peek at it? It's a work in progress as there are hundreds of product to add.

There was a landing page link here, but I've since decided to have traffic go directly to the store at https://naturalhandcraftedsoaps.com/secure

[FREE.]

All to often we take things for granted, especially when they are  FREE.

AbanteCart is no exception and the guys here work hard to make this THE BEST eCommerce solution I've ever used.

I am NOT a paid member of the staff, just a volunteer, so I don't feel bad about asking the user base to donate. Pavel and the gang work their collective butts off for very little money to keep this script working as well as it does.

At the bottom of every page is a donate button. Please donate when you can and as much as you can. Any amount, even the smallest, helps.

If this shopping cart solution helps you make money then please consider leaving a donation each month, perhaps a small percentage of your profits.

Thanks,

Gordon

[A staggering 61% of those local searches result in a purchase ONLINE!]

Oh, you bet it is!

If you have a business that has a brick and mortar (physical) presence as well as your online efforts then nothing is more important for you.

But, what if you're web based only? Well guess what, it's just as important to get your site listed in the SERP's as having a physical storefront!

Here are some important facts about getting found in the local results SERP's.

   
• 71% of users value the information provided in local search results
• 36% of them think that the local results are convient
• 14% use them to find a local business each month

However, here is the really important statistic and it's mind blowing!

A staggering 61% of those local searches result in a purchase ONLINE!

People prefer to shop from someone local, even if it's via their website, therefore the only sensible conclusion anyone can make is:

Don't skip the local aspect of your SEO objectives!



Page Space is Limited

Google displays many elements in local results – addresses, reviews, star ratings, and much more. Above that, it also displays AdWords ads and organic results. All these elements take up precious "page estate," limiting the number of local results per page.

Getting Results Takes Time

Seeing the results of local campaigns is tedious and time-consuming. Without going into too much detail, there are plenty of platforms to verify, manage, and claim profiles on. Each one has its own set of rules; making sure your profiles comply with them takes time.

Big Retail Chains Do Local, Too

It doesn't mean, however, that you can't overcome them. It does mean a fierce competition for local results and more resources you need to devote to secure your listing.

But working with local search doesn't only mean following best practices and devising strategies.

A major aspect of local SEO work revolves around other activities:

   
• Monitoring your progress
• Finding new citation opportunities
• Conducting regular site audits

You will definitely need dedicated tools to accomplish a good local listing and there are several tools out there that are invaluable and very reliable on getting results.

*Whitespark
*BrightLocal
*SEMrush (my favorite one)
*LocalVox
*LSEO
*Conclusion

Using one of those programs will get you're local results popping in no time and they are easy to use to keep track of your progress!