Yahoo! Shopping recently upgraded its product search rankings to make them even more relevant to shoppers' search results. The new ranking method applies to all Yahoo! Shopping participants and may change search rankings for specific products, depending on each item's newly determined relevance to a consumer's search query.

While individual products might move up or down a bit in the search results for specific keywords, the new system offers two major benefits for all participants in Yahoo! Shopping:

• Testing reveals that the new search ranking method makes it faster and easier for consumers to find and purchase the right products. This means shoppers who find your products are more qualified customers, making your participation in Yahoo! Shopping even more worthwhile.
  
• These satisfied customers are more likely to return to Yahoo! Shopping again and again, improving sales prospects for all Yahoo! Shopping merchants, including you!

The busy holiday retail season is almost upon us. To maximize your sales during this critical period, make gift buying as easy as possible for your customers. Now's the time to add convenient ordering options like gift wrap and special gift messages. Here are two ways to prepare your site for gift sales:

In the Store Manager, go to the Order Settings Section and choose the "Order Form" link. Midway down the Order Form page, you'll see the Gift Options section. Once activated, the Gift Options feature lets you offer gift wrap with or without a charge and provides a small text field for messages from the sender to the gift recipient. When your changes are complete, click the Store Manager's "Publish Order Settings" link to update your storefront.

If you don't want to offer gift wrap or gift messages for your entire inventory, you can use the Options field of the item page (in the Regular Editor interface) to offer gift wrap for individual products. Here's how you would enter an option for a product that can be gift wrapped for an extra charge of $2.00: "GIFT WRAP?" "No" "Yes (+$2.00)."

Why Success Online Often Is in the Details

Home-based businesses face unique challenges in the era of Internet e-commerce, and customer satisfaction and flexibility are two keys to success in this rapidly changing field. Find out how one online mom-and-pop shop has spun personal attention to detail into a $500,000/year business.

What to Expect as a Small-Business Boss

An experienced entrepreneur shares wisdom gained from seven years in business. "I realize now that checklists, books, and advice only hint at what businesspeople experience while they establish their company. It's akin to skydiving: No instructor can fully prepare you for what will go through your head after you let go of the airplane."