Help

To set up your personal storefront:

Old Storefronts

What qualifies an “old storefront” – if you published a book before July, 2006, it will have an old storefront associated with it.

1. Click the MY ACCOUNT tab.
2. Click the Edit my Storefront & Profile link under My Content.
3. Use the tabs in the Storefront Editor to navigate through your storefront options. At any time you may click the View my Storefront link in the left column to see the changes you have made.

New Storefronts (After July 2006 / 13.0 Release)

1. Click the MY ACCOUNT tab.
2. Click the My Storefront link under My Lulu.
3. Click the Customize Storefront link at the top right-hand corner of the page.
4. Choose the layout you would like, either from the established themes or the storefront column layout at the bottom. If you choose ‘Select Theme’ then your Storefront will accept that theme as a default, and your storefront is done. If you choose ‘Customize Theme’ then you will go through further customization steps. Once you select which theme or layout you want, click Save.
5. You may add an image at the top of your page: a banner image will fit best, around 755x125 pixels.
6. Choose fonts and colors. Choose colors based on your own hexadecimal preference or by clicking on the page element and a color on the palette. Click Save Changes.
7. The new storefront system is made up of blocks that you can drag and drop. Each block contains information for your storefront, such as a description, an image, recent blog entries, or your published content.
8. Add blocks by clicking on the buttons along the top and dragging them down to your storefront. Individual blocks can be edited and customized by clicking on the Edit link in the upper right corner, or deleted by clicking on the X. Click Save and View Storefront.

To set up a group storefront, you must be a group moderator.

1. If you are a moderator, you will see an Edit Group Storefront link on the group homepage.
2. Click this link to go to the Storefront Editor.
3. Use the tabs in the Storefront Editor to navigate through your storefront options. At any time you may click the View my Storefront link in the left column to see the changes you have made.
4. If you have created a new group as of June 2006, follow the instructions for the new storefronts.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:35 | Back to top

Old Storefronts (Books published before July 2006 / 13.0 Release)
Yes. Click on the THEME tab in the Storefront Editor. You may either choose from one of the ready-made Lulu themes or create your own with Cascading Style Sheets.

For some CSS tips and tricks, see Lulu CSS Resources, compiled by Lulu Master Greg Banks.

New Storefronts (After July 2006 / 13.0 Release)
You can change the background and text colors of your storefront in Step 3 of the Customize Storefront setup.

Once you are satisfied with the look of your storefront, consider how you are selling your products. Does this storefront convey your sales message? Will a customer feel the same about your content and storefront as you do? Remember, you aren't building your storefront for you or your content. You are building it for your customers, so it should be appealing to them.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:35 | Back to top

Old Storefronts (Before July 2006 / 13.0 Release)

To customize the product display on your storefront, click "Edit Product Display" at the top of your storefront. Alternatively, you can click on the "Product Display" tab of the storefront editor. Here you can set the cover thumbnail size, the product listing layout, and the product listing order. In the Product Listing Order section, use ranking numbers to reorder the products on your storefront.

New Storefronts (After July 2006 / 13.0 Release)

With new storefronts, you can easily change the order which your products are listed. When editing your storefront, simply click the "Edit" button on your Published Content block. Then click the "Sort Content" button. This will turn your product listings into simple boxes which you can drag up and down into the order you wish to display them. Once you have the order set the way you wish, click "Save Sort." This will return the box to standard edit mode which will again display the product thumbnails and descriptions. To see the view others see when viewing your store, click "View Storefront" in the top right corner of the screen.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:28 | Back to top

Yes, but Lulu limits the type of HTML tags allowed for security reasons. Follow these directions:

Old Storefronts ( Before July 2006 / 13.0 Release )

1. Click the STOREFRONT LAYOUT tab in the Storefront Editor.
2. Click the Use advanced layout options link.
3. Add the "custom html" module to a column of your storefront. (If you wish to design the whole storefront using your own HTML, add this module to the center column and leave the left and right columns empty.)
4. Click the View my storefront link in the left column.
5. Click the EDIT HTML button on your storefront. (This button is only visible to you.)
6. Enter your custom HTML in the text field that appears.
7. Click the SAVE HTML button.

New Storefronts ( After July 2006 / 13.0 Release )

Just add an HTML block to your storefront and customize it using acceptable HTML tags. You can learn basic HTML here: http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:28 | Back to top

Lulu limits the type of HTML tags allowed for security reasons. Here is a list of permissible tags:

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:58:59 | Back to top

Old Storefronts (Books published before before July 2006 / 13.0 Release)
Yes, Lulu allows you to upload one JPG, GIF or PNG image to display on your storefront. In the Storefront Editor, click the IMAGE/AVATAR tab. The image you upload in the Storefront Image section will be proportionally scaled so that its width and height are no greater than 300 pixels. If you do not want your image to be scaled, upload an image no wider or taller than 300 pixels. If you are editing a group storefront, keep in mind that the storefront image is also shown on your group homepage. Editing or replacing this image for your storefront will also change it on your group homepage.

New Storefronts (After July 2006 / 13.0 Release) You can upload banner images to go at the top of your page in Step 2 of the Customize Storefront setup. Create a banner image that is roughly 755x125 pixels, click “browse” to locate it, and then upload to our server to go atop your storefront.

The new storefronts also allow you to upload an avatar in the My Content Info block. Once you have added this block to your storefront, click "Edit" at the top of the block. Then use the "Browse" button to locate the picture you wish to use as your avatar. The image you upload into this block will be proportionally scaled so that its width and height are no greater than 300 pixels. If you do not want your image to be scaled, upload an image no wider or taller than 300 pixels. Click the "Upload" button to upload the image to the page. Once the upload is complete, click the "Edit" button again to complete the editing the My Contact Info block.

On the new storefronts, you also have the option to add an image which is hosted on a remote hosting service. You can then insert the URL of your image into an Image Block and add alternate text for anyone who may not be able to see the image.

Some free image hosting services:

• Flickr
• PhotoBucket
• TinyPic

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:28 | Back to top

Your avatar will be displayed next to your name in all of your blog posts and Lulu search results. Your avatar will only be displayed on your storefront if you choose to display your blog posts on your storefront or if you choose to include your Detailed Bio (Old Storefronts) or My Contact Info (New Storefronts).

A group avatar will not appear on the group storefront, but it will be displayed next to the group name in Lulu search results. Posts to a group blog will show the personal avatar of the user who made the post.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:03 | Back to top

Old Storefronts ( Before July 2006 / 13.0 Release )
Click the PROFILE tab in the Storefront Editor. In the Storefront Information section, you can enter the following information:

• Storefront Title: This is one of your storefront's most important elements. It is not only the name of your storefront, but also the title that is displayed in the top bar of your browser and the link on which users click when they find your storefront in search engine results. Therefore, it should be descriptive. For example, consider a title such as Self help books at Joe's Book Store over simply Joe's Book Store. The former is a more compelling title to someone searching for this type of book and may increase traffic to your storefront.
• Storefront Keywords: These are your storefront's meta keywords. They will not be displayed on your storefront but will help search engines to find your storefront. Try to come up with several different ways to summarize in 2 or 3 words what your storefront is about.
• Short Description: You have the option to display this description on your storefront. This is your storefront's meta description and is limited to 512 characters. This description will be displayed under your storefront's title in search results. It should reiterate your storefront keywords and summarize what your storefront is about. You may not use HTML in this description.
• Long Description: You have the option to display this description on your storefront. You may use HTML in this description, and its length is not limited. This is a good place to enter an author biography, the mission statement of a small publishing company or group, or even a personal message to your customers. If you are editing a group storefront, keep in mind that the Long Description is also shown on your group homepage. Editing this description for your storefront will also change it on your group homepage.

New Storefronts ( After July 2006 / 13.0 Release )
You can add text by adding Description Blocks to your storefront. You can add as many as you like, edit the text they contain with the Edit link, and arrange them by dragging and dropping them.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:22 | Back to top

Old Storefronts ( Before July 2006 / 13.0 Release )
Anything you enter in the Contact Information section of the Storefront Editor is considered public information and can be displayed on your storefront. If you do not wish to display any of your contact information, leave these fields blank.

New Storefronts ( After July 2006 / 13.0 Release )
You can add your contact information to your storefront by adding the My Contact Info Block. When editing this block, you are presented with a link to your contact list. Click this link and then click on the Edit button next to the contact labeled "Public." This is the information which will be displayed in the My Contact Info Block.

Alternatively, you can add an HTML Block to your storefront and then enter your contact info there using standard HTML or text.

If you do not add either of these, your contact information will not be visible to anyone visiting your storefront.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:24 | Back to top

Your storefront keywords should summarize the type of content available for sale on your storefront. They will help search engines to find your storefront. Your interests are your personal (or group) interests, likes or hobbies. By entering information about yourself or your group in the interests field, other Lulu community members will be able to find to you when they search for people or groups by interest. Leave this field blank if you do not wish for others to be able to find you in search results.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:29 | Back to top

There are some free tools available that can show you how often people search for your keywords or phrases. A search engine called Overture, which is part of the Yahoo! network of companies, has a pretty accurate tool that shows you search volumes on phrases so you can get an idea of which phrases are highly competitive. Go to http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion to input your keyword or phrase.

This tool can also provide you with suggestions, based on search volume, for alternatives to your keywords. If one of these alternatives accurately describes your storefront and has a fairly high search volume, consider using it as one of your keywords. Don't be discouraged if your keyword or phrase has a low search volume or isn't even searched for at all. If this is the case, consider shortening the phrase slightly, then perform the same search.

Reinforce your keywords throughout your storefront. Your keywords should appear in your storefront description(s) and your blog. Your storefront title should also use some or all of the keywords.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:02 | Back to top

Just because your storefront is found on Lulu doesn't automatically mean it will appear favorably in search engine results. It is important to start with the basics before you try to actively promote the storefront on the search engines.

The Basics

• Take a truly critical look at your site. Does it look appealing? Will people feel motivated to learn about you and purchase your product?
• Get feedback. Ask a friend or family member to take a critical look for you, but be prepared for some negative feedback! Negative feedback can be good in this instance — it can help you better define your storefront and make it more appealing to first-time visitors. Remember, the goal is to make it appealing enough to encourage someone to purchase from you. The more feedback you can get from those who know you the best, the better. Your storefront should reflect not only your content, but you. People will judge your content based on what they think of you, and a good part of that judgment could come from your storefront.
• Identify your audience. When you created your product, were you out to fulfill a need, or was it something you just had to get out? Consider for a minute the audience for whom you created this content. Is it a university text book or a piece of music that has been in you for years? Are you an author who has written one book or many? Do you plan to write more? Do you write music of only one genre? How are your photographs categorized? Is there, or will there be, a theme to your projects? If your content is very similar, consider reflecting that in your storefront theme.
• Create a reputable shopping experience. Think back to a store that you visited that you just didn't like. What was the problem? Incorrect lighting? The décor wasn't appealing? Now think of a store you did like. What about it was appealing? This experience is no different when it comes to shopping online. People want a pleasant experience and prefer to deal with reputable vendors. If your site appears reputable, people may purchase from you and even return to your storefront. If your storefront looks like it was thrown together in 15 minutes, customers will feel less secure about purchasing from you.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:58:50 | Back to top

Lulu has many tools for you to use on your storefront that can increase how frequently search engines visit your site.

Search engines use pieces of software called crawlers (also known as spiders or bots) to visit your site and review the content. Search engines use complex algorithms to determine the final rankings on a page. They also like to see regularly updated content. It's possible for your pages to rank highly when properly organized.

Storefront Title
The title is one of your storefront's most important elements. It is not only the name of your storefront, but also the title that is displayed in the top bar of your browser and the link on which users click when they find your site in search results. Therefore, you want it to be compelling. Simply putting Joe's Book Store is not compelling. Books about herbal medicine and self help found at Joe's Book Store is a more compelling title to someone searching for this type of book.

Your Bio
Make sure to add a description or a bio to your page — and be a little shameless here. Sell yourself. Both the bio field and description blocks allow you to use HTML code. You can place images and links into your bio section, as well as other formatting.

If your bio is important to selling your product, display it prominently. This is probably the first element your customers will see, so convince them to stay. Remember to throw in a couple keywords if you can, but don't go overboard. If it doesn't make sense to you, it will likely scare away customers.

Here is an example of a good bio relating to the title above:

Joe Smith has been practicing in the self help field for 20 years. He is a foremost expert in the art of herbal medicine and has chosen to share his knowledge and experience in the fields of self help and natural healing in this 320 page book.

Joe is, in effect, telling a mini story about himself and his extensive knowledge and experience. This will catch the customers and keep them interested.

Content Layout
It is important to give your content high visibility on your storefront. Try to get your important keywords into the descriptions of your content.

Web users tend to look at the middle of the page first, as that is where they are used to finding the important content of a page. Then they scan to the left then right. You should put your most important content in the middle and the least important on the right side. The right side is a good place to promote other storefronts and blogs that complement yours.

Try contacting the owners of other storefronts (either related or ones you like) and request a cross promotion. They can link to your storefront and/or blog in exchange for your links. This helps somewhat within the search engines, but more so with your customers.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:59:25 | Back to top

Your Lulu storefront URL is a web address that you can type into your browser to arrive directly at your Lulu storefront. You may choose your Lulu URL by entering a unique storefront name under the PROFILE tab of the Storefront Editor. Your URL will begin with http://www.lulu.com/ and ends with the storefront name you choose.

You may enter any combination of numbers, letters and dashes to create your storefront name. Underscores, spaces and punctuation symbols are not allowed. After you enter your chosen storefront name, click SAVE. Typing your storefront URL in your browser's address bar should take you directly to your storefront.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:58:50 | Back to top

Old Storefronts ( Before 13.0 Release / July 2006 )

You may choose your storefront name under the PROFILE tab of the Storefront Editor. You may enter any combination of numbers, letters and dashes to create your storefront name. Underscores, spaces and punctuation symbols are not allowed. After you enter your chosen storefront name, click SAVE.

New Storefronts ( After 13.0 Release / July 2006 )

Edit your storefront by clicking on the MY ACCOUNT tab, then clicking on 'My Storefront' under 'My Lulu’. Click ’Customize Storefront’ in the top right-hand corner. Click on the ‘Settings’ tab. Enter a unique storefront name in the text box under 'Storefront URL'. You may enter any combination of numbers, letters and dashes to create your storefront name. Underscores, spaces and punctuation symbols are not allowed. After you enter your chosen storefront name, click SAVE AND UPDATE STOREFRONT. You may also give your storefront a title here to go at the top of the browser.

Old and New Storefronts

You can also change your storefront name by changing your user name in your Account Preferences. Your storefront name and your user name are the same. When you change one, the other will automatically be changed. To access your Account Preferences, click the MY ACCOUNT tab and then click the Account Preferences link in the left column.

Last updated: 2008-12-01 10:58:50 | Back to top