While X-Cart is a pretty good product right out of the box, there are a number of add-on modules (both free and paid) that make it even better. There are literally hundreds of add-ons available, but below is a list of ones that we think are 'essential'. Some of these link to third party vendors, some link to the X-Cart forum:
The first one without a doubt is the Dynamic Search Engine Friendly URL mod by John at SafetyNetWeb.com. I have mentioned this one before, but I can't emphasize enough what a difference this module makes from an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) standpoint. What it does is take a typical X-Cart url (such as www.yoursite.com/product.php?productid=1) and dynamically rewrites it to be search engine friendly - www.yoursite.com/Product-Name-p-1.html). Search engines love this because it gets the ? out of the url and adds keywords, which is key.
Next is the EZ Upsell module available from Carrie at BCS Engineering. What this module does is add a 'confirmation' screen when you add an item to the cart. The page shows a thumbnail of the product with a 'You have added this product to your cart" along with a 'Continue Shopping' button and 'Proceed to Checkout' button. Below this is an area that will display any upselling items you have linked to the product. A 'You may also like...' kind of thing. This is the candy at the checkout counter theory...people are more likely to buy something if it is presented to them.
From an SEO perspective, the ability to add custom META data for each product and category is very important. X-Cart automatically generates this data for you by default, but it is much more beneficial to have full control over it. These three FREE mods will do just that:
Product META Tags
Category META Titles
Static Page META Tags
Manufacturer META Tags
Another important SEO addition is a local sitemap such as this one from Phil at X-Cart Mods. He also has some nice flyout menus and other misc mods available, many for free!
The way images are displayed in a site is extremely important, as people want to see as much detail as possible, as easy as possible. One of the best ways to display detailed images I have seen is via the Thickbox method. Here is a great integration guide.
One of the keys to a successful e-commerce site is to be in touch with who is visiting your site, where they come from, what they look at while they are there, and where any potential problems are with the checkout process are. The best tool to do this with is Firetank's Marketing Manager Pro. This will give you all of the information you ever wanted about your store's statistics and visitors.
Here's one of the things that should be included in the default X-Cart package, but is instead an add-on - the Advanced Order Management module which allows you to edit/modify orders. More important than you think, especially if a customer calls to change something, or if you have to adjust an order due to a pricing/shipping problem or a stock problem.
These are the modules we typically recommend as 'essential'. There are plenty more add-ons available, most of which can be purchased from Carrie at BCS Engineering.
