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SEO: Self-taught And Loving It Many online businesses like to work with a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm that guarantees placement in search engine rankings. At first blush, this sounds like a great idea. After all, who doesn’t want to be at the top of the search engine rankings? If a company can guarantee to get you there, why not use them? While there may be SEO firms that have your best interest in mind there are an equal number that simply do whatever they have to do to get your site in the n... SEO: The Art Of Balance One of the most lauded dreams for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is to have the coveted top spot in a search engine for a particular keyword or phrase. The belief is that if you work hard enough at SEO techniques you can get the number one spot and your financial future is set. The thing that isn’t always taken into consideration is that a sight can be perfectly optimized. That same site can achieve the number one position for a particular keyword or phrase and still be ... Internet Marketing: Short-term Solutions Like many, you have been reading about the long-term marketing strategies that will help make a name for your online business. You might even see the wisdom in these approaches, and you might even believe it will be highly beneficial to your business – in the long run. But, what about right now? What about the short-term? You might be wondering if you’ll make it to the long-term’ portion of your entrepreneurial efforts. Any business startup is hard and you want to make ... Entrepreneurialism: Seven Unnecessary Traits When you are working to establish your own business you may believe certain things to be true about entrepreneurialism. While some traits may have merit there are other traits that may not be as necessary as you might have imagined. Leadership Skills vs. Personal Drive Interestingly, leadership skills are less important than personal drive. In most entrepreneurial efforts the seeds of an idea are cultivated by ONE not MANY. In the end if you believe in the idea you do n... Ecommerce: How Payment Gets From Here To There We’ve all heard the children’s song, ‘Dem Bones’. The foot bone's connected to the leg bone, The leg bone's connected to the knee bone, The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone, The thigh bone's connected to the back bone, The back bone's connected to the neck bone, The neck bone's connected to the head bone, Etc. This same concept can be applied to ecommerce. For those who may not fully understand how ecommerce works let’s try this: The Consumer’s connected... Home Based Business: Did You Know? Did You Know… * About 70% of home-based businesses will last over a three-year period, compared to 29% of other business ventures, according to the Home-Based Business Institute. * Entrepreneur magazine estimates that $427 billion is generated each year by home-based businesses. Pittsburgh Business Times reports this figure is larger than General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler combined. * According to Entrepreneur.com more than 50% of all home-based businesses have the f... SEO: Article Exchange Most experts in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will recommend the use of knowledge-based articles as a key component to your site’s overall health and search engine visibility. Applicable articles are solid SEO performers because they increase site rankings while providing your potential customers with the information they need to make an informed choice regarding your product or service. Another solid performer for SEO is inbound links to your website. For instance i... Why Should I Care About Ebooks? "Advertising is of the very essence of democracy. An election goes on every minute of the business day across the counters of hundreds of thousands of stores and shops where the customers state their preferences and determine which manufacturer and which product shall be the leader today, and which shall lead tomorrow." - Bruce Barton If you are a web based business owner you may wonder why you should care about ebooks. It may be that your business is turning into a succes... Ebooks: An Overlooked Goldmine? Estimates now indicate that ebook sales have surpassed both the audiocassette and the audio CD in consumer preference. Ebooks are also ranked second only to traditional book publishing in current sales. From an entrepreneurial standpoint, one of the greatest difficulties in looking at revenue producing ideas is to arrive at the party early enough to see the largest return on investment. The truth is ebooks may have been the best entrepreneurial choice in 2004, but as sales... Simplicity In Form And Function Web design is an issue web owners routinely often misunderstand. Questions arise as to the look and feel of the website. There are questions as to whether a new site design is needed. These questions can be taxing on the psyche of the website owner. One of the primary mantras for site design is simplicity. The whole notion that a website must be simplified can actually render website owners a bit confused. If your idea of a simplified site is to remove items from your w... Under Development: Low-cost Site Progress Developing content for a website can seem a bit intimidating. However, one of the easiest ways to get started is to simply get started. If you are developing your website through a template-based web host you can develop the bare bones of the site and finesse as you go. What this may look like is a 2-4 paragraph home page with a few additional pages that may say “Under Development”. While I have always recommended research and planning ahead of time, sometimes a reasona... The Upside Down World Of Web Branding Some of the best ideas for web branding defy logic. For instance, if you were to develop an ecommerce site you might well seek to establish your business name as the primary branding feature. What if your business name is less important than you think? Developing a catchy slogan seems to be an important step in branding? What if your site visitor is mostly interest in what you do or what you have to offer? In some ways the best ideas for web branding turn the tables of ... Web Branding: Nobody’s Perfect – And That’s Good Web branding is antithetical to the notion of perfection. Sometimes the best web branding advice is to let your humanity leak onto the web page. Life’s messy and perfection is not a trait known to mankind. If you make a mistake admit it, laugh about it, make fun of it, allow others to comment on it – in the process you will find prospects looking at your website or blog with an appreciation for the voice of common humanity. So many businesses rely on a level of perfecti... Web Branding Letting Your Humanity Shine Through It wasn’t so long ago that advertising was mostly filled with unrealistic scenarios that attempted to convince the buying public that a better life was available if they were just willing to purchase a product. You could be better looking, have a better home, enjoy greater friendships and never gain weight if you simply used an advertised product. Of course this was never stated, but was often inferred. This type of advertising is less prevalent today. The question may be ... What Is Web Branding Anyway? The whole idea behind web branding will find several differing viewpoints. For some experts the basis of web branding is a means of identifying your site by providing an image association. This is typically accomplished through a logo that is used liberally on your site as well as through all forms of advertising. This viewpoint is valid, but may be better understood as impressions. This would be the number of occasions that a person is exposed to your brand. There is a... Achieving Ebook Goals You have researched a topic and believe there is enough material to provide readers with a compelling reason to desire the information. The topic is universal in scope or is a niche idea with plenty of potential customers. In either case you discover you only have one problem; you don’t know how to write. I’ve touched on this idea in other articles, but I wanted to dedicate an article to the use of freelance writers to aid in the completion of your visionary idea. The e... Ebooks Meeting The Demand Do you have a hobby? Have you learned how to master a particular program or video game? Can you put together a step-by-step guide to help others gain similar understanding of the process? If you answered yes to any of the above questions you might have the beginnings of a home-based business. People are consistently looking for ways to make money using a variety of software products or through an understanding of online auction houses. Dozens of ebooks have been develop... Video Streaming: Three Methods – One Choice If you’ve visited websites with video streaming you will likely find there are three separate means of accessing the video presentation. These three methods rely on separate technologies to accomplish a similar goal, but each method has a slightly different effect on your prospect. 1) Progressive Download This method provides a combination of methods to present your video stream. It downloads the video file, but can begin to play the video before it is fully downloaded.... The Future Of Podcasting We think of podcasting as a means of conveying audio presentations. It is also used for presenting video. The applications for podcasting are continually being refined and the growth of future applications continue to evolve as well. A podcast in the future may be used by educational facilities to provide a full media presentation to students that allow interaction with technology and printed media. In essence podcasting could allow a student to use media as a learning too... Traffic Building: Integrity’s Impact The development of traffic building has everything to do with the use of fine surgical instruments that draw clean lines and expertly remove the debris from your presentation and design. Interestingly there are plenty of sites that would have you look to blunt force trauma as a primary method of traffic building. You could purchase lists from unknown third party sources and shoot off an email inviting these unknown prospects to give your site a try, however most of thos... Audio Streaming: Easily Captured There was a time when it was difficult to distribute audio effectively over the Internet because the software used for listening was hard to come by and hard drive space was limited. Today Internet users typically have three or more devices that can decode and play audio streams via the Internet. Further software applications can even allow that download stream to be captured for replay. Thousands of Internet only radio stations are available with thousands of additiona... Video Streaming: The Full Meal Deal The use of video streaming blends several complimenting media into one highly familiar media package. Your online customers are used to video presentations. In fact, they will tune into the Superbowl just to see the unique commercials. Many of those same commercials can be downloaded again online. Consumers are fascinated with clever and entertaining video. The advent of reality television may be an online marketers best friend. Entertainment consumers are conditioned to a... Affiliate Revenue: Client Relations When you develop a business that is ultimately released to other site owners in an affiliate program you can assist your affiliates by providing some tips on how to develop a customer base for your product. In the process you can help them improve their effectiveness in selling while enhancing your bottom line. The use of an ‘affiliate member’ area on your site can help your affiliates understand you are willing to help them become successful. Some of the tips you may w... Affiliate Revenue Develop A Franchise When your online business becomes established you may consider the development of an affiliate program for other businesses to capitalize on your success. There are many online businesses that utilize affiliate programs to meet a specific need they have in their company. You will pay a residual for every purchase derived from your affiliate websites, but this cost is often much less than other advertising techniques aimed at delivering customers to your site. By develop... Affiliate Revenue: Residuals One way that aspiring netrepreneurs can learn if an idea for an online business has merit is to begin by ‘selling’ information on the web. For a minimum investment a site can be developed that simply provides information. Essentially you will be marketing information. Test Development 1) Selected a product or service you are interested in selling. 2) Write informational articles about the product or service, if this is not possible use free-to-use articles to increas... Site Promotion: Experts Welcome The use of newsgroups or specific forums may have benefit to site promotion. While it may seem that you are wasting time by interacting with people who may never visit your website, the truth is the expertise you can provide is generally welcome by many forum owners and visitors. By helping other forum members gain clarity on the use of a product or service you effectively become an ambassador for the product you carry. I can almost hear you asking, “How does this bene... List Building: 101 The process of list building may best be defined as a worldwide Rolodex. You have information to share, but it’s hard to let people know about it if your ‘Rolodex’ is empty. List building is the process of gathering email addresses for the purpose of sending information, offers and other marketing information to clients and potential customers. It might be tempting to gather all the email addresses you have in your email account and place them on a list to receive your ... Domain Names: So Many To Choose From The use of multiple domains is something that many online businesses are happily participating in. You may wonder why someone would go to the added expense of purchasing additional domain names they may not even use. From a marketing standpoint there are three solid reasons why ‘the more - the merrier’ is a concept that may make sense when it comes to the acquisition of domain names. 1. Misspellings and Confused Destinations If the title of your domain contains words... Ezines And Ingenuity Even on a limited budget it is possible to create an ezine for your customers that is informational, well developed and on task in the area of marketing. In a perfect world individuals who have a complete understanding of how to write, edit and customize an ezine would develop every ezine. Since we don’t live in a perfect world it may be important to review services that can assist you in the development of your ezine at a price you can afford. There are experts in virt... Ezines And Customer Respect The primary purpose of an electronic magazine (ezine) is to market a product or service. OK, there, I’ve said it. If you are an Internet ‘publisher’ you want people to come to your site to see what you have or to fund the process by visiting advertisers. If you are an online ‘business’ you want to develop a comprehensive opt-in ezine that presents compelling information that in turn results in sales from an ‘informed’ customer base. When an ezine publisher pushes... Email Marketing: Customer Respect “There is something to be said for reader exhaustion.” – Dana Blankenhorn Responsible email marketing remains a positive in developing your online business. The primary difficulty for legitimate business has everything to do with negative spam practices. This scourge has caused many email users to be wary of incoming emails. Unless they are very familiar with you even opt-in customers may view your email with either a bit of hostility of apathy. In one case they resent you... Website Basics: Taking Your Templature The use of template designs in website creation can be an important way to speed up the process while maintaining a quality website design. This can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost of ‘reinventing the wheel’ of site design. One of the myths of site design is that it needs to be 100% unique. The truth is a template can generally be customized in such a way as to be perceived as something altogether new. Site design can borrow from the successes of today’s site ... PPC Advertising: The Maximum Minimum Pay Per Click (PC) advertising places you in the driver’s seat when it comes to advertising. It is truly one of the most cost effective means of advertising on the Internet. PPC also provides the opportunity to recast your advertising in a very short period of time. Minimum Words = Maximum Impact It is often much easier to write more words than it is to boil down your thoughts into one small phrase. With PPC advertising you need to learn the skill of condensing. Some... The Basics Of Web Design: Gimmicks Don’t Sell Some website developers make the mistake of believing their visitors are stupid. Now, they may not say it directly, but they allow visitors to come to that conclusion every day. Some ecommerce websites want your business so badly they reprogram the back button on their site to bring pop-up advertisements to your screen without actually sending you to a previous page. In most cases you need to eliminate the page completely and start your Internet program again just to have ... Ecommerce Basics: Three Things To Avoid When you decide to put your ecommerce website together there are a few mistakes that are easy to make, yet easy to avoid. While the list is rather lengthy we will look at three of the most important. 1. Contact Us Because of the instantaneous nature of the Internet it is important to place relevant contact information either on each individual page or have one easy link from each page to your contact information. It may be important to utilize a call service and i... Life Experience In An Ebook As you become an expert in the field of business you are immersing yourself on the web. The use an eBook is a great way to pass along your expertise and forge a link with your customers. S. Truett Cathy is the brainchild behind the successful food chain Chick-fil-A. His success has taken him to numerous places and provided a wealth of life experience. In the case of Mr. Cathy he has taken his expertise in business and life and provided customers with a tangible way to lear... Web Design: A Three Second Impression "We find that Web sites have three seconds to make an impression." - Jeff Rosenblum, Questus According to a 2005 report on holiday shopping conducted by Questus, it was web design and function that held the most meaning to online visitors. Roger Park in a report based on those findings said, “70 percent of online shoppers consider web design as a key role in 2005 online holiday spending.” The report went on to say, “Over 30 percent of online shoppers cited navigation, t... Website Design: Welcome The White Space Individuals who are new to website development will often compartmentalize the web page and fill every available space with either text or graphics. After all, why shouldn’t you maximize the site design by including as much information as possible? There seems to be an underlying fear that if there is ‘white space’ the website will look incomplete. The term white space is a common term in publishing. For instance when a newspaper is developing an advertisement they will se... Ecommerce: Shopping For A Shopping Solution The specifics of ecommerce can require a learning curve that many are reluctant to tackle. Perhaps that's why many brick and mortar stores have not entered the world of online marketing. It is possible to look at ecommerce and consider the things you might need and lose heart. You take a look at some of the items you need such as site design, hosting, shopping cart, autoresponders, search engine registration and a laundry list of other services and you wonder how in the wo... Ecommerce Site Design: Tell Me What You Really Think Site design is a primary determinant in online shopping. If your site looks dated or relies on inferior site design methodology it may be the reason your sales have not grown. Perhaps existing customers are used to the site, but what about new prospects? What impression do they have of your site? What would compel them to come back? Take some time to research your competitor's websites. What seems to work on their site? What have they done really well? How does this inform... Ecommerce: Have Cart - Will Shop In order for you to sell products or services online you will need a shopping cart application to facilitate ecommerce. While your customers simply want a way to make a purchase if they are interested in your product you will have already considered tough choices. For Instance... If you want a full solution for invoicing, statements, receipts and company financial history there are solutions that cover all of this with an application for a shopping cart that is tied to ... Online Security Begins At Home It is important to make sure the computer you use to access your online ecommerce site is secure. Too often a site owner takes great care to ensure the security of the site itself and may fail to take precautions to protect his or her own computer. If your website is not secure you may have difficulty accessing information, processing orders and securely accessing your own website. Most netrepreneurs will place password protections on their ecommerce site to deter hacke... SSL: Site Security And Privacy Netscape began using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) in 1994 as a means of sending sensitive data over the web. The newer edition of the service is called Transport Layer Security (TLS), although even this is routinely known by the SSL designation. Before the introduction of SSL it was difficult to ensure privacy over the web in online transactions. There was a general distrust of the ability to conduct online transactions and a fear that an individual’s credit card information ... SEO: No Perfect World In the best case scenario the model of SEO would provide business with a fair shake in search engine rankings while giving visitors the opportunity to find legitimate information on your site. In a perfect world, search engines would give you altered ranking status within 24 hours of site submission information instead of two months or more. It would be a good day if every facet of SEO were clearly understood in a three-step outline or through a book called, “SEO for th... Tripping SEO Traps The contract arrived and read in part, "A keyword density of 10 percent in required." The writer who had originally agreed to craft an article based on a keyword let out a low whistle as a mental image of the finished product assaulted his good sense. In a five hundred word article this would mean the keyword would be used fifty times. That's not bad if the keyword is 'the', but for a product keyword or phrase this is called 'keyword stuffing'. The practice is not limited ... SEO Software And You The thought of fully optimizing your website through SEO principles may seem an impossible task, especially so for the beginning netrepreneur, but it can be achieved. While it's possible to learn the skills needed to construct a fully optimized site there may be SEO software that may assist you in reaching your objective more quickly. The use of a quality SEO software application can also provide a means of sidestepping some of the pitfalls many online businesses discover whe... Online Marketing Success Stories Buffalo, Oklahoma is a town with about 1,200 residents. If most people know anything about Buffalo it is mostly as a place to stop between locations they feel are more important. When the elementary school closed down in a consolidation move the town sat looking at an aging elementary school building and another reminder that perhaps an economic boom would never pass their way again. This is until Faye LaMunyon; a long-time resident of the area suggested the town sell the ... Seven Tips For Online Business Success In the fall of 2006, Business Week Online reported that a New York Jewelry store named “American Pearl” added an online store to their brick and mortar storefront in 1997. This may not be news, but what happened in the years since they launched into ecommerce is nothing short of astounding. Following the addition of online sales the growth of the company increased 20% annually. By the fall of 2006, more than three quarters of their business was conducted online with annual... Hidden Html And The Keywords They Love If you have a website that is not performing well it is possible that you have selected keywords or phrases that are too general. When you choose an all-encompassing keyword or phrase you have to understand there is significant competition for the same broad term. To set your website apart you may need to look into the possibility of become much more specific about describing your product in keyword phrasing. For instance if you sell sweatshirts, you may want to choose ... SEO And Title Tags While most search engines do not use Meta Tags as a means of determining placement in their overall rankings of similar websites the proper use of Title Tags should take some careful thought. For those interested in your product or service the title tag is often the first impression a consumer has about your website. A title tag is generally only 80 characters or less in length. Usually the title tag is approached by website owners as an after thought. By optimizing your t... SEO And Meta Tags: No More Foolin’ When an online marketer is designing and setting up web pages they may use a Meta information to allow search engines to gain an understanding of what their website or web page is designed to do for visitors. Once upon a time in the land of Cyber it was believed that a Meta Tag could be the silver bullet that allowed you to gain high rankings in search engines. The fairy tale has gone away, but the Meta Tag Fable remains. What is a Meta Tag? A Meta Tag is invisible t... Site Development: Extreme Online Marketing The key component to the web's best sites is ‘content’. These netrepreneurs understand the need to provide a professional site that is well developed, informational and error-free. For top websites quality content is essential. If you have a pit in your stomach as you try to come to terms with how you might develop content for your site there may be a solution. In the world of online marketing you have to consider the end goal. Once the goal is established, you can eith... Autoresponders: Laying The Groundwork Autoresponder software has become a meaningful tool in plowing fertile soil for a marketing harvest. The whole notion of autoresponders has grown beyond a simple means of connecting with anyone who seeks to get in touch by email. One area of autoresponder growth that may be worth mentioning is a web-page autoresponder. In this scenario a webpage is developed that will list various free informational products you have available. Your visitor can check the appropriate box an... The E-Course And The Autoresponder Autoresponders are used as a means of promptly connecting with anyone that responds to your site. This is done at the very basic level by placing an autoresponder on all email received. However, this principle also applies to all sales made from your website. One unique approach to the utilization of autoresponders is the virtually hands-free approach to providing an educational series of articles about your product or an e-course about your service or the concepts behind ... Autoresponders 101 A difficulty that standard brick and mortar stores face is in providing follow-up to their customers. When you make a purchase a normal retailer your contact information might be used to send sales flyers or an invitation to a customer only event. There is very little personal contact with the customer although a growing number of these stores may ask for email address or other contact information to alert you to upcoming events. With online marketing this scenario is quic... Ezines: For Those Who Are Interested If you were to spend some of your valuable time searching the Internet you would find ezines for virtually every conceivable interest. Individuals who have explored the world on online marketing have come to see ezines as a productive tool in client connectivity. One of the primary reasons ezines are viewed with enthusiasm is that the subscriber base are opt-in members. In other words, the people you send the ezine to have asked you to send them your cyber publication. ... In Terms Of Meaning The world of online marketing may often seem to be speaking en entirely different language. Let’s work at demystifying some of the terminology. Disintermediation Have you ever heard of the term ‘disintermediation’? In online marketing this is a term that is an indication that the company providing the product for sale is doing so in a factory direct fashion. The elimination of a middleman allows for reduced costs and effective distribution. First-mover Advantage T... Objectives And Obstacles: Online Marketing “Do not make the mistake of treating the Internet as if it is simply an advertising medium. The Web has more in common with the telephone than print.” – Peter DeLegge The Internet is a means that many use to communicate everyday. Unlike the phone, the Internet ads a visual sense of communication and allows for the spread of consumer-based information. Because the premise of the Internet is communication website owners need to ensure a level of interactivity with visitors. ... Agree To Be Spam-Free Spending on commercial email ballooned to $7.3 billion in 2005 from $164 million in 1999.” - Jupiter Communications The use of email is an important tool in maintaining positive client relationships. Some emails are sent individually and personally, however some are sent in bulk and that’s when difficulties show up for business interests. Many simply mass email systems are immediately sent to many spam folders. The truth is very few people take the time to review the em... Spam Blockers: Unique Challenge For Business “Under no circumstances will I ever purchase anything offered to me as the result of an unsolicited e-mail message. Nor will I forward chain letters, petitions, mass mailings, or virus warnings to large numbers of others. This is my contribution to the survival of the online community.” — Roger Ebert The use of email has the potential to eliminate much of the costs associated with sending correspondence through regular mail. Invoices can be sent by email speeding up the pa... Hacking: An Inside Job? "Leaving your Web applications insecure makes no more sense than building a brick wall but using a gate made from chain link fencing." – James Gaskin Whenever the President of the United States travels anywhere there are numerous individuals charged with making sure the President is secure and unharmed from attack. This is the premise behind Internet security. The work you have done on your site is the product of valuable time and energy. For some business owners the websi... Using RSS: When It’s Ok To Keep Up With The Jonses “Peer pressure has many redeeming qualities. It is the pressure of our peers, after all, that gives us the support to try things we otherwise wouldn't have.” - Bill Treasurer Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds have a feeling of being en vogue. You know, the type of feeling that has you jumping into the river just because your friends are. The kind of thing your mother warned you about. The truth is RSS feeds are sweeping the Internet community, but for reasons far gr... RSS: 101 You don't have to look far to find the initials RSS on many of your favorite websites. Maybe you see the term "RSS Feed" and wonder if this is a special agricultural product for livestock or possibly something you'd purchase at an electronics shop. The initials RSS actually stand for ‘Really Simply Syndication’. Some in the technical field also use the initials to correlate with ‘Rich Site Summary’ or ‘RDF Site Summary’. No matter what you call it, RSS is a means of red... Business Forums And Online Marketing As an individual with an interest in online marketing you are looking for a comprehensive plan to assist in your long-term objectives. I have taken an anonymous quote and reconfigured it below to help you gain a better perspective on using marketing to your advantage, Imagine there is a circus coming to town and you are seeking to find ways to promote the event and encourage people to take advantage of it. ADVERTISING: You paint a sign that indicates the time and locati... RSS Integration: Personalized Online Marketing As with most online marketing strategies there is a link between the various facets of marketing. For example there is a compatibility link between a business blog (b-blog) and a forum board. There is also a link between a b-blog and a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed. Allow customers to decide what is most important. By using an RSS feed in conjunction with your b-blog you are extending a courtesy to your valued customers. They can choose to be ‘fed’ blog entries t... Developing A Business Forum: Focus And Function “Communication--the human connection--is the key to personal and career success.” - Paul J. Meyer It doesn’t take long to discover the incredible diversity in online forums. Some forums are saturated in Google Adsense and other advertising banners. Some are virtually ad-free. Many private forums are visited because they are very welcoming and you gain a positive sense of community when you visit. Another style of forum that is routinely visited is ones that seem to foll... A Business Forum: Customer Experts “If you make a product good enough, even though you live in the depths of the forest the public will make a path to your door, says the philosopher. But if you want the public in sufficient numbers, you would better construct a highway.” - William Randolph Hearst One way many enterprising business owners are finding to construct that highway is through the use of an online forum. If you have clients who can create a buzz about your product there is likely to be more intere... Blogs And Forums: A Two-Pronged Approach When discussing online marketing there is the inevitable comparison between a Business Blog (b-blog) and an online forum. The feeling is that the two serve essentially the same purpose and it is a simple matter of defining which approach may be best for your company. The comparison between these two approaches is something like comparing apples and oranges. They are both fruit, but that’s about the sum total of their similarities. B-Blogs A b-blog is designed to allo... B-Blogs: A Business Prerequisite “How does business change when everyone is a potential publisher? A vast new stretch of the information world opens up.” – Stephen Baker and Heather Green As a Business Blogger (b-blogger) you do not need to reinvent the wheel and you don’t even need to be an especially gifted writer. Simple software solutions are available to allow you to blog with confidence even if you feel technologically challenged. Link and Click One of the principal benefits of blogging is you... Blogging: Effective Marketing Weblogs, or “blogs” were introduced in 1997. As with most new technology the initial users of blogs were those gifted in the field of technology. The growth of blogging began as the user interface became more simplified requiring no knowledge of HTML or other specialized coding. Today blogging is used for personal as well as business applications. In the domain of business blogging (B-Blogging) many businesses are seeing the value of a b-blog and are allowing key person... B-Blogs And Customer Connectivity Do you have a business blog? Do you have a goal in mind for what you’d like to accomplish with your blog? Do you have topics you won’t discuss in your blog? Sometimes referred to as b-blogs, a business weblog can be a vital link to existing customers and prospective clients. Many of the best b-blogs provide visitors with a look at the… 1. Company represented. 2. Individual heading that company. 3. News that affects the company and its customers. 4. Links that may ... Yahoo!-It – Reach High Rankings With Your Website In Yahoo! In terms of relevancy Yahoo! is the number one search engine, while Google leads the market in terms of popularity. The question is: could you optimize for both? It depends… Keyword Optimization One of the major differences between Yahoo! and Google is the keyword density tolerance. Google tolerates a maximum of 3% keyword density while Yahoo! around 5-6%. Now, the question is: are you going to ignore Google and start optimizing for Yahoo!? If you go over the 3% keyw... The Open Directory Project - Your Key To Google's Heart Let’s start it simple: www.dmoz.org Now, if I am lucky, you either didn’t click the link or you did but you came back here to read my article. Either way, you want to know why is the Open Directory Project so important for your website and Google. According to Wikipedia®, "The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from directory.mozilla.org, its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links owned by Netscape that is ... Disturbing Web Trends: Ugliness Sells? Isn’t it annoying when your online competitor gets more traffic and makes more sales than you do even though their website is ugly? Your website is stunning so how can this happen? Well, it’s not necessarily the beauty of a site that sells. There is a disturbing web trend that seems to indicate that “ugliness sells”. Is it really the ugliness that sells? Not quite. Let’s make it clear: you don’t need the most wonderful website ever to make people trust you. You don’t ne... Boost Traffic With Linking Strategies Optimizing your website for high ranking on the SERP is a step by step process. Great content, SEO optimized pages and an amazing website layout are not enough to bring traffic. Being on the Web means being a part of the Web and not an isolated entity. Google places no importance on solitary websites. To get Google’s attention and increase traffic, you need solid linking strategies. However, it is not only Google you should consider when you collect links. All other search en... SEO With Google Sitemaps You need SEO for your website, and you’ve done all your homework: keyword research, keyword optimization, onsite SEO (META tags, alt tags, keyword rich content, etc), offsite SEO (linking strategies: articles, press releases, blogs, forums, directories), advertising and so on. There is one more thing you need to complete your efforts: SEO with Google Sitemaps. First of all you should know what a Google Sitemap is not: a guarantee of getting high ranks in the Google search ... What Do You Want To Pay Today? Pay Per Click Overview In the sphere of advanced Pay Per Click (PPC) strategies it is possible to compartmentalize your tactics to enhance overall performance while minimizing costs. What that means is you can decide how you want to use Pay Per Click and when you want to use it. Pay per Click is a feature of two companies, Overture and Google Adwords. These firms allow you to bid on targeted advertising. The more money you are willing to spend in PPC advertising the more often your advertisem... Pay Per Click: Casting Seeds A man, half a world away, is searching for a very specific item and isn't having much success. However, as he uses his favorite search engine he finds links to a similar product that he had never considered. When he clicks on that advertising link the owner of the website he is transferred to must pay for his arrival. You see, in the world of Pay Per Click (PPC) an individual web user is the active decision maker in what the advertiser must pay in advertising. To addres... In Step With The Click In online marketing it is imperative to understand that the customer is always in charge of an online purchase. On the web there is no long travel times and no parking spot too far away. A web customer can come and go quickly. If they don't like your price or product they can remove you from their thinking in a few thoughtless clicks. Because there are so many choices a revolutionary system was developed that allows your marketing dollars to go significantly further while ... Online Marketing: A Path Of Most Persistence “Wisdom is knowing what path to take next. Integrity is taking it.” - Robyn Elpruhzlein The field of online marketing is a diamond with many facets – the trick is finding the right sparkle on a well-traveled path. Marketing your website An important tool is Search Engine Optimization. This is typically done through a targeted use of keywords or phrases that visitors may likely use when conducting an online search. By going directly to the source (in this case Google)... Keyword Density Keywords… always keywords! It’s amazing how much of a headache they can be. You spend hours and hours researching, planning, making lists, and calculating keyword density, for what? To be successful online, to reach those high SERPs all webmasters and online entrepreneurs dream about: to be number one. You are ready to pay the price; you are ready to choose a company that promises you top ten results guaranteed. Guess what? There are no warranties; there is no keyword secr... Web Branding Matters – Part Two Brands grow in time. They appear over night but they can die as fast if you fail to address at least four of the crucial aspects of the branding process: 1. You need to understand your clients, their needs and the market. When you write about your products don’t write something like “buy this product because it is good”. Write “this product is good because…” and start naming its features. And ask yourself: is this product really necessary? 2. Reinforce your brand with o... Web Branding Matters – Part One There is a new concept in branding: online branding. If you want to know exactly what that means, you only have to take the traditional definitions of branding and adapt them to the Web. Then you’ll get a simple definition: online branding makes your visitors believe that you are the only answer to their problems. Every business has a brand; so don’t go around saying “I don’t need a brand”. You have a business, the business has a name, and you’ve created a website, so… wel... SEO And Equilibrium For Google And Msn Google is the leading search engine but not the only search engine. Search engines like Yahoo, MSN, Ask and so on are also important. Although Google, followed by Yahoo!, is the global player on the search engine scene, MSN, owned by the giant Microsoft Corporation has a small role in the search engine market. However, MSN could become serious competition. Microsoft is a power. MSN search is already built into the home version of Windows XP and many users search with it. Who ... Go For Keywords-Add Value To Your Website! So, what are keywords anyway? Little wonders if you really want to know. They are as important for the success of your website as the advertising and other promotional means. No keywords, no SERP. Linking strategy is probably the most important SEO technique, but keywords follow closely. As a mater of fact, you could exchange as many links as you wish, but, without content, your website has no real value. Without keywords your website cannot be found. People use keywords t... Designing For Web Browsers Web design is always a challenge: new web browsers make website owners to turn to web designers to redesign their web pages; different web browsers display websites in different ways, leading to the same problem: redesign. This is costly, needs time and if the job is not done right, the release of a new web browser may lead to the same trouble. Moreover: a non-standard-compliant website is not a user friendly website (obviously!) and it might damage your business, by driving ... Web Design And Navigation As people “browse” the Web, they “land” on a page and “navigate” on a website. To find their way around they need a “navigation” system. Navigation is as important for web design as for a real life drive: when you drive on a new road you want to see clear marked destinations, exits and parking lots. You want to know where you are and where you go. So do your visitors. Fail to provide a clear road map and they will go back to where they came from. Navigation should be clear an... Writing Web Content Professional writers find it hard to read web content. Not because web content lacks quality, but because it lacks literary style. Obviously writing for the printed media and writing for the web are two different matters. There are not too many people ready to give up the morning newspaper for the, let’s say, “morning e-zine”, but more and more users browse the web looking for information, news and entertainment. It’s easier to follow a story in the printed media than onli... How To Get People To Trust Your Online Business You cannot have a successful business if you fail to inspire trust. People are very cautious when it comes to purchasing services and products online. They even feel threatened by giving away personal data (email address, phone numbers, company address, name). If you want visitors to become clients you have to show them you are running a serious business. Use the following techniques to build a trustworthy relationship with your potential clients: Always display a clear pr... Use Forums To Generate Traffic There are plenty free tools you could employ to generate more traffic to your website. While the novice at Internet marketing will use traffic exchange sites or buy traffic, the experts will advise you not to opt for such methods. You’ll hear from many SEO advisors: write articles, blog, post in forums. I suppose it’s clear how writing articles and blogging can help: you target a specific audience with high interest topics. People are going to read your articles and blog p... A Guide To Website Promotion – Part Three Let’s take a look at what you’ve learned so far: search engine strategies, building links, and promoting your website through traditional media and emails. While search engines, emails and linking strategies are usually free, traditional media needs a special budget. If you have a good budget for website promotion, here are some online strategies you might want to consider: 5. Online Paid Advertising Strategies If you want your online business to bring you rapid results... A Guide To Website Promotion – Part Two Now that you are familiar with the most important search engines and linking strategies, you should not ignore other promotion tools that will enhance your website promotion efforts. 3. Traditional Media Strategies Website promotion should be a mix of online and offline strategies. Traditional media tools apply successfully to increase traffic and get more visitors. Promote your website URL on business cards, stationery and company documents. Don’t ignore the impo... A Guide To Website Promotion – Part One A great deal has been written about website promotion, yet many businesses fail in attaining visible results: increasing traffic, getting more clients and so on. Why? Because many online entrepreneurs do not exploit the proper website promotion tools at their fullest. Here is a list of website promotion strategies you need to consider if you want a successful online business. 1. Search Engines Strategies Probably the most important website promotion strategy is to ra... How To Create A Successful Blog Nowadays it’s almost unfashionable for an online entrepreneur to not have a blog or two. Since the web abounds of personal blogs, informational blogs, art and poetry blogs, and so on, a business blog has to compete against all of the above-mentioned and business blogs for a high ranking in the search engine results pages. For a blog to be successful it needs to be well written, frequently updated, well designed and honest. A business blog needs to focus on a target and dis... Web Design – Is It An Art? Web design is an art. There’s no question about that. The question is: how many websites designed by real web designers are out there? With the amount of crap that purely invades the Internet and suffocates the users nowadays, there are serious reasons to doubt that web design is an art in its own right. So called web designers create terrible made for AdSense sites, or those awful personal pages that have nothing to say. But the Internet is a World and you should expect t... Web Design And The Psychology Of Colors Web design is not an easy task, especially if what you need is to create a business website in plain HTML, with a very simple layout, easy to navigate, fast loading and, above all, distinctive. To reach this purpose web designers don’t have too many options. Typically all they can do is blend colors harmoniously to create an appealing website that combines attributes of simplicity and logic while providing valuable content. It is therefore important for any designer to kno... Building A Successful Website In 10 Easy Steps So why do you want a website? Would you like to create a personal page to tell the world who you are and what you dream for? Or maybe you have a large family, with members living in different parts of the world and you’d like to keep the family together at least online. What about making a living online or promoting your business? No matter the reasons, here are a few tips that will help you create a professional website. 1. Design a website focused on a particular topic a... The Basics Of Website Design When you are on the Internet, you cruise websites for certain kinds of information. You may know of a website that you are familiar with, or you may have to type in a keyword, to find the website that you need. No matter what website you find, the premise is the same, you find information on it and your browser displays this information. How does your browser know what to display? It goes by code. Your browser was created to recognize HTML (HyperText Markup Language). This is... SEO For Flash Websites-is It Possible? If there is one tool to create astonishing websites, that’s Macromedia Flash. However, it is not that easy to learn and is difficult to use. But the results are incredible: web pages that mesmerize us with special effects, including image and sound, animations that make us feel like we are in a theatre, interactive applications and so much more. Inexperienced online entrepreneurs ask web design companies to create Flash websites. Many of these firms are indeed able to desi... Contextual Advertising - A Better Way To Advertise? If you run a business you must advertise. It doesn’t matter what size business you have, you must advertise to let others know what you are selling. Advertising is what gets people to your website or to your door. This is the only way you can make money with your business. As a matter of fact, advertising is so important, that companies allocate a huge amount of their budget toward advertising and marketing. They may use many ways to get their product to the eyes and ears ...
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