Written on 05.51 by jenny
How do you plan to use your website?
Some business owners plan to use their website to acquire customers or generate leads and expect it to act as a 24/7 sales person. Other business owners plan to use their website as more of a secondary marketing tool, a place to send prospects after they have made contact through a face-to-face meeting or a phone call. Either way, your website is going to account for a percentage of your annual budget.
If you plan to use your site as a secondary marketing tool, then you may only need a static website. Static websites are usually under 15 pages and do not include a content management system. It is like an online brochure. You will want it to have a polished, professional look because it does represent your business, but you may not need any interactive features. It is simply a place prospective customers can go to learn more about your business and decide if they wish to contact you. Make sure that the graphics and colors are impressive and that you have the right look and feel because your site could be the determining factor in your prospective customer deciding to go with you or not.
If you plan to use your website as a primary marketing tool, then obviously you will want to allocate a greater percentage of your advertising budget towards it. You will probably want some interactive features such as a contact form or a search feature which will make the cost of your site go up, but if you plan to use your site as a marketing tool, you must invest the money to get it right, otherwise you will convert very few visitors into customers.
How much to spend on marketing?
You will also want to allocate a portion of your budget for marketing. Many business owners are still under the impression that simply building a website is enough to start generating business online. This is not true unless you happen to be in an extremely niche market with few competitors. For everyone else, showing up high in the search engine results requires an investment of time and money.
It is important when starting out, to properly allocate your web design and marketing budget. If for example, you have a $10,000 budget for the first year, you don’t want to spend $1,000 on your website and the other $9,000 on advertising because you will probably have a low conversion rate. If you’re going to spend money sending people to your website, you want it to represent your business well and for that, you won’t want to scrimp on the design. On the other hand, you cannot spend all your money on the design and not have any left for marketing.
How to divide up your online advertising budget
A good way to determine how to carve up your web design and advertising budget is based on how long you’ve been in business and how you’re planning to use your site.
If you are an established business looking for a website redesign, then you will want to spend more on the marketing than on the website, approximately a 70/30 split. If it’s a new business, you will want it to be more evenly split, approximately 50/50. For a business that relies solely on the website for its income, such as an ecommerce site with no brick and mortar storefront, an a little less on the marketing and more on the website. Approximately a 40/60 split would be reasonable.
Choosing a designer
When you contact a designer to create your website, make sure they take the time to sit down with you and get to know you and your business. You will want someone who understands how you plan to use your website. After all, you don’t need an expensive custom-designed site with a plethora of interactive features if you’re planning to use your site as an online brochure. If you plan to use your site as a primary marketing tool, then it needs to have all the necessary features to convert prospects into customers.
Posted in
internet
|
Written on 05.50 by jenny
Eventually every small-business owner realizes that they will need a website for their business, but figuring out where to start can be a challenge. Just understanding the technical lingo and all the options can be confusing, but with the right preparation you can have an impressive and easy to maintain website for your small business in no time.
Check the competition
The first place to start on your website project is to look at some competitor websites in your industry. You will want to know what your potential customers will comparing you to. You will also want to find out what the standard is for your industry in terms of the number of pages, the type of information and the general look and feel. If for example, your competitors have large sites and many interactive features then you will want your site be comparable, but if your competitors have small simple sites, then you know that you won't need lots of bells and whistles.
Prepare your information
Before you meet with your web designer, gather some examples of competitor websites that you like. List what it is that you like and dislike about those sites. If you have any pamphlets or brochures for your business, have those ready for your designer as well. Choose some colors or have an idea of some color schemes that you like and if you have won any professional awards or have any important professional affiliations, put that information together because you will probably want to feature that on your website.
Do you need a content management system?
One important decision that you need to make about your website is whether or not you are going to need a content management system. Content management systems are typically used on larger sites, to control text, video, pictures etc. A content management system allows you to easily change and update the information on your site. This is useful for a website on which, for example staff photos and bios are added often or a newsletter archive is maintained.
If you anticipate making many changes on your website, a content management system can save you time and money. With a content management system, the owner of the site can make the changes as needed, without having to wait for a web designer or webmaster to make the changes for them. This can be a very important feature because it allows you to keep your website current at all times so you're making the best possible presentation to your customer. It can save you money because you will not have to pay your web designer to make the updates for you.
Typically, a website that is more than 15 pages would be a good candidate for a content management system. The more information you have on your website the greater the chances are that you are going to need to keep that information updated. If your website is less than 15 pages, you probably will not need a content management system.
WordPress as a content management system for small business
WordPress is popular as a content management system for small businesses for several reasons. One it is that it is relatively easy to use. You do not need to be versed in HTML or any other programming language to handle WordPress. There are also many training videos and materials available on the Internet and also a number of plug-ins so that you can customize the software for your needs. WordPress is also useful for blogging which can help to keep your website information up to date. If you would like to show up higher in the search results, then WordPress is a good choice for that as well. Google has stated that WordPress is one of the easiest systems to crawl so it can help you come up higher in the search engine results.
When you begin planning for your small business web site, start by checking competitor websites in your industry. This will give you an idea of approximately how many pages you will need as well as what type of features you will want on your site. Your goal will be to have your website look as good as, or better than your competitor’s.
By planning ahead and knowing what your potential customers will be comparing you with, deciding how large you want your site to be, and what type of features you will need, you will be equipped to get the best possible website for your small business.
Posted in
internet
|
Written on 05.49 by jenny
It is becoming more and more obvious to businesses that the best way to reach their target market
is through the internet. Gone are the days when a business owner can successfully trade without his or
her own website. Being "online" means businesses can reach more people in less time than any other
marketing mediums.
A lot of people assume that they need to spend thousands of dollars to get a website that will be good enough for their online home. However in this article we will show you how cheap web design can be both appropriate and effective to get you started.
One way to get your website designed at a low cost is to do it yourself, or get a friend or family member to design it for you. However despite the initial savings, this approach may well end up costing your business a lot more down the track! Doing it yourself means you waste precious time that could be spent working on your business, building relationships and doing actual work. Plus if you don't have a high degree of web design knowledge, you will end up with a website that looks amateurish and unprofessional.
Getting a friend or family member to design your site seems good on the surface. But again, they may be lacking skills and even if they are competent in the area, the fact they are doing it "cheap" means they will not be giving it as much commitment as someone who you are paying a proper rate to.
So how can you get cheap web design that is ideal for your business? The answer is to shop around and find the right web design firm. Big agencies are good to avoid because they have overhead costs such as rent, office supplies and ongoing wages. Finding a self-employed web designer who runs their own small business can be the best way to get a quality website designed at a low price. They usually work from home and have minimal overhead costs and usually are willing to reduce their fees in order to attract clients.
Some web site designers also offer professional templates that are already established. This allows them to develop the site faster and easier, thus passing the savings on to you. Make sure you look at the types of templates each web design firm offers, to ensure you will be happy with the final product.
Web design does not have to be expensive, but the way to save money is to shop smart. Finding a professional designer working for themselves or in a small firm, and using attractive professional templates can be an effective way to get your website online at the right price.
Posted in
internet
|
Written on 05.46 by jenny
"The Real Easy Way to Internet Writing"
Current mood: accomplished
In this report you will find "my" shortcut information and notes about Article Writing on the Internet.
First things first!
What are your goals? Do you want to write books, write short stories, or write articles?
Decisions, Decisions!
Most people go through a period of trying to decide what to write.
You may want to review products and write articles to promote those articles. If you decide to write articles read below and follow these simple instructions.
1. Become an affiliate for various programs, review products and to write articles about other peoples products and submit them to article site.
When someone buys the product from your article, you make money.
2. This is the fastest and cheapest way to internet income.
3. It can be started without spending a dime, other than your computer and an internet connection.
Should you choose article writing you may need a little help getting started.
Like finding the easiest ways to do the research and submit your articles to article sites.
The following is the simplest way that I know of to get started:
1. Go to my site thewebroad.net and download a free copy of easynoter lite (under free downloads) to keep record of your affiliate name & password and all other info you may need later.
This is the small version, later you may want to but the full version. But, the easynoter lite works just a good. Just a few more features in the Pro Version.
2. Next you will need to do is get a Paypal account (there is no charge for this). Go to paypal.com.
3. Then you will need to sign up for affiliate programs; such as Clickbank, CommissionJunction, PayDotCom, and RegNow.
And any others you would like to use (they are all free).
1.. My favorite for affiliate programs is Clickbank.
2. Then the fun begins, start your research for programs to promote through an online search.
There are many out there. Just type in affiliate programs.
Each of the affiliate programs offers their own product search ability.
You can use Clickbank for this, or any of the affiliate connections you have signed up for.
Notes:
· For my research I choose to use a free program called PinURL for Clickbank products.
I can see which programs offer the best conversion by affiliates, the commission percentage rates, and referred by affiliate’s information.
1. The higher the conversion rate is the more you will sell.
2. The higher the commission percentage the more you make.
3. The higher referred by affiliate percentage means that is how many of their sold products were referred by affiliates.
PinUrl.com also offers a URL shortening service.
1. That simply means it will make your long URL short and will also mask your affiliate links.
Masking your links in important so that your sales cannot be stolen by a dishonest affiliate.
2. If you choose to, you can add a tracking link to each link you use. Tracking links will let you know which of your ads (or articles) are making you money.
Using PinUrl pinurl click on the clickbank search link.
1. When using PinUrl first choose the sort options:
a. Conversions
b. Referred by affiliates
Next click on the link for each of the sites you are thinking about promoting.
1. Very carefully look at each of the sites that you are considering.
That way you can decide to promote the sites products (or not).
2. One of the deciding factors for me is if they offer a trial.
If they do, I can use the product for a while and make a wise decision as to how well they work.
Key: Make sure you believe in what you are promoting.
After doing all the research and approving the program, I sign up as an affiliate for the programs I want to promote.
Then I begin an article for the product using a professional version of an article writing software program.
1. One that allows you to search content for numerous similar products.
2. You then pick the sentences you would like to use and rewrite them in your own words.
3. You copy and paste. Then you change each and every sentence using your own words.
a. You can get a trial version of the professional writing program and use it as long as you want before buying the full version.
b. I always try everything before I buy, if it is available.
c. The trial version will not be as complete as a full version, but most are fully functional.
Once I think the article is pretty good, I start the submission process.
1. You can do a search for submission sites and submit manually.
a. There are free automatic submission products also.
b. You can get a trial version of a professional product as I did (also from my site) and use it as long as you like before purchasing the full version of the product.
Many article submission sites are already pre programmed in the submission software.
1. You will need to take the time to sign up for each of them that you wish to use and confirm your e-mail address.
2. This step will need to be done if you submit manually or with any of the submission software.
3. If they don’t know who you are you can’t submit to them.
As soon as you sign up at the submission site, put the information in your submission software.
1. Also put it in you easynoter just in case you have a problem with your computer. Your easynoter can be backed up daily so the info is always there.
2. The submission software will automatically fill the blanks in for you each time you start to submit to that site.
3. Then; it becomes automatic submission.
Just plug in the article, fill in the name blank, what category, and ZAP, your article goes out to many article directories.
People see it, read it, and buy from you, MONEY!
Notes:
Prior to learning these shortcuts, I spent hours and hours studying and researching before writing just one article or otherwise supporting the said product.
It did not have to be that hard.
A well-written article can get more visitors to buy products or services you support, thereby increasing your profits.
If your article is placed on the front page of an article-publishing website, your product or website will get maximum hits.
As you probably know by now, In order for products to be sold, it is necessary for trained & skilled individuals to research and write articles about the products.
YOU can write those articles!
Have you tried and failed, gave up and quit?
Started over another day as I did?
Or, are you still pounding away on your computer?
Then after reading the article you wrote, rewriting the article repeatedly before you consider it perfect.
Golly, were we ever doing it the hard way.
There are products that will help you write your article effectively by allowing you to search content for numerous similar products.
You then have the option of sending the results, one paragraph at a time, to another program to write you article from proven content.
All you have to do then is pick the sentences you would like to use and rewrite them in your own words.
Submission takes the longest, therefore it is wise to use a submission product, and you can use a free product to start with, or get the trial version of a profession product.
Fill in the blanks once and start submitting.
Using product like this you will discover the power of having your article and content indexed by search engines when it is published article submitter sites.
These article generation tools are used by article writers, website designers, publishing houses, Etc…
Posted in
internet
|
