by: Richard Legg
You can get a lot of website traffic without having to spend a lot of money. If you want to develop a busy and profitable website for your online business, there are a lot of techniques for getting website traffic without it being expensive. Some of these cheap website traffic techniques include article directories, SEO, blog posting and even forum posting.
Among these methods, one of the most practical and most effective is submitting articles to article directories. These articles should contain a link or two back to your own site, which can help you increase your site traffic from readers who may be interested in seeing more of what you’re offering. There are already several excellent article directories available for your submissions. As long as your articles remain in the directories you submitted them to, this method will be one of the best and cheapest ways to pull in traffic.
Using SEO, or search engine optimization, is another inexpensive yet very effective way for getting traffic to your website. By using proper search engine optimization, your articles and your website’s overall content will become more search engine friendly, as well as your website. Include your keyword in the domain name of the website that hosts your articles. Also include keywords in the first paragraphs of your pages, as well as the title of the page itself. These SEO techniques will help your site get better exposure with search engines, and your articles will rank higher on search results.
Blogging is now becoming more popular than ever before, and you should take full advantage of it. More and more online businessmen are using blogs to promote their products and services, and it just makes perfect sense to follow suit. There are several good blogging sites on the Internet that allow people to sign up and create a blogging account with them for free, such as Blogger or Wordpress. Create your blog and link your home page to it. Updating your blog regularly will allow it to become more relevant to search engines, and as a result, it will help to drive more traffic to your site. It would help a lot if your articles and posts contain the appropriate keywords.
Another inexpensive website traffic technique that you can use is to join and participate in forums. Finding a forum that is related to your website’s content is even better. You can then easily post discussions, answers, and even start threads that can be useful to other forum members. You can pull in traffic by making entertaining or informative posts, since you’ll develop a reputation for being an authority on certain subjects. And don’t forget to have a link to your site in your signature file or your member profile.
See? You can get a lot of website traffic without spending a lot of money, just by following these techniques. Remember, effective usage of relevant keywords in your posts and articles, proper SEO methods, article submissions, blogging, and forum posting can all become invaluable but inexpensive tools for driving traffic to your website.
Sabtu, 23 Agustus 2008
Magnetic Sponsoring Made Simple
by: bob spiro
MLM Traffic Formula Update
Welcome to all of the new friends and magnetic sponsoring bootcamp and video tutorial takers. We have a lot of info to share with you so here we go. Also, if you no longer wish to receive these updates, please reply with remove in the subjectline.
Since the launch of the new Magnetic Sponsoring III System, there have been some exciting updates you need to know. If you have already purchased the book Magnetic Sponsoring, congratulations on the first step to online success. There is a lot of valuable information in the book, and back office you will not want to miss! To set up your own system, simply go to http://getmagneticsponsoring.com and follow the directions.
Be sure to get your own domain names to use for all of the links I use godaddy.com.
You will need a capture page linked into an autoresponder to build your list and to automatically follow up with people in your pipeline. I use A weber..
Also, have you seen the new Building On A Budget Videos? More invaluable online marketing info, and by taking the course, you can now sign up as an affiliate for free! simply click here! This is a limited time only offer, so take action today.
The whole concept of using a funded proposal to have leads pay you to prospect them is simply good business. The objective is to have a rolodex full of Network Marketers who view you as a leader and a valuable resource center. Remember, MLM is all about relationship building.
You can always buy leads, chase family or friends, or learn how to generate them yourself.
I'me not suggesting if you have a good product that you don't share it with your warm market, cause we all need retail sales to keep us in business until our porimary business grows, but if you lead with it, you better have deep pockets. That is why selling generic MLM training and tools will keep you in the business long enough so that you get good enough to becoma an Alpha Networker....and have a ton of leads that will be calling you...
Here is an excerpt from the back office in Magnetic Sponsoring:
Marketing Tools And Resources
On This Page You'll Find Some Of Our Most Prized Resources For Marketing Online Along With Some Examples
Marketing online is by far the best way to build your business but the fact is, that it can be difficult at times. We'll help out in any way we can. The main thing is to stay consistent and keep pushing forward.
Use these resources as a guide, and be sure to put your own spin on things. Find what works for you and master it, then as that form of advertising is working for you, then go out and try other methods.
Note: Marketing online is in no way guaranteed. We're not responsible for any charges accrued from using this method.
Ezine Advertising
A great way to advertise and get your ad seen by as much as thousands is e-zine advertising. You'll want to use Top Sponsor and Solo ads only!
* To Get A Directory Of E-zines CLICK HERE * Ezines R Us CLICK HERE * Purchase A Solo Ad From Top Surfer CLICK HERE * Cheap Ezines CLICK HERE * MBP Advertising CLICK HERE!
Examples Of Top Sponsor And Solo Ads
(Use these as an example, change them as you see fit.)
Top Sponsor:
Discover how you can become the hunted instead of the hunter. Attract an endless stream of new distributors and customers to you, with credit card in hand ready to join. Say goodbye to chasing people down to join your business and actually make money from all the people who say "no" to your opportunity. Find out all the details in this Free Bootcamp series. http://whatisworking.net
Solo Ad:
Are you tired of not getting the results you want in your business? Tired of prospecting until you are blue in the face only to be left with an empty wallet?
What if I told you that there is a way for you to actually attract an endless stream of new distributors and customers directly to you with credit card in hand ready to join, and actually get paid from all the people who say "no" to your opportunity?
Would that peak your interest?
Well I'm here to tell you that the days of old school MLM tactics are dead. You can now learn to be the hunted instead of the hunter and have prospects chasing you down like you were fishing for them with one hundred dollar bills.
The fact is that you don't have to chase prospects, bug your family and friends, post fliers, hold hotel meetings, and spend way more money than you make.
There's a way for you to actually get paid to generate endless amounts of leads and actually have those leads ask you to join your business.
{Insert Your Personal Results Here. "I used these techniques and got X!"}
Stop spending more than you're making and start getting paid to prospect.
The best part of all of this is that you can learn all of these techniques now for free in this Boot Camp series. http://whatisworking.net
Become the hunted instead of the hunter and get paid to prospect!
Articles And Press Releases
Write Basic Articles and Press Releases about the product and what you got out of it, and submit them to these free web sites.
A good mindset to be in while creating an article or press release is to think of it as a testimonial. Explain about the power of the product and use specific examples on how it has been a benefit to you. You can also throw in some details on how the business has benefited you and why you think Magnetic Sponsoring is a must for everyone.
Be sure to use specific examples, because social proof is #1. Always leave your readers wanting more and the only way they can find out more info is to click on your capture page link. After all, that's the end goal from all advertisements, ato have them enter their information on your site.
Another great way to find specific articles and press release submission services is to do a search for "free article submission" or "free press releases" on Google.
Once you have an article or press release created and ready to submit, find 3 to 5 submission services to submit it to. Submit the same article or press release to all of them. This will ensure that you'll get your information seen in a natural search.
Don't write an article that's more than a page and a half long, or more than about 800 words. Keep your lines short and your paragraphs to no more than four sentences long. No one reads on the Internet, they just skim, so keeping your lines and paragraphs short will keep them reading and not skimming.
See the example of a press release/article below to get an idea of how to create one.
DO NOT pay for these services! By submitting your article to multiple services you get almost the same results for free.
* http://www.GoArticles.com
* http://www.ArticleCity.com
* http://www.PRWeb.com
* http://www.24-7PressRelease.com
* http://www.I-Newswire.com
Use The "Solo Ad" Example As A Guideline For Writing Articles And Press Releases.
Email And Forum Signatures
(Also Work Great For Classified Ad Postings)
2-Line Signature:
Become the hunted instead of the hunter. Actually get
paid to prospect. Free Video Series! http://whatisworking.net
3-Line Signature:
Get paid to generate leads and put new distributors into
your business. Become the hunted instead of the hunter.
Free Video Series! http://whatisworking.net
Examples Of Some Good Forums And Free Classified Sites.
Forums:
* http://www.WebmasterWorld.com/home.htm
* http://www.AbLake.net/forum
* http://www.entforum.CalTech.edu
* http://www.Entrepreneur-Web.com
* http://www.NJEF.org
* http://www.Webmaster-Talk.com
* http://www.CEOWebsites.com/forum
* http://www.WorldwideFreelancer.com/forums
* http://www.WebProWorld.com
* http://www.TraderOnlineForum.com
* http://www.SitePoint.com/forums
* http://MoneymakerGroup.com
* http://www.Work-At-Home-Business.info
* http://www.DollarFriend.com/forum
* http://www.Ryze.com/networks.php
* http://www.WebDeveloper.com/forum/
* http://www.entrepreneurs.About.com/mpboards.htm
Free Classified Ad Sites:
* http://www.Inetgiant.com
* http://www.WebPageClassifieds.com
Targeted Email Marketing
There are hundreds of places to advertise using targeted e-mail marketing. Here are a couple that are cheap and super effective in driving traffic to your sites. You can use the Solo ad template or write your own.
* http://www.E-mailPaysU.com
* http://www.CashMoneyEmail.com
Banners
* http://www.Google.com/adwords - If you have a Google Adwords campaign up and running, create a new "site targeted" campaign, and choose "image" advertising. Google will automatically place your banner ads on all web sites that are relevant to the keywords you select * http://www.WAHM.com - This web site gets BIG traffic and it's a great place to advertise. All of the ads on this site are auctioned off on ebay here.
* http://www.AdBrite.com - A VERY reputable company. You pay per thousand impressions.
* http://www.BannersGoMLM.com
* http://www.HomeBusinessMag.com/Banner_Ads.html
* http://www.MLMKnowHow.com/advertise
Click here to see the Magnetic Sponsoring banners
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
This is my personal #1 pick for lead generation. Once you learn how to advertise on Google, you'll never need to buy a lead again.
To learn how to use Google Adwords correctly, pick up a copy of Perry Marshall's book here. It's less than $50 and is the "definitive guide" to advertising on Google. Click here to Take 5 Days To Google AdWords Success Free.
* http://www.Google.com/adwords
* http://searchmarketing.Yahoo.com/srch/pricing.php
* https://adcenter.Microsoft.com
Examples Of Pay-Per-Click Ads:
You'll want to be creative when placing ads. You can use these, use a variation, or come up with your own.
(Company) Reps
Stop Wasting Money and Time on
Leads and Cold Calling. See How.
(Company) Reps
Stop Wasting Money and Time on
Leads and Cold Calling. Learn How.
Stop Buying Leads.
Create Endless Leads For Free.
Learn How Today Here.
Free Leads For (Company)
Create Endless Free Leads For
(Company). See How.
Prospecting Stinks
Stop Wasting Time and Money on
Leads and Cold Calling. See How.
Hate MLM Recruiting?
How to Sponsor Dozens Free With
Magnetic Sponsoring. See How.
Examples Of Keyword Categories:
Also be creative here as well. Use different company names, top recruiter's name, and different keywords that are relevant to the content contained in the Magnetic Sponsoring system and course.
* MLM
* Home Business
* Attraction Marketing
* Lead Generation
* Network Marketing
* MLM Training
* Magnetic Sponsoring
* Mike Dillard
* Downline Recruiting
* Prospecting
Helpful Tools When Building Your Campaigns:
* Free Keyword Suggestion Tool: CLICK HERE * Adwords Keyword Wrapper: CLICK HERE!
We love the system and have over 550 people that have come through it, and have generated $2300 in Magnetic Sponsoring and MLM Traffic Formula commissione so far. Add to that 671 friends from around the world in the last 70 days at Magnetic Sponsoring, and you have all the tools for success.
The whole concept of using a funded proposal to offer generic MLM training and tools has been used for years by top producers. You could always buy leads, and chase family and friends to build your business. We're not suggesting that if you have a great product or service that you should not work your warm market. We all need retail sales because that will keep us in the business long enough until we get good enough to become Alpha Networkers. It's just good business to have your advertising expenses covered by the sale of generic material. Mike's system puts it all together for you..
30 Years direct sales, 18 years network marketing.
MLM Traffic Formula Update
Welcome to all of the new friends and magnetic sponsoring bootcamp and video tutorial takers. We have a lot of info to share with you so here we go. Also, if you no longer wish to receive these updates, please reply with remove in the subjectline.
Since the launch of the new Magnetic Sponsoring III System, there have been some exciting updates you need to know. If you have already purchased the book Magnetic Sponsoring, congratulations on the first step to online success. There is a lot of valuable information in the book, and back office you will not want to miss! To set up your own system, simply go to http://getmagneticsponsoring.com and follow the directions.
Be sure to get your own domain names to use for all of the links I use godaddy.com.
You will need a capture page linked into an autoresponder to build your list and to automatically follow up with people in your pipeline. I use A weber..
Also, have you seen the new Building On A Budget Videos? More invaluable online marketing info, and by taking the course, you can now sign up as an affiliate for free! simply click here! This is a limited time only offer, so take action today.
The whole concept of using a funded proposal to have leads pay you to prospect them is simply good business. The objective is to have a rolodex full of Network Marketers who view you as a leader and a valuable resource center. Remember, MLM is all about relationship building.
You can always buy leads, chase family or friends, or learn how to generate them yourself.
I'me not suggesting if you have a good product that you don't share it with your warm market, cause we all need retail sales to keep us in business until our porimary business grows, but if you lead with it, you better have deep pockets. That is why selling generic MLM training and tools will keep you in the business long enough so that you get good enough to becoma an Alpha Networker....and have a ton of leads that will be calling you...
Here is an excerpt from the back office in Magnetic Sponsoring:
Marketing Tools And Resources
On This Page You'll Find Some Of Our Most Prized Resources For Marketing Online Along With Some Examples
Marketing online is by far the best way to build your business but the fact is, that it can be difficult at times. We'll help out in any way we can. The main thing is to stay consistent and keep pushing forward.
Use these resources as a guide, and be sure to put your own spin on things. Find what works for you and master it, then as that form of advertising is working for you, then go out and try other methods.
Note: Marketing online is in no way guaranteed. We're not responsible for any charges accrued from using this method.
Ezine Advertising
A great way to advertise and get your ad seen by as much as thousands is e-zine advertising. You'll want to use Top Sponsor and Solo ads only!
* To Get A Directory Of E-zines CLICK HERE * Ezines R Us CLICK HERE * Purchase A Solo Ad From Top Surfer CLICK HERE * Cheap Ezines CLICK HERE * MBP Advertising CLICK HERE!
Examples Of Top Sponsor And Solo Ads
(Use these as an example, change them as you see fit.)
Top Sponsor:
Discover how you can become the hunted instead of the hunter. Attract an endless stream of new distributors and customers to you, with credit card in hand ready to join. Say goodbye to chasing people down to join your business and actually make money from all the people who say "no" to your opportunity. Find out all the details in this Free Bootcamp series. http://whatisworking.net
Solo Ad:
Are you tired of not getting the results you want in your business? Tired of prospecting until you are blue in the face only to be left with an empty wallet?
What if I told you that there is a way for you to actually attract an endless stream of new distributors and customers directly to you with credit card in hand ready to join, and actually get paid from all the people who say "no" to your opportunity?
Would that peak your interest?
Well I'm here to tell you that the days of old school MLM tactics are dead. You can now learn to be the hunted instead of the hunter and have prospects chasing you down like you were fishing for them with one hundred dollar bills.
The fact is that you don't have to chase prospects, bug your family and friends, post fliers, hold hotel meetings, and spend way more money than you make.
There's a way for you to actually get paid to generate endless amounts of leads and actually have those leads ask you to join your business.
{Insert Your Personal Results Here. "I used these techniques and got X!"}
Stop spending more than you're making and start getting paid to prospect.
The best part of all of this is that you can learn all of these techniques now for free in this Boot Camp series. http://whatisworking.net
Become the hunted instead of the hunter and get paid to prospect!
Articles And Press Releases
Write Basic Articles and Press Releases about the product and what you got out of it, and submit them to these free web sites.
A good mindset to be in while creating an article or press release is to think of it as a testimonial. Explain about the power of the product and use specific examples on how it has been a benefit to you. You can also throw in some details on how the business has benefited you and why you think Magnetic Sponsoring is a must for everyone.
Be sure to use specific examples, because social proof is #1. Always leave your readers wanting more and the only way they can find out more info is to click on your capture page link. After all, that's the end goal from all advertisements, ato have them enter their information on your site.
Another great way to find specific articles and press release submission services is to do a search for "free article submission" or "free press releases" on Google.
Once you have an article or press release created and ready to submit, find 3 to 5 submission services to submit it to. Submit the same article or press release to all of them. This will ensure that you'll get your information seen in a natural search.
Don't write an article that's more than a page and a half long, or more than about 800 words. Keep your lines short and your paragraphs to no more than four sentences long. No one reads on the Internet, they just skim, so keeping your lines and paragraphs short will keep them reading and not skimming.
See the example of a press release/article below to get an idea of how to create one.
DO NOT pay for these services! By submitting your article to multiple services you get almost the same results for free.
* http://www.GoArticles.com
* http://www.ArticleCity.com
* http://www.PRWeb.com
* http://www.24-7PressRelease.com
* http://www.I-Newswire.com
Use The "Solo Ad" Example As A Guideline For Writing Articles And Press Releases.
Email And Forum Signatures
(Also Work Great For Classified Ad Postings)
2-Line Signature:
Become the hunted instead of the hunter. Actually get
paid to prospect. Free Video Series! http://whatisworking.net
3-Line Signature:
Get paid to generate leads and put new distributors into
your business. Become the hunted instead of the hunter.
Free Video Series! http://whatisworking.net
Examples Of Some Good Forums And Free Classified Sites.
Forums:
* http://www.WebmasterWorld.com/home.htm
* http://www.AbLake.net/forum
* http://www.entforum.CalTech.edu
* http://www.Entrepreneur-Web.com
* http://www.NJEF.org
* http://www.Webmaster-Talk.com
* http://www.CEOWebsites.com/forum
* http://www.WorldwideFreelancer.com/forums
* http://www.WebProWorld.com
* http://www.TraderOnlineForum.com
* http://www.SitePoint.com/forums
* http://MoneymakerGroup.com
* http://www.Work-At-Home-Business.info
* http://www.DollarFriend.com/forum
* http://www.Ryze.com/networks.php
* http://www.WebDeveloper.com/forum/
* http://www.entrepreneurs.About.com/mpboards.htm
Free Classified Ad Sites:
* http://www.Inetgiant.com
* http://www.WebPageClassifieds.com
Targeted Email Marketing
There are hundreds of places to advertise using targeted e-mail marketing. Here are a couple that are cheap and super effective in driving traffic to your sites. You can use the Solo ad template or write your own.
* http://www.E-mailPaysU.com
* http://www.CashMoneyEmail.com
Banners
* http://www.Google.com/adwords - If you have a Google Adwords campaign up and running, create a new "site targeted" campaign, and choose "image" advertising. Google will automatically place your banner ads on all web sites that are relevant to the keywords you select * http://www.WAHM.com - This web site gets BIG traffic and it's a great place to advertise. All of the ads on this site are auctioned off on ebay here.
* http://www.AdBrite.com - A VERY reputable company. You pay per thousand impressions.
* http://www.BannersGoMLM.com
* http://www.HomeBusinessMag.com/Banner_Ads.html
* http://www.MLMKnowHow.com/advertise
Click here to see the Magnetic Sponsoring banners
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
This is my personal #1 pick for lead generation. Once you learn how to advertise on Google, you'll never need to buy a lead again.
To learn how to use Google Adwords correctly, pick up a copy of Perry Marshall's book here. It's less than $50 and is the "definitive guide" to advertising on Google. Click here to Take 5 Days To Google AdWords Success Free.
* http://www.Google.com/adwords
* http://searchmarketing.Yahoo.com/srch/pricing.php
* https://adcenter.Microsoft.com
Examples Of Pay-Per-Click Ads:
You'll want to be creative when placing ads. You can use these, use a variation, or come up with your own.
(Company) Reps
Stop Wasting Money and Time on
Leads and Cold Calling. See How.
(Company) Reps
Stop Wasting Money and Time on
Leads and Cold Calling. Learn How.
Stop Buying Leads.
Create Endless Leads For Free.
Learn How Today Here.
Free Leads For (Company)
Create Endless Free Leads For
(Company). See How.
Prospecting Stinks
Stop Wasting Time and Money on
Leads and Cold Calling. See How.
Hate MLM Recruiting?
How to Sponsor Dozens Free With
Magnetic Sponsoring. See How.
Examples Of Keyword Categories:
Also be creative here as well. Use different company names, top recruiter's name, and different keywords that are relevant to the content contained in the Magnetic Sponsoring system and course.
* MLM
* Home Business
* Attraction Marketing
* Lead Generation
* Network Marketing
* MLM Training
* Magnetic Sponsoring
* Mike Dillard
* Downline Recruiting
* Prospecting
Helpful Tools When Building Your Campaigns:
* Free Keyword Suggestion Tool: CLICK HERE * Adwords Keyword Wrapper: CLICK HERE!
We love the system and have over 550 people that have come through it, and have generated $2300 in Magnetic Sponsoring and MLM Traffic Formula commissione so far. Add to that 671 friends from around the world in the last 70 days at Magnetic Sponsoring, and you have all the tools for success.
The whole concept of using a funded proposal to offer generic MLM training and tools has been used for years by top producers. You could always buy leads, and chase family and friends to build your business. We're not suggesting that if you have a great product or service that you should not work your warm market. We all need retail sales because that will keep us in the business long enough until we get good enough to become Alpha Networkers. It's just good business to have your advertising expenses covered by the sale of generic material. Mike's system puts it all together for you..
30 Years direct sales, 18 years network marketing.
How To Increase Onsite Conversions - Leads, Sales, Etc.
by: Mike Van Bergen
A website that does not make conversions is a website that serves no business function. So let's talk about:
What a website conversion is and how you can increase conversions across your business website.
By way of definition, an "onsite conversion" takes place when somebody goes from being a website visitor to something else as well. For example, if a person visits your website and signs up for your email newsletter, an onsite conversion has taken place. The person has "converted" from a casual website visitor to a newsletter subscriber.
There are many kinds of conversions, and they differ from one website to another, and from one organization to the next:
• A non-profit website might seek donations or volunteer registrations. Those conversions are valuable to them.
• A service-related business like financing or consulting might seek website conversions of a different nature. Maybe they want people to sign up for a newsletter list or call to learn more. Those are valuable conversions for their business models.
• A product-based website like Amazon.com seeks one type of conversion above all else. They want people to purchase products, plain and simple. So that's the most important type of conversion for them.
Watch the “Website Conversion Analysis” Video
http://5star-inet.com/bbotrafficclub/sp/index.html
Increasing Conversions Across Your Website
So we have talked about the importance of onsite conversions, and how they are the end-product of your online marketing efforts. Now let's look at some of the ways you improve your onsite conversions to help grow your business.
1. Define Your Conversions in Advance
This might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised by how many deer-in-the-headlight expressions I get when I ask a business owner, "What are your top three conversion goals on this website?"
Some will scratch their heads and say, "To get customers, I guess." That's not a specific goal for website conversion. It's the end-goal of all marketing efforts, sure. But it's not a clearly defined conversion goal.
Other business owners have it figured out better. For example, they might say something like, "I want my visitors to do one of three things ... download our featured report from the home page, click on the chat button to get in touch with a representative, or contact us by phone or email."
Now we are getting somewhere! Before you can increase your conversion rates, you have to know what they are to begin with. And everyone in your organization who has a role in supporting those conversions needs to know what they are too (such as customer service folks).
2. Be Visible Online
People cannot contact you (or purchase your products, etc.) if they don't know you exist. So you must strive to make your business visible, online and off. Internet visibility is a big part of this. After all, the more visible you are online, the more likely people will be to find you.
But there are other ways to increase your visibility as well. You can publish articles in your local newspaper, syndicate articles and press releases online, be active in your community, conduct free seminars, and many other aspects of PR. Visibility and awareness are the first steps to generating website leads and sales.
3. Increase Usability Across Your Website
Website usability is crucial to making onsite conversions. The two concepts are inseparable, because if a person can't use your website, you have no chance to connect with them or to make a sale. You don't have the luxury of personally guiding them through your website -- they are completely on their own.
Site menus and organization are two key areas where many websites falter. A poorly organized website is a website that will always suffer from low conversion rates. And the opposite is true as well. A well organized website with sensible navigation is a fundamental step toward stronger conversions.
4. Minimize Distractions Across Your Website
This is another element of website usability, but it deserves special focus. On a business website, the goal is usually to lead visitors down a certain path. You can't control where people will go or what they will click on, but you can at least offer your preferred path and make it easy to follow.
But when you overload your web pages with too many items, you end up dividing the reader's attention, creating unneeded distraction, and increasing the likelihood visitors will leave your website altogether.
Visit your home page and ask yourself, what is the most desirable action you want people to take? What is the second most desirable action? From a visual standpoint, does the placement and prominence of these two paths support their importance? Or do they battle for attention with a dozen other distractions?
5. State (and Restate) the Value of Each Conversion Point
In marketing, there is a direct correlation between value and response. If you want people to take a certain action on your website, you have to convey the value of that action. In other words, tell people what they get out of it. It's a simple rule to remember. If you want action, you have to explain the reason and value behind the action.
Instead of saying, "Click here to join our newsletter," say something like this: "Join our newsletter for exclusive offers you won't find anywhere else, plus a wealth of monthly tips and advice!"
Watch the “Website Conversion Analysis” Video
http://5star-inet.com/bbotrafficclub/sp/index.html
6. Increase Traffic to Website Conversion Points
Want the opportunity to convert more visitors into customers? Then just increase the amount of website visitors you get. Once you have some lead-generation and sales-generation techniques in place, you want to get as much qualified traffic to those conversion points as possible.
The first step is to increase your overall website traffic. The second step is to increase your traffic to specific pages of your website (your purchase page, your download page, your contact page ... in short, your conversion pages). You can do this by making your conversion points / pages more prominent and easy to find. See the following items for tips on doing this!
7. Increase the Prominence of Conversion Points
Once you've defined your conversion points (see item #1 above), you should try to make them visible from every page of your website. Put them into the main menu, right up near the top. Create eye-catching graphics to showcase them. Put them "above the fold" across all of your web pages.
8. Minimize Website Attrition
Marketing attrition refers to the number of people who do not take the actions you want them to take along the path to conversion. At each step in the marketing process, you stand to lose some people. You could also refer to this as "drop-off." The higher the attrition rates, the less successful the marketing program.
The good news is, each point of attrition can be improved -- that is, you can minimize the number of people who "drop off" at each step of the way. For example, by improving your website's usability and content, you can minimize the number of people who leave your site due to not finding what they're after. This is just one of many ways you could reduce the level of attrition in this particular marketing scenario.
My goal here is simply to get you thinking about marketing attrition and the various ways you might reduce it on your business website and blog. Less attrition equals more business. How's that for motivation?
9. Increase the Interactivity of Your Website
The more ways people have to interact with your website, the better your chances of converting them into customers. You can increase interactivity in a number of ways. And these days, there are all kinds of software products to make it extremely easy for you!
Here are a few examples of interactivity you could build into your website:
• Business blogs work great because readers can leave comments on ehe various blog posts. That's a form of interaction, and it's also the start of a dialogue that could lead to a sale.
• You could create some kind of Q&A forum on your website and grow your own Internet community. Forum software programs like VBulletin and phpBB make it achievable.
• You can also buy and install programs to help you create an interactive FAQ section of your website (also known as a "Knowledge Base"). Interspire's "Active KB" and Omnistar's "KBase" are two such programs.
• If you have customer support personnel, you could install a chat program on your website to encourage the all-important first contact from site visitors.
10. Overcome Skepticism / Encourage Trust
We are all naturally skeptical online. The reasons for this are obvious. The Internet can be an anonymous and scary place, used for deceitful purposes by everyone from con artists to pedophiles. Yikes!
Of course, these shady characters represent the minority (or so I'd like to believe). But it still poses a challenge you must consider in your online marketing program.
Take a look at your own website right now. What have you done to make the visitor comfortable in who you are? How have you demonstrated integrity? How have you encouraged trust and confidence?
Better yet, why not ask a half-dozen friends or colleagues to visit your website and navigate around like a potential customer would. Have them jot down on paper anything that makes them uncomfortable, uncertain, or just plain confused. Correct these things immediately, and keep them in mind through all of your Internet marketing endeavors.
A website that does not make conversions is a website that serves no business function. So let's talk about:
What a website conversion is and how you can increase conversions across your business website.
By way of definition, an "onsite conversion" takes place when somebody goes from being a website visitor to something else as well. For example, if a person visits your website and signs up for your email newsletter, an onsite conversion has taken place. The person has "converted" from a casual website visitor to a newsletter subscriber.
There are many kinds of conversions, and they differ from one website to another, and from one organization to the next:
• A non-profit website might seek donations or volunteer registrations. Those conversions are valuable to them.
• A service-related business like financing or consulting might seek website conversions of a different nature. Maybe they want people to sign up for a newsletter list or call to learn more. Those are valuable conversions for their business models.
• A product-based website like Amazon.com seeks one type of conversion above all else. They want people to purchase products, plain and simple. So that's the most important type of conversion for them.
Watch the “Website Conversion Analysis” Video
http://5star-inet.com/bbotrafficclub/sp/index.html
Increasing Conversions Across Your Website
So we have talked about the importance of onsite conversions, and how they are the end-product of your online marketing efforts. Now let's look at some of the ways you improve your onsite conversions to help grow your business.
1. Define Your Conversions in Advance
This might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised by how many deer-in-the-headlight expressions I get when I ask a business owner, "What are your top three conversion goals on this website?"
Some will scratch their heads and say, "To get customers, I guess." That's not a specific goal for website conversion. It's the end-goal of all marketing efforts, sure. But it's not a clearly defined conversion goal.
Other business owners have it figured out better. For example, they might say something like, "I want my visitors to do one of three things ... download our featured report from the home page, click on the chat button to get in touch with a representative, or contact us by phone or email."
Now we are getting somewhere! Before you can increase your conversion rates, you have to know what they are to begin with. And everyone in your organization who has a role in supporting those conversions needs to know what they are too (such as customer service folks).
2. Be Visible Online
People cannot contact you (or purchase your products, etc.) if they don't know you exist. So you must strive to make your business visible, online and off. Internet visibility is a big part of this. After all, the more visible you are online, the more likely people will be to find you.
But there are other ways to increase your visibility as well. You can publish articles in your local newspaper, syndicate articles and press releases online, be active in your community, conduct free seminars, and many other aspects of PR. Visibility and awareness are the first steps to generating website leads and sales.
3. Increase Usability Across Your Website
Website usability is crucial to making onsite conversions. The two concepts are inseparable, because if a person can't use your website, you have no chance to connect with them or to make a sale. You don't have the luxury of personally guiding them through your website -- they are completely on their own.
Site menus and organization are two key areas where many websites falter. A poorly organized website is a website that will always suffer from low conversion rates. And the opposite is true as well. A well organized website with sensible navigation is a fundamental step toward stronger conversions.
4. Minimize Distractions Across Your Website
This is another element of website usability, but it deserves special focus. On a business website, the goal is usually to lead visitors down a certain path. You can't control where people will go or what they will click on, but you can at least offer your preferred path and make it easy to follow.
But when you overload your web pages with too many items, you end up dividing the reader's attention, creating unneeded distraction, and increasing the likelihood visitors will leave your website altogether.
Visit your home page and ask yourself, what is the most desirable action you want people to take? What is the second most desirable action? From a visual standpoint, does the placement and prominence of these two paths support their importance? Or do they battle for attention with a dozen other distractions?
5. State (and Restate) the Value of Each Conversion Point
In marketing, there is a direct correlation between value and response. If you want people to take a certain action on your website, you have to convey the value of that action. In other words, tell people what they get out of it. It's a simple rule to remember. If you want action, you have to explain the reason and value behind the action.
Instead of saying, "Click here to join our newsletter," say something like this: "Join our newsletter for exclusive offers you won't find anywhere else, plus a wealth of monthly tips and advice!"
Watch the “Website Conversion Analysis” Video
http://5star-inet.com/bbotrafficclub/sp/index.html
6. Increase Traffic to Website Conversion Points
Want the opportunity to convert more visitors into customers? Then just increase the amount of website visitors you get. Once you have some lead-generation and sales-generation techniques in place, you want to get as much qualified traffic to those conversion points as possible.
The first step is to increase your overall website traffic. The second step is to increase your traffic to specific pages of your website (your purchase page, your download page, your contact page ... in short, your conversion pages). You can do this by making your conversion points / pages more prominent and easy to find. See the following items for tips on doing this!
7. Increase the Prominence of Conversion Points
Once you've defined your conversion points (see item #1 above), you should try to make them visible from every page of your website. Put them into the main menu, right up near the top. Create eye-catching graphics to showcase them. Put them "above the fold" across all of your web pages.
8. Minimize Website Attrition
Marketing attrition refers to the number of people who do not take the actions you want them to take along the path to conversion. At each step in the marketing process, you stand to lose some people. You could also refer to this as "drop-off." The higher the attrition rates, the less successful the marketing program.
The good news is, each point of attrition can be improved -- that is, you can minimize the number of people who "drop off" at each step of the way. For example, by improving your website's usability and content, you can minimize the number of people who leave your site due to not finding what they're after. This is just one of many ways you could reduce the level of attrition in this particular marketing scenario.
My goal here is simply to get you thinking about marketing attrition and the various ways you might reduce it on your business website and blog. Less attrition equals more business. How's that for motivation?
9. Increase the Interactivity of Your Website
The more ways people have to interact with your website, the better your chances of converting them into customers. You can increase interactivity in a number of ways. And these days, there are all kinds of software products to make it extremely easy for you!
Here are a few examples of interactivity you could build into your website:
• Business blogs work great because readers can leave comments on ehe various blog posts. That's a form of interaction, and it's also the start of a dialogue that could lead to a sale.
• You could create some kind of Q&A forum on your website and grow your own Internet community. Forum software programs like VBulletin and phpBB make it achievable.
• You can also buy and install programs to help you create an interactive FAQ section of your website (also known as a "Knowledge Base"). Interspire's "Active KB" and Omnistar's "KBase" are two such programs.
• If you have customer support personnel, you could install a chat program on your website to encourage the all-important first contact from site visitors.
10. Overcome Skepticism / Encourage Trust
We are all naturally skeptical online. The reasons for this are obvious. The Internet can be an anonymous and scary place, used for deceitful purposes by everyone from con artists to pedophiles. Yikes!
Of course, these shady characters represent the minority (or so I'd like to believe). But it still poses a challenge you must consider in your online marketing program.
Take a look at your own website right now. What have you done to make the visitor comfortable in who you are? How have you demonstrated integrity? How have you encouraged trust and confidence?
Better yet, why not ask a half-dozen friends or colleagues to visit your website and navigate around like a potential customer would. Have them jot down on paper anything that makes them uncomfortable, uncertain, or just plain confused. Correct these things immediately, and keep them in mind through all of your Internet marketing endeavors.
7 simple steps to Keyword Mastery & Search Engine Ranking
by: Dave James
Keyword Research has become an integral part of starting up your own business or growing your business (exponentially). Search engine marketing is here to stay for the long term, hence finding customers through keyword research should also be an integral part of your marketing.
Earlier, all you needed to do was to enter the description of your business in the title & meta tags and you were done with optimizing your web-site. Things have changed! And hence this article...
How does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) relate to keywords?
SEO is the process of increasing the number of visitors to your web-page by the careful and deliberate use of targeted keywords and their specific placements designed to get the page to show up on the top listing for such keywords. (SEO also includes other strategies not discussed here.)
TIP: Keyword Research is very useful to you when you decide to start a pay-per-click campaign to drive visitors to your website or increase revenue using adsense.
Here are the seven simple steps to keyword mastery that will cause your page to be indexed correctly by Search Engines and your link to be displayed at the very top on the search results page.
Step 1) Start with the most common words you use to describe your business(or your niche, if you operate in one). If you are in the automobile service business, you may have the following: Car Repair , Body Shop, Car Repair, New tires with car repair, Wax and Shine etc. If you actually have a niche business such as Jaguar Service And Repairs, then it becomes even more easier.
Step 2) Call your friend. Ask him how he would try to find your widget on a search engine if he lost your phone number and he wanted to look you up on the Internet. What if he forgot the name of your establishment? What if ....
Your perception of how people see you may be different from your customers' perception of you. Add these new words to the list.
Repeat this as many times as you can with different people.
Step 3) Find other words related to your original list. such as names of the brands. Lexus Repair, Lexus spare-parts, Honda kit, etc.
Mix and match keywords with your original list to find even more keywords.
Step 4) Go to google and run a search for your widget. See what keywords bring up your competition and what words do not. Add them to your list .
Step 5) Add plurals and common mis-spellings too.
Step 6) Figure out as to how often people search using each of the phrases you have identified in your list. You can use the google adwords tool for this purpose.
TIP: Use adwords tool to see how many people have searched for each of your phrases in the recent past. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal . This also suggest keywords you might want to use.
Step 7) Make sure your keywords are placed in the following locations on you web page: Page Title, Meta Keywords, Meta Description, Header Tags, Alternate Description for images, First Paragraph on the page, strong Tags, Em tags, Ordered and unordered lists, Anchor Tags, File names, Folder Names, Footer Tags, Any URLs and links in your pages.
Should I use many keywords in the same page?
Yes. Use as many keywords as it makes sense. Don't overdo it. If your content becomes just a keyword trash-bin, users will start skipping over it and the search engines will catch on pretty fast. So avoid using too many keywords where it does not make sense. It's best if you have multiple pages offering up different keywords.
One caveat. You need to be aware of 'Keyword density'. Sometimes, if your usage of keywords is too high, and it looks like you have placed too many keywords, the search engine may not give you the best ranking. "Sprinkling" is the key-word when it comes to using them on each page.
You should also be aware of negative keywords. These are keywords you need to use in your PPC(Pay-per-Click) text so as to make sure that people do not click your link expecting to get freebies.
e.g. If you said : "Self Clearning Widgets- $500 and up", you keep out the people who are looking for cheaper stuff.
Are phrases better than individual words?
Depends! If your customer is searching for self-cleaning widget, then you should use self-cleaning widget. If your customer is searching for just widget, and auto clean, you should use these words separately.
How often do I have to check my keywords?
As often as you can. Your customers react to various influences around them and search for different terms at different times. To be able to remain on top with a good ranking you need to keep on top of your keywords. Sometimes they react to an offer made by a competition and start searching for similar offers.
I know. You are saying:"But I don't have that much time to devote to just keyword research." That brings us to the next question.
Do I have to do it all by myself?
I have had many websites in the past few years. In the beginning I did everything manually the old fashioned way.
Lately I've found a few tools that help make life easier for me, though you could do it all by yourselves if you had the time and the tenacity(which I sorely lack). I suggest you find yourselves a tool to do the work for you.
I use Keyword Elite now, though I've used WordTracker in the past.
Pick 1: Keyword Elite tool : If you really plan to take your business to the next level, this is a great tool. From generating your own keyword lists, to analyzing pay-per-click listings, to studying your competition, this one accomplishes quite a bit. This tool works with Google, Yahoo,MSN, Ask etc. It will save you tons of hours of wasted time and effort. Also, I like the fact that it is multi-threaded(lots of more power.)
WebSite: http://www.elitekeyword.net
Pick 2 : WordTracker: Offers a free, 'lite' version, as well as a paid version. Features include an online management system for different keyword projects, searching for often misspelled words, a system to calculate your best keywords, and much more. WebSite:Wordtracker.com/FreeWordtracker
Pick 3 : WebCEO :From a free version to a $389/- version this company has various options available. For small business owners, the $199/- version would be suitable.Go for the $389/- version if you have multiple web-sites running and your business model is solely online. Web Site: http://www.webceo.com/cgi-bin/go/clickthru.cgi?id=linkflow
What next ?
Use keyword research to identify the most likely phrases for your business.
Master keyword research just like I outlined in this article and create a massive list of targeted keywords.
Make a list of the 5 most promising keyword phrases.
Head over to your favorite domain listing / hosting company (eg. http://www.GoDaddy.com) and see if you can buy that phrase in the .com domain.eg. Self-cleaning-Widgets.com
Point your existing website to this url. If you don't have an existing web-site, create your new website using all the keywords you identified.
Submit your site to the search engines.
Happy hunting!
Copyright (c) 2008 Dave James
Keyword Research has become an integral part of starting up your own business or growing your business (exponentially). Search engine marketing is here to stay for the long term, hence finding customers through keyword research should also be an integral part of your marketing.
Earlier, all you needed to do was to enter the description of your business in the title & meta tags and you were done with optimizing your web-site. Things have changed! And hence this article...
How does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) relate to keywords?
SEO is the process of increasing the number of visitors to your web-page by the careful and deliberate use of targeted keywords and their specific placements designed to get the page to show up on the top listing for such keywords. (SEO also includes other strategies not discussed here.)
TIP: Keyword Research is very useful to you when you decide to start a pay-per-click campaign to drive visitors to your website or increase revenue using adsense.
Here are the seven simple steps to keyword mastery that will cause your page to be indexed correctly by Search Engines and your link to be displayed at the very top on the search results page.
Step 1) Start with the most common words you use to describe your business(or your niche, if you operate in one). If you are in the automobile service business, you may have the following: Car Repair , Body Shop, Car Repair, New tires with car repair, Wax and Shine etc. If you actually have a niche business such as Jaguar Service And Repairs, then it becomes even more easier.
Step 2) Call your friend. Ask him how he would try to find your widget on a search engine if he lost your phone number and he wanted to look you up on the Internet. What if he forgot the name of your establishment? What if ....
Your perception of how people see you may be different from your customers' perception of you. Add these new words to the list.
Repeat this as many times as you can with different people.
Step 3) Find other words related to your original list. such as names of the brands. Lexus Repair, Lexus spare-parts, Honda kit, etc.
Mix and match keywords with your original list to find even more keywords.
Step 4) Go to google and run a search for your widget. See what keywords bring up your competition and what words do not. Add them to your list .
Step 5) Add plurals and common mis-spellings too.
Step 6) Figure out as to how often people search using each of the phrases you have identified in your list. You can use the google adwords tool for this purpose.
TIP: Use adwords tool to see how many people have searched for each of your phrases in the recent past. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal . This also suggest keywords you might want to use.
Step 7) Make sure your keywords are placed in the following locations on you web page: Page Title, Meta Keywords, Meta Description, Header Tags, Alternate Description for images, First Paragraph on the page, strong Tags, Em tags, Ordered and unordered lists, Anchor Tags, File names, Folder Names, Footer Tags, Any URLs and links in your pages.
Should I use many keywords in the same page?
Yes. Use as many keywords as it makes sense. Don't overdo it. If your content becomes just a keyword trash-bin, users will start skipping over it and the search engines will catch on pretty fast. So avoid using too many keywords where it does not make sense. It's best if you have multiple pages offering up different keywords.
One caveat. You need to be aware of 'Keyword density'. Sometimes, if your usage of keywords is too high, and it looks like you have placed too many keywords, the search engine may not give you the best ranking. "Sprinkling" is the key-word when it comes to using them on each page.
You should also be aware of negative keywords. These are keywords you need to use in your PPC(Pay-per-Click) text so as to make sure that people do not click your link expecting to get freebies.
e.g. If you said : "Self Clearning Widgets- $500 and up", you keep out the people who are looking for cheaper stuff.
Are phrases better than individual words?
Depends! If your customer is searching for self-cleaning widget, then you should use self-cleaning widget. If your customer is searching for just widget, and auto clean, you should use these words separately.
How often do I have to check my keywords?
As often as you can. Your customers react to various influences around them and search for different terms at different times. To be able to remain on top with a good ranking you need to keep on top of your keywords. Sometimes they react to an offer made by a competition and start searching for similar offers.
I know. You are saying:"But I don't have that much time to devote to just keyword research." That brings us to the next question.
Do I have to do it all by myself?
I have had many websites in the past few years. In the beginning I did everything manually the old fashioned way.
Lately I've found a few tools that help make life easier for me, though you could do it all by yourselves if you had the time and the tenacity(which I sorely lack). I suggest you find yourselves a tool to do the work for you.
I use Keyword Elite now, though I've used WordTracker in the past.
Pick 1: Keyword Elite tool : If you really plan to take your business to the next level, this is a great tool. From generating your own keyword lists, to analyzing pay-per-click listings, to studying your competition, this one accomplishes quite a bit. This tool works with Google, Yahoo,MSN, Ask etc. It will save you tons of hours of wasted time and effort. Also, I like the fact that it is multi-threaded(lots of more power.)
WebSite: http://www.elitekeyword.net
Pick 2 : WordTracker: Offers a free, 'lite' version, as well as a paid version. Features include an online management system for different keyword projects, searching for often misspelled words, a system to calculate your best keywords, and much more. WebSite:Wordtracker.com/FreeWordtracker
Pick 3 : WebCEO :From a free version to a $389/- version this company has various options available. For small business owners, the $199/- version would be suitable.Go for the $389/- version if you have multiple web-sites running and your business model is solely online. Web Site: http://www.webceo.com/cgi-bin/go/clickthru.cgi?id=linkflow
What next ?
Use keyword research to identify the most likely phrases for your business.
Master keyword research just like I outlined in this article and create a massive list of targeted keywords.
Make a list of the 5 most promising keyword phrases.
Head over to your favorite domain listing / hosting company (eg. http://www.GoDaddy.com) and see if you can buy that phrase in the .com domain.eg. Self-cleaning-Widgets.com
Point your existing website to this url. If you don't have an existing web-site, create your new website using all the keywords you identified.
Submit your site to the search engines.
Happy hunting!
Copyright (c) 2008 Dave James
I Am a Small Business Owner, So I Don't Need a Web site
by: Wendy Suto
[NOTE: This article was written in response to actual conversations between small business owners and our Web design and development firm.]
Hello. My name is Mr. Smallbiz Owner, and I own A Small Company in a smallville town USA. My shop has been in business for a number of years, at least since the 1990s. I have recently been approached by many representatives of Web design and development firms, trying to sell me on all the reasons as to why I, the small business owner of one shop in my local region, really needs a Web site in this day and age of the 21st century and how my small business cannot possibly survive any longer without a business Web site.
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the top 10 reasons why I as a small business owner do not need a Web site for my small business. Here are my simple explanations for why I feel the way that I do.
1. First, I have a solid client/customer base with good business relationships.
I don’t really need any more work; heck, I can’t even handle any more customers and I don’t want my business to grow in revenue anymore. My current customers provide me with all the work I will ever need. They aren’t going anywhere.
Besides, my current customers will never look at my Web site anyways; they know all there is know about me and my small business. All of them know we are here in smallville town USA. I don’t need anybody calling me because they saw my Web site online. I have more than enough residual income for my family to last one good year.
2. A Small Company will never be challenged by other competitors in my smallville town.
My small business is unique and nobody else does the same thing in this industry just like I do. Because A Small Company has been in this local area for so many years, we are known as the experts in our field and will always be known as the experts in the industry. We don’t need to learn anything new in our industry, because our industry hardly ever changes at all. Our customers will never go elsewhere to find other small businesses like us; they will always continue to go to us for their needs in this smallville town.
3. Word of mouth and referrals has always worked the best for me.
Our customers constantly refer their friends, relatives and colleagues over to us, and the potential customers that call me don’t even bother to ask me if I have a Web site. They usually ask me to mail them a brochure and a business card instead.
4. I am still in business today even though I do not own a Web site.
I am very confident I will continue to be in business for many years to come. No other competitors will move in or near me, and my nearest competitors are too far away for my customers to drive, so they would rather come shop with me, Mr. SmallBiz Owner, at A Small Company. My current customer base will always continue to shop at my small business only; they will never move away, never grow old and will never be without the need of my products or services.
5. I belong to several local professional business and networking organizations.
I am a member of my local chamber of commerce and the local Better Business Bureau and other business networking groups. All of the organizations I belong to provide me with enough leads on a daily or weekly basis, even though I have to pay an annual fee to remain a member of these groups. As a result of these memberships and affiliations, I will never have a need for a business Web site design. These organizations even help me with finding additional potential partnerships and professional alignments on a continual basis.
6. Most intelligent older people never look at Web sites anyways.
They are just too busy and could care less of the contents and images available on my Web site. They simply aren’t curious and the majority of people in the United States don’t own computers in their homes or offices to look A Small Company up online. They would rather spend the time out of their hectic lives to jump into a car, weave in and out of heavy traffic trying to find my small business in smallville town, look through the hundreds of similar products in my store, stand in our long lines to cash out when purchasing these products with their screaming kids by their sides and get back in their cars to head back home in equally heavy traffic. What if I don’t have what they need? Oh well. Let them just get back in their cars and spend more time driving around looking for that product elsewhere in smallville town. I don’t care about their business.
7. I already have a brochure I developed 5 years ago.
I still have plenty of other brochures left on my shelf at A Small Company, and it is still fairly up to date. In order to save myself money on advertising and marketing costs, I will first use these brochures up on my existing customers whenever they come into my store. When I eventually run out of brochures, I can always just use my printer to print our weekly specials in black and white ink; my customers don’t care about the presentation of my marketing materials anyways. Why would they care about my Web site presentation either?
8. Web design and development is just another way companies try to grab your hard-earned dollars.
Web design and development firms don’t care about me, Mr. SmallBiz Owner or my small business in smallville town. They are just trying to sell me a Web site by pushing false information about my local competitors and my industry, and using scare tactics to get me to buy into the whole Web site design concept. They keep trying to tell me what my prospects and customers need and expect out of me and A Small Company. I just chuckle and laugh it all off. To think that they know more about my customers than I do is absolutely absurd!
9. I am very visible in my local target market.
Everybody with whom I want to do business knows about me and A Small Company located in smallville town USA. They can easily find me through any of the millions of local yellow pages I pay a monthly fee for, because everybody who is anybody solely looks for any products and services in their local yellow pages. It is the latest and greatest piece of marketing and advertising ever created. It has a very high level return on investment, it is very affordable and I can easily track who finds me through the yellow pages.
10. Lastly, Web sites are strictly for large corporations that provide services and products throughout the United States or worldwide.
I only own one small business store in smallville town America; therefore, a Web site has too broad of a reach. Besides, why would I care about reaching potential customers across the United States? The local customers I have now will definitely provide me with more than enough income to support my family for many years to come. Should I ever decide to market to potential customers across America, I can always pay for classified ads in newspapers in all 50 states. Because I never surf the Internet, I am very confident my customers don’t either. The Internet is only comprised of kids and teenagers, and they are not my target market for my small business.
[NOTE: This article was written in response to actual conversations between small business owners and our Web design and development firm.]
Hello. My name is Mr. Smallbiz Owner, and I own A Small Company in a smallville town USA. My shop has been in business for a number of years, at least since the 1990s. I have recently been approached by many representatives of Web design and development firms, trying to sell me on all the reasons as to why I, the small business owner of one shop in my local region, really needs a Web site in this day and age of the 21st century and how my small business cannot possibly survive any longer without a business Web site.
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the top 10 reasons why I as a small business owner do not need a Web site for my small business. Here are my simple explanations for why I feel the way that I do.
1. First, I have a solid client/customer base with good business relationships.
I don’t really need any more work; heck, I can’t even handle any more customers and I don’t want my business to grow in revenue anymore. My current customers provide me with all the work I will ever need. They aren’t going anywhere.
Besides, my current customers will never look at my Web site anyways; they know all there is know about me and my small business. All of them know we are here in smallville town USA. I don’t need anybody calling me because they saw my Web site online. I have more than enough residual income for my family to last one good year.
2. A Small Company will never be challenged by other competitors in my smallville town.
My small business is unique and nobody else does the same thing in this industry just like I do. Because A Small Company has been in this local area for so many years, we are known as the experts in our field and will always be known as the experts in the industry. We don’t need to learn anything new in our industry, because our industry hardly ever changes at all. Our customers will never go elsewhere to find other small businesses like us; they will always continue to go to us for their needs in this smallville town.
3. Word of mouth and referrals has always worked the best for me.
Our customers constantly refer their friends, relatives and colleagues over to us, and the potential customers that call me don’t even bother to ask me if I have a Web site. They usually ask me to mail them a brochure and a business card instead.
4. I am still in business today even though I do not own a Web site.
I am very confident I will continue to be in business for many years to come. No other competitors will move in or near me, and my nearest competitors are too far away for my customers to drive, so they would rather come shop with me, Mr. SmallBiz Owner, at A Small Company. My current customer base will always continue to shop at my small business only; they will never move away, never grow old and will never be without the need of my products or services.
5. I belong to several local professional business and networking organizations.
I am a member of my local chamber of commerce and the local Better Business Bureau and other business networking groups. All of the organizations I belong to provide me with enough leads on a daily or weekly basis, even though I have to pay an annual fee to remain a member of these groups. As a result of these memberships and affiliations, I will never have a need for a business Web site design. These organizations even help me with finding additional potential partnerships and professional alignments on a continual basis.
6. Most intelligent older people never look at Web sites anyways.
They are just too busy and could care less of the contents and images available on my Web site. They simply aren’t curious and the majority of people in the United States don’t own computers in their homes or offices to look A Small Company up online. They would rather spend the time out of their hectic lives to jump into a car, weave in and out of heavy traffic trying to find my small business in smallville town, look through the hundreds of similar products in my store, stand in our long lines to cash out when purchasing these products with their screaming kids by their sides and get back in their cars to head back home in equally heavy traffic. What if I don’t have what they need? Oh well. Let them just get back in their cars and spend more time driving around looking for that product elsewhere in smallville town. I don’t care about their business.
7. I already have a brochure I developed 5 years ago.
I still have plenty of other brochures left on my shelf at A Small Company, and it is still fairly up to date. In order to save myself money on advertising and marketing costs, I will first use these brochures up on my existing customers whenever they come into my store. When I eventually run out of brochures, I can always just use my printer to print our weekly specials in black and white ink; my customers don’t care about the presentation of my marketing materials anyways. Why would they care about my Web site presentation either?
8. Web design and development is just another way companies try to grab your hard-earned dollars.
Web design and development firms don’t care about me, Mr. SmallBiz Owner or my small business in smallville town. They are just trying to sell me a Web site by pushing false information about my local competitors and my industry, and using scare tactics to get me to buy into the whole Web site design concept. They keep trying to tell me what my prospects and customers need and expect out of me and A Small Company. I just chuckle and laugh it all off. To think that they know more about my customers than I do is absolutely absurd!
9. I am very visible in my local target market.
Everybody with whom I want to do business knows about me and A Small Company located in smallville town USA. They can easily find me through any of the millions of local yellow pages I pay a monthly fee for, because everybody who is anybody solely looks for any products and services in their local yellow pages. It is the latest and greatest piece of marketing and advertising ever created. It has a very high level return on investment, it is very affordable and I can easily track who finds me through the yellow pages.
10. Lastly, Web sites are strictly for large corporations that provide services and products throughout the United States or worldwide.
I only own one small business store in smallville town America; therefore, a Web site has too broad of a reach. Besides, why would I care about reaching potential customers across the United States? The local customers I have now will definitely provide me with more than enough income to support my family for many years to come. Should I ever decide to market to potential customers across America, I can always pay for classified ads in newspapers in all 50 states. Because I never surf the Internet, I am very confident my customers don’t either. The Internet is only comprised of kids and teenagers, and they are not my target market for my small business.
What Are Pay Per Click Reports?
by: Derek Rogers
A pay per click report will inform you of how many visitors you have had to your website, what keyword they used to get there, and some monitor how long they were there. These reports can be daily, weekly, or monthly. There are free pay per click services however they do not give you all the information that you can get from a paid service.
Companies mainly use a monthly report on the traffic to their websites. In order to utilize the pay per click service to it’s utmost ability, they must report data from web marketing as well as other crucial information. This will allow the user to examine their marketing strategies to decide if they are working.
Some pay per click companies put a tracking code in your website to monitor sales. How many customers have signed in and what they are interested in is also tracked. Most will prepare a report that is easy to understand. It will contain information about the sales generated by the people using pay per click, visitor breakdown, and anything else they think is of particular interest to the website owner.
The benefits of using pay per click are invaluable to companies that want to use their website to generate more income for the company. With so many people having access to the internet, it is the number one way that customers seek and find the company that they want to use for their needs. These reports will allow you to see how well your company is doing by how many internet visitors you have each day.
One of the benefits of using a pay per click report is the tracking of keyword use. When advertising your business, keywords are used to direct traffic to your website. When you use pay per click the reports you get will show which keywords worked the best and which ones you need to replace. A good keyword will have more hits on it and the keywords with the least hits means you need to find another. By doing this you will know the difference.
The reports can show you how to optimise your initial web site page to get more visitors. There are certain items that people look for when going to a web page. With the reports from pay per click, the ones that work the best will be suggested so you can get the most from your website.
Pay per click reports can help you to know for sure how many people have logged into your website. It is the best way to be aware of just how well your advertising is doing. You could advertise in the newspaper, on a billboard, or by direct mail but how are you going to know the number of people who have seen your advertisement? Plain and simply, you are not.
By using pay per click you will know the exact number of visits to your website. This report will become an important tool to help you make the most of your web page and give you the knowledge you need to optimise the site you use for generating income.
A pay per click report will inform you of how many visitors you have had to your website, what keyword they used to get there, and some monitor how long they were there. These reports can be daily, weekly, or monthly. There are free pay per click services however they do not give you all the information that you can get from a paid service.
Companies mainly use a monthly report on the traffic to their websites. In order to utilize the pay per click service to it’s utmost ability, they must report data from web marketing as well as other crucial information. This will allow the user to examine their marketing strategies to decide if they are working.
Some pay per click companies put a tracking code in your website to monitor sales. How many customers have signed in and what they are interested in is also tracked. Most will prepare a report that is easy to understand. It will contain information about the sales generated by the people using pay per click, visitor breakdown, and anything else they think is of particular interest to the website owner.
The benefits of using pay per click are invaluable to companies that want to use their website to generate more income for the company. With so many people having access to the internet, it is the number one way that customers seek and find the company that they want to use for their needs. These reports will allow you to see how well your company is doing by how many internet visitors you have each day.
One of the benefits of using a pay per click report is the tracking of keyword use. When advertising your business, keywords are used to direct traffic to your website. When you use pay per click the reports you get will show which keywords worked the best and which ones you need to replace. A good keyword will have more hits on it and the keywords with the least hits means you need to find another. By doing this you will know the difference.
The reports can show you how to optimise your initial web site page to get more visitors. There are certain items that people look for when going to a web page. With the reports from pay per click, the ones that work the best will be suggested so you can get the most from your website.
Pay per click reports can help you to know for sure how many people have logged into your website. It is the best way to be aware of just how well your advertising is doing. You could advertise in the newspaper, on a billboard, or by direct mail but how are you going to know the number of people who have seen your advertisement? Plain and simply, you are not.
By using pay per click you will know the exact number of visits to your website. This report will become an important tool to help you make the most of your web page and give you the knowledge you need to optimise the site you use for generating income.
Your Checklist To Search Engine Optimisation Reports
by: Derek Rogers
The most important online marketing strategies that can help you be successful with optimizing your business on the web include building a plan, blogging, an email list, press releases, and much more. Be sure to have these items on your checklist and you will have an excellent and productive website for your business.
The first and most important strategy for optimizing your search engine for your website is to create a plan for your site and your business. You should determine all of the most important things. What are your goals for accomplishments with your site and who is your audience going to be? That is, what types of people do you believe will be interested in your products and what people do you believe you need to target that will continue to come back for more. You need to make a decision how you are going to make your website better than others, how it will stand out from the rest and grab the attention. All of these answers to these questions should be the base of your web plan to optimizing your website and they should be at the top of your checklist.
The next thing that you need to do for optimization of your website is to create a marketing plan that will work and get the word out about your business and your site. This includes writing press releases and getting them out to every contact that you have in the media. You should also post the press releases online to every place that will allow you to. In addition to writing press releases for your website, you should write extensive articles about your website, your company, your products, and more. These articles should contain important keywords that will take people back to your site. You should also include your website and company information in all of the articles including contact information if people have questions.
Creating a blog should also be on your checklist for total optimization. This is the one way you can have the keywords that you need for your site to be pulled up in search engines and remain at the top. You should start relevant conversations, add posts, and useful data to your blog and keep people coming back for more. If you are talking about a subject that is important to people they will discuss issues with you, in return, adding more keywords to your site. You should also get on other blogs across the Internet and talk about your website and your products in other blogs. This is good advertising for you also.
You should build a mailing list for optimizing your site. This can be done by determining who your audience is. Your email list may be created over time as people enter in their information and if they request to be on the list. It is important to respond to requests through email and to let the people that do come back know that you care about them as a customer. The best thing about email is that it is free and extremely helpful for your business.
Another way you can optimize your site is by offering incentives to people who visit your site. You can offer free stuff, discounts, and more. People often search the web just for free items and by doing this you are generating more traffic to your website.
There are many points you should add to your checklist when you are concerned about optimizing your website on the Internet for your business.
The most important online marketing strategies that can help you be successful with optimizing your business on the web include building a plan, blogging, an email list, press releases, and much more. Be sure to have these items on your checklist and you will have an excellent and productive website for your business.
The first and most important strategy for optimizing your search engine for your website is to create a plan for your site and your business. You should determine all of the most important things. What are your goals for accomplishments with your site and who is your audience going to be? That is, what types of people do you believe will be interested in your products and what people do you believe you need to target that will continue to come back for more. You need to make a decision how you are going to make your website better than others, how it will stand out from the rest and grab the attention. All of these answers to these questions should be the base of your web plan to optimizing your website and they should be at the top of your checklist.
The next thing that you need to do for optimization of your website is to create a marketing plan that will work and get the word out about your business and your site. This includes writing press releases and getting them out to every contact that you have in the media. You should also post the press releases online to every place that will allow you to. In addition to writing press releases for your website, you should write extensive articles about your website, your company, your products, and more. These articles should contain important keywords that will take people back to your site. You should also include your website and company information in all of the articles including contact information if people have questions.
Creating a blog should also be on your checklist for total optimization. This is the one way you can have the keywords that you need for your site to be pulled up in search engines and remain at the top. You should start relevant conversations, add posts, and useful data to your blog and keep people coming back for more. If you are talking about a subject that is important to people they will discuss issues with you, in return, adding more keywords to your site. You should also get on other blogs across the Internet and talk about your website and your products in other blogs. This is good advertising for you also.
You should build a mailing list for optimizing your site. This can be done by determining who your audience is. Your email list may be created over time as people enter in their information and if they request to be on the list. It is important to respond to requests through email and to let the people that do come back know that you care about them as a customer. The best thing about email is that it is free and extremely helpful for your business.
Another way you can optimize your site is by offering incentives to people who visit your site. You can offer free stuff, discounts, and more. People often search the web just for free items and by doing this you are generating more traffic to your website.
There are many points you should add to your checklist when you are concerned about optimizing your website on the Internet for your business.
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