Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

If you have a website, chances are you would like to increase
your traffic. Well, I have a few simple steps to make this
easier.

#1. Write related articles and post them directly on your
website for viewing. Make sure they are “search engine friendly”.

#2. Submit the same articles to places such as
www.goarticles.com and other free web publishing websites.

#3. Use an autoresponder to create a mailing list so people can
sign up and get the latest article automatically.

#4. Look at your website from your potential customers point of
view. Why should they buy from you? What can you offer that
others do not?

I have used all these tips to bring traffic to my 100+ websites,
and it works great. It takes a little more time, but it is worth
it!

Content is King! shout the search engines. That’s what the
search engines love. We also love the non-reciprocal links that
we get for our websites when our articles are published on other
peoples’ sites with our resource boxes dutifully appended below
them.

To create a well written article takes time and effort. We have
to get everything right: it has to be of relevance to the reader
in that subject field; it has to be well researched; all
spelling, punctuation and grammar must be correction; it has to
be a genuine contribution to that particular area of
specialization, and so interesting that the editor will jump at
the chance of publishing it. And, oh yes, all the right keywords
have to be there, of the right density and in the correct
proportions.

The well-crafted article must satisfy both the reader and the
bot; both the aesthetics of the eye and the strictures of the
code. So those of us who try and be at least a little bit
serious about things know that a second draft is always
necessary, and then a third. Then it’s best to sleep on it. Even
after that, we know that we have to forget about it for a few
days until we are able to come back to it again with a freshly
critical mind. You prune it and nurture it. You take off the
sharp edges and you tighten it up. If necessary you know when
you have to tear it up and start over again.

Only after we have got it absolutely right - and then after
spending many hours submitting to directories, editors of
ezines, article announcement sites and individual webmasters -
are we rewarded, perhaps, with those hard-won non-reciprocal
inbound live hyperlinks.

But wait. There seems to be a problem. It appears that an
increasing number of people are quite happy to simply copy and
paste our work onto their own sites without a link back. Or they
don’t bother to check if the link is ‘live’.

That would be bad enough. But there are other people who print
our articles and then don’t even bother to name the person who
wrote it.

But there’s far worse: those people who print our article and
then announce to the world that they wrote it themselves! Some
of those even have the temerity to add the copyright sign next
to their name!

I may be being a bit too harsh. Perhaps these people don’t
realize that they’re doing anything wrong. After all, the
Internet was originally conceived as ownerless and based upon
free and open source information. And I can think of nothing
more Public Domain, in fact or in spirit, than the World Wide
Web.

Yet just consider what it is these people are doing. They are
stealing other peoples’ work and passing it off as their own.
They are effectively also stealing the web traffic that goes
with it, the traffic that our labours should be rewarding our
websites with, and diverting it to their own. This is blatant
plagiarism. It just should not happen. Theft is theft, in
whatever medium.

I wrote an article a few months ago on Internet marketing for
small businesses. A search for the title of that article on
Google now returns 10,800 pages, so at least the title itself
has been reproduced that number of times and in that number of
different places. A search for a chunk of text from the middle
of the article returns 536 pages, which suggests that the
article text has been published in its entirety no fewer than
536 times. Great! So now I have 536 inbound links from that one
article! Wrong.

I looked at individual entries of the article and in a
surprising number of cases there were no backlinks at all. Also
surprising - and somewhat sickening - was the number of
individuals who wantonly attached their own names to my work.

I recently posted the same article to a fresh source of
publishers. I was astonished at the response of one editor of a
well-known directory who had rejected the article on the grounds
that it was not mine! She had seen the same piece on many other
websites under different names, she said, and it was not her
policy to publish work that had been produced using “cookie
cutter” techniques. I wrote back saying that it really was my
own work, citing the URL of SitePro News where it originally
aired as that day’s headline feature. She apologized and was
even good enough to supply me with a list of names of people and
sites who had published it as their own. I’m so tempted to
publish their names here (perhaps I will on my blog; so watch
out!) but have decided that discretion should rule. For the
moment, at least.

But I think there is a clear message here. The fashion for
article writing and publishing for content and backlinks is
going through the roof at the moment. It’s like a mini Internet
boom all of its own. And like any other boom it has attracted
its own inevitable pack of rat-racers, chancers, charlatans and
cheats; shysters who go for the shortcuts every time, while
remaining quite happy for other people to do their work for them.

For the record, the convention is this: distribute and publish
the article freely by all means. But it must be published in its
entirety and unedited, and MUST include the resource box with a
live hyperlink back to the author’s site (or wherever the author
wants, for that matter).

Hey, now even my lawyer understands!

Next time I will publish their names gleefully, and be damned.

In today’s technological era, you can’t afford not to have a
presence in cyberspace as there are an ever-increasing number of
people referring to the web as their major source of their
information and research. Without doubt, your website represents
a great opportunity to promote your properties for sale or to
rent, in addition to your business generally, to the whole wide
world.

This is a real “no brainer” - you must regularly update content
on your site and you need visitors.

To optimize the number of visitors to your website, you need to
promote your site with some, if not all of these strategies:-

1. Your web address should appear on all business stationery,
promotional material including your newsletter and all
advertising especially signage.

It also makes good sense to refer to your website in your on
hold and after business hours telephone messages.

2. You should ensure that you make mention of your web address
in all press releases, editorials or articles you write. Any
readers will then be able to check your agency out via your
website.

Similarly, if you have the good fortune to be interviewed on
radio, you should ask the interviewer to mention your web
address or you should drop it into the interview yourself - with
some subtlety, of course.

3. Incorporate your web and e-mail addresses in your e-mail
signature message. This may satisfy the curiosity of your e-mail
recipients and encourage them to check you out

You can also refer to specific properties or forthcoming
auctions in your e-mail signature message - however that’s
another story!

4. Include your web address in your ‘30 second networking
commercial’when you meet people and you have an opportunity to
talk about your business. Then make sure that you give them a
business card to reinforce the message.

5. The web address should be included with your logo and company
name on any business t shirts. The visibility with t shirts is
difficult to beat.

6. Similarly, staff name badges should incorporate the web
address on the name badge. Again this represents excellent
visibility.

7. When you are speaking in public, your speaker introduction
should include reference to your web address and, wherever
practicable, you should also refer to it in the course of your
presentation. You can achieve this objective without being
painfully obvious.

8. Some may believe that it’s crass, but there’s merit in
including your web address in your motor vehicle signwriting.
When you stuck in a long line of traffic, you never know who
will see your message and record it for posterity or later use.
Naturally, this could be a disadvantage if you’re caught
speeding, parked where you shouldn’t be or involved in a road
accident!

9. Establish reciprocal links with other websites that would
appeal to your clients, referrers and prospective clients.

10. Publish a newsletter and regularly include details of new
content, features and other changes to your web site.

You should allow visitors to sign up to receive an e-newsletter
on your web site - you’re sure to be pleasantly surprised by
their interest. The ability of the web site visitor to register
for an e-mail newsletter also allows you to collect information
regarding visitors.

There are rules in catalog designs that should be followed.
These rules are the foundation of what and what not to be done
as you go about these prints. Like some rules, they can also be
bended or broken depending upon the need and the process that it
is being done. It is important therefore to know first why these
rules are being done to be able to have a firm stand on why they
should be broken. The main objective of rules is to give
guidelines because these were effective ones for those who have
been there already. Better to see if they will first before
dumping them as ineffective.

Order forms are a must in catalogs. Before the internet became
famous, mailing was the only option that people have for
submitting their orders. The basic form used is the easy to fill
type and with an attached envelope. This gives people a little
convenience in the hassles of mailing order forms. With the
development of other means of communication like fax machines
and the internet, this mailing method is being reconsidered by
the companies and businesses. There may still be others that do
not have the convenience of modern technologies to work for them
so it is better to think first before eliminating these order
forms. Not using order forms can mean less expenses as the extra
sheets and most especially the envelopes are the ones that make
them that expensive. It is best to consider first the
possibility that the readers may still have the need for these
forms before totally eliminating them from the catalogs.

Consistent layouts work best. If you want to create a stable and
effective image, then consistency is the key to that. This ways
people would recognize the company instantly from the logos or
designs that it uses. But if every layout and design remains the
same, there is always the inclination for the readers to become
bored with the same things that they see all the time. Adding
creative and updating designs into these catalogs but not
actually removing the essence that it consistently represents
can do keep the peoples’ interest intact. Putting unexpected
surprises once in a while also can lighten and keep the
attention more.

These are just some rules in catalogs designs that are tried and
tested but needed some twisting when the need calls for it. The
focal point is to think what will work for the best first before
trying anything.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit
http://www.losangelesprintingservice.com

Salehoo: Wholesale Nautical Pewter Charms
Programs that sell wholesale items are known to pull your chain now and then. I have been scammed once before with a system that promised me all of these great things, only to find that I was chasing and looking other places to find what I wanted and needed. I just was not what I had expected. I have seen an upsurge in people looking to start profitable businesses on Ebay and are constantly turning to drop ship directories like Salehoo to source goods and have them delivered.

From the outset Salehoo has been constantly adding new suppliers and verifying them to provide a comprehensive database It is one of the few businesses where a substantial amount of money can be made from single sales. It is a one time membership fees and does not require to be renewed periodically

Salehoo Peanuts Snoopy Fleece Fabric Wholesalers:
Another good market for wholesale distribution is nutrition. Creating a wholesale business that focuses on nutritional supplements or gadgets is a clear winner as people are more interested than even in making sure that they are healthy and fit. And these kinds of items aren’t limited to nutritional stores anymore as well. Even your local gas station is now carrying the latest energy drinks so that travelers can get a little boost of energy. And you can make sure to cash in on that trend.

I’ve just heard they’ve made it half price to join but I’ve heard this offer ends very soon. These wholesalers and distributors have all been fully verified and are devoted to offering you nothing but top-quality merchandise. See Salehoo Review.

1. Many people are not getting good or complete advice. Often for example people don’t understand all the concepts of Internet Marketing and having a website so they simply pay to have a website developed. Often this website may look good but it falls far short in the area of being “search engine friendly”. This is typically because many businesses that deal with the web are very one track focused.

People need to get independent opinions from a knowledgeable person. Someone who doesn’t have a biased agenda. Most businesses have a product or service they try to push customers toward because they make a greater profit on these items.

Many businesses that deal with the internet can be narrowly focused on their one main niche. They may do webpage design and development and for their ease they either knowingly or not don’t consider other important attributes like optimizing the page for search engine placement.
Some example are weblinks in java scripts. Search engines don’t read these. Another example is the over use of images to display text on webpage. Search engines develop your webpages reputation based upon the words on the page. If the words are in images they can’t be read by the search engines. A simple test to search for words is in your internet browser click on Edit and then click on Find and search on any suspect words.

2. People put too much emphasis on their Company name in their website title. The title should be geared toward keywords, etc. They don’t take into account search engines and keywords and that starting out nobody is going to be searching on their Company Name.

3. People don’t wisely choose their keywords or market. Planning here is key - do some sample searches and see what comes up - who is your competition?

4. This is kind of a subset of number 3 above,- lack of adequate planning. I.E - What is the purpose of your webpage - is it to sell them right there or perhaps gather their information for further use?

5. People don’t either set up their website to collect names and leads (email list) or they just collect everyone’s name in one big box. For example if you have several categories of interest on your site try to collect the person’s email tied to their specific point of interest.

6. Over Targeting - I see this problem all the time. People have a small website and they try to over target every keyword remotely associated with their website on each individual page. Each individual webpage should be targeted as much as possible. A variation of this is people try to optimize their sales page for good search engine ranking. A much better approach is optimized pages, which direct people to their sales page.

7. And of course they do a any number of things that are not friendly with search engines. (Here are just a few examples)

Like using frame pages incorrectly.

You are hosting your Web site at a free Web space provider.

Your Web site has a low link popularity.

Bonus Tip: When requesting links from other websites vary the linking text (title) you provide them, so that the linking text coming to your site isn’t always the same. Think of it like this, in nature you would have a variance of linking texts. So if you do what is more natural, you should rank better with the search engines.

Nick A. James offers informative tips and information on nutrition, health and working from home. Get the Exclusive Free Report! -6 Steps to Simplify Your Life, Improve Your Health & Give You Dynamic Energy! His many years of Internet Marketing expertise puts him in unique position to help others starting a home business. For free advice, health blog, and cutting edge info contact him at: http://www.health-goji-juice.com

All of us have dreamed about building a home business that is profitable and rewarding. Just think about it, no boss, plenty of time for you and your family and the ability to save money (no gas for that awful commute, no expensive work clothes and fresh hot lunches straight from your kitchen). Now you’re thinking, “Okay everybody dreams about it but how do I go about implementing it?” In Holly Cotter’s course “Secrets Of Multiple Passive Profit Streams,” you will learn exactly how to create your own very profitable home business.

Although the course is not cheap, it was worth every penny to establish my financial freedom and should give me a secure future. Holly details how to build your business with internet websites with every step explained thoroughly. And you do not need extensive computer knowledge. I am technology challenged and Holly’s course was easy to follow and use. The course comes on audio and video CD’s and work books so you can really study every step involved in building websites that generate profits. Her system allows you to set up websites on the internet that you can walk away from and let the computer do the work. This allows you more time to set up additional websites.

Years ago Holly was a Child Care Worker with little income and struggling to pay bills. Then her husband had a massive heart attack and could not work, leaving Holly to care for him and having her parents to pay the mortgage. It was then she decided to build a home business that would free her from the “hand-to-mouth” syndrome. And, yes she fell for some of the “get rich quick” schemes until she hit on her highly profitable system. All of her research and hard work paid off, she received the Top Business Developer Award in 2000.

Her system takes a truly hands-on-approach that I’ve never seen in any other Marketing gurus eBooks, courses or seminars. And just like Holly, I’ve purchased many other systems that just didn’t live up to what they advertised. With “Secrets of Multiple Passive Profit Streams” you can build your first website in about a day and it gets easier and takes less time with each one you create.

It will take a little time to learn all of the intricacies of building your website but once you “get it” you’ll be building websites and profit streams quickly and easily.

In her course Holly asserts that anyone, regardless of their business or profession can use this proven system to build their own Passive Profit Streams. When I first read about this course I was skeptical because of my limited computer knowledge. After going through the CD’s and work books however, Holly’s claim that anyone can be successful with this system is 100% right on.

The only thing I felt that would make this course even better is a few more hints on finding specific markets to pursue.

I feel totally comfortable telling you that “Secrets of Multiple Passive Profit Streams” fulfilled the promises it made to me in the sales literature with nothing left unanswered.

If you are serious about breaking free from the 9 to 5 rat race, Holly’s course is a “must get” . If you want to quickly learn how to build profitable websites, than I give “Secrets of Multiple Passive Profit Streams my highest recommendation and a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10.

In addition to this valuable course you get one full year of monthly coaching calls from Holly and further access to her on the student forum and help desk. This is a very fair and impressive package. Holly sincerely wants everyone to be successful. Holly continues to teach various ways of building passive profits and strategies to her students.

For more information on Holly Cotters “Secrets of Multiple Passive Profit Streams” please visit http://www.PassiveProfitsIncome.com

Copyright © 2005 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

——-

Mary Hanna writes eBooks, Software Reviews (for people who are technically challenged like her) and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: www.WebMarketingReviews.com, www.FirstCruiseBestCruise.com, www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com, and www.GourmetChefAtHome.com

Optimize your time. How much time each day must you devote to paperwork, scheduling and accounting? You strive to meet the needs of your clients, but when chained to the obligations of business management, it’s just as important to make sure the doors stay open as it is to satisfy customers. By integrating your daily tasks and taking advantage of the amazing Web-based software solutions out there, you can make more time for clients and spend less time behind your desk. Do you work from home? When your business is online, you can manage your business any place you have a connection to the Internet

Nickel here, nickel there. A close second to making your customers happy is your business’s bottom line. Save money by transferring workloads. When your clients schedule classes and appointments online, you might not need a full time receptionist. If you choose an online resource that manages schedules, accounting and client information, you won’t need separate software programs. Make money by offering series, packages and gift cards online. Identify the squeaking wheel through comprehensive Web-based marketing and sales reports. Find out what is selling, what is not; who is filling classes, who is not; and make necessary changes to grow your business.

Lose the appointment book. You have a staff schedule, a class schedule, a room schedule and your own schedule to manage. That’s four appointment books and calendars! Using an online resource that manages all your scheduling needs at once not only streamlines your business, but lets you ditch the paper appointment books and calendars, clearing your desk, your office and your head. Plus, by publishing your calendars online, your customers can manage their own schedules better. With the click of a mouse, they know if there’s a class Thursday morning they can make class or not. Plus, your teacher and instructors can see what classes and appointments they’re scheduled for and prepare accordingly. Even better, allow your teachers to book themselves as unavailable for things like doctors and dentists appointments.

Innovate. An Internet presence is more than just a Web site. Offering content and information to customers online is valuable, but allowing them to interact with your business on their own time is a precious benefit. When a customer can view your calendar online, schedule a class, and pay for it all from the comfort of home when it’s most convenient for them, you’ve taken a giant step in customer satisfaction.

News! What’s happening at your studio? Have you hired a new teacher? Are you offering more classes? Are you adding a location or running a monthly special? A Web site provides the world with instant access to your latest and greatest. Keep customers in the loop and attract the attention of the local media by offering press releases, monthly newsletters, and more online. When cancellations occur, post the notice on your Web site instead of the studio door!

E-Commerce. Make your customers and your bank account happy by offering your services and gift cards for purchase online. Your customers have just about as little spare time as you do. Help them by providing them a way to pay membership fees, purchase class packages or even gift certificates where and when it’s convenient for them.

Using a Web-based management tool also allows you to monitor your sales from home when it’s convenient for you. Planning a much-needed vacation? Check your sales from the hotel room (or, better yet, the beach).

With over a decade of experience in technology and project management, Joyce Rimmele is an expert in helping businesses organize, focus, and execute. As Director of Marketing for MindBody Software (http://www.mindbodysoftware.com), Joyce helps yoga and Pilates studios, spas, and resorts identify and implement Web-based solutions. To reach Joyce, e-mail her at joyce@mindbodysoftware.com.

RSS, Newsletter, Blog, Website…with so many places you can
publish your web content to, how do you choose; especially when
articles and time to publish them is limited. Besides, why
should you publish your content in so many different formats? If
you’ve been doing business online for any amount of time you
know that building a list is integral to success. Regular
website content brings search engine robots back. So do blogs.
Blogs also help build your expert status and RSS is the new way
for people to subscribe to your content without giving out their
email address - among other things.

Ok, so you know it’s all good and they will help build your
business, but how can you do several or all without piling more
work on your already full to do list? It’s really quite simple.

Instead of publishing your newsletter entirely by email, publish
it to a content management system or blog that will
automatically create an RSS feed each time you update it. Your
next step is to put that RSS feed into your mailing list
manager*. Create a signup box as you would a regular newsletter
and put it on your website or blog in a prominent area together
with the RSS feed. It probably won’t take more than a few
minutes if you already have everything at hand.

>From now on, people can choose to subscribe to your newsletter
by RSS or email and every time you publish the newsletter to
your website or blog, RSS subscribers will see that you have new
content and people who opt-in for email will receive an email
notice. To top it all off, the content is also archived online
permanently and all you did was type and publish one time.

You know the amazing part is, that’s not all. You can syndicate
your newsletter for more exposure. Contact a few webmasters and
ask them if they’d like free, automatically updating content on
their websites. Create the codes for them so it’s super easy for
them to add you. When they do, the next time you publish your
newsletter, their website gets updated immediately. If anyone
wants to read more of your content, they would be brought to
your site.

RSS is truly an exciting technology. Not only does it open many
doors for you to share your content, it can also help you work
smarter by cutting down your work as you read above. There’s no
reason why you shouldn’t have an RSS feed today and if you
already have one, it’s time you should milk your RSS feed for
all it’s worth.

*Note: Not all mailing list managers can take your RSS feed and
convert it into email updates.

There are many ways to market a web hosting company. Traditional
methods include web hosting directories, banner ads on webmaster
sites, search engine placements, ppc advertising, and so on.
These are all effective methods if used and managed properly.
These techniques, however, market primarily to a limited target
audience: Webmasters, Programmers, Graphic Designers, and small
hosting companies.

With the evolution of web hosting and website builder tools, as
well as the ongoing education of the common person, the average
web hosting customer is no longer a Webmaster. It is more likely
an alumni association, a church, an artist, a soccer club, or a
family photo album. Recently, the staff of Hostchart.com
analyzed the signups from several popular web hosting companies
across the month of January, and here is what they found: the
number of signups from people in the industry was less then 20%.
Over 80% of all Hosting customer signups were from people who
are not Internet professionals! So, how best does a Hosting
Company target such a wide audience?

Assuming that 80% of your customer base is non-internet
professionals, a Hosting Company’s marketing methods should be
greatly expanded beyond Webmasters alone. If your marketing
budget includes online marketing only, then some potentially
rich areas to find Hosting customers may be on sites like
Vacation/Travel websites, Investment sites, Retirement websites,
or any site that has a potential customer base with expendable
time and/or income.

If a Hosting Company’s advertising budget includes non-Internet
methods, it may want to consider marketing on billboards, in
newspapers, phone directories, or even brief commercial ads.
GoDaddy has proven how powerful a TV ad can be with it’s
provocative Superbowl ads the last two years. Even a simple
advertising method like handing out free t-shirts can have a
farther-reaching impact on branding a Hosting Company’s name
than one might think.

Another noticeable change in the Web Hosting industry is the
comfort level customers have with switching Hosting providers.
Historically, customers did not change hosting companies. Most
people were not comfortable moving their website for fear of
downtime and lost data. The times have changed. People are more
educated on websites, and there are plenty of web Hosting
services that will move sites at minimal charge and without
downtime. People feel free to move from Host to Host when they
are offered a better plan. It is an increasingly competitive
market, where companies must find new and better ways to stand
out from the competition, whether that be from decreased cost,
increased Customer Service, or farther reaching advertising
campaigns. But Hosting Companies need not lose heart, for
although competition is increasing, the number of people
Worldwide who are getting connected to the internet is
increasing at an exponential rate. It is a good time to be in
the Hosting Industry!