What I Wish I Had Known About Websites When Just Starting My Business

I have been around computers for years, but only really started to embrace websites in the past 5 years.

As I have learnt and grown there is a pile of stuff that I wish I had known about websites when I was first starting out.Recently a number of start-ups have been asking my advice for beginners, so here are a few of the things I wished I had known when I was starting.

1.Domain names and web hosting are two different things

Starting from the simplest things.

Your domain name is just like your registered business name.It is the name of your business on the web.It can be your regular business name or it can be your keyword or keywords.

Your web hosting is the electronic equivalent of the landlord who leases you office space for your business.Your web host is the location where your business lives.

The other big lesson about domain names and web hosts is it pays to shop around.You can and will save thousands per year by doing your own research.Check out the forums and reviews for the most reliable companies with the best prices.Don't take your web developer's word as gospel.Generally they want to sell you their own package (with a huge cut in it for them).

The other thing I wish I had known is to buy more bandwidth, email accounts and domains than you think you will need.1GB storage, 3 emails and only 1 domain will get you nowhere fast and if you are like me you will max it out at the most inconvenient time.

It's not that big a deal to change your hosting.If you find a good one, they will manage the transfer for you, making it all quite seamless.

2.80% of all web designers don't know what they are doing (but will charge you a fortune in the process)

This is the most frustrating thing I have learnt.

Most web designers (especially the ones at the budget end of the market) cannot build a website that will generate good search engine rankings if their life depended on it.They have absolutely no clue about SEO (search engine optimisation) and will sell you designs that are search engine poison.The problem is most of them can talk a good fight and will baffle you with jargon that hides that they have no idea what they are doing.

You may get an attractive site, but it has no way to be found in search engines.Often the sites are all in flash, the keywords are useless and there are no decent metatags.And it generally would have cost the poor business many thousands of dollars to do.

If any of your web designers tell you it will take at least 6-12 months for search engines to find you then run away.A good SEO designer can have you ranking in search engines in less than a week.

If your designer insists they will make all the edits for you and that you can't do it - sack them.They are just trying to keep you hooked in to them.

If your designer insists on building you your own personal programs to run the back end of your database, newsletter or autoresponder - they are ripping you off just to make you stay with them.

If you have been caught out don't panic!You can choose a new web developer to update your site or hire an SEO expert to go over your site and improve things.

3.Good SEO Copy is vital to your website

Your website has 2 audiences - humans and search engines.

Unless you write in a way that search engines like and "get", your human audience will never find you to read your information.But ...if you write only for search engines, then it will appear stilted and unnatural.

You need to write your copy so that it is persuasive to both humans AND search engines.This is an art form and a science that takes many years to master.

Most copywriters are not trained in SEO, so while you may get great persuasive copy for your human readers, you may not get the search engine results you are looking for.A good SEO copywriter will cost you, but they are worth it in terms of business and search engine results.

4.Buy pre-packaged rather than tailor made

Wherever possible buy commercial pre-packaged products for things like your auto-responders, affiliate programs, shopping carts, newsletter broadcasts.

This means that the bugs in the programs generally have been ironed out before you get to them, they work with the features that you want and need, and they are cheaper!

The most critical piece is your auto-responder.You get one shot at choosing the right one, as every time you change your auto-responder program due to tough anti-spam laws, all of your lists must elect to resubscribe to your mailing list.You can kiss up to 75% of your list good bye each time you shift.

5.Akismet and Captcha are your best friends

If you have any forms on your website, comments sections on your blog or other methods of interactivity, insist on some form of human identification such as Akismet or Captcha.

They are the boxes down the bottom that ask you to type in the letters you can see.75% of all comments on blogs these days are spam.Akismet or Captcha reduces the number you see, so you are not manually deleting them every few minutes.

If you don't have something like these on your website and you have a form, expect your email box to attract the attention of spammers when their robots (yes they have their own versions of spiders out looking for vulnerable sites) find your address.

6.Host your own blog on your own website

Blogs are brilliant - but don't be tempted to host your blog on a site such as Wordpress or Blogger.

If you are going to go to the trouble of hosting a blog, do it on your own site (and not just publish to your site).

7.You can learn to do it yourself

There are piles of courses out there to help you learn.

Some are great and some are very expensive wastes of time.Do your research before you sign up for anything and check out some of the free courses available.

About the Author

Ingrid Cliff is a freelance writer and the Chief Word Wizard of Heart Harmony - a writing services studio that helps put your business into words.

For a free copy of the "7 Secrets of Compelling Copy & Powerful Words" visit her website http://www.heartharmony.com.au "> www.heartharmony.com.au .

Relaited Links:

• The 4 Levels of Link Building
• How to Target Keywords for Your Product?
• Tools For The Successful Affiliate Marketer

Looking At The Most Effective Way of Advertising on MySpace

MySpace is an online community where users have the opportunity to create websites where others can view personal information about them and contact them. However, savvy Internet marketers have found it can also be used to advertise products or service or for the purpose of self promotion. Care should be taken to review the terms of use on it to ensure none of your actions are in violation of these terms but otherwise users can advertise either directly or indirectly on their username website.

Why Advertising on MySpace is Effective

Advertising on it can be effective as long as it is done correctly and not in a way that is viewed as spam. The effectiveness of it stems from amount of users who are currently using it. This includes both members who place comments as well as non-members who only look at other websites. With so many daily visitors it is likely there will be visitors who are interested in the products or services you are offering on your MySpace website.

Another reason why it is such an effective advertising tool is there are no fees associated with using your MySpace profile to create links to your ecommerce website or to provide more information about the goods and services you give. The wise way to effectively market on it is to follow the identical instruction that could customarily be followed by advertisers in online spots. This includes knowing who your target audience is and how to fruitfully appeal to each other. This is cardinal given that a commercial drive which realizes not go after these simple rules will not possible be helpful.

In addition to pushing indoor a MySpace online page there are moreover opportunities to promote in the form of banner commercials on it. It is able to not fee a fee to members since they bring forth their revenue by means of remitted classified ads. Contact the administrators promptly to master additional close to these publicizing incidents.

Merchandising Products on MySpace

MySpace can be furthermore be second hand to advertise wareses or services. This can be done either subtly or blatantly. Those who are energetic participants on it and invest epoch in arrangement others and stimulating friends are extra feasible to vantage take pleasure in exchanging wareses or services by means of an documentation on it. This is because certain recruits who use it are not closely surfing for awareness as regards to products or services so they are unlikely to quest out this notice.

Save for, if they submit to browse cyberspace friends who are via their MySpace account to promote a class or package they may see the advertisements and acquire the goods or services striking. In this case they may seek advice from a link to an ecommerce website and believe having a obtain. Nevertheless, tenderness should be carried anytime advertising browse cyberspace. Links to your ecommerce online page on your own profile are first-class but placing comments and the similar link on assorted members websites will potential be thought direct mail by both the different members and the administrators.

By the use of MySpace for Each other Crusade

In addition to merchandising products and services, MySpace online pages can furthermore be hand-me-down for the purpose of one another drive. Models, actors and actresses, bands and varied performers are all realizing the potential for them cause which exists on it. Members of the group can carries with it all which may be productive to those who demand to sign up each other in the succeeding. For instance, models can include expert photos while bands can meet up with their music inspecting on the online page for guests to like. As well as so a number of recruits visiting it on a every day raison d'�tre, it can be easy for members of the community to bring on reasonably a following for themselves.

Those on MySpace should still be aware that industry executives are now dedicating group of workers members to comb it to try to get hold of new knack on it. In essential added than one prime recording agency has granted to stimulating interns assign hours each day on it hunting for courageous new artists.


Almost about the Architect

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an world wide web advertisement advisor and co founder of

Relaited Links:

• How You Can Make Money Blogging
• How to Market Smart in a Slow Economy
• How To Market In A Bad Economy