Website Development Training

Offline marketing is very similar to online marketing, either way, word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising there is, but a huge part of that involves getting to know the people around you.

Online, that might mean joining and actively participating in groups and forums. Offline that could be taking a sincere and active part in your local community. The more active you become in your local community, the more people get to know you and your business naturally.

Now, you could certainly put some money into advertising at local events, but when you first start out, this may not be affordable for you. Another option is volunteering to help in your community.

Find out what YOU can do to make a difference in your community.

Have you sat down and talked with the folks from your local animal shelter? These folks generally have multiple activities going on to help raise money.

Brainstorm ideas of how you could become an active part in this. If they are having a car wash, put on that t-shirt you bought with your company ad on it, roll up your sleeves and start washing cars.

You never have to say a word about your business, people will see it and at the same time you can feel good about doing your part to help.

Are you a web designer?

Offer your services to them for free. Are you a photographer? Take pictures of the animals for them to help in the process of getting the animals adopted. Are you a blogger? Interview them so that you can blog about there upcoming fund raising activities.

What if ya hate dogs?

Well heck, I bet you can find thousands of other volunteer activities in your community that don’t involve dogs. Go talk to your local Chamber of Commerce. While you are there, find out what it takes to join and become an active member there too.

Ask them straight up what the needs of the community are.

You might find yourself wrapping presents for kids at Christmas, or helping organize a drive for school supplies for needy kids.

Once you get out there and really look, something will touch your heart, something that you want to be a part of.

Does your community have any types of festivals? Ours has a Watermelon Festival every year. You can have your business advertised on the t-shirts they sell for right around twenty bucks.

Vendor booths can be rented fairly reasonably. Every year I notice a few companies there that aren’t selling something in their booth - they are giving something away.

They are out there getting to know their target audience.

One of the most popular booths gives away ice water, on the table in the booth they also give away pens with their name on them, and of course they have their business cards there too. Several times a day, you will see someone stopping at the booth to ask about their business too.

Don’t be afraid to wear your business.

Huh?

No, I haven’t gone off the deep end here. I mean have a few t-shirts made that advertise your business and then actually wear one when you are out running errands or just shopping.

It doesn’t have to be a t-shirt. Be creative and come up with ideas!

I saw a lady in Wal-Mart recently who was wearing one of the nicest baby slings I had ever seen. I noticed someone else carrying a baby stop and ask her about it.

Ya wanna know why she stopped and asked? Printed right on the baby sling it said “I MAKE THESE!” along with her web address.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Are you looking for some direction from website gurus?
 
As most of you know, I have only recommended one forum to all y’all ever, but I am about to recommend another.

If you are looking for a new community that is completely different from any that you have ever been a part of, I would like to personally invite you to join WebsiteGuru.com
 
It is a brand-new forum, filled with the best of the best. This place is gonna rock because there are so many members and website gurus there who truly have a clue about how to run an Internet business and make money online.
 
Whether you are a coder, programmer, website designer, search engine optimization specialist, domaineer, or a small business owner who just wants to learn more, you will find topics of interest to you.
 
Yes, I am personally associated with the people running the Website Guru forum, but I am hoping by now you know that I would only recommend things that I think would benefit you.

The fact is, I believe this site will end up being a HUGE help for you.

Come on over, introduce yourself, and get some answers from the pros. Put on your thick skin though, because one of the best parts of being part of a community filled with website gurus from all different facets of the net, is that they tend to be brutally honest.

For many of us, there is no better way to learn. You will find me there under the user name of Cricket. I hope to see you there.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

It isn’t often that I come across a blog that I am so impressed by that I find myself wanting to tell everyone I know about it, but My Happy Crazy Life is definitely one blog that I want to share with others. 
 
When I found this blog, authored by Amy Sue of the Zany Zebra, I absolutely could not stop reading. It felt as if I was sitting down with an old friend and chatting over a cup of coffee, and I couldn’t help but want more. The stories were so easy to relate to, and many had me laughing so hard that I literally had tears running down my face. 
 
If you enjoy reading about everyday life, with a touch of humor, you will without a doubt want to add this one to your RSS feeds because you won’t want to miss a single post that this lady writes!

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Michael Kane, owner of InLip Designs, is one of my all time favorite designers. But he tends to be a bit private showing his work to the general public. So, one of the most common questions I have heard lately, is “who the heck is Michael Kane?”

Now you know.

The truth is, I literally drool over this man’s work, everything from logos, corporate identities, web design, and print advertisement.

You won’t find his best work displayed in his portfolio though, and if you want him design for you, I need to warn you: you will have to get in a long line because he is often booked for long stretches in advance.

Now let me tell you, trying to get an interview out of Michael Kane is a little like trying to pull a tooth for an angry bear without the help of a tranquilizer gun.

If you want a glimpse inside this professional designer, you are going to spend weeks gathering snippets, and then bringing it all together.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: How did you get started in the design world?

Michael Kane: Art has always fascinated me. I have a degree in it. Being able to create something visually pleasing has forever been of interest to me.

At one point, during college, at the peak of my online research experience for projects and so forth, I was honestly disappointed to find most sites online, were boring. They lacked character, personality, they got me to click away and sometimes cringe.

Research was all the more difficult with boring sites, lacked motivation in almost every way, lumps of text for one to read, sometimes clumsy navigation and so on.

A year before my graduation I had designed more than 40 sites within two months, 30 of which were already online and attracting users. By graduation, I had about 120 clients, most free however, all of which were running successful businesses. It just grew from that

________________

J. Cricket Walker: I notice you like to stay under the radar, why is that?

Michael Kane: The last thing I need is people taking notice of me. I already get enough heart ache from those who know of my work, and try so hard to ‘prove’ they are better.

All I want to do is design, and earn a decent living, thus why I keep to the shadows, works best, else I’d spend half my time reading about myself.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: If you could design anything you wanted right now, what type of project would you be working on?

Michael Kane: I would really like to find the time and design something for vision impaired people.

They have as much a need for the internet as people without vision impairments, but with flimsy designs, annoying splash pages and impenetrable flash interfaces, most are forced to stick to website feeds, and as you know, not every site has one.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: Do you see changes on the horizon in the design world?

No, not at this rate, at least not good changes. You have 17 year old kids with a whole three hours worth of experience in design, if I can call it that, claiming to be freelancers and charging clients for work.

Soon people will find something else, and eventually stop caring for design. Unless we, as freelancers and designers in general do something about this, educate the public, then it will spiral out of control, if it hasn’t already.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: What was your worst client like?

Michael Kane: I have never had a perfect client, only really nice ones, some professional ones, and a few challenged ones.

The worst client is the one that would come to me with everything they wanted in mind, and force me to follow it step by step, adding greens and shades of blue with orange and yellow, flash rollovers for the navigation bar and size10 font, only to HATE the outcome.

Then get me to start over, actually taking my advice and loving the design. By which time I would have come close to hurting them several times over, but that’s where patience comes in, and knowing what a client wants, and needs, knowing their product and client base.

Oh well, that is what you have to deal with sometimes. It’s the same with any career one chooses to follow. You’ll have the good guys and the mental ones.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: What are the most important things a site owner should look at when choosing a designer

Michael Kane: Personally I think the most important thing when choosing a designer is does the designer know what you want? Like really know. You will find that sometimes, if you hire a designer, he or she will agree with everything you throw at him/her.

That’s not how it’s supposed to go. You’re not the professional designer. They should have input, they should make you go, “Oh! that’s a great idea, why didn’t I think of that.”

A designer should be well rounded and have been in the design industry for at least two years before taking on average sized projects, and know what the client wants, better than the client themselves.

The last thing you want to do is get a money hungry designer. Don’t get me wrong, all designers want to make money, difference is some can deliver what you paid for, while others will throw absolute crap (excuse my French) into your lap.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: Michael, I know you weren’t real comfortable with letting me publish this interview, so I want to take a moment to thank you for letting us get a peek inside your world.

Michael Kane: You owe me girl!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

There has been a lot of talk on and off for a few years now that perhaps Google gives special attention (weight) to .edu links coming into your website. It is easy to see why people might think that way, but in reality .edu sites just tend to be higher quality authority sites that attract a lot of links naturally, giving those sites a lot of power when it comes to links.

“But considering how Google usually scales their system, it’s likely they treat .edu like any other domain meaning these domains may on average have higher authority than non-edu domains, but only because they get a higher level of authoritative backlinks. A spammy .edu on the other hand would not get these backlinks, and thus may not be more valuable than any other domain.” Blogoscoped.com

As pointed out by Blogoscoped when they introduced us all to america.edu back in October though, when it comes down to it, Google is still going to look at the actual quality of a site, regardless of the domain extension.

At that time it looked like maybe america.edu was going through a change in servers, and using a series of automated link pages used by some webmasters while a site is undergoing major changes in design or direction. It didn’t take long for Google to notice and the site disappeared from the index.

I was disappointed that Blogscoped would post this kind of information without also providing a written follow up to the story. Because of that post, one might assume that america.edu would just then fall by the wayside. This turns out not to be true at all.

While following up on the story myself, I found america.edu in the process of a complete turn around, both in design and focus, providing a quality resource to parents and students.

The opening paragraph to the website now clearly shows a whole new direction for this domain.

“We provide unbiased and objective detailed reviews of Universities and Educational Institutions. We also allow Students and Faculty members alike to submit reviews of their own, giving everyone an equal opportunity to share their views about the University, College or school they attend/work at. www.america.edu

As a mother, this is clearly a site that I find to be of great value because when it comes to finding unbiased school reviews, or even a place to talk to other parents and students openly about the true atmosphere of a particular school, there just isn’t a lot out there. I can already see that this website is going to grow rapidly and provide the quality we all expected all along.

It’s time for Google to stand up and take notice of this complete turn around too.

(Update 11-14-07)
I notice that America.edu is back in the Google index!

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Looking at the list of categories that are covered here on my Website Development Training blog, what topics would you most like to see more articles about?

  - Basic Blogging Tips
  - Basic Computer Tips
  - Google Techniques
  - Motivational Articles
  - Online Business Tips
  - Online Marketing Tips
  - Search Engine Articles
  - Website Development
  - Xara Webstyle Tutorials

Are there certain aspects of blogging that you are not yet feeling confident about? Are there specific marketing concepts that just don’t make sense? Are you lost with issues involving website development or running an online business? Do you need help with more link building ideas? Is day to day motivation or finding ways to balance time between home and work a hang up for you?

What do you feel you could use the most help with?

Please be as specific as possible in your responses. I can’t promise that I will have all the answers, but I bet that I can find someone who does, or at the very least point you in the right direction when I don’t.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Do you know the difference between a store and a shopping cart?

You don’t??

Are you sure??

Haven’t you ever been grocery shopping??

Here is what a shopping cart does:

1. It lets you choose items to buy
2. It lets you change your mind and put an item back on the shelf.
3. It lets you take the items to checkout
4. It computes how much you need to pay for all those items so you can pay for them

THAT is a shopping cart.

Notice that a shopping cart does NOT do these things:

1. A shopping cart does not list the items you might want to buy. (The store does that.)
2. A shopping cart does not display the items you might want to buy. (The store does that.)
3. A shopping cart does not describe the items you might want to buy. (The store does that.)

So, why do I bother to explain this?

Because much of the software that is sold as a shopping cart is REALLY A STORE plus a shopping cart.

The PROBLEM is that a shopping cart doesn’t have anything to do with SEO.

But the STORE has EVERYTHING to do with SEO.

You can MAKE YOUR OWN STORE and use a shopping cart. Or, you can use a tool like ZenCart which really is a STORE.

If you only choose a shopping cart, then you can make your own store and do everything you need to do for good SEO.

BUT . if you choose a shopping cart that is really a STORE, you better be freaking sure that the STORE you choose will let you do the SEO you want to do. Because if you choose a STORE instead of making your own, and if you choose the wrong one, you won’t be able to do the SEO you want.

When you think about shopping carts and stores, just remember when you go grocery shopping. The store shows what you can buy. The shopping cart helps you buy it.

Article Provided by James S. Huggins
Small Business Resolution Coach, Author and Speaker

Copyright © 2007 James S. Huggins of The Eclectic Power Company All Rights Reserved

Why is it that online business owners spend countless hours following every possible search engine optimization and marketing technique to get me to visit their website, and yet make it so difficult for me to actually make a purchase?

Haven’t they realized that if they don’t make it easy to order right now, the odds are very good their visitors will leave?

It shocks me how often website owners will have page after page convincing me to purchase their product, but then make me look for the link (button) to buy right now.

Online shoppers have many different buying habits. Some will be ready to buy after very little information has been offered. Others will want to know everything before proceeding.

You can meet the needs of both types of buyers by first making sure they can easily see the link, and second by providing more than one opportunity to make the purchase.

Similarly, if you make people register before they can make a purchase, you are going to lose some business, it is as simple as that.

There have been many times when I clicked the add to cart or buy it now button because I needed more information than I could find on the site, such as which credit cards they accept or how much the shipping charges are.

If the site uses what I call forced registration (you must register before you can continue) I am very likely to leave the website without making a purchase.

Why on earth would they even consider making me go through all of that just to find out if they will accept my Discover Card?

If you step back and look at these scenarios for a moment, you might also see where the site owner could have put me at ease long before it ever reached this point.

I should never need to click a buy now button to find out which credit cards the company accepts, or to find out shipping charges and policies. This type of information should be available up front!

This is also the point that your credibility better be above reproach. Once those visitors begin pulling out their credit cards, even minor details missing from the site can be all it takes to spook them away.

Before clicking that button, many folks will look down one last time to make sure the site displays full contact information.

Do your visitors have to search for this information? Or, is it right at the bottom of every page?

People won’t spend much time looking for additional information. If they do not see what they need quickly and easily, they will move on to another site that they feel comfortable making a purchase from, even if that means spending a bit more money.

Give your visitors the same type of information that you would be looking for before making a purchase from a company that you were unfamiliar with, and then take the time to make it easy to order!

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

There was a small town country girl who had a passion for making gifts and giving them to anyone who wanted them. She didn’t do it for the attention. She handed out the gifts in a private area, outside of the public eye. She did not give the gifts to hear words of thanks or praise for what she was doing. In fact, often that made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

She did it for the incredible feeling it gave her when her gifts made even a tiny difference in people’s lives.

Sometimes there were people who really did not like the small town country girl. They thought she was somewhat of a snotty little brat who spoke her mind far too often for their personal taste. They wanted and needed the gift she was handing out though, so they chose to tolerate her and took the gift anyway. The girl wasn’t stupid. She knew when this was happening, but it wasn’t important to her.

Those special moments when someone told her of the difference she had made for an entire family because of her small gift, far outweighed the negatives that happened now and then.

Then one day, one of the people who had just been tolerating the small town country girl for about a month, stood up and said something. She told the girl and anyone who would listen that she did not appreciate the manner in which the gifts were given and felt it was her duty to teach the girl how she should behave when she handed out her gifts. She sent the girl multiple emails about this and explained that many others (60) had contacted her to thank her for saying something because they felt the same way but just hadn’t had the courage to tell the girl what a snotty brat she was.

The girl began to cry, and wondered if she had been a total fool to imagine for even a moment that she could make a difference. Throughout the night, and the entire next day, the girl just sat on the couch without moving or speaking. She was looking deep in her heart to decide if it was finally time to stop offering the gift.

At this point, her small town country boy decided it was time to step into her private hell and make his own difference. He told her that a huge part of the success she had experienced when she had been in the corporate world for 22 years had been because of her straight forward (sometimes brash) approach.

He also told her that the small town country girl that he knew and loved would not even consider giving up if there was even one person left that she could reach out to and help. Then, one by one, he began to read all of the beautiful notes to her that she had received from people over the last three years. He gently reminded her why she gave the gifts.

All of the sudden the small town country girl got mad. No, that isn’t quite right. She did not get mad.

SHE GOT PISSED!

Once again, love it or leave it, she was going to speak her mind.

She was going to explain that there was no way in hell that she could please everyone, so she would continue to give the gifts in her own way, with her own style, and personality.

She was also going to explain one last time that it was 100% their decision to choose to accept the gift and the giver as they are. If they were unable to do that, she was going to respectfully request that take full advantage of their right to find the gift elsewhere.

Just a Small Town Redneck Country Girl…

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Okay, bear with me for an odd ball post here …

John Scott tagged me, so I am supposed to come up with five things that y’all don’t know about me and post it here on my blog. I will find a way to pay you back for this someday John!

Considering the fact that I have even told the embarrassing story about how I got my name, finding five things that you might not know about me is a lot more difficult than it sounds! Okay, here goes…

1. I am extremely left handed.

2. My desk usually looks like a hurricane hit it!

3. When I first meet someone new, I tend to be on the shy side.

4. I absolutely love NASCAR and have been a major fan of Jimmy Johnson (#48) since he was a rookie.

5. I do an awesome Donald Duck impression, which comes in handy for embarrassing my daughter in front of her friends.

I’m tagging: Julie, Laura, Dustin, Chris, and Rob.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

True shopping carts (those that are added to your already existing website) do not need to be SEO friendly. Other than the buy now or add to cart buttons, which lead to the actual payment page, they only come into effect once your customer decides to make a purchase.

Unless a store is selling literally thousands of products, using your own website and adding a cart to it, gives you the ultimate control.

An example of this type of shopping cart is what you see with companies such as Mal’s. They have both a free and a premium cart. They can be integrated with many programs, such as PayPal, PayPal Pro, and many other popular credit card payment gateways.

Taking a look at their site will help you understand exactly what you are looking for in a shopping cart only solution.

If you are in a situation that requires a full store, then I highly recommend fully understanding the basics of SEO before proceeding. Using your SEO checklist, speak to a representative of the company (or look through their specific features) to determine what you can and cannot do with their program,

You also will want to consider who owns the store once you put all the work into it. With many of these companies if your leave their services (or change web host in hosting provided solutions) you are suddenly left without a store (website) at all.

For most new businesses, I highly recommend starting out very simple while you learn your business and what your specific needs will be. Many small business owners find themselves very happy with a program as simple as PayPal Pro (very different from standard PayPal) and adding a Mal’s shopping cart.

As your needs grow, you will find that you have learned more and are better able to determine your needs. At that point I think you will find the process of choosing a shopping cart much easier. 

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

As small business owners, none of us can afford to lose time dealing with computer issues. Arming ourselves with knowledge about our computers and operating systems can go a long way in preventing issues from happening to begin with.

A great place to start learning the basics about your computer and operating system is to sit down and actually read the owners manual and help files.

You may also find some of the very best tips by talking with others about those things that have been helpful for them.

I asked members of the Tech Talk Hideaway to send me their favorite computer tips. The following tips are their responses.

One of the best tips I have learned over the years is to back up my computer onto a CD as often as possibly. You never know when the electricity will surge, the lightning will strike, or the hard drive will just give out. By backing up your saved documents often you will never have to spend hours upon hours recreating everything you lost.

DaNel Resha, Smyrna, TN
Darswinkle’s Delights

It is always important to keep your computer well maintained. One thing the inexperienced computer users forget to do is keep their anti virus program up to date. Anti virus programs are not install and forget programs. They need to be kept up to date! Check the instructions on how to have the program automatically update itself. If it doesn’t have this feature make sure you do a manual update regularly (i.e. at least once a week, more often when there are rumours of viruses going around). Even if the program is set to update automatically it wouldn’t hurt to do a manual update every day or more often when the word is out that a virus is going around.

S. R. Emerson, Canada
Computer Basics

One of my favorite computer tips: When you install a new program, check the options in the program to see if you can disable the program from Startup. If there is no way to check in options, then check the Startup tab in Start/Run/MSCONFIG.

Every programmer seems to think their programs should load in Startup and after awhile it slows a computer down if too many things are loading in Startup. Your firewall and virus scanner should load at Startup, but just about every other program you install does not need to run in the background all the time, which is what happens if programs load at Startup.

Martha Fort Worth, Texas
Martha’s Web

Windows Tips: Useful Shortcuts using the Windows Key:

WinKey +
E Opens Windows Explorer
D Minimizes all programs.
R Opens the command line Run dialogue box.
U, + U Shuts down Windows.
U, + H Hibernates Windows.

More shortcuts here:
www.mistywindow.com/windows/tips/shortcuts-1.htm

Alan Henderson, New Zealand
MistyWindow Windows Help

Read the rest of this entry »

If I would have only known then, what I know now. How many times have we all said something like this when our computer is giving us trouble, or just isn’t designed to do what we want it to do?

Making mistakes when we are learning to run an online business are inevitable and a normal part of the learning process.

The mistakes we make when buying a new computer though, can be frustrating and very costly, but are very preventable.

I asked members of the Tech Talk Hideaway to send me their tips for buying a new computer. The following tips are their responses.
 

I have found that when looking for a new computer you should write down a list of minimum/preferred recommendations from your software boxes. If it is affordable try to go with the recommended guidelines or above. This will ensure your new computer runs all your current software smoothly in addition to giving you room to grow with new software in the future.

DaNel Resha, Smyrna, TN
Darswinkle’s Delights

Buying a new computer? I look for USB 2.0 since I use an external hard drive for backup and USB flash drives for travel. Fast disk speed (10,000 rpm vs standard 7200 rpm) is important as well as a *lot* of RAM (2 GB minimum) since I do a lot of development work. A big monitor 19″ minimum or multiple monitor capability.

Doug DePrenger, Henderson, NV
Smartlab Software

When choosing between a faster CPU and more memory (for general business use), chose more memory. A faster CPU might be better for a power-gamer, but for the general business user, more memory will be far more effective at increasing performance.

James S. Huggins, Texas
The Eclectic Power Company

When looking for a new computer, check out the internet sites that allow “consumer comments and ratings”. I neglected to do this when buying a major brand laptop and have since discovered that the tech support is terrible and the warranty is only as good as the paper it is written on. I checked customer comments after the fact and could have saved myself a lot of problems if I had read these before buying the computer. Their experiences mirror mine.

Joyce Reid, Arizona
Gift Basket Network

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best teachers that any of us can have is the voice of experience. Over the years, the tips that I have learned from others has been invaluable to me. When it comes to learning web development skills, the little bits of information we pick up here and there can make all the difference in the world.

I thought it would be great to have a collection of some of these tips, so I asked members of the Everything Web Design group to share their favorite web development tips. Following are their responses.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned thus far is to research your web hosting company thoroughly and try to stay clear of site builder programs which add a lot of unnecessary code to your pages. Once I switched my site to hand coded html pages, and added a sitemap, it took less than 2 weeks for Google to index every page on my website!

Renée Dawson, Ontario, Canada
North Shore Business Services

My favorite website development tip is to structure your website logically; make each page cover a single topic or category, and to be very modular in your web design. This makes the website development process go smoothly; makes it easier to estimate project timelines, results in an easy-to-navigate website and even facilitates SEO.

Julie Languille, Washington
Dinners In A Flash

My tip is, one should learn to ask questions, the only stupid question is the one that never got asked.

Tina Clarke, Cheshire, England
Expression Web Designs

My most recent favorite tip is to very clearly, attractively, and concisely express on the top half of your home page why a visitor should stay on your site. A visitor on your site is similar to you shopping for a home. You drive by and the first impression determines if you take the next step. If you are unimpressed by the yard and the front of the house, you may not even pull into the driveway. The house of your dreams may be behind the front door, but most people would not take the next step. Thank goodness changing the front page of your website is cheaper than changing the front of a house, but the results are the same. When a visitor lands on your site, you need to get across very quickly and attractively why they should take the next step. If the visitor is unimpressed, confused, or just does not see a real reason to stay, then he just drives by. I recently changed my website banner to include clear text that expressed the keywords my target audience wanted to hear. I was astounded with the results as my sales jumped 25%+ overnight.

Allen Farrish, Georgia
Tie Dyed Shop

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People often ask me is how I go about keeping group email straight. The truth is that I really do organize email using the same methods that I teach the members of my online groups and classes to use.

By setting rules to make sure that every email goes straight to the folder it belongs in, I save myself hours of frustration.

Organized Group Email Folders

Although I have tried several email programs, I am most comfortable using Microsoft Office Outlook. I don’t think which program you use is nearly as important as making sure you are using one you are comfortable with though.

Additionally, I find it makes my life easier if I use specific email addresses for specific purposes. Yes, these means I set up a ton of email addresses, but in the end, it does save me time and effort. It also helps if I need to track down where spam is coming from.

Finally, I flag every email that I may need to follow up with later. This not only helps me remember to respond to the email, it also makes it much easier to track the email down later on, when I am ready.

In the beginning it may take a bit of time to get everything set up in an organized manner, but it definitely keeps me from getting overwhelmed with a large volume of email.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

People seem to have a need to know what others think before they place an order for a product or service. They tend to ask everyone they know, both offline and in forums. They will often even research the net for reviews and testimonials.

Unfortunately, testimonial letters have gotten a bad rap because of all the sales websites that use fake template style testimonials. Very few people find these types of testimonials believable and it can destroy the credibility of the company using them. If you want to develop a successful online business that you can depend on, both now and in the future, do not even consider using these types of testimonials.

If it isn’t so, don’t say it. Don’t even imply it.

There are legitimate techniques to start using testimonials effectively though. It is a simple matter of adding credible information in the footer of every testimony. There should be a way of verifying that each testimonial is real, such as a name, location, and link to their website. You can examples of this technique on the following pages:

- SEO Training Testimonials
- SEO eBook Testimonials

Often your clients will send thank you letters that are perfect for a testimonial page, but make sure that you ask for permission before publishing it to your website. Most of your clients will appreciate the link, but if you cannot get permission, do not use it. Testimonials without credibility will not benefit your business.

Another method of getting testimonials is to simply ask for them. You will be surprised at how many people would love to help you out when you have given them service that is beyond what they expected.

Once you have a few testimonials, you will want to make it easy for your site visitors to find them. Every place on your website that you ask your visitors to take action, such as subscribing to a newsletter, or making a purchase, there should be a link to a testimonial page.

Try to be creative with the text you select for the link to help entice your visitors to click the link and find out more. (Examples Below)

- What Our Subscribers Have to Say About Our Newsletter
- What Others Have to Say About Our Customer Service
- What Others Have to Say About Using Our Services
- What Others Have to Say About Using Our Product

Initially, if you only have a couple of brief testimonials to use, you might want to place them near the part of the page where you are asking your visitors to take action, rather than linking to a page.

Using testimonials effectively can and will help your visitors reach a decision. If you take the time to provide legitimate information in a credible manner, you will not be disappointed with the results.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved 

Update: September 6, 2006
Google has now changed the cache date to reveal the last date the page was accessed by Google

“We’ve recently changed the date we show for the cached page to reflect when Googlebot last accessed it (whether the page had changed or not). This should make it easier for you to determine the most recent date Googlebot visited the page.” Google Webmaster

I would venture to guess that one of the most common questions on any webmaster forum involves someone asking, “When is the next Google update?” Although they are probably asking about visible PageRank updates in the Google toolbar, the answer involves a bit more than that.

Visible PageRank is what you see in your Google toolbar. At this point, that has been updating an average of every three months or so.

HOWEVER, real PageRank is continually updated and continually factored into how the search results are determined. By the time you see a change in the toolbar, any effects of that change have already long since been included in the search results.

Google updates its index data, including backlinks and PageRank, continually and continuously. We only export new backlinks, PageRank, or directory data every three months or so though. (We started doing that last year when too many SEOs were suffering from “B.O.”, short for backlink obsession.) When new backlinks/PageRank appear, we’ve already factored that into our rankings quite a while ago. What Is An Update by Google Engineer, Matt Cutts

For a few years now people have been confused as to what the cache date on page actually indicates. It used to be that if there were no changes on the page since the last cache date, then often Google would only change the cached version of the page about once or twice a month. If there had been changes, people would see the cached page updated much sooner.

Google has now changed the cache date to reveal the last date the page was accessed by Google. (Updated September 6, 2006)

“We’ve recently changed the date we show for the cached page to reflect when Googlebot last accessed it (whether the page had changed or not). This should make it easier for you to determine the most recent date Googlebot visited the page.” Google Webmaster

How often a page is crawled is determined by the number of links that are out there bringing the robots back to your website again.

Search engine spiders crawl the web on a continual basis by following links. The more links that are pointed to your site, the more often your pages will be crawled.

This means that websites with very few links pointed to them, will notice it taking longer for Google to find and index their new pages.

Websites with a large number of links pointed to them will likely see their new and updated pages added to the index quite rapidly.

The search engine result pages update continually. As Google finds new information, it is added to the index. The goal of the search engines is to display the results in the exact order of relevance to the search query. The more relevant your page is to the search query, the higher your page should show in the results.

Since the information going into that determination is continually changing, so are the results you see in search engine results. When you combine all that with occasional changes in how Google factors page relevance (algorithm) to the search query, you end up with results that are continually fluctuating.

In the end, all of this should mean very little to you as a site owner. The more time you spend focused on what Google is up to, the less time you are spending on building a website filled with quality content for your visitors.

If you follow the basic guidelines and develop a quality site that invites incoming links naturally, you can focus on your results over time, rather than day to day search engine fluctuations.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

I believe that the number one way to find financial success is to first find what you love doing, and then find a way to get paid for doing it.

I see people that spend weeks asking everyone they talk to for online business opportunities that they can make money at. It never crosses their mind to ask about specific business ideas or opportunities.

The only true criteria they have for a business venture, is just one that makes money. The next week or so, I see the same individuals asking how to know when it is time to throw in the towel.

When you are trying to make a success out of doing or promoting something you are not truly passionate about, and the only goal is money, you are not likely to survive the growth period of making that business successful.

Throwing in the towel was just never an option I made available to myself because I truly believe in the things that I do. For me it has always been simply a matter of working until I found what worked.

I think where people get into trouble is that they jump from one new idea to another, without ever truly taking the time to find out what does and does not work. They want overnight results and often give up right before they may have seen the success they were looking for.

The flip side of that coin is those people who blindly stick to one way of doing things, even if it is not working, and expect different results.

You have to find the balance between sticking with a method long enough to give it a chance to work, and adjusting your plan of attack as needed. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells a story about how plans change, decisions don’t. That story really sums it all up for me, by teaching us to keep our eyes focused on the destination, but not to be afraid to take a few detours when we need to.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

What keeps you going on days when you feel like giving up and throwing in the towel?

Are you the biggest difference for your business?

Many years ago, a motivational speaker told me that the surest way to financial success was to find something that I absolutely love doing and then find a way to get paid for doing it.

This is probably the best advice that I have ever received, and advice that I continue to pass on to others.

When you are passionate about what you do, it comes across to your visitors. When you truly believe in the product or service that you provide, people can sense this, and feel more confident about doing business with you. When you are passionate — and good — your customers become your advocates turning their experiences into powerful word-of-mouth advertising.

This is something we try to get across in our Successful Website Marketing class. Part of this training process involves an interactive assignment in which I ask the students a few simple questions.

• Tell me about your business.
• How did you happen to choose your specific business?
• Are you passionate about your business? Why?
• What do you feel makes your business different from others?

I also ask that they (the students) write from their hearts and not concern themselves with spelling or grammar. I want them to just talk to me as if we were sitting together having a conversation. Many times the key to their personal quest for success can be found within their writing. This process also makes it easier for students to learn how to write in a way that speaks directly to their site visitors.

Although our classes have grown to more than 1,200 students, I still continue to read every response and watch for any changes as their businesses grow. This session, one response in particular caught my attention. With the full permission of the student, I would like to share this response with you.

“Well Hello and welcome Cricket! Sorry I missed our original appointment. As you can see it’s a ‘zoo’ here lately! Do come in and be to home. Don’t mind the 110# Shepherd barking at you, or the Cocker begging for a cookie.” <Shoo’s cat & rooster off porch> “Here, sit down at the kitchen table, OOPS, let me clear a spot.” <embarrassed grin> “Can I offer you something? Coffee, beer, water?” <sets glass down> “Now. . . . Where were we? OH YES! Of course, you asked about my web/home based business. Well I make and sell (or try to sell) Homemade Scented Soy Wax Tart Melts, and Air Fresheners. I have done a couple of booths at the local parade and for the PTO, but so far I haven’t broken into the black. *sigh* But as you can see <waves hand to show every counter/table covered with supplies and work in progress> I try hard. Here. . . . smell this one. It’s Cotton Candy. Good huh? <SQUAWK!> LOL…That’s Tango my parrot, just ignore her, she is jealous”

“Excuse me?” Oh, you asked how did I get into this? “Well, let me get you a refill, this might take awhile” <yells at kitten, “MAJICK GET DOWN!”> “Sorry, she is young yet, just put her off the back of your neck and on the floor. Need a Band-Aid? Sorry. Anyhoo . . . you see, soon after our son Tommy (that’s his pic above TV) died from cancer, I returned to a couple of my old jobs. 1 as a cook in a church camp, then lunch/dinner as a waitress/cook/barmaid. I worked just till Colleen was born. HUH? Oh, she is in her room, she is a bit shy. I tried a couple years ago to return to work, but for 2 years, the childcare WHEN I could find quality care, made more that I did! Plus Colleen wasn’t happy, neither was my hubby Tom, and if you can believe it the house was messier than it is now and my laying hens HATE Tom. I own or co-own a number of Yahoo Groups, My favorite being Hummingbird Lovers Club, & a parenting group. Sad to say, I lost my parenting co-mod to cancer, she was 34 and had two small kids, but I digress . . . 1 of my ‘moms’ asked if anyone would like to try her tarts. So I bought a couple from her, and when I got them I LOVED them. I love candles anyway as you can see. To make a long story short <a bit late for that eh?> I researched candle/tart making and studied it all. Then I bought some supplies. I slapped up a website and gave baskets of product to friends for Christmas. I also left a basket of samples at the local bar and lots of folks bought from me there. So here I am, trying to market my product mainly on the web. I haven’t driven since my son died <pts> and that makes it hard to market in the real world.”

“To answer your question, YES, I love making tarts and if I ever get out of the red, I hope to get more supplies and move into candles, esp. in jars, as I like those myself. Colleen my dd . . . COLLEEN! Come here please! Colleen meet Cricket. Colleen here, helps me as well. When I make a new scent, she helps me choose a color or shade. Like the cotton candy. 1st batch I made pink. Colleen thought it should have been blue . . . lol! So now I make pink, blue, purple and yellow in that scent. She even crumbled the black wax to make chips for my chocolate chip scent. She helped me fold and bag up vouchers and candy to attach to my business cards for MomPacks. Excuse me . . . what Colleen? <Colleen whispers> Yes, you can go in the pool. Where was I? Oh and my DH helps too. He does the math for me. Otherwise, I’d undersell myself.”

“Shall we take our beers and move to the picnic table? I want to watch her in the pool. Don’t mind the chickens. They will leave when they realize we have no food for them. <sets pep/cheese/cracker plate down> BISMARCK NO! We don’t feed dogs to the table in OR out! Go Lay down . . . good boy. Why thank you Cricket. I AM proud of my garden! Yes we have 10 acres, 1/2 acre is my garden and we have many animals here.”

“Now I could go into the spiel of how petroleum products used in candles sputter, smoke and are bad for you and the US. Or I could expound the virtues of buying American soy products from American farmers and how it is cleaner burning/melting and I feel it smells better too. But I wont keep you, as I know you are very busy. suffice it to say, that is why I believe in my product. not to mention, I test each and every new scent to make sure it is something I would like to buy. I am not a ‘Yankee candle’. I am just a SAHM trying to sell a homemade quality product at an affordable price. COLLEEN! NO Jumping!! <KIDS! LOL!> ”

“Well, Cricket, I hope I have answered all your questions. Feel free to drop by anytime! I hope you don’t have any trouble finding you way to the main road. OH and here <hands Cricket a box> Here is a couple doz. fresh eggs and some produce from the garden. Enjoy! It was a pleasure spending this time with you. Sorry it’s such a zoo, but that a sample of the norm around here.”

{{Hummer Hugs}}

Misty Loges
Misty’s World

It didn’t take but a moment for me to see that the biggest difference (beyond selling a superior product) that will set this business apart from all the other businesses out there providing similar products, is the owner. Her attitude is absolutely contagious.

I will be keeping a very special eye on this woman’s work, as I fully expect her business to grow by leaps and bounds.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Equally important with knowing your target audience is finding ways to let your target audience know you as a person.

Many times when we run an online business, we forget the power of talking with our target audience. Handing people a business card in casual conversation is a common courtesy, but it is unlikely to create the connection needed for them to remember you later. For this to happen, you must stand out above the others. The more people talk about you and what you do, the more you will see your business grow.

I witnessed this in action at the Thunder on Water Festival in Grenada, Mississippi this weekend. As the temperature approached 100 degrees, I found myself searching for a place to cool off for a few moments, when I came across the smiling face of Chancery Court Judge candidate, Vicki B. Cobb.
 
She was handing out free snow cones and ice water, and just talking with the people. Not only was she out there among the people getting to know her target audience (the voters) she was also giving us an opportunity to get to know her as a person, instead of just a name on a ballot. The truth is, I was not familiar with even her name before meeting her at the festival. Guess what? I will remember her when it comes time to vote in the elections this fall.
 
Taking the time to get to know our target audience is something we can all do, both on and offline. Here are some examples.

An online gift shop could provide gift giving tips and ideas, either through a newsletter or blog. Another option might be to create an eBook about gift giving etiquette and give it away free. When it comes time for these people to choose and buy a gift, they will be more likely to remember the company that helped them.

A motorcycle parts company could provide free maintenance tips and minor tune up tutorials. Another option might be to spend time in online motorcycle forums, not specifically marketing their company, but just talking to people and helping answer questions. A simple forum signature (linked) will let folks know what you do. The more they see your name, the more likely they are to remember you.

Think out of the box and you will find virtually unlimited possibilities to talk with people and create the connection they will remember.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved