Here
are some helpful tips and answers to frequently asked questions
that
may be a benefit in making your business work for you.
1.
Finding The Right Fit For You And Your Project
2.
Five Step Plan For Your Marketing Strategy
3. Search
Engine Optimization Essential
4.What To Consider When Building A Website
Finding the right fit
for you and your project
by Derald Schultz
The Graphic Designer
The core of any creative work is
the designer. Each one comes with a varying degree of talent
and experience, whether they're independent or part of a
firm. Many independents or “freelancers”, as
some call them, have years of experience.
Good design doesn't cost money...it makes money...far more
than the initial design investment, through increased revenue
and exposure to potential customers.
When you are looking for design services remember that you
don't have to know exactly what you need; that's what a design
professional is for. They will offer specific solutions according
to your needs. If price is a concern, be upfront about it
and ask for a range of two or three estimates. Be aware that
the lower figures mean that less time will be devoted to
research and concept development; it doesn't mean that the
designer is reducing their hourly rate. Less time translates
into a less creative and unique piece.
If you're happy with the solutions they've provided other
clients, comfortable with the way they present themselves,
and think you'd enjoy working with them...hire them. Clients
who understand the value of good design realize that a talented
designer has the ability to influence their existing and
potential market; create a positive perception of their business,
and ultimately increase their revenue.
*excerpt taken from article written
by author/editor Derald Schultz of Creative
Latitude.
FIVE Step
Plan for Your Marketing Strategy
- Pricing. Is your product a
luxury item, somewhere in the middle, or cheap, cheap,
cheap.
- Quality. Total quality is a
much used and abused phrase. But is your product well produced?
What controls are in place to assure consistency? Do you
back your quality claim with customer-friendly guarantees,
warranties, and return policies?
- Service. Do you offer the added
value of customer service and support? Is your product
customized and personalized?
- Distribution. How do customers
obtain your product? The channel or distribution is part
of positioning.
- Packaging. Packaging makes a
strong statement. Make sure it's delivering the message
you intend.
*excerpted from www.tenonline.org/
Search engine optimization essentials
The search engine optimization
(SEO) process consists of designing, writing, and coding
web pages to increase the likelihood that they will appear
at the top of search engine results for targeted keyword
phrases. Many so-called SEO experts claim to have reversed
engineered search engine algorithms and use strategically
created "doorway pages" and
cloaking technology to maintain long-term search positions.
Despite all of these claims, the basics of a successful search
engine campaign have not changed in all the years we have
provided these services.
To get the best overall, long-term search engine positions,
three components must be present on a web page:
Text
component | Link
component | Popularity component
All of the major
search engines (AltaVista, FAST Search, Google, Lycos, MSN
Search and other Inktomi-based engines) use these components
as a part of their search engine algorithms. Sites that have
(a) all of the components on their web pages, and (b) have
optimal levels of all the components perform well in the
search engines overall.
Text component
Since the search engines build lists of words and phrases
on URLs, then it naturally follows that in order to do well
on the search engines, you must place these words on your
web pages in the strategic HTML tags.
The most important part of the text component of a search
engine algorithm is keyword selection. In order for your
target audience to find your site on the search engines,
your pages must contain keyword phrases that match the phrases
your target audience is typing into search queries.
Once you have determined the best keyword phrases to use
on your web pages, you will need to place them within your
HTML tags. Search engines do not place emphasis on the same
HTML tags. For example, Inktomi reads meta tags; Google ignores
meta tags. Thus, in order to do well on all of the search
engines, it is best to place keywords in all of the HTML
tags possible, without keyword stuffing. So no matter what
the search engine algorithm is, you know that your keywords
are contained in your documents.
Link component
The strategy of placing keyword-rich text in your web pages
is useless if the search engine spiders have no way of finding
that text. The way your pages are linked to each other, and
the way your web site is linked to other web sites, does
impact your search engine positions.
Even though search engine spiders
are powerful data-gathering programs, HTML coding or scripting
can prevent a spider from effectively crawling your pages.
Examples of site navigation schemes that can be problematic
are:
*Poor HTML coding on all navigation
schemes: Browsers (Netscape and Explorer) can display web
pages with sloppy HTML coding; search engine spiders are
not as forgiving as browsers are.
*JavaScript: All of the major search
engines cannot follow links embedded inside of JavaScript,
including but not limited to mouseovers, arrays, and drop-down
menus. Note: Even though reputable designer resources claim
search-engine friendly scripts exist, many of them are untested
and unproven.
*Dynamic or database-driven
web pages: Pages that are generated via scripts, databases,
and/or have a ?, &, $, =, +,
or % in the URL can present spider "traps."
*Flash: Currently, none of the
search engines can follow the links embedded in Flash documents.
Therefore, to ensure that the spiders have the means to
record the data on your web pages, we recommend having two
forms of navigation on a web page: one that pleases your
end users, and one that the search engine spiders can follow.
Popularity component
The popularity component of a search engine algorithm consists
of multiple sub-components:
* Link popularity
* Click-through popularity
* Web page popularity
Attaining an optimal popularity
component is not simply obtaining as many links as possible
to a web site. The quality of the sites linking to your
site holds more "weight" than
the quantity of sites linking to your site. Since Yahoo is
the most frequently visited site on the web, a link from
Yahoo to your web site carries far more "weight" than
a link from a smaller, less visited site. Other outstanding
sites that can help generate excellent popularity are LookSmart,
the Open Directory, and About.com. Non-competitive, industry-specific
sites (such as javascript.com) are also excellent link development
resources.
Obtaining links from other sites is not enough to maintain
optimal popularity. The major search engines and directories
are measuring how often end users are clicking on the links
to your site and how long they are staying on your site (i.e.,
reading your web pages). They are also measuring how often
end users return to your site. All of these measurements
constitute a site's click-through popularity.
The search engines and directories measure both link popularity
(quality and quantity of links) and click-through popularity
to determine the overall popularity component of a web site.
*excerpted
from www.grantasticdesigns.com
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING A WEBSITE
Four Questions
that Help Define Your Online Goals
It seems everyone has
a Web site these days, including your competitors. To grow
your small business, you’ve decided to establish an
online presence and need additional information before you
proceed. Ask yourself the following four fundamental questions.
The answers will establish the groundwork for a successful
online business.
1. Why do you want a Web
site?
2. What do you want your Web site
to do?
3. Who are your customers?
4. How much time and money are
you willing to spend to develop and keep your Web site current?
Why Do You
Want A Web Site?
You
can establish a professional, trusted image by having a Web
site. An online presence can perform many functions to help
support your business, and all of them should incorporate
the following three top-level goals:
Enhanced
Customer Service. The
Web offers unprecedented ways to improve service to your
customers. You can give buyers the ability to check the status
of their orders or accounts, and to handle transactions electronically
anytime. Customer loyalty can be enhanced through interactive
discussions and surveys designed to assess public reactions
and gather honest feedback about products and services. FAQs
and e-mail can reduce the volume, and therefore the expense,
of toll-free calls. If you sell products online, you can
use e-mail to confirm orders.
Reduced Sales
and Marketing Costs. Online operating manuals and troubleshooting guides can reduce
telephone time and streamline operating efficiency. You can
provide information on special offers without incurring the
cost of brochures, direct mail, long-distance charges, travel
or other business expenses. You can stretch your marketing
dollars by including your Web address on print materials
targeting potential customers. If your site is designed to
process orders, you can make sales around-the-clock, seven
days a week, regardless of staffing levels and without the
extra costs of toll-free telephone lines, regional sales
offices or distribution centers.
Opening New
Markets. A Web site
allows you to explore new ways to sell your products. Wholesalers
can open a retail channel (provided their own retailers don’t
object), and local businesses can tap into national and international
markets that were previously out of reach.
What Do You Want Your Web Site
To Do?
The more successful Web designs
put the needs of the customer first. Target your Web site
towards one or more of the following functions:
Online Sales. If your primary business is selling products, focus on creating
an online store where customers can easily find what they’re
looking for and purchase it with little difficulty.
Marketing. If your primary business is delivering an off-line product
or service, you will still want an online brochure that delivers
practical information about your service, projects a positive
image, and builds trust and customer loyalty.
Online Service. If you deliver
an online service, you must build an infrastructure for the
delivery of that service. You’ll need to determine
what to feature in your product catalog and how to handle
online payments and orders.
Information
Delivery. If your
primary business is publishing information, determine how
to charge for your content. You can charge through subscriptions
or on a per-use basis. Or you can deliver the product by
e-mail once the transaction is complete, or give buyers access
to a special Web site upon payment.
Customer
Support. Whether
you’re selling directly from a Web site or from a storefront
(typically called “brick-and-mortar” site), providing
new product information and a way to track orders keeps customers
coming back.
Who Are Your Customers?
Before you establish your
Web presence, it’s important to know who your customers are. Identifying
your audience will determine what information to include
on your site and how to organize it. Study your market. Determine
your target audience’s wants and needs by visiting
your direct competitors’ sites, as well as those of
companies selling related products. Decide how you’ll
make your site stand out in your customers’ minds.
How Much Are You Willing To Spend
To Develop And Keep Your Web Site?
Determine how much time
and money to spend on your Web site. Set a budget for development,
building and maintenance. Ask yourself questions such as
the following:
1. Are you going to create your
Web site or hire a team of professionals to develop and maintain
it for you?
2. Will you need to invest in new computers and
special programs to handle HTML coding, graphics and database
functions?
3. Are you planning on setting up your own Web server,
or will you be using the hosting services of an Internet
Service Provider (ISP)?
4. Have you considered hiring a contractor
or using a turnkey solution to maintain and upgrade your
site?
*excerpted from a small business
article on www.microsoft.com
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