Search Engine Watch:

Designing a Web site can be a daunting task. Where do you start after your business plan is worked out and you’re secure in what you’re going to place on your Web site?

Whether you plan to hire a designer or figure it out for yourself, there are definitely some best practices you should follow. Use this list to get a good start on finding the best Web site platform and design elements for your businesses audience.

These are general best practices for creating a great site — from design and coding elements to arranging content and calls to action on your page. The goal is to have a site that will please your visitors and the search engines.

1. Install Analytics! Notice how I bolded that one? It’s so important it’s at the top of the list!

2. Create an eye-catching header/logo. This makes an impression on visitors, much like the façade, front door, or foyer of your store.

3. Ensure you have the right balance between text and graphics. Graphics-heavy Web sites with little (or no) text can make it hard for a search engines to determine the relevancy of your site to queries you should rank for. Images and graphics, on the other hand, help tell a story about your products and services.

4. Allow space for a minimum of 250 words of relevant text if possible.

5. Consider how easy the home page and interior pages will be to manage in the future. Can you easily add pages and redirect old pages to new ones?

Read more.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

AsiaOne:

When Jimmy Wales was struck by the idea of a Web-based encyclopedia built by volunteers, he thought he had stumbled on something that could change the world.

He called his invention Nupedia. Articles would be provided free by specialists. And content would go through a seven-step editorial process to ensure the highest quality.

It was, in Mr Wales’ words, ‘a complete and total failure’.

Since those days, Nupedia has evolved into Wikipedia, a name familiar to most of us. Unlike Nupedia, Wikipedia’s articles are written and edited by volunteers.

The website is one of the 10 most popular on the Internet, with visitor traffic that surpasses that of the New York Times website.

At a session organised by NUS Enterprise and the Global Brand Forum, Mr Wales spoke to 200 young entrepreneurs, professionals and students on how to succeed as an Internet start-up.

Recognise a good idea
The first step is to identify your product’s potential. ‘The way I define a good idea (for an Internet startup) is if I would want to use the website myself,’ said Mr Wales. ‘That’s the real litmus test for me.’

But at the same time, it is necessary to accept failure. ‘You can’t beat your head against the wall forever,’ said Mr Wales, who revamped his idea using the Wiki model of Web pages after realising that Nupedia would not take off. ‘I’ve had tonnes of ideas that I started and abandoned because they didn’t work.’

Take a step back
‘When I started Nupedia I was in an absolute panic for two weeks,’ said Mr Wales. ‘I thought it was such an obvious idea that we would have massive competition instantly.’

Now he realises that time spent panicking over imitators or competitors is usually time wasted.

‘You might think someone’s going to take your idea really quickly,’ he said. ‘But chances are they aren’t. Don’t worry – just start working.’

Be patient… read on.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Wall Street Journal:

It’s not the nicest thing to do. But for small-business owners who are having difficulty collecting receivables from their customers, especially in this tight business climate, this is an extreme option that just might work.

They’re turning to a complaint-and-resolution Web site called Uradeadbeat.com, which seeks to make nonpaying customers or businesses aware of their lapsed accounts. Many of these businesses have already gone through the proper channels to collect their bills, even lawsuits, but are still unable to get paid, the Web site claims.

When complaints are posted, the Web site generates an email to the accused or sends a postcard via snail mail, telling them that they’ve been added to the “Deadbeat List.”

The idea of tearing down the reputation of a business isn’t new. But with more customers of these businesses researching the companies online, this could be a powerful tactic to reverse a bad business practice.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Associated Press:

Seventeen-year-old Alexis Corocan spends about $5 a month on clothes, accessories and eyes of various shapes and shades for her online persona on IMVU, a popular Internet hangout.

For 29 cents, for example, she can buy a set of deep gray eyes framed by dark lashes. Sixty cents gets her a white tiger. Or for $1.21, she could have an infant named Baby Candy.

Five dollars a month doesn’t sound like much, but through these microtransactions — payments of little as a quarter for a virtual item — IMVU Inc. reaps roughly $1 million in revenue each month.

Micropayments have been one of the Internet’s most-hyped and least-successful ideas — until now, as virtual world creators and video game companies are beginning to expect, and even depend on, players to buy virtual goods in little chunks.

The idea has already taken hold in Asia, where piracy is widespread, making it harder for companies to profit from the traditional model of selling the games themselves. Now some game companies in the U.S. are taking a stab at micropayments as a serious source of revenue.

Instead of charging for each virtual item separately, companies sell chunks of credits — through PayPal, credit card transactions or physical game cards bought in stores like Target — usually for $5 to $25 at a time. Users then spend the credits in small installments, which often amount to just a few cents.

Corocan, of Aurora, Ill., says the money she spends is worth it, but anything more a few dollars a month “is taking it too far.” Read more.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Internet Mastery Marketing Blog:

Manage Your Cash Flow
What do online entrepreneurs, freelance writers, real estate agents, virtual assistants, and plumbers all have in common? We face periods of uneven cash flow. To ensure that you always have money reserves, be sure to develop a budget that allows for swings in your income. Begin by determining an average of how much revenue you know you can count on each month and use that as a base for monthly expenses. During months that you earn more than this base, resist the urge to spend beyond your budget and make sure that this money gets safely transferred to an interest earning savings account or money market account. It is also a good idea to begin your budget by paying yourself a set salary each month, if possible. Many banks these days offer free checking so be sure to keep your personal and business cash in separate accounts. You have no idea how this will simplify your life at tax time.

Pay Your Taxes
As an employee, you receive a Form W-2 detailing your income and the amounts your employer paid out for federal, state, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. As an independent contractor, you will receive a Form 1099-MISC from every organization that pays you $600 or more during the tax years. Since no taxes were withheld, it falls to you to calculate the amount that you will owe and make sure that this money is safely stashed away in a savings account. This is a good time to invest in a good tax software program such as TurboTax. Don’t overlook the fact that you will also have to pay your own Social Security and Medicare taxes. Use Tax Form Schedule SE to calculate these amounts. I strongly advise that you hire a personal tax advisor to help you determine what your business deductions are and how to contribute to retirement plans.

Prioritize Insurance Planning
As a self employed entrepreneur, or contractor, it is up to you to provide your own health, disability and life insurance. It is a sad fact that many self-employed people forego this important financial safety net, fearing that they simply can’t afford it. Do not make this mistake! At the very least, you should have enough coverage to protect yourself against potential loss of income due to illness or disability. You may also need to consider boosting your home insurance coverage or purchase liability insurance if your office is home based. Again, speak with your licensed financial advisor, accountant, or insurance representative to determine how much insurance coverage you really need.

Invest in Your Future
The government affords the self-employed many generous advantages and it is never too early or too late to begin saving for retirement. Again, take the time to sit down with your financial advisor. Ask about retirement accounts for business owners, including the traditional IRA, Roth Ira, Keogh plan, and Simple-Ira among others.

Working for yourself can be one of the most exciting and rewarding things that you will ever do. It can also appear overwhelming and challenging if you don’t have your finances set up properly from the beginning. By creating a comprehensive game plan you will ensure many years of economic security and business success.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Fortune Small Business:

Question: Our current Web site, fusedsolutions.com, does an okay job of portraying the appropriate information to those that get there, but unfortunately not many get there.

Can you please give us a few tips on how to get our site to the top of search lists and build substantial traffic?

Answer: The first problem is in the title tag for your homepage. Unless Internet users are actually searching specifically for Fused Solutions, they’re not going to care that it is the title of the page; they could even be confused by it.

The top of the page should be dedicated to terms that people will search for, so that they know right away that they’ve landed at the right place. Consider using terms that define what you offer, such as “service software,” “service outsourcing” or “customer service representatives.”

Elsewhere on your homepage, the language on the page has a Gunning fog index of 17. The Gunning fog index is determined by a mathematical formula that takes into account word complexity and sentence length. English that caters to a wide audience should stay under 12.

“You are using words that your customer would never use,” Rich Schefren of Strategic Profits says. “The reader has to stop and think about what he just read. That’s not going to keep people on the page.”

Business owners too often fall into the trap of treating a Web site like a brochure. But the user experience is different online: You have to get across who you are and what you do very quickly, as the average Web surfer spends just seconds on a page.

In addition to keeping phrases short and the terminology simple, you’ll need to focus on common keywords that will bring traffic your way. Small changes can have outsize results: “There are less than 3,000 searches a month for ‘help desk technology,’ but over 90,000 searches a month for ‘help desk software,’” Schefren says. “If I am doing a search for help-desk software, I want to land on a page where there is no doubt in my mind that focus is on help-desk software. Here, people won’t be too sure and will click the back button.

One way to keep visitors on your site is to address them directly.

“All the information and tabs are about the company. Everything is ‘we, we, we.’ Stop talking about yourselves and instead insert content that is geared towards the consumer,” Schefren says. “Make the links and tabs talk to the visitor, such as ‘How to increase your customer satisfaction rates’ and ‘How to eliminate customer support headaches.’ The site should not be about the company so much as what benefits the company can offer the client.” Read on.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

American Chronicle:

It can be fun, yet challenging starting a home based business online. For most, this will be the first time they aren’t working at a company with a boss watching their every move. If you are tired of an overbearing boss, the idea of starting your own business from the comfort of your home can be very tempting.

However, making the transition from full-time job to starting your own home based business online will take action on your part. Before you make the leap, you will want to establish a plan of action. It is like having a map before setting out on an adventure, but it will make a big difference if you have one when setting out and you can alter it as you go along.

You need to consider a few things before starting your own home based business online. Do you have enough space for a home office (even a small desk with drawers or shelves)? Are you a self starter, dedicated, and committed to making your business work no matter what? What benefits you will gain from starting your own business? Will you be free from distractions at home? If not, how will you handle them? Do you have a budget? What are your goals?

Lack of planning is one of the main reasons why home based business owners fail so answering questions like these are vital to your success.

Other things to consider when starting your own business is to understand that as with any business, it will take hard work and dedication at the beginning, at least until you establish a plan and get everything set up.

Bear in mind that starting a home based business online requires you to work from home where specific policies and procedures or a help desk are not readily available so you will need to do lots of research to ensure that you keep up to date on the latest information, and you will be required to do your own research.

More here.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Search Engine Land:

According to comScore, U.S. Internet users watched 11.5 billion online videos in March, 2008. The average viewer watched nearly three hours of video online. These statistics make video an attractive means for advertisers to reach their audience, and in turn, a potential windfall for online video hosts such as YouTube and Google. So far, however, online video sites are finding that users want to be entertained with online video and not necessarily watch commercials. So how do small business advertisers effectively tap into the online video craze and relay their messages to target audiences? Well, that opportunity is here but is not always easy to figure out.

Here are some things that advertisers will want to consider as they ponder their first – or next – online video advertising campaign.

Understand how consumers use commercially-oriented videos in their search and buy process. Consumers watch non-commercial videos on YouTube for entertainment. Unless your video is funny, informative, or entertaining in some way, it’s unlikely that people will simply want to watch it. However, when consumers need a product or service, they are active and more willing to view content like video to help in their buying process. Consumers typically will watch online videos when they are trying to finalize a vendor selection or purchase decision. That is why local search and IYP sites may offer the best opportunity to get in front of the right audience that has the “right” mindset.

Know who to target and where to reach them. Is the audience local or national? If national, advertisers will obviously want to take a broad-based approach and focus on some of the larger search sites. For many small businesses, however, local targeting is more important. If this is true, the advertiser will need to find ways of getting their video to display where the local audience will see it, including local media sites, newspapers, and local search sites, such as Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) sites.

Decide on the appropriate type of video and determine the cost… Continued.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Startup Nation:

… When it comes to securing a Web site that you host yourself, it doesn’t matter what type of Internet connection you have (DSL, cable modem, T1, etc.). Also, don’t let the hype regarding Microsoft Windows vs. Linux/Unix security fool you. All operating systems have security issues. We tend to hear more about Windows security issues because there are many more Windows servers than Linux/Unix servers, making Windows a more frequent target for hackers and viruses.

Securing your own Web server requires basic and sometimes advanced knowledge of technologies like firewalls, NAT, anti-virus software, intrusion detection, and file-level security.

Firewalls: The First Line of Defense
First and foremost, your server must be behind a firewall. A firewall is a device (software or hardware) designed to prevent unwanted Internet traffic from gaining access to your server. Communication over the Internet takes placing using a protocol called TCP/IP. As you know from our article about domain names, every computer on the Internet (including servers) has an IP address. A single server may host a Web site, e-mail server, FTP server, and other services: each of these services requires a different type of data and communications. To ensure that e-mail data gets to the e-mail server, that Web page requests get to the Web server, and so on, a server communicates over multiple ports. Ports are separations within the IP address that direct data to the correct services on the server.

Firewalls allow data to reach certain ports and prevent data from reaching others. In general, you should set up your firewall to only allow access to the ports being used on your server. For instance, if your server only hosts a Web site, set your firewall to block all traffic except port 80, the port for Web services. By doing this you ensure that your server is shielded from all hack attempts except those that come from the Web service. This technique is akin to boarding up all the windows in your house and nailing all the doors closed but one. Burglars are less likely to attempt breaking in, and if they try, there’s only one door unlocked so it’s much easier to guard.

Network Address Translation (NAT): Second Line of Defense
A Network Address Translation (NAT) is similar in function to a firewall. A NAT device–which is most often your router–is the networking hardware that is directly connected to the Internet. All the computers and servers on your internal network have IP addresses (for example, 192.168.1.143 or 172.4.23.2) that have been reserved for private, internal networks. The NAT device is configured to redirect traffic from a public IP address to a specific server on your network. Most redirecting is done on a port-by-port basis. For instance, if the NAT device’s public IP is 67.100.34.176 and access to an internal Web server is needed, the NAT can be configured to direct port 80 traffic to your internal Web server and not allow any traffic on other ports.

In essence, a NAT gives the same results as a firewall, but it does it in a slightly different manner. Properly configuring your NAT device to direct traffic to the appropriate server and excluding all other traffic is key to securing your business.

Know Your Server’s Operating System
If you are hosting your own Web server, you must be familiar with your server’s operating system and know how to secure it via file level permissions and passwords. If you configure your own system, don’t assume that once you get that first Web page displayed that your work is complete. Always have a full understanding of your server’s operating system; go to the manufacturer’s Web site every day to check for updates and patches, and install them immediately.

Anti-Virus Software… read on.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Blogtrepreneur:

When it comes to blogging for money you’ll get a wide range of opinions on the subject of whether a blog is a business in itself. Personally, I feel that a blog can be a business on its own (without any other services or products being sold) because I see plenty of them every day that are making money. Of course, a blog can also be used very effectively to promote and improve an already existing business. Either way, running a blog with the intent to make money either directly or indirectly will help you to learn a number of valuable business lessons.

Blogging is an excellent proactive learning experience for anyone interested in business and entrepreneurship, and I’d like to take a look at 7 lessons that you’ll learn from blogging. While you may or may not have already had a textbook knowledge of these lessons, blogging will give you a first-hand, real-world knowledge that is always superior to anything you can read in a book.

1. Networking is Critical
Building a popular and profitable blog without a network is just about impossible. Likewise, in the business world a network can be the difference between an average career and finding exciting and challenging opportunities. For any entrepreneur, regardless of what type of business you are building, a strong network will be one of your most valuable assets.

2. Businesses Need a Plan
When starting a new blog it can be tempting to jump into things and just start blogging. Modern blogging platforms make it extremely easy to get started quickly, but the need for planning still exists. If you hope to run a successful blog you’ll need to have a plan to get there. Most likely this plan will evolve somewhat over a period of time, but you should always have some direction in mind to keep yourself on track.

3. Making Money Online is Realistic, but Not Easy
Many people start new blogs every day with the hope of quitting their day job in a month. After all, people like John Chow and Darren Rowse make a significant amount of money with their blogs, so why can’t you? Well, I believe that anyone can earn a substantial income blogging, realistically only a very small percentage will earn that type of income. The biggest thing holding most online entrepreneurs back, in my opinion, is effort. Yes, it is realistic, but it won’t come easy.

4. A Great Idea without Consistent Effort will Only Go So Far…

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Small Biz Trends:

For most small businesses, the obvious choice for a domain name for your website is your business name with a .com attached to the end of it. But one simple search on any of the domain name registrar websites will tell you that is not as easy of a task as it sounds. For a variety of reasons (some of which we’ll discuss in this post), many small business owners are finding that the name of their business is no longer available as a .com.

So if you can’t get your business name as your URL, or if you are starting your business afresh and the world is your choice, what do you do? If I were writing an article a few years ago about domain names, I might have offered the simple suggestion to look for a.com domain name that is short, easy to spell and easy to remember.

That’s still proper advice. But today, with many thousands of new sites coming online every year, most of the intuitive .com names have already been registered. There are, however, two main options to find a domain name that’s right for your business at a time when .com domains are becoming scarce:

(1) get specific, or

(2) buy a domain that’s already been registered.

By getting specific, I mean you could add geography or other business descriptions to your preferred domain name. For example, the name plumber.com may not be available but OakvillePlumber.com or JoeThePlumber.com may be. Read more.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

CoolBusinessIdeas:

The Man Registry, LLC, an online wedding resource provider for grooms based in Overland Park, KS, has launched the world’s first wedding registry and informational resource designed specifically for men. While most grooms have typically been left out of the wedding planning process, TheManRegistry.com is poised to change that. This unique website puts men in the driver’s seat, providing couples with the ability to register for gifts that appeal to grooms and help engage them in the wedding process.

The centerpiece of TheManRegistry.com is a specialized gift registry featuring hundreds of gifts tailored toward grooms, including barbeque grills and accessories, bar supplies, tools, and sporting equipment, just to name a few. Best of all — all of these items can be purchased directly from the website and shipped directly to the customer.

“We offer hundreds of products geared specifically toward men,” says Christopher Easter, co-founder of The Man Registry, LLC.

“With TheManRegistry.com, grooms can register for a wide variety of items that interest them, ranging from bar glasses to power tools.”

In addition to the registry, the website also offers a wealth of information, how-to articles, and resources designed to help successfully guide the 1.25 million men who get married each year through every step of the engagement, wedding, and honeymoon planning processes.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

NFIB:

Google is the most widely used search engine on the Internet. But a search engine is not only a valuable research tool for the conventional Web surfer, it is also a commodity for both the traditional and not-so-traditional small business owner. An increasing number of entrepreneurs are discovering other valuable aspects of Google for establishing and building their business.

Other amenities include Gmail, Google’s Web e-mail application; Google Docs; and Spreadsheets and Google Trends. Add to the mix Google Calendar, Blogger, Google Talk and Google Maps, and a small business owner has just about everything he needs to get his business on solid ground. Perhaps the best thing about all of these services is that they are free—which is always an attractive benefit.

While all of these tools are exciting and noteworthy, there are even further enhancements that will enable small business owners to grow their businesses. They are:

* Google Relationship Management: Last year, two of the biggest names in customer service relationship and management formed a strategic alliance with Google in order to allow customers to manage AdWord campaigns. The move allows customers to track their online marketing activities and Web traffic effectively through hits and inquiries. For entrepreneurs, the move allows them to quickly identify prospects and allocate various resources.

* Google as a Platform: Last year, Google launched Apps For My Domain. This service allows organizations to outsource their communications applications including e-mail service to Google and to customize their user interface with their own branding and color scheme. Ultimately, this means an individual can send and receive your own e-mail address instead of having the “@gmail.com” at the end. Also, administrative users can access a Web-based control panel to manage the user account list and establish aliases and distribution lists. For the nominal fee of $50 per user, per year, a business owner can set up the premium edition of the service that will increase customer support, storage space and allow for greater functionality.

* Google and QuickBooks: Recently, Google partnered with Intuit Inc. to allow small businesses to create and manage advertising campaigns with Google AdWords and provides a comprehensive list of products for sale free with Google from within QuickBooks. The move follows a growing trend that indicates more than half of all small businesses across the country use the Internet to meet and fulfill various sales, marketing and customer service goals and needs. Thus uniting Google’s Web expertise and Intuit’s enormous base of QuickBooks applications will lessen the chore of managing budgets and tracking finances for business owners.

Entrepreneurs should indeed explore and utilize these mostly free and useful tools to enhance their businesses.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Marketing Pilgrim:

When people realized the potential of email marketing, they thought that this is the future of internet marketing. Then came in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) with more liberal approach. As the social media evolved with Web 2.0, we are steadily seeing the shift of visitors from popular internet services like search engines and free email services to the newborn Online Social Media. We are seeing that the present of Internet Marketing is changing rapidly. So, why not the future?

The changes in the internet marketing will evolve around the technology. And marketers have to go where all the people are heading. To give a bit of hint, I’ve compiled some of my prophecies that are based on future of internet marketing.

Prophecy #1: Onsite Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will be History
Sorry for starting it this way. As an internet marketer, I am happy to promote the keyword Search Engine Optimization (SEO), as most of the people somehow got used to this term. But it’s a wrong word anyway. We the marketers don’t optimize search engines. Rather engineers in Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft does the exact thing.

As the search engines acquire more revenue, their pool of professionals is also drained with best brains. And it will just take some time to identify ways to evaluate each site irrespective of web development language used. But, they will eventually get rid of the need to optimize your site for the Search Engines.

Search Engines might also go for Visual Algorithm Update that will use snapshot image of the page to manipulate information like visible text, animation, and visible keyword density. With artificial intelligence using OCR technology to extract the texts, can eliminate a lot of tasks that are currently done for optimizing a site for search engines.

Prophecy #2: Searching will become more User-friendly
As the speed of internet rises, search engines will show more visible results. I would be happy to see Mouseover Zoom-up search results, for quick peek of the site I wish to open. It’s much like the Snapshot pop-in that WordPress is using. That will make people go beyond the first Search Engine Result Page (SERP).

Moreover, the Search-As-You-Type will also be introduced with search suggestions. The search suggestion will also affect multilingual users, as they will be suggested English keywords for the same multilingual phrase. Well, that might be good for businesses for English speaking countries.

It may happen that searching will not be required at all in case of purchase. You just provide the query to Google, Yahoo, Live or any Search Engines; have a cup of coffee and you’ll have custom reports with prices on products you are seeking with background research highlighting positive and negative comments about the product.

Prophecy #3: More Personalized & Localized Results will Influence SEM… continue reading.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.