A Website can Help You Build Your Brand: A website is a must for all sorts of businesses today. There are several easy ways now to get yourself a nice shiny website, without having to spend a lot. You can even do it all by yourself if you don’t want to pay someone else to do it. It’s much easier now to get a domain, web hosting, and a working web site.
Why Having a Website is Important
Even for small businesses, the first thing that you’ll absolutely need “after the obvious computer” and internet connection, is a decent website to promote your products or services.
When the internet revolution started several years back, web pages were simple text on a screen, with possibly a little bit of color and graphics if the webmaster was experienced. With technology improving by the day and becoming more affordable, not only you need a website, it also needs to be elegantly designed.
So why can’t you just use a free resource (such as Blogger or Hubages) and do it all for free? After all, you can add affiliate links, add adsense code, and make money by writing content on these sites and promoting them?
Well, you definitely can make money using these, but there’s a risk attached to it. You are building on their web property!
What if your business takes off? Would you still want to be bound by their rules?
Here are some disadvantages of using FREE web resources, and why you should own your own web properties:
- Using free web resources means you need to follow their rules
- You’ll have restrictions on what sort of links you can use in your webpages.
- You can get banned if you do excess link-building (even with moderate amount of backlinks)
- You can get banned without any reasons
- Your webpages will have several ads plastered on them
- It doesn’t project a professional image
- It doesn’t enhance the value of your web property (because you don’t own it, so you can’t sell it)
It’s Easier than Ever Before
It’s quite easy to find people with knowledge of basic HTML nowadays, so if you have a friend or family member who can put together a good website for you, you can get started and then learn the ropes on the way. If not, you could outsource the work to a professional and get it done for cheap.
A better approach however, is to spend some time learning on how to use a CMS such as WordPress, and build it all by yourself.
It’s really not that difficult as you think, and definitely won’t take you ages to build one.
It’ll also make you more confident and prepare you to tackle complex things in the future.
If you really want to enhance the value of your business, you should give serious thought to building your own website.
Do Small Businesses Need Websites
Planning to start your own small business? Do you need a Website?
There’s no doubt that the internet is the most effective marketing tool in existence today. It has the capability to reach a lot more people than any physical brochure/leaflet or advertising in the local paper.
So the short answer is that you need a website!
And should you develop it on your own?
It depends on your skills, if you have the ability to produce a site that looks good, then go ahead, it will save you money and will work wonders as a marketing tool.
However if your skills are limited, it’s better to get it done by a professional. It doesn’t have to be complex, but definitely needs to be informative and tidy.
Do you need to spend lots of money?
It really depends on the size of your website. If you just want an online presence then you can easily get it done for a couple of hundred dollars. Anything large will definitely cost more.
What content do you need?
It depends on what you want from being online. If you want to sell online, having your products online is going to be very useful!
If you’re just looking to get your company online, then you need to have a couple of things:
- Information about your company
- Contact page
How to Proceed?
You can always spend some time and do it all by yourself. Content management systems such as WordPress makes it easy for you to build & maintain your own websites.
Another option is to find a good designer and get it done!
Remember, when people look at websites, they form an impression depending on the content and how well its designed. The good thing however is that, even if you are a small business it’s possible to own a kick-ass site that resembles that of a multi-million dollar business.
How Your Firm Website Can Benefit From A Company Blog
Blogs nowadays are not just personal diaries, but a powerful tool that helps in branding and adds immense value to the readers. In fact small private companies and large firms alike use blogs alongside their firm websites due to the immense value they bring. Blogs provide the ultimate forum to directly communicate with your target audience full of potential new clients. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Several marketing research firms have concluded that companies that blog get lot more web traffic, and generate several times more leads than those without a blog. Therefore, assuming you already have a firm website, you’ll be able to boost your landing page count by adding blog posts.
Yes, you can always build additional pages on your firm website explaining different areas of practice you are also qualified to cover in order to boost your page count. Just be careful to not dilute your firm’s niche.
How much are new clients worth to your practice? Hopefully much more than the cost to create a 300 word article twice a month.
So Why Do Firm Blogs Attract New Clients?
Aside from being the ideal forum to communicate with your target market, there are several reasons why firm blogs work:
1. SEO Benefits
A large part to being found online is ensuring you show up in search engines like Google and Bing. A firm blog is a goldmine for relevant terms and phrases associated with your brand. You gain more relevance and authority as a firm for your niche with every new blog post. You have the chance to dominate your niche’s keywords for people searching on Google and other search engines.
2. Become An Authority
The more value you provide and expertise you demonstrate on your blog, the more credibility you have as an expert in your area of practice. People in need of legal representation trust experts.
3. Year Round Advertising
Your firm website is an advertisement for your company that runs 365 days of the year. Your firm blog is no different. Once you create public information on the internet, it will always be there working hard to fight for new business.
4. Understand Your Customers Needs Better
Blogs provide another avenue to socialize and interact with your customers. For some people it’s more natural and comfortable to contact you via a company owned blog for basic requests and questions than it is to pick up a phone or send an email.
Does your firm have a blog?
If yes, then you’re already on your way. If not, then Studiopsis can help you get one started. With an assisted setup, our SEO experts will ensure that your company website and new blog is optimized and ready to receive new clients from the web.
How to Build a Website
If you have decided to start an online business and want to build a website, a quick google search will bring up terms such as CMS, Blogs, and Website Builders.
So what’s the difference between all these terms?
With so many ways of having an online presence, it’s no wonder that if you’re new to the online world, you can easily get confused with all these terms.
So here are the basic differences & definitions.
Website
A collection of web pages usually around one topic with images, videos or other digital assets thrown in. These are all hosted on one web server and can be accessed via the Internet.
A website could have just one page or several pages, and could be static in nature with the content not getting refreshed very frequently, unless of course the information needs to be updated / corrected.
Blog
A blog (short for Weblog) is supposed to be updated much more frequently with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. It is also a type of website where the individual posts are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Another important difference between a static website and a blog is that a blog allows interaction with your visitors, in the form of blog post commenting.
What to Use?
While technically blogs are websites and websites can be blogs, what is more important is how you want to use them and what do you want to do with your online presence.
A static website can be sufficient for most purposes and can be made search engine friendly.
With a blog, the expectation is that it will be updated on a regular basis. Another benefit of having a blog is that they are very search engine friendly.
CMS (Content Management System)
CMS is a computer application (set of tools) that is used to create, edit, manage, search and publish various kinds of digital media and electronic text. You can use it to create a static website or a blog. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal are some of the popular CMS.
Website Builder
These are online proprietary tools provided by web hosting companies to cater to people who wish to build and publish their websites, without learning the technical aspects of creating a web site.
Note: Wikipedia distinguishes between online and offline website builders, referring to Adobe Dreamweaver as an example of the latter. For the purposes of this article however, we will deal only with online products and services.
Website vs Blog Summary
A blog displays blog posts in reverse chronological order, i.e. latest post is shown at the top of the page – whereas on a website, pages are displayed according to how the webmaster chooses to set up the navigation through the site. However, you can also create pages using a blog platform and choose to have them shown in any order you choose – just as you would do with a ‘static’ website. With a blog, you can choose to allow or disallow comments on individual posts and pages. In terms of developing an audience, that interactivity is another huge advantage of blogging over static websites.
When to Use a Website Builder
If you want to save some money, and are willing to arrange your own hosting, then you can install your own blog using any free CMS such as WordPress. The good thing about using them is that if you get stuck along the way there are lots of resources to help you out.
However, if you don’t mind paying a little extra and want a solution that includes hosting, blog and template installation, and many more tools, all accessible from one interface then you should go with a website builder. When choosing a site builder it is important to evaluate the feature list that is provided.
But basically, it all boils down to ease-of-use and cost.
Guide to the Best Website Builders
An easy to use website builder will help you focus more on your business and help you to grow your online presence.
Why is it important to select a good website builder?
Because the best professional website builder will help you develop the perfect website to represent you and your business.
Why use a Builder?
Using a builder saves you time and money by combining numerous features of a traditional website program into one easy to use program. Such builders are also easy to use. They offer you a way to build a professional presence online without the need of knowing a lot of technical stuff or html.
When choosing a professional builder, remember to consider the following features which are must-haves when building a professional web presence for your business:
Domain Names and Hosting
Most website builders have the capability to provide you with a domain name, though they even allow domains that are purchased from another source.
It is better if the business website builder provides you everything that you need, including the domain name and host the website once it is built. Less of a hassle for you!
Newsletters, Auto Responders, and Message Boards
To sustain your business, it is important for you to build a rapport with your visitors. If you’re going to be selling products on your website, you’ll want a way to communicate with your customers.
You can do this in a number of ways. Create newsletters to announce sales, use an auto responder to automatically give them further pre-planned information, or allow them to tell you what they think in a message board.
A professional site builder platform will allow you to do this, and much more.
Catalogs and Coupons
You have a physical catalog that you can mail to potential customers. Wouldn’t it be better to have one online, as well? Choose a professional website builder that allows you to create a virtual store on the web. And, if you really want to impress your customers, throw in coupons for additional savings. They’ll appreciate the savings, which may mean more repeat sales.
Shopping Cart
When someone is interested in a product on your site, you’ll need to have a shopping cart for them to place that item. Choosing the right professional website builder will provide this function. If the builder you’re looking at doesn’t provide this, you might want to look elsewhere.
Templates and image libraries
Some website builders have templates that you can use, and some even provide some images that you can add to your site. However, a really good professional website builder will have more than just a few. Look for a builder that has over 300 templates and 2,000 images available to you. The more templates and images you have available, the better to create just what you have in mind.
24/7 Support
Most importantly, when you’re starting a new online business, you want to be sure that you’re able to contact someone if there’s a problem with your site. Check to be sure that the website builder you choose has free support around the clock. There are some who offer a live webchat feature but then there are others who will respond in 24 hours.
Choosing a Domain Name: 3 Tips To Follow
Choosing a Domain Name: Here are 3 tips that you should follow to make sure it enhances your business and also makes it easy for you to sell it in the future.
When it comes to real estate, people buy properties or land with the assumption that “they’re never going to make more land” and so the prices should appreciate in the future.
When it comes to the virtual world, domain names are considered to be the equivalent of real estate because once you register a good one, no one else can get it from you.
That is the reason most savvy internet marketers buy domain names (as many as they can) despite all the free resources available online.
But, just like real estate, not all domain names are going to be equally valued, some will be worth more than others.
It’s important to register a good domain name, which will not only enhance your business but also enable you to sell it for a good price down the road.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you buy your domain name:
- Try getting a Domain that has your business keyword
It’s important to have a domain name with great keywords (from your niche) as it can help you get some free traffic to your website.
Although the latest Google algorithms suggest that they are giving lesser importance to keyword-stuffed domain names, its’s always advisable to go in for a short domain name and preferably with your keyword.
So the first thing you need to do is to identify the niche your new website will be in. What product or service will you be promoting? Once you’ve figured that out you should do keyword research to find a list of great keywords that get a lot of searches every month. Those keywords should be the ideal candidates for your domain name.
For example, if my site was on acoustic guitar and I found a great keyword “yamaha acoustic guitar”, then ideally I would try to get a domain name like: yamaha acoustic guitar.com.
You already know from your keyword research that the term yamaha acoustic guitar gets a lot of monthly searches, so many of those searches will be sent right to your website since that is the domain name. This one step can help you get a lot more targeted visitors for free.
- Get Trusted Registrar & Hosting
There are a lot of places online where you can buy domain names. If you want more choices, visit some internet marketing forums and ask for opinions, or do a search.
Domain names are inexpensive usually around $10 a year. Many sites offer sales or multiple domain discounts. Also search for discount coupons online.
You’ll also need hosting space for your website.
- What extension to choose?
Though there are conflicting opinions on what extension to choose for your domain, such as .com, .net or .org, it’s seen that:
- .com domains are the best (for branding)
- .net or .org are the second best option (and usually cheaper too) if you’re able to find one with a keyword in it.
There are many who say that customers will forget a long URL or a different extension, which is actually true, but it also depends on how you’re going to get most of your customers.
If you’re going to hand out business cards, you need short & simple domains, preferably with .com extension.
But, if most of your traffic is going to be from searches or from online marketing, then the extension really doesn’t matter as website visitors are going to click on some link and come to your website.
You need time to establish your internet presence, so don’t get fooled into thinking that going the ‘free’ route with a blog is the best way to go. If you don’t buy domain names and rely solely on the free services, you don’t actually own your fair share of internet real estate and you don’t present a professional image.
Web Hosting Explained
Learn all about web hosting here…
301 Redirect: What, Why & How?
If you own a website or have been reading about making money online, its quite likely that you may have come across the term 301 redirect. Here’s more about it.
What Is A 301 Redirect?
In technical terms, a 301 redirect means a permanent redirect from one URL to the other. Its like submitting a “change of address form” at the post office. If you move your location, you want to make sure all your mail is forwarded to your new place.
For example, if your previous website was www.jobsite.com and you wanted to change it to www.onlinejobsite.com, you’d implement a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. Once you do that, whoever typed in your old URL (or clicked on a leftover link to your old URL), would automatically appear at your new URL.
Tips to Implement A 301 Redirect
Here are a couple of tips that you should use when implementing 301 redirects in order to get found by your best leads and customers.
1. Set up a 301 redirect between the http:// and http://www versions of your domain.
Why? Because http://onlinejobsite.com and http://www.onlinejobsite.com are considered two different websites and could hypothetically be used for different contents. So make sure you have a 301 redirect between the http:// and the http://www versions of your website.
2. Set up a 301 redirect first and then move to the new domain!
ToysRUs made this mistake when it bought Toys.com in an attempt to rank even better for the keyword “toys”. (The company was already ranking pretty well). Ironically, ToysRUs forgot to do a 301 redirect between the old domain and new Toys.com, causing it to lose it’s SEO authority and rank even worse.
So do it the right way, be it for re-branding, getting a website face-lift or for any other reason. This way any inbound links to your old domain will pass SEO credit to YOUR new site!
How to Implement A 301 Redirect?
To know more about actually implementing this part, read here…
To Conclude
If you are looking for a website builder, you need to be sure of what features you want from them. The above features will serve as guidelines for you and will help you to choose the right professional website builder for your new online business. Remember, you still need to work to get the traffic and convert it, but a good business website builder helps you focus more on building the business.
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