Beginner Steps For Launching A Website

So you're ready to create your first website. You'll be joining quite a crowd. Royal Pingdom estimates there were 634 million websites online as of December 2012. More than 51 million of those were added throughout 2012. To make your website stand out in the crowd, you'll want to do some planning and learn how to direct people to your site.


It's All in the Name

Your domain name is how people will recognize you. It is also tied to the physical address of your website. If you already have a company name, your domain name will likely be some facsimile of it. Go to one of the hosting companies online to check if your domain is available. There can be only one of each domain, however the extension can be different. For example, there can be only one mikesplumbing.com but there can also be a mikesplumbing.net.


Pick Your Hosting Service

Research webhostingbluebook for reviews and comparisons of website hosting companies. This site also has articles on how to choose a hosting company. You want a company that is affordable for you now but offers services you can expand into as your company grows, such as shopping cart services, higher levels of security and dedicated server options.


Build or Assemble?

You can choose to create a website from scratch or put one together from existing pieces. To build from scratch requires knowledge of HTML, the language of the Internet, and a lot of time. Adam Dachis of Lifehacker has an excellent tutorial on building a website from scratch if you choose this route.

Or you can choose to put together a website from templates other people have built. WordPress is a common source. You will start with the WordPress foundation then add a theme, which is how the site will appear. Next you'll add plug-ins to do certain things such as display a calendar or a slideshow. WordPress has a number of tutorials to guide you through the process.


Getting Directions to Your Website

People will find your website through the search engines, such as Google or Bing. The list of sites returned from any search is displayed in a certain order determined by a complicated algorithm. If your site comes up on page one, that's good for you. If you're on page 110, that's not so good.

To better your page ranking, learn about SEO, or search engine optimization, to help increase the website's ranking in the search engines. MOZ has a good tutorial on SEO. It's worth learning even a little so you will know what the search engines are doing with your site.


Content is King

Content is still the reason people visit your website. Fresh content makes the search engines rank you higher and keeps your viewers coming back. If the content on your site is stale and unchanged, people will visit once and not come back. If it's interesting and they take away something each time they visit, they will become loyal followers.

There are techniques for writing content that use the SEO rules. Once you learn something about SEO, you can learn about writing SEO content. Elisa Gabbert has a good introduction to SEO content on Wordstream.


Planning Your Website

With some familiarity with these pieces, you can plan a timeline for putting together your successful website. Each step will be a fun learning opportunity for you. Don't get discouraged if you don't understand something - the Internet is full of articles on how to create your first website. There are also people who specialize in each of these areas. Don't hesitate to put out a call for help. You'll discover that there are many people out there willing to help you be successful with your website.


Did you find this article helpful? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
Mobile-Friendly Site Designing: Things You Shouldn't Be Doing
Why Web Hosting Is Important To Your SEO
Five Keys To A Successful Web Design And How You Can Achieve It For Free
What Steps Should You Take To Make Sure Your Site Is SEO Friendly?

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6 Ways To Be Remarkable Online

What people say and hear about you matters more than ever in our interconnected world.

Our personal (and business) brands are on the line. Everything we do and say is documented and saved for as long as we have access to the Web. More so, others can shape the way people perceive your brand whether they're being truthful or not. Online reputation is quickly becoming a hot topic because everyone has a voice and this means the longevity of your brand could be on the line if you're not taking the actions to be remarkable.


Deliver Exceptional Content

Every piece of content you publish to the Web is a representation of your authority, expertise, and brand. It's essential that you take the time to create exceptional content. Content should be resourceful, entertaining, and share-able. You should give those consuming your content a thorough understanding of your topic and something actionable for the take-away. The quantity of content you produce does not matter - it's all about the quality. Take ample amount of time to discover topics your community wants to see, put everything you can into the piece, and push it as hard as humanly possible across the social networks. Great content will bring great opportunities once you're established as a leader in your field.


Manage Your Reputation

Reviews have tremendous weight when it comes to the decision process of consumers. Everyone has a voice thanks to social media; people are quick to leave negative reviews just as they are to praise a brand. The overwhelming amount of individuals using the Web means that it can be nearly impossible to monitor and manage your online reputation without appropriate tools. What makes matters worse is the overwhelming amount of fake, negative comments appearing all over search engines and in major review platforms which do immense harm to a brand because they are malicious in nature and deter would-be customers.

Luckily there are ways that companies go about repairing the damage done by harmful false reviews. For example, a company can use Brand.com reviews to weed out negative reviews from a central "hub" that gives you access to the tools and resources for managing your reputation. Services like that can be implemented when the protection offered by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act isn't enough. You can leverage this service to repair any damage left by "troll" reviews (and other mishaps) which will paint a positive picture of your brand within search rankings - thus increasing the chances of landing a sale.


Hone Your Unique Selling Point

A unique selling point (USP) is what makes you stand out from the countless number of competitors in your industry. The USP acts as a simple explanation as to why someone should buy from your company or subscribe to its services - it's what gives people the reassurance to listen to what you have to say. There are many competitors in any number of markets but if they're all saying the same, boring pitch then consumers don't really feel that any of their choices really matter...so they may just abandon their search. Having that USP will keep you out there in the front, on the tip of consumers' tongues, with the ability to generate buzz and build a passionate community around your offers.


Create Indispensable Resources

Content comes and goes, social media updates are forgotten, interviews go stale, and videos become outdated - one thing that never gets old is a regularly updated indispensable resource. Creating an industry-standard resource makes you the top dog in the market because not many competitors are willing to take the time and energy to develop free resources to the community because they're often holding back behind a paywall. "Pushing the free line" is a popular term floating within industries which takes in the idea that you create incredible content, for free, and use it as a vehicle for converting your visitor to the premium items because of the mentality that "if the free content is this good, I wonder what to expect when I have to pay?" A resource doesn't become forgotten with time - it becomes a defining asset to your brand and aids in the process of building your authority within your industry.


Don't End With A Thank You Email

Customer service has seemed to fall to the wayside ever since we've shifted a large amount of our commerce online. Customer service should be a priority more than ever because where others have dropped the ball - you will have the opportunity to be remarkable. The point is to avoid having a definitive end to saying "thank you" to customers and clients. After the thank you email should come a slew of phone calls, gifts, and discussions with the customers; this shows that you truly do care about their opinion and their use of your products/services. Offer a remarkable experience and you'll hook people to your brand for a lifetime.


Cultivate Your Culture

Build the culture that you want surrounding your brand. Take targeted actions toward growing your brand by sculpting every element of your work whether it's your tone when conveying ideas in your content to how you interact on social media. A following of 100 passionate individuals willing to share your content, provide feedback, and purchase new items is infinitely more powerful than thousands that are just passing through for free stuff. Cultivate the community from the very beginning by implementing content and marketing strategies that push your unique selling point and brand - through this you will build a presence more powerful than you can ever imagine.


Did you find this article helpful? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
How To Protect Your Business' Reputation Online
How Your Business Can Cope With Bad Online Reviews
Why A Bad Business Reputation Is Harder To Ditch Than Ever Before
What Is Online PR And How Can It Help Your Business?
Are You Speaking The Right Language With Your Customers

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Until my next post on Friday with beginner steps for launching a website, enjoy the rest of the week! See you back here on Friday!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Tips For Preventing A Google Penalty

SEO is an important part of any website strategy, but with a Google Penguin update on the horizon, a lot of businesses are wondering whether their visibility is going to be affected. While you as a site owner can't predict upcoming Google changes, you can make sure your site doesn't get hit with Google penalties that could lower your search rankings.

Keeping your site from getting hit with a penalty might sound difficult, but the truth is that Google is mostly targeting sites filled with spam, or sites that are using black hat SEO techniques to boost their rankings. In general, if you keep everything above board, you've taken the first step to avoiding a Google penalty.

However, there are some additional things you can do to keep your rankings from plummeting overnight - things you might not even realize could result in you getting hit with a penalty.


Don't Use Paid Links

The Google spiders that crawl through websites and pick up on data don't like paid links. That's because they are essentially recognized as spam and only serve to attract more readers - readers that won't get any useful information. You can continue using ad and directory links if they are working for you, but ditch all of the paid links right away.


Keep Your Content Unique

Websites are supposed to have unique content, and you really shouldn't be publishing your content in multiple places if you can avoid doing so. It's also quite obvious that you shouldn't be copying and pasting large blocks of text from content that isn't your own.

If you can't keep up with creating enough unique content on your own, hire somebody to help you out. Utilize the services of content creation sites. Whatever you do, avoid duplicating content over and over again. This will result in a Google penalty sooner or later.


Audit Your Links

As a site owner, you should be auditing your website and links about once per month. Start by running your backlinks and finding out how many of your links are from high-quality sites (versus low-quality sites) that might be considered spam-generators on their own.

In general, you don't want to be associated with those low-quality sites. They'll be hit with Google penalties of their own eventually, therefore, you don't want anything to do with them.

When you do find low-quality links, ask for them to be removed right away. Document your efforts and request repeatedly if you have to. Taking note of your efforts to get low-quality links removed is important because you may need this information if you do get hit with a Google penalty and need to file a reconsideration request to undo the penalty.


Watch Your Anchor Density

Anchor density and how it relates to your money terms is an important issue to pay attention to. Sites with high anchor density for their money terms can indicate SERP manipulation, which can lead to Google penalties.

The Google penalties for manipulating the search engine page results through SEO black hat tricks and over-optimization can result in having your website removed from search engine indexes. That means people won't see you in search engine results pages, which will surely impact your traffic and bottom line.

Ideally, you want your anchor density to be under 15-percent for your money terms. Your non-money anchor text terms can be a little higher, but keeping your money terms low is essential. If your anchor density is getting too high, use branded term links to dilute the percentage and keep a Google penalty from coming your way.

Google penalties can result in your site being buried way down in the search results, which is going to negatively affect how much traffic your site gets. Overnight, your site could go from a first-page result to a page-12 result - if it shows up at all. To keep that from happening, use the tips above to prevent a Google penalty.


About The Author: Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer and online marketing professional in Southern California. She works with HostPapa to teach businesses both small and large how to effectively use web analytics, social media marketing and SEO for their sites. She has also used her background in search engine marketing to optimize the performance of her own business' site.

Did you find this article helpful? Has your site been hit with a google penalty? If so, what steps did you take to recover from it? Please let Marcela and myself know by leaving us your valued comments in the comments section below.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

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Until my next post tomorrow with 6 ways to be remarkable online, enjoy the rest of your day! See you back here tomorrow!

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Business Proposals: Plan For The Long Term

Solid business plans don't guarantee success, but they certainly help.

Not only is a plan an effective guide for the short and long term direction of a company, it can also remind you of your initial goals when starting out - thus helping you to avoid straying too much from your original motivation.

A good plan accomplishes three important tasks - first it aligns the management team to a common set of goals, then it helps to find ways in which to achieve them and finally it acts as a sort of sales document to attract potential clients and investment - after all, having a clear plan suggests confidence.

The best way to put your plan together is step by step and in manageable chunks.


Summarise

Remember - less is more so don't worry about going into minute details but do ask yourself the following questions to help form an effective summary of your company.

What does your company do? How can consumers benefit? Why will it be successful? Do you have a unique selling point?


How are your customers?

Now is the time to focus on detail - imagine your target customers. Who are they? How old are they? Where do they live? What do they like/dislike? What type of products do they buy? What is their income?

And now that you can clearly see the consumers who will be buying your product or using your service, go back to your business description and ensure it matches your market.


Know your competitors

So you know your customer, but do you know your competitors? This is also an important aspect to include in your business plan, even if you feel you have a unique product and selling point.

Knowing your rivals - so to speak - will help you further carve out a niche and find out what their customers are not happy with so you can provide it. In addition, it can help you to price your product or service accordingly.


The nitty gritty

Of course, one of the most important aspects of any proposal is considering the financial side of your business.

While this may seem like the most daunting part, there are plenty of guides online that can help you to make sure your plan is airtight and takes all eventualities into consideration.

Your plan should cover at least a three-year period, with the most detail given for the first year. Creating a spreadsheet is a handy way to see projections clearly and to easily keep track of your finances.

Include all outgoings - no matter how small or insignificant - and a sales forecast detailing how much revenue you expect to gain. In terms of overheads, remember to think very carefully about technology, as adopting the right systems early on can help to make savings in the future.

Forking out for cloud computing for example, may seem like an unnecessary extravagance, but this type of technology allows a greater deal of flexibility - meaning later down the line you could offer remote working to employees. This is turn will reduce overheads associated with desk space, an IT department and more.

Similarly, adopting free conference call technology as a way in which to communicate with colleagues and clients, is both inexpensive and allows for greater degrees of flexibility as well as room for growth should your business be looking to expand into overseas markets.


Did you find this article helpful? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
Most Important Steps To Draft Your Business Plan

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Until my next post on Tuesday with tips for preventing a Google penalty, have a fabulous and fun-filled Summer Bank Holiday weekend! See you back here on Tuesday!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

How To Make Running A Small Business A Whole Lot Easier

Running a small business definitely takes a good deal of time and effort. This can mean little time for any other areas of your life, including your family and friends. The good news is that there are ways in which you can reduce the amount of stress you carry, without compromising your business in the process. The following are some good ways to free up some time for other things, which will definitely make you a happier and more balanced business owner.


Stick to your plan and rework it as necessary.

When you first had the idea for your business, you came up with a plan for your funds and other aspects of it. Your life will be a whole lot easier if you refer back to the plan on occasion and reevaluate the decisions that you are making. This will cause you to look objectively at your business and resources and evaluate how well things are working. This can help you to avoid going too far down a path that will not lead you to success.


Hire the right people.

You will need to have people who are responsible and can be trusted, this will allow you some time away from the business to enjoy your personal life. In order to be sure that the people you hire are the right people, have a well thought out screening process. This will need to include the questions that you will want to ask in an interview. If you "wing it" you can often miss out on asking key questions that will show you the candidates true character, values, and thought processes. You may even want to have testing of some sort for the applicants. Many companies use personality profiling and general aptitude tests as a first step in sorting through the applicants that seem promising. For instance, if the position you are hiring for requires manual dexterity and speed, you may want to have a timed test that will measure these skills. It is also a good idea to have a system in place that will allow your customers, if they are in contact with employees, to give you feedback on their experiences. One bad employee can definitely hurt your business. For those that do not come into contact with customers, it is a good idea to have regular performance reviews. This will allow you to identify problems, if any, and also recognize those within your organization who are exceptional employees.


Don't be afraid to get some help from the pros.

Realistically, no one person can do everything, nor will they be efficient at doing everything; however, there are still ways to get things done. There are many needs that your business may have that can be taken care of by a professional or business that specializes in doing just what you need. Some of the services that you may want to consider are:

• Bookkeeper
• Payroll specialists
• Telephone answering service
• Marketing professionals
• Hiring agency

All of these services are available to your business, so don't be afraid to take advantage of them. These businesses often consist of highly trained professionals who will be likely more knowledgeable than you are on their area of specialty. This can mean many things for you, such as, money savings in the long term, you will be able to avoid any taxation issues that can arise from mistakes, you can avoid costly lawsuits that may arise from the mistreatment of an employee or safety in the workplace, and of course you will get some time for the people and things in life that are important to you. When you consider the costs for these services, which vary, what you will gain is far more valuable.


Did you find this article helpful? Do you have any tips to share? Please let me know/share them in the comments section below.

For more business tips, use this link:
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This article is sponsored by: Arnold McClellan, an Accounting Professional and Philanthropist. You can visit his blog here and learn more about him in this post.


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

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Until my next post on Friday on business proposals: planning for the long term, enjoy the rest of the week! See you back here on Friday!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.