Designing a Site That Gets Noticed & Compels Visitors to Stay</h1> <article> <h1>Designing a Site That Gets Noticed & Compels Visitors to Stay</h1> <p>Julia Dalton — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:40:50 GMT</p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Traditional brick and mortar stores benefit from drive by traffic. Perhaps their sign appeals to passersby, who stop in to take a look. Maybe shoppers walk by, take a peak in the window and decide to venture inside. You can think of a Web site in similar terms. The Internet is simply a big highway. The better location you have, the more visible you will be to the traffic on the Web. Instead of pedestrians or drivers, you are trying to appeal to those surfing the net.</span></p> <div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So, how do you make sure you catch their eye? Through your Web site’s design which helps make it more visible and appealing to prospects. It is the first impression that a person gets of your business. And with the Web, you have even less time to attract visitors than a brick and mortar store does. That’s because, shoppers who enter a store or business will often spend time walking around. But in the online world, they will take only seconds to decide whether or not to stay and look around.</span></p> <div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So when it comes to designing your Web site, be sure you take ample time to do it right. Don’t just jump in and start building. Instead, sit down and plan it out first. What are your goals? Who are you targeting? What kind of navigation are you going to have? Understand your goals and how people will interact with your site. Map it all out first; then begin your design. Just be sure that, in the end, you make it easy for people to get to where they want to go.</span></p> <div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As you tackle your site’s design, there are some important questions you need to answer. These are the very same questions that visitors will ask themselves, in a split second, when they land on your site.</span></p> <div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Here’s what visitors need to know, instantly:</span></p> <div> </div> <ul type="disc" style="margin-top: 0in;"> <li><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">What am I looking at?</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> The most important element for any user or Web site visitor to understand is “What am I looking at?” Visitors must be able to know immediately what you do or what you sell. If they have to spend any time searching for the answer, then you are at risk for losing them with one simple click.</span></li> </ul> <div> </div> <ul type="disc" style="margin-top: 0in;"> <li><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Why should I stay?</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> Once a visitor knows what you do, they will want to know why they should stay and look around. This aspect has a lot to do with the aesthetic qualities of your site. Is it easy to navigate? Does it look attractive? Is it an inviting and comfortable place to be? So, while the message about what you do may be very clear, if your site is difficult to navigate or the colors are not pleasing to the eye, then it can become challenging for visitors to want to stay on the site.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br clear="all" /> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">As you consider various design elements, here are some common mistakes to avoid.</span></p> <div> </div> <ul type="disc" style="margin-top: 0in;"> <li><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Realize that bigger isn’t always better.</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> People often believe that a message needs to be bigger and bolder in order for people to understand it. That’s simply not the case. So, don’t fall prey to using huge font sizes, blinking or odd colors. And be sure that each page is legible and easy to read. Don’t use light grey text or background colors that clash with text colors.</span></li> <li> </li> <li><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Use quality images, but not too many</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. People often go overboard using graphics and images on their sites. Often, the more images you use, the longer it takes for a site to load. That’s a quick way to lose visitors, because they will abandon a site if it takes too long to load. In addition, for Search Engine Optimization purposes, content and text are the keys to success <i>not</i> images.</span></li> <li> </li> <li><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Design your site to be compatible with different web browsers</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. Often, people only design a site with Internet Explorer in mind. Instead, you should make sure that your site looks the same, regardless of which browser is used to view it.</span></li> <li> </li> <li><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Limit the amount of scrolling you require users to do</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. And avoid horizontal scrolling at all costs! When you look at your site, be sure that the most important information resides on the top one-third to one-half of the screen. You want people to see the most important content upfront, helping them make a more informed decision to stay.</span></li> </ul> <div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Once your site is up and running, there are two ways to evaluate whether or not your site is succeeding in attracting and keeping visitors. The first way to evaluate your site and its design is to simply ask friends, family members, and colleagues to check it out. Solicit their advice and feedback. Let them click around and watch how they use it. Even if they are not in your target market or a prime candidate for your services, they can still represent the user experience. So listen carefully to what they have to say.</span></p> <div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The second way to evaluate your site is to implement a backend analytics program. This is perhaps the most critical tool for monitoring how users are interacting with your site. It will tell you how people navigate the site and which pages they visit. And the information can help you understand the effectiveness of your design. For example, if 99%% of the people who get to your homepage go nowhere else on your site, that tells you something. Over time, as you see trends develop, you can begin to refine your site – its design and content – so that you can better influence visitors to come on in and look around!</span></p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Your Web Site: The 24 Hour Workhorse of Your Professional Services Firm!</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:06:17 GMT</p> <p>Getting your professional services business online is about connecting with potential clients and partners. But gone are the days of having a website merely to publish your office address and phone number, and expecting new clients will find you! These days most firms treat their website effectively as another sales and service channel, undertaking business development and client support 24 hours a day. For professional services firms, such as management consultants, health care professionals, and legal or financial service providers, a professional web site can provide significant benefits in helping you market your business and service your clients.<br /><br /><b>Basic ways your web site can support your marketing activities</b><br /><br />Today you can use your web site as the center of your overall marketing activity. Your web site can help you expand your messages to potential clients, especially if the services you offer are complex and not easily explained in a short advertisement. There is a limited amount of information that can be included a radio, TV or print advertisement and these mediums can be very expensive. However, if you include your company's domain name in a small advertisement you can direct your customers to your web site and guide them through the services you offer in detail. But there are many more ways your website can help you manage and grow your business.<br /><br /><b>More advanced marketing techniques</b><br /><br />With a little imagination, your web site can be a lot more than simply an expanded brochure about your services. If you already offer a printed newsletter, you can offer this online instead, reducing the costs of printing and mailing, while helping the environment too! You can send the newsletter out via e-mail, and then archive previous editions online. By adding a sign-up box on your web site, you can potentially reach out to prospective customers and showcase your expertise by regularly sending them your newsletter. If you offer a service that can be best explained using audio, video or photographs, you can include links from your e-mail newsletter to multi-media files housed on your site.<br /><br />Adding images that explain your services graphically can be a very strong marketing tool. For example, dentists can showcase their work by displaying "before" and "after" photographs of their patients, and even letting potential patients submit questions online about specific procedures.<br /><br />Another way to share your expertise with potential clients is to start a blog about a topic you understand intimately. You can blog about a variety of things, not just related to your firm; for example you can write posts about new trends in your industry, new services you are offering, case studies about your existing clients, and post reminders about seasonal events such as quarterly tax deadlines or upcoming legislative changes. Search engines like to index blogs because their content is often updated frequently, and other bloggers will often link to a post that they find valuable, which can bring your site lots of inbound links. A well-written blog can give you great credibility in your field.<br /><br /><b>Creating 24 hour Client Service</b><br /><br />A lot of your staff's time is probably spent answering the same questions over and over again, such as directions to your office, or the services you provide. These are the questions potential clients will ask before they engage your services. Displaying the answers on your Web site and will free up a lot of time for your office staff, and ensure that there are no miscommunications with potential customers. <br /><br /><b>Forms, forms, forms - many ways to enhance your clients' experience!</b><br /><br />By putting a contact/ inquiry form on your site you enable clients to contact you on their own schedule, rather than during regular office hours. This can be very convenient if your clients have a busy schedule, or are even in a different time zone or country. <br /><br />If your office sets appointments for you to meet with your clients, you can streamline this activity and make things easier for your customers by setting up an online appointment service. Many clients would rather schedule their appointments online because it gives them the option to look at their calendar rather than potentially juggling with a cell phone and calendar while driving in their car, or having to make appointments while in the office where other people can overhear them. An added benefit is that your web site is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week so, again, clients with busy work schedules don't have to worry about remembering to call during office hours.<br /><br />If you integrate your online calendar with an automatic e-mail service, you can even e-mail a reminder to your clients a couple of days ahead of their appointment. This is more convenient for many clients and saves you the expense of having someone call to confirm your appointments.<br /><br />For healthcare and veterinary services providers, you can also make it easier for clients to call in prescription requests or refills, by providing an online form that they can complete and submit ahead of time. This form can generate an e-mail to your front desk or technicians to enable them to prepare the prescription ahead of time, rather than when the client arrives at the office at the busiest time of the day!<br /><br />Another use of online forms could be to provide price quotations to a potential customers, or qualify them for a financial service. These types of forms can be very useful for services such as insurance policies and loans. While you may not be able to provide a quotation automatically online, you can easily create a form that can be sent via e-mail to someone in your firm who can generate the quote and call the potential client back. <br /><br />Additionally, forms can be a great way to gather feedback from your clients. You can post forms or online surveys and ask for feedback from your customers. The advantage to this is that you can obtain opinions almost instantaneously, especially if you e-mail your existing clients to ask them to complete the survey. By describing a new or existing service and asking for their ideas, you can gain valuable insight into how to position your service in a fast, economical way. Involving your clients in the development of new services not only makes these services less risky, but also gives your clients a sense of engagement with your firm.<br /><br /><b>Improve employee effectiveness</b><br /><br />A web site is also the fastest, most economical way to disseminate information within your organization. Instead of relying on the haphazard distribution of memos and e-mails, employees can visit their company's Web site at their convenience. You can password protect an employee-only Web site, or intranet, so that sensitive information remains within the company. <br /><br />Your web site can also function as the online repository of all of your service and client information, reducing paper work and filing of customer records. It is fairly easy to create an online content management system to store important documents. Some systems will even allow your staff to collaborate on documents, such as legal contracts or financial filings. If you decide to go this route, be sure to secure your website in a way that prevents hackers and other unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information.<br /><br />A further step is to create what is known as an "extranet" whereby selected clients can access part of your intranet created specifically for them. They can then post materials that they wish you to work on directly to your site, or review documents you have been working on for them. Questions about work status and version control are instantly resolved when clients can see the progress of their projects online.<br /><br />In summary, you should think of your web site as more than just your address on the internet. Your web site can be a valuable tool to increase your firm's productivity and radically improve client satisfaction. </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Online Shipping Services</h1> <p>Jessica Bradford — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:38:13 GMT</p> <p>An important consideration you must face when setting up your e-commerce store is your shipping method. After all, your business relies on getting the product to the end consumer. Though there are various ways to set up online shipping, everyone desires a quick and efficient method. An ideal system allows you to easily integrate your various shipping lanes, whether they are overnight, ground, or simple mail service, into your business systems, retail website or order management system. An ideal route is to purchase a software application that allows you to create shipping labels, track shipments, obtain rate quotes and generate reports all in one place. While there are some pretty extensive applications out there, it is usually best to start with one of the basic programs that are available free online. A simple and easy to use tool is available at:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fedex.com/ca_english/businesstools/ecommercetools.html?link=4">http://www.fedex.com/ca_english/businesstools/ecommercetools.html?link=4</a><br /><br /><b>What Are Web Shipping Services?</b><br />Essentially, they are a collection of programming technologies that allows a user to build customized solutions for application integration. Web shipping services differ from traditional client/server models in that they allow for application-to-application communication. In other words, applications interface with each other, not with the users. This means applications can be combined to create more powerful services. For example, a user could choose to combine FedEx Web Services with purchased Web services or Web shipping services from other organizations to create unique, customized solutions.<br /><br /><b>Features </b><br />Web shipping services represent the future of application integration because they offer the following: Any Web service can interact with any other Web service and can be written in any programming language.<br /><br /><b>Compatibility</b><br />Web shipping services communicate using HTTP and XML—so any connected device that supports these technologies can both host and access Web Services.<br /><br /><b>Low Barrier to Entry </b><br />The concepts behind Web shipping services are easy to understand, and developers can quickly create and deploy them using many tool-kits available on the Web.<br /><br /><b>Industry Support</b><br />Major content providers and vendors are supporting the Web shipping services movement. <br /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Strategies to Increase Sales: Design to Sell</h1> <p>Jeff Camino — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:35:22 GMT</p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#5f5f5f;">Make sure you have easy-to-find Buy Now buttons on every page -- because it’s never certain what page customers may land on when they come to your site ready to make a purchase. You should also display your prices in a prominent, easy-to-understand manner. Another critical aspect to securing more purchases is to make sure that your checkout process is extremely customer friendly …<br /><br />Studies have shown that when a checkout process has multiple steps or is otherwise difficult for customers to use, there is a higher likelihood they may change their mind about their purchase. To help ensure each customer follows through on their purchase decision, your checkout process should use technology that conveniently provides customers with immediate feedback during their purchase -- without them having to submit multiple pages or use the back button on their browser to correct and resubmit information. If you don't have the ability, companies that specialize in e-commerce, such as <a target="_self" href="http://www.nstarsolutions.com/">NorthStar Solutions</a>, can offer a valid strategy for that part of your sales process.<br /><br />A professional web site is also very important because, next to your software itself, it’s what customers see when they evaluate if you are a legitimate, professional business. In fact, without a good web site, potential customers may never even see your software, so spend time making sure your web site is the best it can be. To do that, you should ask others that will be objective for their honest opinion and, if necessary, hire a professional graphics/web designer.</span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Web Sites for Non-Profit Organizations: Three Key Benefits</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:09:12 GMT</p> <p> No matter who your constituents are or what kind of services you provide, every non-profit organization can benefit from a presence on the World Wide Web. <br /><br /><b>Benefit #1: A Web site is an easy-to-access way to communicate your mission </b><br /><br />Whether your Web site contains basic information on your organization or allows users to request services, ask questions or make donations, every organization can benefit from having a place on the Web. Any Web site can serve as a place for people to go to learn about the services your organization provides. Especially as people increasingly use the Web for their research, it is important for organizations to have an online presence. Increasingly, having a site can lend an air of "legitimacy" to an organization, especially one that doesn't have a physical location from which to provide services.<br /><br /><b>Benefit #2: A Web site helps to drive additional donations or in-kind support</b><br /><br />With the increasing popularity of online shopping and banking, people are used to financial transactions online. These financial transactions include online donations. While there will always be donors who wish to speak to an individual and where one-on-one contact is still required, a strong Web site with clear information, the ability to make a donation and to generate a receipt is often an easy way for an organization to manage large numbers of smaller donations. <br /><br />Web sites also are a great place to advertise events, provide lists of suggested in-kind support, publicize large national campaign details like United Way numbers and showcase scores from organizations like Charity Navigator. All of these efforts can help drive additional donations, even if those donations are not processed online.<br /><br /><b>Benefit #3: A Web site helps to build relationships with constituents and volunteers</b><br /><br />A Web site is an excellent friend-raiser as well. A site can house volunteer applications and member newsletters, spread the word about hearings, public hearings, annual meetings and other gatherings and even serve as a place where constituents can "weigh in" through the use of blogs. Keeping the site meaningful to users means ensuring that the information available is accurate and timely. <br /><br />These are the key benefits-but certainly not the only ones-that a non-profit organization can realize through the use of a Web site.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Five Ways a Web Site Can Help Your Organization Deliver on its Mission</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:03:04 GMT</p> <p>No matter whom your constituents are or what kind of services you provide, every non-profit organization can benefit from a presence on the World Wide Web. Below are five ways in which a Web site can help organizations deliver on their missions. <br /><br /> This article cites the example of one particular non-profit and how that organization's use of the Web evolved over time. While the non-profit referenced in the article is a local humane society focused on animal sheltering, pet adoption, humane education and regional animal control services, the needs that the organization used the Web site to meet are applicable to many types of non-profit organizations.<br /><br /><b>1) A Web Site Tells People Who You Are</b><br /><br />At its most fundamental level, a Web site can work like a "virtual" business card. It may contain an organization's name, a brief description, hours of operation, location with directions, tax status and details on the board of directors. Having this information online can help visitors quickly learn about the organization and get answers to basic questions. Web sites also give organizations, particularly those without a physical location, a destination and with that, an air of "legitimacy".<br /><br />The animal sheltering organization that is cited in this piece started out without a Web site. They utilized a photocopied, tri-folded sheet of paper that served as a basic brochure containing contact information, details on adoption, animal control and humane education services and a mission statement. However, it quickly became clear that their constituents were expecting to access this basic information online. While the organization found that there was still a role for paper brochures for community event and trade show handouts, the organization need to respond to the fact that using the Web is a natural first step for many people as they begin their research on any topics. Their first site contained contact information, directions and details on the mission. Even this was sufficient to be able to make adopters aware of the organization during their online research. Although the shelter has been "in business" since the 1950's, they quickly realized that publishing a Web site offered an air of "legitimacy" in a Web-focused world.<br /><br /><b>2) A Web Site Educates the Community About your Organization and its Mission</b><br /><br />A Web site can offer more than just the business card basics. It can be a platform from which to share information or showcase services. How an organization chooses to take their site to this level can vary. Some organizations will simply add pages to the site with details about their services; those pages can remain static. Others may integrate more "dynamic" elements: information that changes on a regular basis, announcements or other "new" or breaking information. The most important thing that any organization can do at this phase is to ensure that the content is accurate and remains so over time.<br /><br />Animal sheltering organizations, particularly those that don't have a physical structure or may have a location that is more remote and doesn't receive as much foot traffic, have been quick to embrace the Web site as a vehicle for a "virtual kennel". As early as 2002, several shelters in the area began to publish photos and descriptions of the animals available for adoption through their organization. They integrated the site into their adoption process. One organization asked potential adopters to choose dogs that appealed to them from the site; pre-screen interviews were conducted prior to the potential adopter making a drive to meet the animal. In this way, the adoption counselor could begin to assess what the potential adopter was looking for and whether it was an appropriate fit, thereby streamlining the process.<br /><br />Even shelters with large amounts of foot traffic benefit from the use of the Web to publish animal photos and specifics. For example, certain kinds of toy dogs (Chihuahuas, Bichons, and others) are extremely popular when they are put up for adoption. The Web site can not only make potential adopters aware when such an animal is available but also can highlight any restrictions there might be to that adoption (e.g., not to go to a home with children under five), thereby allowing adopters to quickly determine whether they are an appropriate fit for that animal.<br /><br />So, realizing that offering this kind of information online could streamline the number of calls, applications and other inquiries, the organization started to build out their Web site. They published relevant community education content online (animal regulations for the county, tips for dealing with wildlife) as well as details on the adoption process. This meant fewer calls with questions and less time spent "orienting" potential adopters to the process. They started to showcase available animals, first by publishing them on a large, national Web site and linking to that site. Then, when they were able to support doing so on their own, they moved to real-time posting of animals up for adoption. All of this new information was monitored for accuracy and refreshed as needed. <br /><br /><b>3) A Web Site Helps to Drive Additional Donations or Iin-Kind Support</b><br /><br />A Web site can support the development efforts of organizations in direct and indirect ways. Online shopping has made people accustomed to transacting online, so donations online are a natural extension of that behavior. Web sites can help to advertise campaigns in which the organization is a part. For example, a Web site is a perfect place to publish a United Way® number. In addition, if an organization relies on events as a source of revenue, organizations can use the site for a number of things: publicity, information and even registration/ticket sales.<br /><br />Because the shelter's site was originally not set up to process transactions, the organization started by using the site to publicize other ways in which donors could contribute. This included advertising a CFC number, which is a Washington DC-area contribution program like United Way but specific to federal government agencies. The organization also published a "wish list" of items (dog toys, water bowls, cat beds, rabbit hay) that donors might want to contribute. And initially, the site also linked off to a large, national donation processing organization which collected online contributions for a fee. As the site evolves, processing donations will be brought in-house.<br /><br /><b>4) A Web Site Builds Relationships with Constituents and Volunteers</b><br /><br />A Web site is not only an excellent fund raiser; it can serve as a friend-raiser as well. This can be one-way or two-way communication. For example, a site can be used to showcase volunteer contributions or to post an electronic copy of a member newsletter. Volunteer applications can also be posted online, along with job descriptions. A Web site can be used to engage constituents and customers, through the inclusion of a "contact us" email address as well as through the introduction of blogs.<br /><br />The animal shelter Web site started with the basics-volunteer applications, a general mailbox and the quarterly newsletter available in a PDF file. However, they soon became more creative. For example, they chose to showcase a child who requested gifts for the animals at the shelter in lieu of gifts for herself for her birthday. They posted information about volunteers of the year, staff awards and volunteer vet appreciation. These additions added "personality" to the site and made it more accessible to the organization's constituents.<br /><br /><b>5) A Web Site Creates a Platform for Advocacy</b><br /><br />A Web site can do more than simply talk about an organization and its services. It can also keep users up to date on information regarding legislation, lobbying activities and events. This can be achieved through static information such as legislation posted for users to read, links to associations or other groups and even by engaging in dialogue on the site itself.<br /><br />One of the most recent additions to the shelter site is the introduction of a blog. Shelter staff or board members usually post information around "hot" topics in the sheltering community. These could include topics related to legislation that is pending or in place in certain jurisdictions (for example, cat licensing laws) or can be used as a place for volunteers and other users to share information about evolving issues such as dangerous dog policies. The blog gives the shelter another voice within the community on animal issues and fulfills the mission of educating the community about current animal welfare trends. <br /><br />These are just five examples of the value that a Web site can deliver to an organization. Whatever services an organization provides-and whether their constituents are two-legged or four--a Web site is a versatile tool that can help organizations meet their strategic goals. </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>A Web Site Can Be an Invaluable Tool For Your Professional Services Firm...</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:50:59 GMT</p> <p>Getting your professional services business online is about connecting with potential clients and partners. But gone are the days of having a website merely to publish your office address and phone number! These days most firms treat their website as another sales and service channel, undertaking business development and client support 24 hours a day. <br /><br /><b>Basic ways your web site can support your marketing activities</b><br /><br />You can use your web site as the center of your overall marketing activity. Your web site can help you expand your messages to potential clients, especially if your services are complex and not easily explained in a short advertisement. <br /><br />Your web site can be a lot more than an expanded brochure. If you already offer a printed newsletter, you can offer this online instead, reducing the costs of printing and mailing, while helping the environment too! By adding a sign-up box on your web site, you can encourage people to sign up for your newsletter. If you offer a service that can be best explained using audio, video or photographs, you can include links from your newsletter to multi-media files on your site.<br /><br />Another way to share your expertise with potential clients is to start a blog about a topic you understand intimately. You can blog about a variety of things: for example you can write about new trends in your industry, new services, or case studies about your existing clients. A well-written blog can give you great credibility in your field.<br /><br /><b>Creating 24 hour Client Service</b><br /><br />A lot of your staff's time is probably spent answering the same questions, such as directions to your office, or the services you provide. These are the questions potential clients will ask before they engage your services. Displaying the answers on your Web site will free up a lot of time for your staff, and ensure that there are no miscommunications with potential customers. <br /><br /><b>Forms, forms, forms - many ways to enhance your clients' experience!</b><br /><br />Putting an inquiry form on your site you enable clients to contact you on their own schedule, rather than during regular office hours. This can be very convenient for your clients. <br /><br />If your office sets appointments, you can make things easier for your customers by setting up an online appointment service. Your web site is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week so clients don't have to worry about remembering to call during office hours.<br /><br />For healthcare and veterinary services providers, you can also make it easier for clients to call in prescription requests or refills, by providing an online form that they can complete and submit ahead of time. <br /><br />Another use of online forms is to provide price quotations to potential customers, or qualify them for financial services such as insurance policies and loans. While you may not be able to provide a quotation automatically online, you can easily create a form that can be sent to someone in your firm who can generate the quote. <br /><br />Additionally, forms can be a great way to gather feedback from your clients. By describing a service and asking for their ideas, you can gain valuable insights from your customers. Involving your clients in the development of new services not only makes these services less risky, but also gives your clients a sense of engagement with your firm.<br /><br /><b>Improve employee effectiveness</b><br /><br />Your web site can function as the online repository of all of your service and client information, reducing paper work and filing of customer records. It is fairly easy to create an online content management system to store important documents. If you decide to go this route, be sure to secure your website in a way that prevents unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information.<br /><br />In summary, you should think of your web site as more than just your address on the internet. Your web site can be a valuable tool to increase your firm's productivity and radically improve client satisfaction.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Search Engines Help Small Businesses</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:55:54 GMT</p> <p>Small businesses depend more on search engine traffic than larger firms, according to a study conducted by <a href="http://www.hitwise.com/">Hitwise</a> in early 2007.</p> <p>The firm measured the percentage of average monthly traffic companies in the <a href="http://www.internetretailer.com/"><i>Internet Retailer</i></a> "Top 500 Guide" received from search engines in 2005 and 2006. Half of the businesses ranked from the 400th to the 500th positions depended on search engines for 50% or more of their total site traffic.</p> <p>By comparison, none of the top 100 retailers generated more than 40% of their site traffic from search engines, and half had between 20.1% and 30% of their traffic come from search engines.</p> <p>Web-only merchants averaged 64% their of monthly site traffic from search engines.</p> <p>Chain retailers and consumer brand manufacturers averaged 28% and 27% of their site traffic from search engines, respectively.</p> <p>Article Source: <a href="http://www.emarketer.com">www.emarketer.com</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Why website design and branding is important</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:43 GMT</p> <p>Before I get into this article, let me say a few words to you: 1- McDonalds 2- FedEx 3- Kmart 4- Harley Davidson 5- Pepsi-Co. </p> <p>Now, think for a brief moment, and try to picture in your mind the logo of that company. You can see all of them, you probably did before I even asked you to. That is what branding is all about. So many business' make the mistake these days of thinking the Internet is the online equivalent of the Field of Dreams. Let me be the first to tell you it is not! Google is not your online Horace Mann, who is going to deliver you to paradise. </p> <p>To make it online takes a lot of effort, I will try to give you a few reasons. First, to be a successful website owner, be it an informational or e commerce, the goal for you is to gain a customer. </p> <p>Many business owners know how to treat a customer when they walk into your retail location, or call you on the phone. Why wouldnt you give your web users the same effort? What I am getting at is, if you do not think your web customers are important, you will never see the benefit of having a vehicle that operates for you 24 hours a day, every day of the year. </p> <p>Many business' enjoy having a website that out performs their sales team. What would that mean to your business? Well, surely you could imagine how that would benefit you and your company, now lets take some action. Does your website give the right impression? When a new web user lands on your site, can they in 20 seconds or less identify who you are, what you do, and how you can be of service to them? If not, you have just identified one of the first things you need to fix. </p> <p>Brand your website as you would your business card. Add your logo to the site; and when you do, put it somewhere that is easy to read, and is legible. If you are an English speaking company, put your logo on the top left of your site, we read websites the same way we read a book, Left to Right, Top to Bottom. </p> <p>Having said that, the next thing you need to do is state who you are. Now, I dont expect you to write your company history here, just offer a customer 100 words or less that would be a quick overview of who you are, what you do, and why you are good for them. This is branding 101. </p> <p>Showcase who you are, make it easy for a customer to use your site, explain your benefits, and if you are selling something on this site... offer them a quick way to view a product and buy something. Web users are all about simplicity. As people become more savvy, and their expectations of a website increase you need to keep up with that demand, or you will be left behind. Offering a professional designed site, that is well branded, and easy to use is the best initial goal for a company starting a web presence. This is a great way to increase your sales conversions as well. </p> <p>Finally, once you get your website up and running, I always reccomend you do 3 things: </p> <p>1- Ask 25 friends, and/or business associates to critique your website. This is your chance to have a focus group of people who hopefully will give you accurate and honest opinions. Ask them if they understand the goal of your company and website, was the browsing experience a positive one, and if they were in the market for your products or services, would they chose you based on the feeling they get from your website. </p> <p>2- Add Analytics to your website. Start tracking your traffic, analyze trends, try to identify when users are on your site, what they do while they are there, and where are your challenges in the conversion process. The better you learn how to analyze what your customers do while there, will help you overall keep up with the demands of your customer base. </p> <p>3- Start doing some Online Marketing in the form of Search Engine Optimization, Social Networking, Email Marketing, and overall promotion of your online sales rep; your Website. I will be writing some future articles on those topics as well. Until then, Take care, Good Luck and Successful </p> <p>Regards. Shawn Duncan</p> </article> <article> <h1>Designing (or Redesigning) Your Web Site - Has the Time Come?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:32 GMT</p> <p>Rapid changes in technology can make it difficult to know when to redesign a Web site, what tools to use, and how much to spend, but chances are that if you have had a Web site for any significant amount of time it is time to redesign it. </p> <p>Web Marketing Association President William Rice says that a dated-looking Web site can negatively affect a business, and the tools used by Web designers today are significantly better than the tools used not too long ago. How often and to what degree a Web site should be updated depends on your goals. </p> <p>Create a list of five goals, such as online sales, marketing, providing company information, and other online services, and see if your Web site is meeting all of these goals. If your Web site does not meet these goals, it is time for an update. Rice says the first step is to see if the Web site looks dated. If it does, it may require a total redesign. </p> <p>Look at your competitors' Web sites to see if there is a significant difference between your Web site and their Web sites. Make sure that your Web site looks professional and current, and has a home page that instantly tells the user what they can accomplish on your site and how your company can help them. Even if your Web site looks current, it is important to do small, regular updates to keep content fresh, which will improve search engine rankings and keep users interested in your site. </p> <p>SCORE and the U.S. Small Business Alliance say that small businesses should plan on spending anywhere from 2 percent to 10 percent of their revenue on marketing, which can include work on a Web site. MerketingSherpa reports that online and Web marketing have the highest return on investment. </p> <p>"Designing (or Redesigning) Your Web Site - Has the Time Come?" PowerHomeBiz.com (03/27/08) © Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Common Web Design Mistakes</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:30 GMT</p> <p>A Web site that gives a user a pleasant experience is more likely to be trusted, and is more likely to be where the user ultimately makes a purchase. Following a few simple guidelines will help Web designers make an easy-to-use and efficient Web site. </p> <p>First, make the site legible by using standard Web fonts and normal font sizes. The text color should be dark enough that the reader can easily distinguish the text from the background color, and boldface should only be used for emphasis and headings. </p> <p>Use clean, nonpixelated graphics, and optimize Web site graphics so that they are not slow to load. Do not use animated graphics that will distract or annoy visitors. </p> <p>Make links easy to distinguish from other text on the Web site, and test links to ensure they function properly. </p> <p>Instead of simply listing a product's features, describe how potential customers can expect to benefit from purchasing your product. </p> <p>Do not over-optimize the Web site by writing or designing it with search engines in mind. </p> <p>Make sure the user is the top priority during all phases of Web design. </p> <p>Test your Web site on all of the popular Web browsers to be sure that your Web site displays properly regardless of which browser a visitor is using. </p> <p>The Internet is global, but do not forget to think locally. Provide country and area codes on telephone listings and currency indicators when listing pricing. </p> <p>Finally, never give up control over the content on your Web site. Some Web masters will link to images or content on other Web sites to save on bandwidth and content development cost, but doing so puts someone else's system in control of your Web site. </p> <p>"Common Web Design Mistakes" HostReview.com (02/28/08) Housley, Sharon © Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Get Targeted Website Traffic with Keyword Rich Niche Articles</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:17 GMT</p> <p> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you want to drive targeted traffic and pre-qualified potential buyers to your website, you really must publish usable information online in the form of quick-to-read but interesting keyword rich articles. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Content is still the King of the Internet. Most people go online looking for information about their favorite topics, or about whatever is on their mind at the moment. Frequent Internet users seem to have an insatiable appetite for information on various fields. <br /> <br /> So, if you want to drive targeted traffic and pre-qualified potential buyers to your website, you really must publish useable information online in the form of quick-to-read but interesting keyword rich articles. <br /> <br /> Here are four reasons why you must do that. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br /><strong> Reason #1 - Get Premium Exposure for Your Website</strong><br /> <br /> It's much easier to achieve high search engine ranking for article pages than for your homepage or sales pages. Search engines are crazy for fresh content on practically every topic under the sun. <br /> <br /> So, write your articles surrounding less competitive keywords (research those at Nichebot.com) or edit those keywords into already existing articles of your own. You will have a much better chance of getting your article indexed by major search engines. <br /> <br /> Just be sure to place a link to your main website in the article by-line or resource box. <br /> <br /><strong> Reason #2 - Get Automatic Back Links from Authority Sites</strong><br /> <br /> Each time your article and site link are republished online, it provides a back link to your website. Back links are regarded by search engines as a sort of recommendation for your website. If your site has a number of quality back links, it can quickly improve the search engine ranking. <br /> <br /> Submit your articles to online article directories. In most cases it's free. Many directory sites are regarded by major search engines as authority sites, and are spidered frequently for new content. This means the website link you include in your article will also be indexed from the site where it is found. <br /> <br /> Offer your articles for reprint as well. When other website owners republish them on their own sites, it will develop even more back links for your website. <br /> <br /><strong> Reason #3 - Improve Your Conversion Rate</strong><br /> <br /> By conversion rate, we mean the percentage of website visitors that convert to paying customers and sales. <br /> <br /> You can boost your credibility and convert more website visitors into a paying customers by providing them with interesting and informative topic articles, and then introducing them to related products you have for sale. <br /> <br /> On the other hand, simply displaying products on your website, with no related information or content, will likely result in a low conversion rate. It's important that you use articles to first prove your credibility and your knowledge in your field. <br /> <br /><strong> Reason #4 - Your Cost Is Practically Zero</strong><br /> <br /> All you need is your thoughts and your computer. If you can write a letter to a friend that explains the details of some topic, then you can write topical articles to publish on your own site and submit to other sites. <br /> <br /> However, if you don't like to write, or simply believe that you can't, you can still have original keyword rich articles written for you. <br /> <br /> An original 400 word niche article on a topic of your choice might cost you $5 to $7 at JustArticles.com - but the potential value is enormous in terms of bringing targeted visitors and buyers to your website. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Dan B. Cauthron is a noted online publisher, website owner, and product developer who has been successfully using articles as marketing tools since 2001. Visit Dan and discover how to Build a Website Business of Your Own. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">http://NicheBusinessBuilder.com<br /> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> Copyright 2006 - Article Source: www.businesshighlight.org</span></span></p> </article> </main></body></html>