Getting started with small business website design.
If you’re running a small business, you’re probably pretty busy. You’re managing a team of employees, generating leads, balancing books, or simply doing whatever it is that you do best.
Maybe you’re a plumber. Or a personal trainer. Maybe you run a boutique or a roller skating rink. Whatever it is that you do, you know your field of expertise, and website design is not it.
How can you make smart decisions about your small business website if you’re not an expert in websites or design? Read More >>
Introducing: Web Content
There’s a lot of talk on the Internet about web content. You should have it. It needs to be good. You can share it, market it, and sell it. Manage and maintain it. Have a plan – develop it. Use it to build your business. Use it to succeed.
Plenty of people sell web content and related services. You can hire a web content writer, developer, or manager. You might bump into web content consultants, specialists, or experts. You may even happen across someone who creates and then either publishes or sells web content as their entire business model.
But what is web content, anyway?
Defining Web Content
Generally speaking, web content is anything that you find on the web. It can include text, images, audio, and video.
In the early days of the Internet, which weren’t so long ago, web content was extremely limited. You could share files, but it took a long time for them to transmit. Text and light images comprised most of the content online. Read More >>
What is social media marketing?
Social media networking has been all the rage for a few years now; rather than a passing fad, it’s proving to be a permanent fixture in modern culture.
Ordinary users, celebrities, businesses, and even politicians have found social media to be a powerful tool for communication.
Yet many of my clients are confused by social media. What is it? How do I use this? Why should I use it? These are just a few of the questions I get about social media.
Understanding Social Media
Before you can use social media marketing to promote your business, you need to understand what social media is, how it works, and how people use it. Read More >>
Customers are looking for you. Engage SEO so they can find you!
My first introduction to search engine optimization (SEO) happened several years ago, when I first started learning about website management and blogging. I already knew how to create a website and write the content, but getting traffic was a completely different ballgame.
Search engine optimization (SEO) was a distant promise that if you build a website, and then optimize it for search engines, visitors would come. But it seemed highly complicated. There were long lists of things you should and shouldn’t do to attract search engine traffic. I studied it from a distance for a long time.
And then I became a website copywriter. Read More >>
Small business online marketing: tell the world about your website
In the Information Age, terms like internet marketing, online marketing, and e-marketing get thrown around a lot. But what do they mean?
Business owners know that marketing is essential. You can’t get customers unless they know your business exists. You have to tell them about your products and services. That’s what marketing is all about.
You can hire someone to stand on a street corner holding a sign depicting your logo. That’s marketing. Distribute coupons so customers can receive discounts. That’s marketing too. So is taking out a newspaper or magazine ad. Even handing out your business card counts as marketing. Read More >>
All about domain names and registrations
Before you think about your website design or any other online marketing strategies and possibly before you even decide on a business name, you’ll have to find an available domain name and hosting provider so your site will have a place to live.
But what is a domain name? What’s a hosting provider? How do you get these things and do you really need them?
In today’s market, the Internet is a force to be reckoned with. That’s why every business needs a website. It’s also why every business owner needs to understand what a website is, what it needs to succeed, and how ownership works. A domain name has everything to do with ownership. Read More >>
An introduction to doing business online
Many of my clients do business offline. And by offline, I mean they do all of their business in the three-dimensional world that exists far from the computer and way beyond the internet.
Some of them are new business owners who are just starting out and want to make sure they establish an effective online presence. Others have been in business for years and are finally ready to harness the Internet to expand their customer reach and product or service offerings. Many want nothing more than to update their website with current information, a fresh design, and compelling copy. A few would prefer to keep it entirely offline, but they know better. Read More >>
Effective website copywriting converts visitors into customers.
What happens when visitors arrive on your website? Do they find the products and services they’re looking for? Are they compelled to buy?
Professional website copywriting intrigues visitors and converts them into paying customers.
If the writing on your website is sloppy or unclear, you won’t be able to convey your message, and your potential customers will become somebody else’s paying customers.
Making a Good Impression
Website visitors want information and they want it fast. The text on your site has to describe your offer, explain how it benefits people, establish why you’re the best provider, and persuade visitors to take action – order products, purchase services, fill out a form, or subscribe to your newsletter. Read More >>
Business blogging for beginners
So, you have a small business and you’re thinking about adding a blog to your website. You’ve heard that a blog can help your business attract new customers while building loyalty among existing customers. And you’re right; business blogging is a great way to grow your business online.
But blogging is a world unto itself. Think of your blog as a house on the web. Other blogs dealing with topics that are similar or relevant to yours make up your neighborhood. Like all houses, your blog needs to be carefully planned and maintained. And if you want to be a successful member of your community, you’ll have to connect with your neighbors. Read More >>
It's official: we've launched
Thanks to the Internet, small business owners are now at an advantage. The web has opened countless new channels through which we can connect with customers.
But the web is a tricky and oftentimes, confusing, place.
Our blog features articles to help small business owners navigate the murky waters of online marketing.
We’ll talk about everything from building a website to using social media to marketing your business and monitoring the performance of your online marketing campaigns.
The goal of this blog is simple: to share knowledge. To that end, it’s packed with online marketing tips for small business owners, especially those who don’t have time to become online marketing specialists. After all, they have a business to run! Read More >>
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