Top Ten Small Business Web Site Marketing Tips

Many small business owners struggle with the seemingly overwhelming task of managing their web site. There always seems to be so much to do, yet no time to do it all (something we know all too well). This brief primer should help to highlight the key aspects of web site management that will help them gain the most from their web site with the time that they have available.

The following ten tips are key to maintaining a successful web site. Follow these and your site will do better. Nothing will guarantee that a web site will be successful as there are simple too many different factors that impact web success - but as a general rule these ten tips will always lead to better performance.

1. Content
2. Freshness
3. No Tricks
4. Links
5. Structure
6. Accessibility
7. Quality Code
8. URLs
9. Style
10. Images

For more detail consult Building Web Site Success a detailed primer about these and other aspects of Internet marketing.

#1 Content

Content is key
All the search engines scan a sites content now - almost ignoring things like meta tags. The more content you have on your site the more the search engines can scan - but there is more to it then that: people like content too. Many people measure a web site´s success by the number of visitors it gets - so ask yourself - why would people come to your web site? do you offer them interesting and informative information that relates to your product or service? if not, why would they come?

Relevant content and lots of it is a key for a successful web site. There is always room for more content on a web site, and you can never have too much.

Take this article for example, while it´s fairly useful information for many of our visitors, it´s also additional content for our web site - and will serve to help our site do better. Writing articles about aspects of your industry is a great way to generate content.

Set asside an hour a day (or at least an hour a week) to devote to adding new content to your web site.

#2 Freshness

Keep it current
Having lots of content is great - but if it is all three years old it´s not going to look like your site is much of a priority. The search engines actually track this. They monitor how frequently your site changes as they visit it for indexing. The more often it changes the better your rank in the freshness category.

What constitutes change? pretty much anything - which is why keeping a BLOG or adding frequent news articles to your web site usually produces such good results. It is also the reason why having something as simple as rotating content and the current date on every page has been shown to make a difference (although the search engines have been getting wise to this kind of tactic)

#3 No Tricks

Don´t try to outsmart the Search Engines - Eventually you´ll loose
Many design firms promise success through the use of tricks, backdoors, and special tactics designed to sneak a web site into a top position rapidly. Something, of course, that the search engines are constantly battling to defeat. Why play the game? as the search engines find the cheaters they will plug the holes and a rank (that usually costs a pretty penny to achieve) will immediately be lost.
Rather, follow the recommendations of the search engines - most set out rules for web masters that outline what they would like to see in a web site (incidentally these rules are the main source of research for this document) By following the rules the engines are actually battling all the cheating web sites and working to promote the sites that follow the rules - they are fighting FOR you!

#4 Links

Links both in and out must be relevant
There has been a lot of talk about link exchanges - people linking to others merely to gain a higher rank (hmmm, this smacks of breaking tip #3) if you are going to link to someone and/or ask them to link to you - ask yourself: is it relevant?
Any old link is not going to help you much - search engines will look at who is linking to you - they are also starting to pay very close attention to how many links you have off your web site on a page. This is being done to try and drop sites with pages of links (do you have a links page on your web site?)
It is far better to have relevant links in various places throughout your web site - on only those pages that specifically address the topic that relates to the page being linked.
Unfortunately you can´t exert too much control over the way that other sites link to yours but it is worth looking at how a site usually links to others before to specifically go requesting a link from them. For example: a link that is your logo isn´t very useful (search engines ignore images) whereas a link containing text, listing the topic of your web site, from a related web site would be of great value.

#5 Structure

Organize your web site and everyone will thank you.
Both the search engines and your web visitors prefer a web site that is well structured. The search engines due to their very nature (being computer programs) must break down all web sites into elements based on the structure of the pages. People, so frequently rushing to find the specific information they are looking for, rarely read through web pages but rather scan headings and bullied lists to find the detailed sections of interest. In both cases a well structured site will be far better received then one that is a mish-mosh of information haphazardly thrown together.
This is simple to do - but all too often missed. Make headings, use the correct coding tags for them, organize sections of content into groups, and use bold and bullied lists to present key points.
Keep in mind when writing paragraphs of text that most humans will not read them unless they are specifically titled with a headline that matches what they are looking for.

#6 Accessibility

A web site that speaks to all is better then a site that only speaks to some.
Tips #6 and #7 are closely related: The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides a list of guidelines for how to create web sites that are accessible to as many people (and systems) as possible. Think about your web site - can someone with a visual disability (perhaps even something as simple as colour-blindness) still get information about your product or service? If not, how do you feel knowing that you have just excluded a vast segment of the population from accessing your web site?
There are many simple ways that you can ensure your web site is accessible to people with special needs. A group of simple tests for the sites content and design that ensure your product or service is presented to the widest possible audience. The specifics are beyond the scope of this document - but be sure that you check with your designer to ensure that your site design and code is following accessibility guidelines.

#7 Quality Code

Well coded web sites perform better.
Many small business owners don´t have too much control over the code used to create their web site - but it is still important to know how important it may be. Standard compliant code that has been checked for errors is easier for the search engines to assimilate. It is more widely visible across varied platforms (computer types) and in different browsers.
Ensure your web designer is writing standard compliant code that is validated for errors. You can also check your own web site using free on-line tools from the W3C (The World Wide Web Consortium - the standards body that administers Internet technologies)

#8 URLs

Prudent choice of URLs will impact your web site´s performance
Professional web designers should already know this - but if you are using a content management system to build your web site, or portions of it, it is important to understand the significance of the URL used to access pages on your web site.
Search engines look at the address of every page on your web site and try to extract key-words from the content of the url. For example, you may have a page about "Widgets" on your web site called "somewhere.com" creating the page with a filename of widgets.html will give a better keyword rank then page6.html this is also true of sub-directories on the site somewhere.com/widgets/... being better then somewhere.com/files/...
This is a fairly subtle point but makes a significant difference for most search engines. It can also make it much easier for people that are typing in a URL to access a specific page of your web site. Notice the URL for this web page - it´s called http://www.pawprint.net/internet-marketing/small-business-web-site.php for a reason!
If you really want to target a key phrase consider purchasing a microsite for that phrase. An inexpensive secondary web site that can be tailored to focus on a specific key phrase or concept.

#9 Style

Looks do matter - but perhaps not the way you think...
In the grand scheme of things the "looks" of a web site in the classic sense are not really that important - honestly! once people have looked at a web site for a few minutes they will quickly discard their first impression (based on looks) and move immediately to asking - is this site giving me the information I need - and can I find it quickly (going back to tips #1 - content and #5 - structure)
So what are we on about with style? simple - ensure the style of your site makes it easy to read. Avoid things like black backgrounds with white text (inverse text is harder to read) ALL CAPS (humans read by identifying word shapes - writing in all caps forces people to read every letter and quickly becomes annoying - plus on the net it is used as an typographic method of indicating you are screaming) You should also check your web site using a colour blind test to ensure that visitors with the various types of colour-blindness can still actually read your navigation.

#10 Images

Selling a product - better make sure it looks good
If you are selling something that has a visual representation - then professional looking photography is key. Even a multi-million dollar resort will not look good if the photographs are amateurish. If you care about what you have to sell, then it´s worth investing in some professional photographs to show people what you have. Remember, on-line people can´t get a hold of your product - so you need to give them some really good photographs so that they can feel confident that it meets their needs.

Online Marketing

3 Things You Need to Know About LinkedIn's Company Pages

BY Ted Prodromou

The redesign of the professional networking site gives you more marketing opportunities.

  Online Marketing

Common Google AdWords Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

BY Perry Marshall

Google AdWords can be a great sales generator, if you know how to use it.

What Is Vooza and Why Should You Care?

BY Jason Sadler

Hilarious videos from possibly faux company Vooza can offer every business owner a lesson in creativity.

The 3 Most Important Online Marketing Metrics to Monitor

BY AJ Kumar

Identifying and tracking the right metrics can help you achieve your business goals and improve your search engine rankings.

SEM, SERPs and Other Online Marketing Terms Explained

BY AJ Kumar

Explanations for eight common acronyms you might encounter in your online marketing efforts.

Building a Successful Google Campaign from Scratch

BY Perry Marshall and Bryan Todd

First identify your ideal customer, and then determine what words they’re using to search for your products and services.

5 Ways to Take Customer Loyalty to the Next Level

BY Joanna Lord

Here's how to improve the ways you measure loyalty and make it a higher priority with employees.

A 5-Step Guide to Creating a Successful 'Inbound Marketing' Plan

BY AJ Kumar

Not sure what inbound marketing is? Follow this step-by-step process to get started.

8 Do's and Don'ts for Marketing on Online Forums and Message Boards

BY Mikal E. Belicove

Forums and boards are popular with consumers. But one misstep by you or your brand and you could be tossed out.

Tips for Creating Business Videos That Customers Will Watch

BY Linda Sedloff Orton

Whether you do it yourself or hire a pro, consider this advice for promoting your business online with video.

Forget the Phone Book. How to Generate Leads for Local Businesses

BY Ann Handley

These tips will get your local business the online attention it deserves.

Will It Always Be Fun and Gamification?

BY Mikal E. Belicove

The future of gamification could include 'playbor' (play plus labor) and 'weisure' (work plus leisure).

The Imagination: A Sustainable Resource for Online Lead Generation

BY Ann Handley

Reimagine your existing content for a fresh web presence. You can start by treating everything your business creates as a critical piece of a larger whole.

How Not to Be a Spammer When Marketing Your Business

BY Riva Richmond

From polishing your reputation to using clean email lists, here are the keys to entering customer inboxes.

7 Tips for Online Marketing on a Tight Budget

The World Wide Web is a tool with endless limits. Creating and maintaining a business presence online is more practical than ever before. In fact, online companies are popping up out of the woodworks. However, I can vouch that sustaining a successful online business is easier said than done.
With the immense amount of information on the Internet and users largely having the control to view exactly what they want, getting your product in front of potential customers can be challenging to say the least. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about what works (and what fails terribly) when it comes to marketing online. Today, times are tough. Most companies have little room left in their tight budget when it comes to marketing. Here are 7 tips to follow to develop a successful online marketing strategy on your startups limited budget.  

Know your market.
Your marketing strategy will never be successful if you do not have a clearly defined audience. Before you spend a dime on marketing, figure out your target market first. There’s no need to pay top dollar to hire a fancy market research firm. If you know your product, you should be able to figure out your market yourself. For example, who will be most interested in your product? Men or women? What is their age group? What are your customer’s interests? What is their likely financial situation?
Once you have a thorough profile of your customer, determining how and where to reach them is much easier. This step may take awhile, and that’s OK. If you start marketing before you have a clear customer profile though, you will likely be wasting your dollars in places that will never reach your customer. Just because Pinterest is growing rapidly, doesn’t mean your audience is the one making it grow.

Set and reset goals.
Determine what you are looking to gain from online marketing. Increased awareness? Increased revenue? You will probably have multiple goals, but keep track of what they are so you can measure your success. When you reach your initial goals, set new goals so your company can continue to improve.

Set a budget.
Now that you know who your target market is and have set goals, plan your budget accordingly. The good thing about online marketing is that you can be successful even when on a tight budget. A lot of platforms are available at no charge. However, sticking solely with free forms of online marketing might not be the best strategy for your company. Carefully determine what outlets are most necessary for your product and be willing to spend some money to get results.  

Brand yourself.
Set yourself apart from the competition. There are thousands of companies trying to sell products on the Internet. Thus, you need to make your brand unforgettable. This begins with your website. Your domain name should be your company’s name if at all possible. If there are other companies online with names similar to yours, you may even want to consider changing your name to one that will not be easily confused with another product. Acquiring a domain name has a fee involved, but using a hosting service is very affordable even for the smallest budgets.
The way you want your brand to be viewed by customers is really up to you. But once you figure it out be consistent and stick with it. Having a professional website and a strong social media presence is important here, but you should also take the time to interact with potential customers and build relationships with them. The main cost involved in this step is just the man hours put into the process, which will drastically be reduced when you’ve established your brand.

Search engine optimization.
When someone enters a search query into a search engine about something relevant to your company, obviously you want to be one of the first results displayed. So how do you make this happen? Essentially, you need to make your website more appealing to search engines. Do this by using keywords that are commonly searched, backlinking your site, customizing the headline and description, etc.
SEO can admittedly be a complicated and time consuming process, however the time needs to be spent here to ensure your website is getting found. Your best bet is usually going to be spending a bit more of your budget and hiring the right people to do the proper research. At Ciplex, we stress the importance of not including keywords to simply rank your site, but using the terms your audience is looking for. That is what will get you the highest conversion rates.

Online Marketing News: The History of Social Media, Employee Engagement Quiz, Marketing on Instagram, Yelp’s Love Hate Relationship

A History of Social Media

This recent infographic from copyblogger  takes a dive into the history of social media, and it may be a longer history than you expect.  History includes:

• 1971 – First Email – Researchers at ARPA send the worlds first email
• 1980 – USENET_ – users were able to read and post messages to distributed online bulletin boards
• 1991 – World Wide Web – Tim Berners-Lee proposes a new protocol for information distribution

Are Your Employees Engaged?  Here’s How to Find Out
Many employers as themselves if their employees are truly engaged and may not know where to start figuring it out.  There is a new tool that helps test your company’s ‘Culture IQ,’ or ‘CIQ’ score.   This test measures 10 statements.  Want to find out what they are?  Via Inc.

Online Marketing News: The History of Social Media, Employee Engagement Quiz, Marketing on Instagram, Yelp’s Love Hate Relationship

Winning the Content Marketing Game: 4 Types of Killer Content

Imagine this: you’re a marketing manager tasked with increasing sales through digital channels. Your customer segments vary from VPs to mid-level managers. You have minimal resources for content creation and social media, but management expects a 30 percent increase in traffic and leads each quarter.
Doing more with less is the “MO” for most marketing departments, and with the increasing complexity of the search, social, and mobile web, many marketers are challenged to be efficient and effective.
The Solution Comes Down to Planning
When there are minimal resources and a demand for performance, there is no substitute for getting creative and being as efficient as possible. Smart planning enables high-performing implementation and scale. An editorial calendar is the ideal way to do that planning.

Winning the Content Marketing Game: 4 Types of Killer Content

5 Tips for Marketers to Change Bad Habits & Increase Productivity

As humans we are creatures of habit.  I may be more habitual than most as I am someone that places a lot of emphasis on control and order.  In short, I like to know what to expect.
For example: I wake up at the same time each morning, but then I hit snooze so I can rest for 5 more minutes.  As I’m getting ready for work I am always tuned into Good Morning America, and then right before leaving I take my four-legged pup Kirby for a walk around the block.
As a marketer I have always been someone that is very interested in understanding why people make certain choices, how much of it is really within their control, and ways to train your brain to think differently.  I recently read the book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business by Charles Duhigg, which helped answered some of these questions for me.

5 Tips for Marketers to Change Bad Habits & Increase Productivity

3 Keys to Scaling Content Marketing Success

Is Your Content Findable, Engaging & Shareable?

“KISS” is probably the best advice when it comes to giving advice (Keep It Simple Stupid) and for that reason this post is short and sweet on the topic of how to ensure your great content attracts, engages and converts.
Whether your goals are narrowly focused on revenue or more strategic involving branding and community as well as growing the business, the scalability of effective content is essential in today’s competitive marketplace.
No matter how much you invest in content marketing strategy, planning, production, amplification or analytics, there are three key requirements that each content object should satisfy. Great content isn’t great until it’s discovered, consumed and shared.

3 Keys to Scaling Content Marketing Success

Online Marketing News: Watch Your Customers, Google Stock Drops 9%, Maximize Your Twitter Profile, Yelp Goes Undercover, Google Disavow Tool

5 Ways to Detect Lying Clients By Reading Their Facial Cues

When meeting with clients face to face there is a lot you can learn from not only what they say but what they’re doing while they’re speaking.  Microexpressions are subtle changes in the face that happen for only a fraction of a second.  This infographic can help you identify if your clients mean what they say, and how you can adapt your approach to meet their needs.  Via American Express.
How Stories Make Customers Fall In Love
The best way to actively engage your customers is to tell stories, good ones.   The right story can turn your customers into brand advocates.  This article offers some concepts that can help you begin to woo your customers in a meaningful way.  Via Inc.

Online Marketing News: Watch Your Customers, Google Stock Drops 9%, Maximize Your Twitter Profile, Yelp Goes Undercover, Google Disavow Tool

Mobile Web Analytics Apps – Measure Web Stats on the Go – Google Analytics & Piwik

Staying up to date with your website’s analytics can seem like a full-time job. If you use Google Analytics, this past summer you were forced to adopt the newest version. Google Analytics version 5 brought a new interface and new reports. For some, that meant learning where all the reports moved. Aside from the obvious learning curve, many people had to spend more time to accessing simple metrics.
Today’s fast-moving business sometimes requires you to do a lot more while you are on-the go. Unfortunately, like most Web-based analytics graphs, the graphs in Google Analytics require Flash to render properly. Adobe Flash doesn’t fare so well on mobile browsers, especially those mobile browsers running on Apple mobile devices. So how do you stay connected to your Web analytics while on the go?

Mobile Web Analytics Apps – Measure Web Stats on the Go – Google Analytics & Piwik

The B2B Lead Generation Manifesto [Infographic]

[We're trying something different and including this sponsored post from Oli Gardner, Co-Founder & Creative director at Unbounce, a sponsor for the Minneapolis launch of Lee's book Optimize.  You may know Unbounce as that clever service that gives marketers and marketing agencies an easy way to create, publish and test landing pages without IT or developers.]
As a digital marketing agency that does a substantial amount of consulting in the B2B Marketing space, we’ve paid a lot of attention to the topic here at Online Marketing Blog with tips posts and the recent B2B Marketing Innovation eBook we put together in partnership with MarketingProfs.

The B2B Lead Generation Manifesto [Infographic]

7 Tips for Marketers To Create Meaningful Connections on LinkedIn

Have you found yourself spending more time than usual on LinkedIn within the last couple of months?  I know I have.  Much of that has to do with the recent changes that the company has rolled out which has improved usability and is encouraging users to spend more time actively participating within the platform.
LinkedIn should be viewed as a tool for marketers to connect with other professionals or companies in a meaningful way, not a platform for shouting your marketing message at unsuspecting victims.
For example, you wouldn’t approach a table full of professionals at a networking event that you don’t know and open up with “Buy my B2B marketing automation software! It will save you time and money.” Talk about open mouth and insert foot. I’m sure we can all agree that a first interaction like the one mentioned above would likely squash any chance of having a meaningful interaction with your new connections.

7 Tips for Marketers To Create Meaningful Connections on LinkedIn

The Evolution of Digital PR Through Content Marketing – PRSA 2012

Content has always played an essential part of effective Public Relations. However, PR pros that don’t sink their teeth into content strategy, development and measurement quickly and effectively, will be left behind as the future of PR evolves. That’s a fairly strong statement, but it’s incredibly important and timely.
Over the past 12 years of running a digital marketing and PR agency, we’ve seen major changes in the world of PR and media relations as social technologies, devices and ubiquitous internet access have opened the doors for all-the-time, “everywhere” connectivity to the web.
That connectivity enables consumers and brands alike to:  Create, Consume, Publish, Interact and Transact anywhere, anytime. From tablets to smartphones to getting digital content via your car, the relationship between technology and people has had a major impact on how information is discovered, consumed and shared or acted upon.

The Evolution of Digital PR Through Content Marketing – PRSA 2012

Online Marketing News: B2B Marketing History, Shake It For Coca-Cola, AdWords Credit Program, Facebook Collections, Emma Watson Dangerous Search

B2B Marketing: Our Shared History (From the 2012 MarketingProfs B2B Forum)

For the record, B2B Marketing is not boring.  It is an industry ripe with opportunity for innovation and creativity.  This video from MarketingProfs takes you on a short journey though the history of B2B Marketing.  For more helpful tips be sure to check out the B2B Marketing Innovation eBook.
Coca-Cola Equips Vending Machines With Kinects, Lets You Dance For Free Cokes
In an effort to remain the number 1 global brand, Coca-Cola has come up with an innovative and interactive advertising campaign.  Coca-Cola has equipped a number of their vending machines with webcams and Microsoft Kinect sensons.  In order to win a free soda you must follow a series of dance moves shown the on the screen.  Via SingularityHUB.

Online Marketing News: B2B Marketing History, Shake It For Coca-Cola, AdWords Credit Program, Facebook Collections, Emma Watson Dangerous Search

5 Types of B2B Content Marketing Blunders That Offer Teachable Moments

Nobody likes to make a mistake or fail at something. Even so, the beauty of an error is the fact that you can learn from the experience. It’s even better if you can learn from someone else’s gaffe – before you make a similar blunder.
The B2B content marketing stories you’re about to read are true.  The mistakes listed here are commonly experienced in digital marketing and weren’t major catastrophes. But each one provides a great teachable moment that could help you think about what to look for in your own marketing programs and how they may be improved for enhanced results.

5 Types of B2B Content Marketing Blunders That Offer Teachable Moments

5 Types of Content That Your Community Craves by John Jantsch

My friend of many years, John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and author known the world over for offering practical marketing advice to tens of thousands of small businesses. This week he’s launching a new book, The Commitment Engine – Making Work Worth It and I asked if he’d share a peek for our readers here at TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog. 
With growing popularity, more companies are becoming aware of the importance and impact of content marketing. But many are unsure how to create content that customers actually want and that can have an impact on the business bottom line. In this guest post, John Jantsch offers practical advice that any business, small or large, can implement today for less mechanical and more meaningful content creation.

22 online marketing tips that won't cost you a cent

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It's a classic Catch 22 situation - you're desperate to improve your online marketing efforts, but there is precious little money left in this year's marketing budget.
Don't despair. Here are 22 things you can do to improve your online marketing right now - and all they will cost you is time.

1. Practice a purchase

Get one of your friends and go on to your website and show them how a customer can go through the process of buying an item or getting in contact with you.
Write down all of the things you both notice during the process; the results might surprise you. Usually there will be one change you can make that will increase your conversion, by at least 10%.

2. Ask for feedback

Add a button that says: "Can't find what you are looking for? Email us your question." You are not your customer, and there is no way you can know what they are experiencing. Let them tell you what they want.

3. Add more keywords to a web page

Some of your pages may be lacking in keyword density. Log in to your content management system, or ask you web developer to, and just add a paragraph of text to the pages that are looking a little empty on keywords. Remember; Google can't see images but it can see text, so tell Google what your page is about. Even Google changes its logo on its homepage.

4. Change your home page main image

Make the image that users see when they first hit your site something a little fresher. If they are coming back for a second time, nothing is more persuasive than seeing a website that is changing and evolving. It's a signal that the website is alive, and that the company is reputable. (See also yesterday's SmartCompany blog Fresh websites yield fresh sales inquiries.)

5. Offer an incentive to your affiliates

Offering an incentive to your affiliate businesses might just give them that extra 10% motivation to spend more time promoting your program. And more promotion means more sales.

6. Add a page of content

Write an article and add it as another page to your site. The more pages Google can see on your website, the more chances you have of ranking for any particular keyword. I call this "Buying more tickets to the Google Lottery"!

7. Change the colour of your "buy now" button to green

This might also be your main call to action button, like "Apply now". But remember, red equals "stop", and green equals "go". Are your buttons telling users to stop or go?

8. Invite your staff for a website feedback day

Sure it's going to be a little political, but you are going to get at least two ideas that will be brilliant and easily actionable to increase sales.

9. Update your "about us" page with your latest info

Most people ignore this page, although users want to know who they are dealing with. If your "about us" page still has the 2005 press release you added, remove it and update it with something new. Sell yourself.

10. Call every phone number listed on your website

If one doesn't work. Update it.

11. Convert PDFs into HTML pages

This is an easy win to get new content on your site, and give you a few more tickets to in the Google Lottery. This will work especially well if your PDFs are behind a secure area that Google cannot index.

12. Update your news section

Add your latest news. If you have no news, make some up!

13. Add a second picture to your product pages

Two images are more persuasive than one. Potential customers want to see what they are buying, and if you were to show the back of the product as well as the front, it may overcome some of the objections that have held some of your potential buyers back from taking immediate action.
Tip: If you can only do one image, make pne image half the front and half the back. The images will be slightly smaller, but you will communicate more information this way. NewEgg does an amazing job with its product imagery.

14. "Oh by the way..."

Add a little upsell to your "thank you" page. Think of this like the confectionary at your supermarket. Right next to the cash register before you are about to pay, you can just throw in a pack of gum. It's not sold in a big way, it's just "Oh by the way, if you want a pack of gum I'm $1."
Add gift wrapping, upgrade, upsell or promote an affiliated offer. Their credit card is out for the checkout page, it's time to get them to throw in that "pack of gum". You can be really creative here! One of the best in the business at this is VistaPrint, which up-sell you with free business cards to a DVD subscription.

15. Update your 404 page

This page always gets traffic. Does your page look horrible and nasty, or is it helpful and informative? Here are some good ones to model.

16. Add misspellings to your paid search campaign

There is a huge amount of misspelt keyword traffic out there. The extra hits from common misspelt words may be worth the extra work to search out the best misspellings, creating and submitting a page to the search engine, and watching a little bit more traffic come through your site. It's time you cashed in on it.

Email Marketing Tips, Tricks and Secrets

Marketing via email is a tricky matter. It is powerful, but easily abused. It is easy, but really difficult. May these tips, tricks and secrets make it easy and powerful for you.

1. Marketing Software/Services

Address Recipients with Their Name in Email Campaigns

Make your newsletter recipients feel more like themselves, less like mere numbers by greeting them individually and personally.

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One-on-one email marketing Customize wraps and track click

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Avoid $$$ Signs in Email Marketing Campaigns

Why "$$$" won't bring you $$$.

Avoid Email Marketing During the Holidays

Holidays are often holidays from email, too. That's why email marketing during the holidays is often not very effective.

Avoid Mistyped Addresses by Requiring Retyping

Avoiding having people enter @htomail.cmo and @yhoo.com in the signup form for your newsletter.

Create a Clear Call to Action in Email Marketing Campaigns

Make sure recipients of your email marketing message know what you expect them to do (and what they can expect in return).

Defining Opt-In Email Marketing

My newsletter is "opt-in", sure! What that means? Um... well. yes.

Don't "Fix" Mistyped Email Addresses

Never fiddle with your subscribers' email addresses, not even if they obviously can't type.

Don't Forget the Preview Pane in Your Campaign

Move the boring stuff down the page, and greet recipients with your best offer instead.

Email Marketing Needs to Reflect Your Corporate Design

If it's your email marketing, make people see instantly that it is your email marketing.

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Email Marketing-Group FiO

Create email campaigns track clicks bounces, statistics & unsubscribes.

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Emphasize with Words, Not Exclamation Marks in Your Copy

The path to successful email marketing is not paved with exclamation marks.

Experiment with Link Placement in Newsletters

Maximize performance by putting the right links in the right places.

Get Subscribers Through Cooperation with the Competition

Make the pie of newsletter subscribers larger together.

Getting the Names of Anonymous Subscribers I

Turn your anonymous users into subscribers you can greet personally — by asking them for their name.

Getting the Names of Anonymous Subscribers II

Who doesn't want to be greeted with her name?

How to Get Newsletter Subscribers with Sweepstakes

Build your list with sweepstakes, but keep an eye on the quality of your subscribers.

How to Interpret Email Newsletter Open Rates

What the open rate of an email marketing campaign or newsletter can tell you -- and what it can't.

HTML or Plain Text: Let Your Recipients Decide

If you can't decide whether you should publish your newsletter as HTML or plain text, do both and let your recipients decide individually which they prefer.

Include an Easy to Use Unsubscription Link in Newsletters

Unhappy subscribers are worse than no subscribers. An easy and fail-safe way to unsubscribe is a way to make subscribers happy.

Inform Your ISP About Your Email Marketing Activities

The connection to your ISP is one of the most important. So make sure they know that you're sending legitimate bulk email and won't disconnect you as a spammer.

Instruments of Email Marketing

There is more to email marketing than personalized mass mails and newsletters. Discover all the forms and instruments of effective email marketing.

Learn from Spam

Spammers can teach you a lot about email marketing.

Make HTML and Plain Text Parts Have Corresponding Content

To make it more difficult for spam to fool them, spam filters check that the plain text and HTML parts of email messages do correspond.

Make it Easy for Subscribers to Change Their Email Address

Lose one address, gain another, retain a subscriber when a user's email address changes.

Make Landing Pages Fit Your Email Marketing Campaign

An email marketing campaign is nothing without a landing page, so make sure it visually belongs to its campaign and does not irritate the user.

Make Sure Unusbscriptions are Effective Immediately

Avoid a spam-like impression by making sure unsubscriptions from your newsletters or email marketing lists go into effect immediately.

Make Sure Your Email Marketing ASP is Opt-In Only

How does an opt-in list go together with being blocked and filtered as a spammer? It may be your email marketing service provider's fault.

Marketing: If You Use Sound, Make Sure it Rocks

No audio is better than weak audio, but... audio that rocks can boost your email marketing campaign.

Motivate People to Sign Up for Your Newsletter with a Bonus

An additional bonus can improve the chance that somebody will sign up for your newsletter significantly.

Newsletter Content Ideas: Asking the User's Questions

Content ideas usually have this form: "How can I do this?". So how can I get great content ideas?

Newsletter Content Ideas: Press Summary

Consolidating news provides a useful service to your newsletter subscribers, and it shows your expertise in the field, too.

Newsletter Content Ideas: The Calendar and Holidays

If you are searching for inspiration for your newsletter, all you need may be a holiday. The year is rich in holidays, occasions and festivities to write about or to relate to.

Prefill Forms on Landing Pages

Make purchasing easy by prefilling forms on pages reached from your newsletter.

Prioritize Newsletter Content for More Clicks

Here's a cheap and easy way to personalize and optimize the content in your newsletter for individual recipients.

Put Newsletter Sign-up Boxes on Every Page

Make sure visitors can sign up to your newsletter when and where they want.

Reply to Requests Within 1 Day

You've got 24 hours to win — or lose — a customer, so be sure to reply to emails within a day.

Rule of Thumb How Often to Send Your Newsletter

Find the right frequency for your email marketing efforts.

Rule of Thumb When to Send Your Newsletter

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday? Which day will work best?

Sales Pitch Makes No Newsletter

Newsletter subscribers expect and deserve content, which salespeak alone is not.

Send Newsletters at Least Once a Month

If you send your newsletter less often, your subscribers may forget about you and their signing up, and perceive your mailing as spam.

Send Newsletters On Time

Weekly, adv.: every week; etc. Here's why it's important to send your newsletter periodically, and on time.

Send Your Email Marketing Messages as Multipart/Alternative

Get the best of both worlds and give those who prefer HTML a rich version and those who prefer plain text and plain alternative — automatically and easily.

Successful Email Marketing is 1-to-1 Permission Marketing

The vision of email marketing: every customer is a special customer.

Test the Layout of Your Newsletter with Email Clients

Make sure your email marketing message looks good not only in your email program, but in your recipient's, too.

Test the Links in Your Email Marketing Messages

If recipients can't click through to your site from your email marketing message, all other efforts were in vain.

The Difference Between Opt-In and Double Opt-In

Do you want your email marketing single opt-in or double-sized? Find out what the difference between single and double opt-in means.

Use a Template for Your Email Newsletter

A template is something to cling to, and something your readers will recognize.

Use Absolute URLs in Email Marketing Messages, Newsletters

Relative URLs will fail to bring people from your newsletter to your site. Absolutely.

Use Bold Face for Emphasis in Email Marketing

Make important text stand out in your email marketing efforts by using bold face.

Use Your Brand in the Subject

Spark interest, and make your recipients comfortable with opening your marketing messages.

Use Your Name in the From: Line

People don't like to read mail from strangers or robots. But messages From: a name they know and trust are welcome.

User Questions Mean Great Content for Newsletters

Tell them exactly what they want to know in your newsletter. A fabulous way to find out what your subscribers do want to know is reading their emails.

Notes in Internet Marketing

Online competition to control the market is so intense that so achieving success by effective internet marketing techniques is not an easy task. You cannot gain the expected results without hard work, far-sightedness and patience. There are certain pitfalls that you should care when doing online marketing. Especially the ones that are new to this field need to be careful and avoid committing certain common mistakes.
Many times internet marketers are not so dynamic and fast in preparing the efforts for marketing. As soon as a website is created, steps should be taken to market it and take appropriate steps for it. It takes time to setup the advertising accounts and online advertisements. Prior planning helps in setting up the schedule for administration and advertising. Thus yielding better results from the marketing efforts.
Ask your internet marketer to have a plan for achieving the goals in order to get positive outcome of marketing. You can take reference from successful internet marketing strategies of other websites and take useful tips from them. Prepare a list of goals that you want to achieve and work towards them.
For any internet marketing project setting up a budget is very important. You need to divide the total amount of money and channelize in the right directions. It would definitely bring in long term success. If you commit any mistake in handling of expenses, it could hamper your business. If you have a fixed budget it would not be a good idea to try every technique for online marketing, but you can shortlist the most practical solutions.
Internet marketers would provide you ample of offers and solutions for marketing, out of which you have to select the most appropriate one for your business.

Don't get carried away by the enticing offers if its not relevant to your project. It is always better to do some amount of research, as it would gives you the access to many good online resources for website marketing. Before purchasing any new resource or tool evaluate its features very carefully. Many times resources are spend on unproductive advertisements and websites. So keep regular tracking of the ads and links you are working on. Calculate the output of the online program you are participating in. The ads should be written in proper format and have attractive punchline.
Thus create a successful online business by keeping some basic guidelines in mind.

5 Marketing Tips for Improving Customer Relationships & ROI With Better Communications

Improved communication turns one time buyers into lifelong customers.

As marketers and sales professionals there is no doubt that we are focused on obtaining new customers and increasing awareness within targeted market segments.  However, we must also consider the lifetime value of our existing customers and how marketing communications can contribute to that relationship.  Taking the time to examine what kind of communications can keep your brand top of mind with customers and inspire continued awareness for repeat sales and referrals is of enormous value.
Do you know how much your current customers are worth to your company?  In recent years research has found that a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25% to 95%.  Armed with the knowledge that satisfied customers has a direct impact on your bottom line, there is no time like the present to begin targeting your current customers.  Here are 5 tips on better customer communications you can start using right now:

Tip #1 – Personalized Email Communication

96% of organizations believe that email personalization can improve email marketing performance.


Creating a steady flow of email communication for customers is not a new concept.  However, how many email campaigns do you send out that are segmented based on purchasing habits or preferences?  Say that you have studied the data relating to your current customers and have identified approximately 5 profiles or personas.  Based on customer information find the persona that best fits each customer.  Then create an email drip campaign for each customer segment with different content based on need.  Keep in mind that the subject line, internal content, and calls to action within the email should be personalized based on customer segment.

Tip #2 – Create A Stellar FAQ Page

53% of customers who shop online more than once a month find customer service extremely or very important.

Creating readily available and easy to find information is Customer Service 101.  It does not matter if you are B2B, B2C, technology, retail, or any other type of company; your customers will have questions.  A Frequently Asked Questions page on your website, social profiles, or other web destinations should be updated on a regular basis to include new questions or comments.  FAQ’s are also an additional opportunity to optimize content for improved visibility online.  It is important to remain consistent with your answers, provide a clean and easy to read page, and update or remove items that may no longer apply.  If you sell multiple products you may want to consider creating additional pages for each product.  Also, if you sell a product or service that requires assembly or setup you may want to provide instructional videos for your customers.

Tip #3 – Social Networking Channels = Customer Service Opportunity

40% of corporate Twitter accounts engage stakeholders on customer service issues.

Last week we shared the example of JetBlue’s customer focused approach on Twitter.  While Twitter may not be a customer solution for all marketers there is an opportunity to utilize your existing social media channels as a way of providing additional customer service for your customers.  Customer service does not only include answering questions or dealing with problems it could also include: sharing useful articles or information, notifying customers of upcoming promotions, or reaching out to customers that are inactive.  Consideration must also be paid to the time of day that your customers are most likely to spend their time online.  There are tools available like Timely, Buffer or Hootsuite which enable you to schedule your Twitter communications during a particular time of day for the highest impact.

Tip #4 – Create Content Based on Customer Need

36% of B2B marketers listed producing engaging content as their biggest content marketing challenge.

If planned for and organized appropriately, content creation can be executed efficiently and successfully.  A successful content strategy will focus on the needs, pain points, and triggers of your customers.  There are many ways to identify what those needs are including: customer surveys, research, and creation of customer personas based on buying habits.  Implementing a well thought out and concise customer survey can give you additional insight into what makes your customers tick.  A survey is also a great opportunity to crowdsource content from your customers for your customers.  Who better qualified to tell you what they want to read about than those who are purchasing your products or services?

Tip #5 – Turn Customers Into Brand Advocates

500 billion peer impressions are created each year.

It is extremely important that you tap into your existing customer base to find individuals or organizations who are willing to advocate on your behalf.  You could ask customers for: written or video testimonials, permission to use them as references, or employ them as a brand advocate to share information with their networks.  As user generated content becomes increasingly popular and credible, keeping your customers happy will continue to become even more essential.

Action Items:

Committing to providing customer support online is something that I recommend every company do no matter what industry you work in.  If you don’t keep your customers happy, someone else will.  I would like to leave you with the following questions that I hope will help you determine what tactics your company should implement to improve your customer service and communication online.

• How would you rate your current level of online customer service?
• Do you currently have a plan in place to improve your communication?
• What tactics have you implemented that have worked?
• What companies do you personally buy from that provide excellent online communication?
• What impact has that communication had on your purchasing decisions?