WDTalk

A lot of work goes into shaping a business, but the shaping doesn’t end when you open your doors to the public. Businesses that survive and strive are those that abandon what doesn’t work and use that knowledge to reshape their business going forward. With online businesses, this could be as simple as changing domain names.

I just read an interesting article this morning about one online business that changed their web site five times in five years. This particular business was launched with an investment of  $100,000, but now grosses nearly $3 million in revenue. What I found interesting was that, over the years, they abandoned 60 percent of what they originally came up with. That’s huge, but it reshaped their business into the success they enjoy today.

Why would changing your domain name make any difference?
I think there are two angles to changing domain names. The first is perception. The second deals with Search Engine Optimization.

The Trust Factor
In the first (perception), the key is TRUST. Successful eCommerce ventures start and end with a strong trust factor. Let’s face it – what do prospects see when they search for info on Google, Bing and Yahoo? They essentially see two things – your domain name and a short description of your site. For example, which domain name conveys more (global) trust to you - Steve’sAirTransport.com or AviationTransportationServicesInc.com? Seems obvious to me. The second has a corporate, global feel to it that lends favorably to the perception of trust.

The SEO Factor
Although Google doesn’t disclose its search algorithms, it’s widely perceived in SEO circles that targeted keywords in your domain name weigh heavily on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS).  When searching for Aviation Transportation Services, two of the top four results have the targeted keywords, aviation and trasnsportation, in their domain names. Would being in the top four results help drive targeted traffic and potential clients to your site? Absolutely!

The Real Challenge
Reevaluatiing your domain name is a starting point, but the real challenge entails staying current with ever evolving technologies like Twitter and Facebook, AND keeping up to date with search engine trends and changes in their algorithms.

Thinking back about thirteen years now, I saw my first demonstration of FrontPage at a local ISP in the Central West End, and I was like, WOW! Todd, their webmaster, had designed and built their network from the ground floor up. At the time, I had ZERO experience building websites, and knew even less about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

In its Infancy
Back then, optimizing websites for the major search engines was very different than it is today. Thirteen years ago, the Internet was still very much in its infancy, so manipulating the search engines to rank in the top ten wasn’t that hard. Fortunately, our webmaster understood SEO and the importance of link building, meta tags and targeted keywords. Even with a rudimentary knowledge of SEO, you could easily rank in the top ten on lots of keyword queries, but not so today.

Today’s search engine providers employ highly advanced/complex algorithms
I’ve had clients ask why their site was listed on page one weeks ago, but today wallow around on page three. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer. A lot of webmasters are still on a crash course to add as many inbound links as they can garnish, hoping to improve their link popularity. The problem is, the search engine gurus have taken link popularity to a whole new level, and now rank links, both internally and externally. It’s nearly impossible for an average webmaster to manipulate search results today because links on other sites are beyond their control.

Enter Good and Bad Neighborhoods
Ranking links means that links are analyzed and prioritized. A site with 500 inbound links may rank higher in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) than one with 3000 inbound links. Why? The trend driving algorithms today is content. Links to sites that advocate spamming, illegal downloads, blackhat SEO, or those that smell of link exchange migrate to bad neighborhoods, and are penalized.

Link Wheels & Link Exchanges
It seems like at least once each week, I get asked about providing multiple IP addresses across multiple Class C’s. A Class C is an allocation of 256 IP addresses and is known as a /24. The goal seems to be to trick the search engines into believing your site is more popular that it really is. At present, Google still rules the Internet, and they’ve made it perfectly clear that they frown upon link exchanges of any kind or shape. Using IP’s from different Class C’s is simply an attempt to disguise a link exchange.

Not all meta tags are recognized by Google, including keywords
Once upon a time, when Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor, the ratio of targeted keywords to their inclusion in the content of a site was very important. I used to advocate that myself, but I’m old – times change. So if link wheels, link exchanges and targeted keywords are not the answer, what is?

My Thoughts
What are the major search engines attempting to do? The answer, taking note of Bing’s own advertisements, is returning results – relevant results. The most valuable inbound links are organic – those that are acquired via compelling content that addresses pain and offers solutions. Why does anyone use Google, Yahoo, Bing or any search engine? They’re searching for information relevant to some pain, need or desire. It bears repeating over and over that content is KING.

If content is king, how do you get to wear that crown?
One Tip: You can write articles in the form of advice based on your experience. If your advice is of value AND there are sufficient people searching out answers related to your content, Google will take notice. This can be accomplished via corporate blogs, forums, micro sites, and/or article directories. The more Google indexes your content, the more targeted visitors it will send your direction. Increased traffic often leads to external publication of your articles. The key here is to provide a bio with each article that leads back to your website with targeted keywords as the anchor text. An example: Instead of writing, “Click Here,” hyperlink a targeted keyword phrase like, “Business Class Shared Web Hosting.” One word of caution, or advice – you need not go overboard in submitting articles to dozens of article directories. Select those with good Alexa traffic and high external PageRank. Quality is key.

Building online traffic works best with a mix of online and offline marketing techniques. I’ve assembled a few tried and proven that are guaranteed to grow your site over time. 

1. Organic Backlinks – do not pay for backlinks as this (SEO) tactic never works. Organic backlinks to relevant sites with high PageRank – in good neighborhoods work best. Links to warez, torrent and spam sites are considered BAD neighborhoods – and will drag your site lower in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS).
2. LiveChat – If you have available manpower, livechat is great way to communicate with your prospects and clients. LiveZilla is a free and highly recommended livechat application. The feature I love is the ability to see what pages visitors have browsed, and how long they stay on each page.
3. Forum Signatures – Participating in industry forums and discussion groups positions your firm as an expert in the field. Your signature at the end of each thread or post can link to your website or a specific promotion. Be sure to comply with forum rules.
4. Newsletters – Newsletters are a fantastic way to share solutions, highlighting your business’s strength in its niche. Links from newsletters can be monitored to determine what hits home with your readers.
5. Relevant Content – Beyond a doubt, the MOST IMPORTANT element for any website is relevant content, meaning your content must address each click through (opportunity) with a compelling and convertible solution.
6. Tweaking Your Site Using Analytics/Statistical Progams – Measuring what works, and what doesn’t work provides a foundation by which you can re-structure your site for success. Discard what doesn’t work, and repeat repeat repeat what does.
7. Social Media Networking – I think it goes without saying that having a presence, at least today, on Facebook or Twitter is a necessity. Your competition is already there capturing some of your traffic. 
8. Contests – Giving something away always attracts visitors, even if it’s as simple as a special coupon code on a specific service.
9. Webinars – Webinars are seminars held or presented on the Web.
10. Article Writing – Article writing positions you and your firm as experts in the field. I recommend www.ezinearticles.com. Link your articles back to your site.
11. Business Cards, Scratch & Mouse Pads, Personalized Ink Pens – And the list goes on forever. Promotional material customized with your website information brands your business for success.  

Does your brick and mortar store depend on referrals or walk-in traffic to sell your product or service? Online stores allow businesses to reach a wider range of prospects than they could ever imagine reaching on-site. Let’s face it, the majority of prospects today begin their shopping experience doing research online – comparing companies, products, prices – the works.

The Good News
And the good news is that you don’t need a huge server or an $80,000/year IT guy to make an online store work. The majority of eCommerce stores are Mom & Pop shops, selling everything from diet supplements to shoes, and processing their payments through PayPal – on a shared hosting account that probably costs less than $35/month. Compare that to ONE ad (five lines) in a local newspaper that runs 3 days in print and 30 days online – for a whopping $395.00 !!

The Nuts and Bolts of eCommerce
It all starts with a professional website, meaning its design is attractive to the eye, it’s easy to navigate, there are no spelling errors or broken links, and the solution you propose (along with its price) is relevant AND compelling. Beyond that, you’ll need a shopping cart and a payment processor. If you’re collecting credit card information on your site (directly), you’ll also need an SSL certificate, gateway and merchant account AND be PCI compliant. If you use a service like PayPal standard, and are not processing credit card information on your site – meaning your clients are passed off to PayPal’s servers to process the actual order, these don’t apply.

Attracting Visitors
Ok, sales begin with prospects. If no one walks through the door, it’s tough to move inventory. Online, if no one visits your site, the end result is duplicated. Building a site and hoping prospects will flock to your store overnight doesn’t work. Getting them there requires implementing a mix of online and offline marketing. The tried and true stuff still works – word of mouth, referrals, networking & direct sales staff. The new stuff could be Google Adwords, advertisements in forums or social media networks, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), podcasts and so on.

The Importance of Niche Marketing
Let’s start with the prospect as they enter a search query on Google, Bing or Yahoo. If that query is too broad, for example, recipes – the results returned will number in the gazillions, leaving them to find you somewhere among the masses. Aside from the benefit of branding, narrowing your focus on what makes your product or service (in this case – recipes) different is key. If you specialize in cupcake recipes, your competition in search queries for “cupcake recipes” will narrow their search results considerably. Taking this one step further, keying in on specific cupcake recipes, like strawberry cupcake recipes or apricot cupcake recipes, will help define your niche and FINDABILITY. This online marketing principle applies cross industry. Extended keyword PHRASES help narrow and funnel your prospects search to YOU.

I’m reasonably sure most of us have heard the term, “Sell the SIZZLE, not the steak.” It’s well documented that prospects don’t buy products and services – they buy BENEFITS from reps or businesses they know, like and trust. The best sales reps search out their prospect’s pain (by asking questions and LISTENING), and then structure their proposed solution to SIZZLE (to address that pain in a way that excites and compels the prospect to buy).

Some examples of SIZZLE 

   1. If I’m selling Internet bandwidth (data transfer), which has more sizzle? Simply listing bandwidth at 2TB/month OR adding an example of a benefit like:

If the average page size on your site is 40 kilobytes (includes the html file & graphics), with 2TB of bandwidth your pages could be downloaded 262,144,000 times per month! 

   2. What about email accounts – seems pretty straight forward? Which has more sizzle? Simply listing how many emails you get with each plan OR adding a benefit like: 

Tired of spam?! Our real time spam filter saves you and your employees time and money? Our system monitors a very large portion of the Internet’s email traffic to target sources of spam and tags that spam if it comes into our network. This FREES you to focus on REAL email. 

   3. I see hosting packages all the time featuring MySQL accounts, but why would you be interested in MySQL? Instead of simply listing the number of MySQL accounts with each plan, how about adding a benefit with some SIZZLE like: 

Based on the Linux operating system, MySQL is a multi-user, multi-threaded Structured Query Language (SQL) standardized database that simplifies storing, updating and accessing information such as customer or product data. Its flexibility and speed allow you to also store logs and pictures. Designed to scale well under heavy traffic conditions, it’s IDEAL for database-intensive or ecommerce enabled websites. 

What’s your SIZZLE? 

There’s a benefit to every product or service. The key is to find the SIZZLE that addresses your prospects pain, whether it’s the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the cars they drive or whatever. In person, it’s the reps body language and tone that carries the conversation, with a scant 7% left to his/her words. Online, there is no body language or tone, except what the prospect perceives. This is why design and relevant content is so important. SIZZLE is the catalyst that will put you over the top.

Most business owners understand the need for IT disaster recovery, in some fashion. I still see businesses, mostly Mom and Pop shops, with a single UPS securing their entire network, and if they’re really on top of disaster recovery, they may have digital tape back-up, and store those tapes off site daily.

Let’s face it. Protecting your investment in IT is a 24/7/365 commitment. It doesn’t matter if a disaster is man-made or natural – lose your data and you’ll likely lose your company.

Protecting your data
Just this weekend, my daughter called to say her friend lost her computer and Wii to a lightning strike in central Illinois, even though they were on a surge protector. This brought back memories of my first week on the job as a bench tech in the Central West End when a client brought in his NT server. It was still smokin’ from a lightning strike, and obviously dead. I think I replaced the MOBO, hard drive, memory modules and video card, and reinstalled NT. Yipes! Just last month, my credit card terminal in the Salon went up in smoke to a power interruption. Fortunately, I had a replacement in my garage, standing by.

It doesn’t matter how small or how large your business is, you really need a definitive DR plan for your company. In the Marine Corps, we wrote SOP’s, or Standard Operation Procedures and Contingency Scenarios. In business – processes, policies and procedures are the crucial elements in an effective disaster recovery plan. 0bviously, people are an important piece of the pie, but a substantial portion of any good DR plan addresses infrastructure – or the facility that provides physical protection for the technology itself.

Infrastructure (data center) disaster recovery options

Cold

• Least expensive
• No equipment
• Has electrical, environmental and telecommunications accommodations
• Offers longer recovery time, but does give the client somewhere to go in case of a disaster

Warm

• Is essentially a site that has all necessary IT equipment, ready to go live, but lacks live data
• Requires set a brief set up period

Hot

• Fully equipped site ready to go at a moment’s notice
• Normally contains continuously replicated data
• Most expensive, but ready when needed
• Essential for hospitals, financial institutions and ecommerce operations

An Important Note
Disaster recovery encompasses more than simply restoring or replicating data – it’s having people, processes and infrastructure in place to restore your business to full functionality in case of disaster.

Always couple DR with business continuity planning – how will your business continue to operate following a disaster – and what impact will it extract

Small Business Rocks!
As I drive in to work, I pass by hundreds of small businesses and I wonder how they all got their start, how long they’ve been in business, what their plans are for the future, will they survive …? Being in sales, quite often I get to talk to the owners and decision makers in these businesses, and as a small business owner myself, I cherish these opportunities to gain insight into their business.

I Love the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Small Business
While I primarily write articles about the finer aspects of web hosting, I’m drawn to marketing and sales, and general business tips because it’s equally relevant. Web sites can be the great equalizer for small business in their quest to compete on a Global or even local marketplace, so when I talk to owners about their websites (or lack thereof), more often than not, I take with me a renewed sense that the entrepreneurial spirit this country was founded upon is alive and well.

Small Business Drives Business
I could do a Google search and find literally millions of articles related to small business driving business, but it’s widely understood that small business is the backbone of our economy. As small business goes, so goes our economy. Competing as a small business forces you to think outside of the box, driving innovation.