Archive for October, 2008

A small company grows and moves on from a start-up status and its’ software and web development needs change. You might have gotten along initially by working with moonlighters or a freelancer because they were cheap. But let’s face it – it is not a long term strategy. Most moonlighters and freelancers will abandon ship very quickly because it’s not their primary source of income and something better usually comes along or they just lose interest. It can be a frustrating experience trying to find a new one and hand over the project to that person. Even with a software web development company you have to realize that you’re not their only client. You hired them to do a project and they did a fantastic job. Now you want to roll out a second version of your product, but that company might be busy working on other projects now and you might have to wait in line to get your new version done because this is a new project and more time needs to be allocated for it.

There is a better way! If you need things done on an ongoing basis you need to work with a company that offers an SLA (Service Level Agreement). If you require ongoing work this is the best solution for you. Main purpose of a service level agreement is to allocate time for your project in that company’s schedule to ensure that work can be done when you need it. It quantifies the minimum acceptable level of service to you by spelling out the time that will be allocated to your project on an ongoing basis, response time for regular work and emergencies, etc. You can then rest assured that your software/web project will be taken care of when you need it.

Technorati Tags: custom software development, managing website, Software and Web Development, Website Design

A lot of people waste money on Pay-Per-Click (PPC) because they don’t know how to do it right. They try PPC campaigns, spend money and time on them and realize that it all went to waste. The key to an effective Pay-Per-Click program is getting the RIGHT TRAFFIC to your website at the RIGHT PRICE. Since you pay every time someone clicks on your ad to get to your website you want to attract only visitors who are interested in your product or service. You want to be sure that, when they arrive at your site, they can find what they’re looking for — and most importantly quickly. Here are several beginner PPC tips to get you on the right track:

Choose The Best Keywords (Search Terms) And Target Geographically.

Broad keywords like “carpets” will generate many clicks with little or no benefit. Use specific keywords that accurately describe your product or service. If you only do carpet installations you want to specify that it’s “carpet installations”. If you offer a product or service in a particular geographic area you only want to display your ads to people who are in that location. Most PPC advertising networks allow you to do that. Don’t forget to consider many possible variations of your keywords like: “cheap carpet installation”, “professional carpet installation”, etc. To help you come up with lots of keywords, try the Google Keyword Tool.

Write Accurate And Relevant Ad Copy

The most effective ads communicate a clear message to a specific target audience. Your ad should emphasize the unique benefits of your product or service. Use simple, direct language: avoid gimmicks and jargon.

It’s a good idea to include the search term in your title and/or description. Users will be able to immediately see its relevance to their search. For example if you’re targeting keywords “Professional carpet installation” you want to display an ad that talks about your experience or professionalism. You never want to show your “cheap carpet installations” ad to someone who’s looking for a professional installation. These highly targeted ads will have a much higher click-through rate (a measure of the portion of people that actually clicks on your ad) which will lead to lower advertising costs for you.

In Google, ad titles are limited to 25 characters. The two description lines and display URL are limited to 35 characters each – so you have to be concise.

Control Your Cost

Most Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search engines let you set your own limits for the cost of each click, as well as a monthly maximum. Start with a small list of targeted keywords and a few different ads. Then build on those that work best. Of course you can’t control what your competitors are willing to bid, so choosing the right keywords for your specific audience is essential.

Just because you can bid high enough for a top position doesn’t mean you should. Don’t get into a bidding war – pay only what makes sense to you financially. If they’re too competitive, do some research and modify them so you don’t pay more than necessary. A #1 spot may be less cost-effective than lower positions due to “compulsive clickers” who start at the top of the links and click their way down. Some PPC engines share the top 3 listings with their partners so you’ll gain more exposure by bidding high enough for 3rd position or better.

Experiment And Monitor Your Results

Try different messages and keywords to see what works best. One advantage of PPC programs is that they track the click-through rate for each ad so you can identify and remove ads that don’t work.

You can also use unique tracking URLs for each ad to identify how many of your customers clicked through to your site from your ad. Then you can calculate which ads and keywords converted the most clicks to sales or leads.

Conclusion

Pay-Per-Click marketing is an effective method of driving traffic to your site, but that’s really just the first step. Once visitors arrive, you need persuasive copy, clear navigation and good design to lead them to take the action you want.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, ppc, promoting your business, site promotion, website promotion, website traffic

It seems that everyone is seeking better search engine rankings. If you have a high ranking in the search engine results for the right keywords, you’ll get a lot of targeted traffic to your website. But how many of those visitors become your customers?

Conversion – not ranking – is what pays the bills. Conversion is converting website visitors into customers (if they can pay you right on the website) or getting them to take a certain action like filling out a contact form or a signup sheet for something like a newsletter or a webinar.

Search Engines, referrals, print ads, and hyperlinks all play an important role in an effective web marketing strategy. But once visitors arrive at your site, how do you go about persuading them to take the actions you want them to take? There are two main considerations: usability and content.

Usability

Make it easy for your website visitors to find what they came for. Consider creating landing pages that are directly relevant to the search terms they used to find your site. Visitors will quickly understand that they’re in the right place and can begin to move along the conversion process: fill out a form, contact you, or make a purchase.

You need to plan for different visitor scenarios. Do you have an understanding of the steps a typical visitor to your web site will take? Good navigation leads them through the conversion process with clear action steps. They should always know what to click next to achieve their goal.

Don’t overwhelm prospects with too many options. Eliminate unnecessary information like copy that doesn’t really say anything, links or banners that distract from the conversion process and graphics that serves no function. You got it right – less is more.

Test the conversion process yourself and get your or someone’s grandma to try it. Fill out a form. Register for membership. Make a purchase from your own shop. If it’s not painless for you or your grandma then you’re on the right track. Otherwise it is going to be tough for anyone coming to your site for the first time. Here’s the golden rule: keep it simple.

Put your efforts into improving your conversions. Think about it. Even a small increase in your conversion rate from 0.5% to 1% wills double your sales! Your targeted traffic will then be that much more valuable to you.

Content

Make sure that your basic message is very clear to your web site visitors. Don’t make them think. Provide clear answers to their most obvious questions and you’ll build your credibility.

Good copywriting may be the single most important factor in raising your conversion rate. The text on your pages should speak to your visitors in a consistent and appropriate voice. It should offer the right information at the right time.

Support the personal and psychological variables of your potential clients. It is also important not to overwhelm your website visitors with too much text. Some people want to read, but others prefer to see photographs and diagrams. Provide basic information to everyone and additional information (pictures and documents they need to fully evaluate your products and services) to the people who want it. When including pictures make sure they’re really useful: not every picture is worth a thousand words. Use high-quality detail shots and enlargements to tell the full story.

Technorati Tags: conversion rate, double my sales, Internet Marketing, leads generation, promoting your business, search engines, selling products online, seo, site promotion, usability, website optimization

If you haven’t tried advertising on Facebook yet (and even if you are already advertising on Facebook) and want to try it out, now there is a great way to try it for free.

Visa is offering $100 in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising credit to Facebook users/advertisers as part of their Visa Business promotion. To get the free PPC credit all you need to do is:

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Add the Visa Business Network App. Once added, follow the instructions on screen and Facebook will send you a coupon code with further instructions on how to add the credit to your account.

Free advertising – it doesn’t get better than that.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, ppc, website promotion, website traffic

To accept credit cards as a form of payment on your website you need to have a merchant account. The typical costs include setup costs, monthly fees, per transaction fee, and commission (discount rate). Some merchant account providers also charge non-standard fees (non-qualified charges, remittance costs, refund fees, chargeback fees, monthly minimum fees, statement fees, etc.), so I suggest you read the fine print when you’re selecting your merchant account provider. If you’re just starting to accept credit cards the fees are not going to be negotiable, but as you establish a sales track record you will be able to negotiate a better rate. A very important thing to consider is joining a business association that already negotiated a discount for its members. For example in Canada you can join Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (www.cfib.ca) to receive a good rate from the start in addition to discounts from many other companies. Below is a comparison of some of the better merchant accounts I worked with. Keep in mind that fees posted are for information purposes only and may not be 100% accurate.

Technorati Tags: E-Commerce, Merchant Account, online payment methods, selling products online