How to Get Your Visitors to Create Content for Your Website

Written by Clay Mabbitt


An ongoing challenge for webmasters today is to provide fresh content that gives visitors a reason to return to their site. Unless you have a full-time staff dedicated to creating regular content,repparttar time involved can be crippling.

Wouldn't it be great if someone else would write timely, relevant content for you? Sure, but what arerepparttar 132658 odds of that happening? Well, many webmasters are already enjoying this phenomenon, and I'm happy to count myself among them.

Set it up. Whether your site has a catalog of products or a collection of articles, you can design your pages to allow visitors to post reviews of whatever is featured onrepparttar 132659 page. They can share their experiences with items they've bought or post comments onrepparttar 132660 information in your site. Don't confuse this powerful tool with a discussion forum. You createrepparttar 132661 topic of each page, and encourage visitors to post updates withrepparttar 132662 latest information in this area.

The more information you provide on your site,repparttar 132663 better service you are providing to your visitors; but they aren'trepparttar 132664 only ones who benefit from including reviews. It's also a boon to you as a webmaster. Even if you never wrote another line of new copy, your pages will continue to grow with relevant content. Granted you still have to spend a little time readingrepparttar 132665 reviews and moderating what appears on your site, butrepparttar 132666 time required is much less than you would spend writing original content.

Why someone else will create content for you. Whilerepparttar 132667 advantages torepparttar 132668 webmaster and reader may be obvious, you are probably wondering what incentives exist forrepparttar 132669 reviewer. A few lucky souls have enough free time to share their opinions online forrepparttar 132670 mere satisfaction of seeing their own words, but most will need something more tangible before they investrepparttar 132671 time to write a useful review. The onus is on you,repparttar 132672 webmaster, to create an appropriate incentive. The importance of link popularity in search engine rankings provides a powerful clue. At AffiliateScreen.com, I allow my visitors to post reviews of their experiences with online affiliate programs. Atrepparttar 132673 bottom of their review, they haverepparttar 132674 option of including a link to another page that supports what they've written (or they can simply include their affiliate link forrepparttar 132675 program). AffiliateScreen.com gives themrepparttar 132676 additional credibility of their expertise appearing on a third-party site.

Look at this fromrepparttar 132677 reviewer's perspective. Here's a unique opportunity to gain an external link pointing torepparttar 132678 reviewer's website, but this is far more valuable than a random reciprocal link. Search engines are determining link popularity by examining bothrepparttar 132679 quantity and relevance of links. The page with their link is loaded with keywords related torepparttar 132680 product or service, andrepparttar 132681 reviewer can include additional relevant keywords in their post. The reviewer actually has a hand in creatingrepparttar 132682 page that will link to their site. This is extremely powerful! Can you begin to see how anyone looking to increase traffic to their site would jump atrepparttar 132683 opportunity to create content for your website?

How do I get my business on the internet?

Written by Ivana Katz


This is one ofrepparttar most frequently asked questions by small business owners. They are feelingrepparttar 132657 pressure from their customers and competitors, yet for many business people it is a daunting task, as they don't understandrepparttar 132658 whole process.

In fact, many people are even askingrepparttar 132659 question whether they should have a website. Whether you are a consultant, florist, designer, builder, architect or a doctor, considerrepparttar 132660 many advantages a website provides:

1. Make money – Set up an on-line store or get paid for advertising from other companies

2. Save money on advertising – Instead of paying for large ads, simply advertise your website

3. Be flexible in your message – Changerepparttar 132661 content as your business changes. No need to re-print expensive brochures.

4. Exposure to new customers – You will reach more local clients as well as interstate and global markets

5. Having more professional image – Keep up withrepparttar 132662 times and your competitors

6. Save time – Don’t spend hours onrepparttar 132663 phone, direct customers to your website

7. Keep your business open 24/7 – Provide customers information when THEY need it. If you don’t, someone else will.

So what does it really take to get your website set up?

Step 1 - Register your domain name OR not.

The big question is whether you need to register a domain name or not. The simple answer is NO, but a better answer is YES it is a good idea.

What is a domain name?

The purpose of a domain name is similar to that of a street address or telephone number. The domain name directs customers to you onrepparttar 132664 Internet. The domain by itself is not your email or web address. The domain does formrepparttar 132665 base from which these addresses are derived.

For example: Company Name: QikPhone Domain Name: qikphone.com.au Web Address:www.qikphone.com.au Email Address:sales@qikphone.com

Do I need to register a domain name to have a website?

NO, you don't need to have your own domain name. Your website can be created and hosted without it. Your website address will look something like this: www.web4business.com.au/JBCleaning OR www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning

The only advantage of not registering a domain name is that you will save yourself A$70 per year (it costs approx A$140 for 2 years to register a '.com.au' domain name).

The disadvantages of NOT having your domain name include:

1. If you decide to change your Webhosting company or if that company goes out of business, you will lose your website address. Your website can be transferred to a new company, but your address will change. And that means re-printing stationery and re-doing all your advertising, notifying all your customers etc.

2. Website addresses that contain information other than your company name are long and hard to remember and do not appear as professional. Compare these two and see which one you are more likely to remember: www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning OR www.JBCleaning.com.au

So it is a good idea to register a domain name, even if it is just to protect yourself forrepparttar 132666 future. Say for example, your business name is JB Cleaning and you decide not to register your domain name for now. Along comes Joe Bloggs who opens his own cleaning business and registers JBCleaning.com.au domain name. After a year you decide you want to have your own domain name, but since Joe Bloggs already owns it, you won't be able to register it. Not to mention your customers who know your business as JB Cleaning may visit his website, thinking it's your web address and instead hire Joe Bloggs Cleaning.

Step 2 - Plan your website.

Planning your website is a two part process:

(a) Decide onrepparttar 132667 website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). This is your website designer's job. However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people's websites or work with your web designer's pre-set templates.

(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:

1Product/Service Details 2.Contact Information 3.Pricing 4.Testimonials 5.Frequently Asked Questions 6.Response Form, such as "Join Mailing List" 7.On-line Magazine or Newsletter 8.Resources & Articles 9.Guarantee 10.Survey 11.Events Calender 12.Search My Website Form 13.Refund Policy 14.Privacy Policy 15.About Us Information 16.Site Map 17.Copyright information 18.Useful Links 19.Media Information 20.On-line store 21.News 22.Directions to Your Bricks & Mortar Premises

Step 3 - Choose a Web Hosting Company.

What is a Web hosting Company?

A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office. You can build your own building and you can host your own website, but because ofrepparttar 132668 cost and expertise required it is easier to rentrepparttar 132669 space.

Which Company Should I Choose?

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