Did you know that most powerful software and web applications are all free? Yes that's right, just about every commercial software or web application you know of is most likely available as a free Open Source project/clone.

"Why haven't I heard of this Open Source stuff???" There is good reason for not seeing advertising for open source software in ppc search engines, if you had a free product, you would not be likely to pay for top advertising spots, or even worry about your search engine placement. Open Source projects rely on word of mouth and fact that it's free, well you all know that 'FREE' is most viral form of advertising. Also, open source community is a tight group of developers and programmers who often exchange links, so if you don't know right places to look, you can spend days and weeks searching out top open source applications.

Don't worry though, this article has a list of top open source applications, as well as links to top open source search engines.

"But I always thought you had to be a techno-geek to install or use these applications?" This is way it used to be just a few years ago, but times have rapidly changed in Open Source world, and focus is now on more userfriendly, step by step installations and control panels, so you don't need to know much of anything to get these apps up and running.

Now, only downfall of an Open Source application compared to a Commercial application... NO DIRECT SUPPORT. However, as in all web based communities, there are hundreds of thousands of people using these applications, and there are always community support forums where you can get help from veteran users. Community Support can often be ten times better than commercial support a Commercial company may offer.

"So how do I find these Open Source Applications?" Luckily for you, I have been working in this field for several years now, and would like to save you time of searching to find best places to look.

The following list is also available at http://www.webdesignhq.com/portal/ as well as many other links/resources dealing with Open Source Community.

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The mother of all open source application search engines is SourceForge.net where most if not all of top projects are located:

http://www.sourceforge.net

Here is a list of top Open Source Web Applications:

CMS - Portals

Drupal - http://www.drupal.org/

eNvolution - http://www.envolution.com/

eZ Publish - http://ez.no/

I look at sites everyday as part of my sales strategy and I can't tell you how many of them violate obvious elements of good website design and submission.

What even amazes me more is that they can't figure out why they don't get sales or visitors.

Do yourself a favor and attempt to apply following tactics to your site. They won't cost you a thing except a little time and effort to apply them.

** About Page **

Always include an about page on your site. Don't be afraid to tell your story and let people know who you are and how you arrived where you are.

Opening yourself up and letting people know who you are adds an element of trust. It exposes your personality, capabilities and knowledge. All factors that let your readers know you are genuine.

** Include all your contact information **

Let your visitors know that you are available. Encourage questions, email and phone calls. Include your name, address and phone number. If you can, it's also helpful to place a photo on your site. Familiarity is key and it can add one more link in ladder of trust.

** Headlines **

Create compelling headlines. Peak interest of your readers. This is your chance to grab their attention and incite them to read on.

Don't be flashy or obnoxious. Simply tell it like it is. Capture their attention with descriptive, informative words. Get your readers involved in your information. Ask questions. Make them think.

You might be surprised to learn that just one compelling headline can bring instant sales almost overnight.

**Create your meta tags **

This is first place I look when people tell me they aren't getting visitors. I often see sites that have no title or description tag or tags don't follow suggested guidelines for proper setup.

Here's an example of how tags might look for a site that sells hummingbird feeders: