So, What's in a Name?Written by Steve Parke
A lot of folks think, they need to spend a lot of money in order to place well in search engines. While there are some good companies out there that will do a good job for you, you can do it yourself with some time, effort, right resources, tools, and some knowledge. While it is true, more links you have, higher you go in a lot of search engines, but many other factors have to be taken into consideration. Titles, descriptions, meta-tags, keywords, doorway pages, links, structure are just a few to consider. What most people like about search engines, is when consumers do a search, they are already a qualified customer when they find you and get to your site. Other people feel search engines do not play that big of factor if they advertise correctly. When you think of Microsoft, you don't need a search engine to find it. You simply type in name,and you're there. Why? Because of Microsoft's marketing and advertising. It is a name, a name everyone is well aware of. Of course having kind of money that they have in their budget to spend every month would make your site a household name too. We don't have that, so here we are back to search engines, ezines, newsletters, classified ads, banners, links, newspaper, radio, TV, word of mouth, etc. yes, you have to spend money to make money most of time. The old saying "In order to make a large fortune, first you start with a small fortune." is right. Everyone needs to start with a budget. Usually 10% to start, down to 1% as
| | Lessons Learned from the Downfall of Dot-ComsWritten by Nach Maravilla
Business headlines today are filled with stories of high-profile dot-coms that crashed and burned, despite all venture capital funding, hype and publicity received. This turn of events show that success online is not directly proportional to amount of capital a business has. Here’s how small businesses can thrive in e-commerce, and with some chutzpah, fight side-by-side with well-oiled dot-coms. By Nach Maravilla Power HomeBiz Guides Every online entrepreneur must understand simple rule of doing business on Internet: customers rule! Consumer power drive today’s economy. With a simple click of mouse, customer can decide whether your business deserves his dollars or not. A recent Bain and Company study finds that over 2,000 customers in three retail segments -- apparel, groceries, and consumer electronics/appliances -- suggest that 10 percent of customers cite better service as reason they shop online. With information explosion on Internet, balance of power has shifted from manufacturer to retailer, and now down to consumer, as consumers become more jaded, cynical and savvy about marketing. Many dot-coms have crashed and burned because they thought that basic principle of satisfying customers is now passe in “new economy.” Take now-classic case of Boo.com, a well-oiled and much-hyped luxury goods e-tailer. The demise of Boo.com was a result of its focus on technologies that, while innovative and ahead of its time, were too cumbersome and complicated for customers. It mistakenly thought that warning on its homepage: “This site is designed for 56K modems and above” could appease potential customers of its slow-loading graphics. There was too much style over substance, that for many, it was more trouble than it was worth to actually buy something. After only six months and burning nearly $200 million, Boo.com, poster child of Internet excess, had to say goodbye. There is one clear lesson that is emerging from recent shake-up in dot-com world: only businesses, whether big or small, that serves their customers right will be left standing. The key driver of online success (or failure) is customer experience. As novelty of online shopping wears off, online customers will place more focus on quality of service. Despite all venture capital financing received, big dot-coms will fail if it does not serve its customers correctly. Small businesses should take heed you have a fighting chance if you treat your customers right! You may not have huge capital, best technology or hype and publicity of these well-oiled dot-coms; others do not even have staffs! However, you can still compete effectively online by focusing on your customers, figuring out what they want and need and making life easier for them. Focus on getting basics right: superior service leads to satisfied customers; satisfied customers lead to referrals and referrals are most effective way to build a wide customer base. The crucial thing is to learn to integrate customer experience in your business strategy. Here are three steps: 1. Identify your customer’s goals and your goals. The first step is to identify your best customer segment and understand their needs precisely. Not all customers are profitable, so tailor your offer to your best customers. To do so, you need to get clear answers to questions like: * Who are your target customers? Know demographics of your visitors. Demographics are a powerful information to help you better respond to your customer needs. With this information, you can set out your site to your target market by clearly defining your site’s business plan and marketing goals.
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