People in the SEO business who act like magicians — as if they have some kind of secret SEO trick or hidden method — are merely carnival workers, hawking their booths to the midway. Unfortunately, the web is still a place where these folks can run around from town to town, virtually speaking, staying just ahead of the cyber-cops. Of course there ARE legit web marketing companies who do search engine optimization SEO work. You can tell who they are by one essential fact… they make absolutely NO guarantees about results. They tell you what they are doing, everything they are doing and that is their marketing strategy to you. Some of them actually operate web-sites where they openly publish the how-to and tutorial techniques. They have no secrets. Instant SEO Tune-UpOnly $99 So, why would you hire someone who tells you there is no magic trick that guarantees success, [Click Title to read more...]

An unknown secret about web marketing is this — you only have 5 seconds to accomplish 3 things after a visitor clicks into your home page. Research proves that if customers don’t see what they’re looking for immediately, they simply press the back button and you lose them. If you give what they need in those few seconds, then you can easily keep them onsite for another 30 minutes or even longer. And, during that much longer visit, your chances of making a sale are immeasurably bigger. That means on the very top of your front or home page “above the fold,” you must present these 3 main ideas simply, dramatically, and persuasively — and do it fast! Here they are — the 3 things that must be done for every new visitor, in only 5 seconds Establish what it is you do, what is the nature of your business [Click Title to read more...]

Let’s say you’re a web-site designer or web marketing consultant. And let us stipulate that you have a client who wants you to do something that is either illegal or merely unethical — something that either violates State or Federal government laws, the Google Terms-of-Service, or Google’s Webmaster Guidelines or Adsense Program Policies. You complain to your unwise client that this could get both of you in trouble. “Don’t worry,” says the client, “we can draw up a contract that says you’re not responsible for this project. I’ll take all the blame.” So, are you protected? What If Someone Dies? To illustrate this kind of situation, assume that what you’re doing might result in someone dying. Hard to imagine, but grant me that for a moment. Are you protected from the legal, criminal or civil penalties because you had an agreement with your “employer” that spelled out a claim that [Click Title to read more...]

There’s a common belief that being ‘creative’ is the way to be successful in the world of hype. Many advertising campaigns are judged as being successful if they are simply the most creative. Awards are given out for the most creative campaigns by the big marketing and advertising organizations. The Addy, the Cleo, and so on. But, who gives out an award for the ad campaign that actually sells the most products? Huh? Hey, why mention SALES at a time like this, and ruin the romance of the moment. Creativity — that’s what we’re after. Thousands of artists, performers, radio jocks, DJ’s, actors, models and impressarios occupy the CEO or President’s desks at thousands of ad businesses across the country — all of them calling themselves “advertising agencies”. You can tell they are an advertising agency because that is the way they list themselves in the Yellow Pages. “Get yourself [Click Title to read more...]

You could decrease or increase the length of your ad copy. There is no rule on how long your ad copy should be unless space is a consideration. The ad should be long enough to sell your product. You could add some sub headlines on your ad copy. Sub headlines act just like headlines; they grab the readers attention. They'll keep the readers interested as they continue to read your ad. You could ask your reader questions through out the ad copy. They will answer the questions in their own head as they read your ad copy. The questions you ask should persuade the reader into buying. You could highlight keywords through out your ad copy. The keywords should be attractive to your target audience. You could highlight them with color, underlines, italics, etc. You could bullet or indent your benefits on your ad copy. Must people won't read a [Click Title to read more...]

Design your web site to be a targeted resource center. Choose one subject and build on it. You'll gain repeat visitors that are interested in that topic. Offer something that is really free. If people go to your site and what you said was free really isn't, you'll lose their trust and they won't buy anything. Add a chat room or message board to your web site. People want to interact with other people that have they same interests as them. Entice people to link to your web site by giving them something free in return. This'll increase your ranking in some search engines. Trigger your reader's emotions in your ad copy. Example, if you sell a book on gambling tips, tell them the feelings they'll get when they win money. Make sure your site looks good in all browsers. You could be losing sales because it looks distorted in [Click Title to read more...]

Do you have a business web-site with some detailed product and service pages, but you are not converting many visitors into paying customers? The key is to develop an effective sales page that wins them over. Once you have created an internet sales page that works, then you have a template you can use again and again, customizing the basic formula to any product in your line. The key is to be sure to include all the elements of an effective sales page, and use a ‘formula’ that has been tested and is known to work. If you are hiring a copy writer or writing the copy yourself, here is a checklist of the essential elements to help you organize and plan your next internet sales page. Headlines: There can be up to three parts to the headline. First, there is the pre-headline, which is a note to attract your [Click Title to read more...]

Think you know how to write a business website homepage? Read this article to make sure. You probably think you already know what a homepage is. But if you’re like many business website owners, you really don’t. The homepages of many business websites are suffering an identity crisis. They’re trying to do the job of several web pages, and doing none of those jobs well. What a Business Website Homepage is Not: A homepage is not the place to dump a long description of your business. That’s for the “about us” or “company information” page. On the homepage, this information will just bore most people. A homepage is not the place where you list and sell all your products (unless you only have one or two). You should have a special products and services page for that, and preferably a shopping cart or catalog. Trying to make people buy right [Click Title to read more...]

Is your web-site customer friendly? Customer service is increasingly seen as one of the most valuable uses for a commercial World Wide Web site. Your Web site is available on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis. So it is well worth exploring ways in which your customers can virtually “serve themselves,” without the need for overtime staff, or lengthy voice mail procedures. James Feldman is President of JFA, Inc., an online business offering high quality and unique gift items including automatic watch winders, Grundig shortwave pocket radios, and nitroglycerine pill fobs. The JFA Web site has been online since 1997, and has doubled its income every year – it’s now a multi-million dollar e-commerce enterprise. Jim, who’s also a professional speaker and expert on customer service, highlighted for me how the online buying experience differs from the bricks-and-mortar model. Buying online eliminates the physical presence and personality of [Click Title to read more...]

If you want to establish your company’s position in the market place, then the company branding is one of the most important components of your marketing plan. A well branded company projects an image of professionalism and competence. A company’s branding package consists of identity, differentiation and reputation. The way people look up to your brand largely depends upon your brand efficiency, the way it is portrayed, recognized, respected and remembered in the community. A brand is essentially a way of communicating a promise or an exchange between you and your customers. It is a way of you communicating to you customer who are you are what you promise to deliver to them. These independent marketing consultants will help you decide on the right branding message that you should communicate to the community and the customer. They will also guide you in choosing the correct medium to get your message [Click Title to read more...]