Website Development Training

When you get ready to set up a professional blog, one of the first decisions you will need to make is if you want to use a domain, subdomain, or a free option, such as blogger.com.

I recommend treating a blog just like any other website, especially when it comes to the hosting. Some hosting companies allow you to host a multiple number of domains and subdomains on the same account, without increasing your fees. Check with your web host.

For the highest level of benefits from blogging, personally I use either a subdomain or a separate domain all together, based on the primary focus of the blog.

Blogger.com is a last resort when there are no other options.

I don’t use free blogging options for the same reason I don’t use free hosting options for a professional website. I want to have full control.

For those that do not understand subdomains and how to decide if you should use a subdomain or a separate domain for blogging . . .

When the URL looks like the following, it is a domain.

www.yourdomain.com

When the URL looks like the following, it is a subdomain of the domain.

www.brat.yourdomain.com

When the URL looks like the following, it is a directory (folder) within the domain.

www.yourdomain.com/brat/

When the URL looks like the following, it is a page within a directory (folder) of the domain.

www.yourdomain.com/brat/widget.htm

There are times when subdomains are necessary to keep large domains from becoming mass confusion within their navigation and various websites. For example, Yahoo has multiple subdomains to keep their very different services (and websites) straight.

yahoo.com

mail.yahoo.com

news.yahoo.com

travel.yahoo.com

games.yahoo.com

auctions.yahoo.com

And so on …

The most common time we see a possible need for a subdomain with small business owners is for their blogs, but this decision should be based specifically on the main focus of the blog.

So, when should you use a domain vs. subdomain?

If it varies very far from the focus of the domain, use another domain. If it is a natural subtopic of your domain, a subdomain is fine.

For examples:

My primary blog varies quite a ways from the primary purpose of my main business site and has a specific focus on website development training, so I used a separate domain.

www.website-development-training.com

My digital photo tips blog is a natural subtopic of my photo gallery site, so I used a subdomain, but I could have gone either way.

www.digital.mississippi-photo-gallery.com

My personal blog that has nothing to do with my business is a separate domain.

www.cricketwalker.com

My main business site really surrounds everything involving small business owners, so the Ask Cricket project became a natural subdomain of the main business site.

www.cricket.gnc-web-creations.com

I could go on and on, but I think you are starting to understand how I make the decision for the debatable topic of domain vs. subdomain.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing some of the work of a graphic designer, known as the Slovenian Designer. I was so impressed by what I had seen, that I decided to take a look through his blog.

WOW!

This is definitely a site worth spending some time on.

Not only is he an extremely talented web and graphic designer, his site offers multiple design tips and even several free high quality templates and themes for Blogger and WordPress.

These are truly some of the best designs I have seen anywhere.

I may just have to send him an email and find out what he would charge to come up with a logo and theme for my personal blog.

If the Slovenian Designer site ends up as popular as I expect it to, I better grab one of his available advertising spots quick, before there is a waiting list a mile long.

Update June 5, 2008: While you are there, take a look at his logo designs too! I don’t know what it is about his new fish logo that I like so much, but I do. Maybe it’s because I have been working on a new fishing blog. Lord, I could save myself a lot of time and frustration if I just went ahead and paid the Slovenian Designer to do it for me!

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Yup, I admit it, I am a bit biased, but I think that one of the very best ways you can advertise your website is through the V7N.

First, without a doubt, your site needs to be in as many high quality directories as possible. The V7N Directory is the one directory that I personally recommend the most often. Instead of having to pay a new fee to have your site reviewed every single year, it is just a one time fee of $49.95. You just can’t go wrong. So what are you waiting for? Just find the category that best fits your site, and submit today!

When you are ready to do some serious advertising that will bring your website some great traffic, check out the V7N Advertising specials.

Right now, for just $450 monthly, the V7N Spring Basic Advertiser Special includes your 234 by 60 banner in the following locations:

 - In rotation on all pages of the V7N Webmaster Forums

 - On the V7N Home Page (non-rotating)

 - On all pages of the V7N SEO Blog (non-rotating)

 - On all pages of the V7N Tech Blog (non-rotating)

With an average of 35,000 visitors per day and over 70,000 pageviews daily, you just can’t go wrong.

 
I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Offline marketing is very similar to online marketing, either way, word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising there is, but a huge part of that involves getting to know the people around you.

Online, that might mean joining and actively participating in groups and forums. Offline that could be taking a sincere and active part in your local community. The more active you become in your local community, the more people get to know you and your business naturally.

Now, you could certainly put some money into advertising at local events, but when you first start out, this may not be affordable for you. Another option is volunteering to help in your community.

Find out what YOU can do to make a difference in your community.

Have you sat down and talked with the folks from your local animal shelter? These folks generally have multiple activities going on to help raise money.

Brainstorm ideas of how you could become an active part in this. If they are having a car wash, put on that t-shirt you bought with your company ad on it, roll up your sleeves and start washing cars.

You never have to say a word about your business, people will see it and at the same time you can feel good about doing your part to help.

Are you a web designer?

Offer your services to them for free. Are you a photographer? Take pictures of the animals for them to help in the process of getting the animals adopted. Are you a blogger? Interview them so that you can blog about there upcoming fund raising activities.

What if ya hate dogs?

Well heck, I bet you can find thousands of other volunteer activities in your community that don’t involve dogs. Go talk to your local Chamber of Commerce. While you are there, find out what it takes to join and become an active member there too.

Ask them straight up what the needs of the community are.

You might find yourself wrapping presents for kids at Christmas, or helping organize a drive for school supplies for needy kids.

Once you get out there and really look, something will touch your heart, something that you want to be a part of.

Does your community have any types of festivals? Ours has a Watermelon Festival every year. You can have your business advertised on the t-shirts they sell for right around twenty bucks.

Vendor booths can be rented fairly reasonably. Every year I notice a few companies there that aren’t selling something in their booth – they are giving something away.

They are out there getting to know their target audience.

One of the most popular booths gives away ice water, on the table in the booth they also give away pens with their name on them, and of course they have their business cards there too. Several times a day, you will see someone stopping at the booth to ask about their business too.

Don’t be afraid to wear your business.

Huh?

No, I haven’t gone off the deep end here. I mean have a few t-shirts made that advertise your business and then actually wear one when you are out running errands or just shopping.

It doesn’t have to be a t-shirt. Be creative and come up with ideas!

I saw a lady in Wal-Mart recently who was wearing one of the nicest baby slings I had ever seen. I noticed someone else carrying a baby stop and ask her about it.

Ya wanna know why she stopped and asked? Printed right on the baby sling it said “I MAKE THESE!” along with her web address.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

It isn’t often that I come across a blog that I am so impressed by that I find myself wanting to tell everyone I know about it, but My Happy Crazy Life is definitely one blog that I want to share with others. 
 
When I found this blog, authored by Amy Sue of the Zany Zebra, I absolutely could not stop reading. It felt as if I was sitting down with an old friend and chatting over a cup of coffee, and I couldn’t help but want more. The stories were so easy to relate to, and many had me laughing so hard that I literally had tears running down my face. 
 
If you enjoy reading about everyday life, with a touch of humor, you will without a doubt want to add this one to your RSS feeds because you won’t want to miss a single post that this lady writes!

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2008 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Michael Kane, owner of InLip Designs, is one of my all time favorite designers. But he tends to be a bit private showing his work to the general public. So, one of the most common questions I have heard lately, is “who the heck is Michael Kane?”

Now you know.

The truth is, I literally drool over this man’s work, everything from logos, corporate identities, web design, and print advertisement.

You won’t find his best work displayed in his portfolio though, and if you want him design for you, I need to warn you: you will have to get in a long line because he is often booked for long stretches in advance.

Now let me tell you, trying to get an interview out of Michael Kane is a little like trying to pull a tooth for an angry bear without the help of a tranquilizer gun.

If you want a glimpse inside this professional designer, you are going to spend weeks gathering snippets, and then bringing it all together.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: How did you get started in the design world?

Michael Kane: Art has always fascinated me. I have a degree in it. Being able to create something visually pleasing has forever been of interest to me.

At one point, during college, at the peak of my online research experience for projects and so forth, I was honestly disappointed to find most sites online, were boring. They lacked character, personality, they got me to click away and sometimes cringe.

Research was all the more difficult with boring sites, lacked motivation in almost every way, lumps of text for one to read, sometimes clumsy navigation and so on.

A year before my graduation I had designed more than 40 sites within two months, 30 of which were already online and attracting users. By graduation, I had about 120 clients, most free however, all of which were running successful businesses. It just grew from that

________________

J. Cricket Walker: I notice you like to stay under the radar, why is that?

Michael Kane: The last thing I need is people taking notice of me. I already get enough heart ache from those who know of my work, and try so hard to ‘prove’ they are better.

All I want to do is design, and earn a decent living, thus why I keep to the shadows, works best, else I’d spend half my time reading about myself.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: If you could design anything you wanted right now, what type of project would you be working on?

Michael Kane: I would really like to find the time and design something for vision impaired people.

They have as much a need for the internet as people without vision impairments, but with flimsy designs, annoying splash pages and impenetrable flash interfaces, most are forced to stick to website feeds, and as you know, not every site has one.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: Do you see changes on the horizon in the design world?

No, not at this rate, at least not good changes. You have 17 year old kids with a whole three hours worth of experience in design, if I can call it that, claiming to be freelancers and charging clients for work.

Soon people will find something else, and eventually stop caring for design. Unless we, as freelancers and designers in general do something about this, educate the public, then it will spiral out of control, if it hasn’t already.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: What was your worst client like?

Michael Kane: I have never had a perfect client, only really nice ones, some professional ones, and a few challenged ones.

The worst client is the one that would come to me with everything they wanted in mind, and force me to follow it step by step, adding greens and shades of blue with orange and yellow, flash rollovers for the navigation bar and size10 font, only to HATE the outcome.

Then get me to start over, actually taking my advice and loving the design. By which time I would have come close to hurting them several times over, but that’s where patience comes in, and knowing what a client wants, and needs, knowing their product and client base.

Oh well, that is what you have to deal with sometimes. It’s the same with any career one chooses to follow. You’ll have the good guys and the mental ones.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: What are the most important things a site owner should look at when choosing a designer

Michael Kane: Personally I think the most important thing when choosing a designer is does the designer know what you want? Like really know. You will find that sometimes, if you hire a designer, he or she will agree with everything you throw at him/her.

That’s not how it’s supposed to go. You’re not the professional designer. They should have input, they should make you go, “Oh! that’s a great idea, why didn’t I think of that.”

A designer should be well rounded and have been in the design industry for at least two years before taking on average sized projects, and know what the client wants, better than the client themselves.

The last thing you want to do is get a money hungry designer. Don’t get me wrong, all designers want to make money, difference is some can deliver what you paid for, while others will throw absolute crap (excuse my French) into your lap.

________________

J. Cricket Walker: Michael, I know you weren’t real comfortable with letting me publish this interview, so I want to take a moment to thank you for letting us get a peek inside your world.

Michael Kane: You owe me girl!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Looking at the list of categories that are covered here on my Website Development Training blog, what topics would you most like to see more articles about?

  – Basic Blogging Tips
  – Basic Computer Tips
  – Google Techniques
  – Motivational Articles
  – Online Business Tips
  – Online Marketing Tips
  – Search Engine Articles
  – Website Development
  – Xara Webstyle Tutorials

Are there certain aspects of blogging that you are not yet feeling confident about? Are there specific marketing concepts that just don’t make sense? Are you lost with issues involving website development or running an online business? Do you need help with more link building ideas? Is day to day motivation or finding ways to balance time between home and work a hang up for you?

What do you feel you could use the most help with?

Please be as specific as possible in your responses. I can’t promise that I will have all the answers, but I bet that I can find someone who does, or at the very least point you in the right direction when I don’t.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Do you know the difference between a store and a shopping cart?

You don’t??

Are you sure??

Haven’t you ever been grocery shopping??

Here is what a shopping cart does:

1. It lets you choose items to buy
2. It lets you change your mind and put an item back on the shelf.
3. It lets you take the items to checkout
4. It computes how much you need to pay for all those items so you can pay for them

THAT is a shopping cart.

Notice that a shopping cart does NOT do these things:

1. A shopping cart does not list the items you might want to buy. (The store does that.)
2. A shopping cart does not display the items you might want to buy. (The store does that.)
3. A shopping cart does not describe the items you might want to buy. (The store does that.)

So, why do I bother to explain this?

Because much of the software that is sold as a shopping cart is REALLY A STORE plus a shopping cart.

The PROBLEM is that a shopping cart doesn’t have anything to do with SEO.

But the STORE has EVERYTHING to do with SEO.

You can MAKE YOUR OWN STORE and use a shopping cart. Or, you can use a tool like ZenCart which really is a STORE.

If you only choose a shopping cart, then you can make your own store and do everything you need to do for good SEO.

BUT . if you choose a shopping cart that is really a STORE, you better be freaking sure that the STORE you choose will let you do the SEO you want to do. Because if you choose a STORE instead of making your own, and if you choose the wrong one, you won’t be able to do the SEO you want.

When you think about shopping carts and stores, just remember when you go grocery shopping. The store shows what you can buy. The shopping cart helps you buy it.

Article Provided by James S. Huggins
Small Business Resolution Coach, Author and Speaker

Copyright © 2007 James S. Huggins of The Eclectic Power Company All Rights Reserved

Why is it that online business owners spend countless hours following every possible search engine optimization and marketing technique to get me to visit their website, and yet make it so difficult for me to actually make a purchase?

Haven’t they realized that if they don’t make it easy to order right now, the odds are very good their visitors will leave?

It shocks me how often website owners will have page after page convincing me to purchase their product, but then make me look for the link (button) to buy right now.

Online shoppers have many different buying habits. Some will be ready to buy after very little information has been offered. Others will want to know everything before proceeding.

You can meet the needs of both types of buyers by first making sure they can easily see the link, and second by providing more than one opportunity to make the purchase.

Similarly, if you make people register before they can make a purchase, you are going to lose some business, it is as simple as that.

There have been many times when I clicked the add to cart or buy it now button because I needed more information than I could find on the site, such as which credit cards they accept or how much the shipping charges are.

If the site uses what I call forced registration (you must register before you can continue) I am very likely to leave the website without making a purchase.

Why on earth would they even consider making me go through all of that just to find out if they will accept my Discover Card?

If you step back and look at these scenarios for a moment, you might also see where the site owner could have put me at ease long before it ever reached this point.

I should never need to click a buy now button to find out which credit cards the company accepts, or to find out shipping charges and policies. This type of information should be available up front!

This is also the point that your credibility better be above reproach. Once those visitors begin pulling out their credit cards, even minor details missing from the site can be all it takes to spook them away.

Before clicking that button, many folks will look down one last time to make sure the site displays full contact information.

Do your visitors have to search for this information? Or, is it right at the bottom of every page?

People won’t spend much time looking for additional information. If they do not see what they need quickly and easily, they will move on to another site that they feel comfortable making a purchase from, even if that means spending a bit more money.

Give your visitors the same type of information that you would be looking for before making a purchase from a company that you were unfamiliar with, and then take the time to make it easy to order!

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

There was a small town country girl who had a passion for making gifts and giving them to anyone who wanted them. She didn’t do it for the attention. She handed out the gifts in a private area, outside of the public eye. She did not give the gifts to hear words of thanks or praise for what she was doing. In fact, often that made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

She did it for the incredible feeling it gave her when her gifts made even a tiny difference in people’s lives.

Sometimes there were people who really did not like the small town country girl. They thought she was somewhat of a snotty little brat who spoke her mind far too often for their personal taste. They wanted and needed the gift she was handing out though, so they chose to tolerate her and took the gift anyway. The girl wasn’t stupid. She knew when this was happening, but it wasn’t important to her.

Those special moments when someone told her of the difference she had made for an entire family because of her small gift, far outweighed the negatives that happened now and then.

Then one day, one of the people who had just been tolerating the small town country girl for about a month, stood up and said something. She told the girl and anyone who would listen that she did not appreciate the manner in which the gifts were given and felt it was her duty to teach the girl how she should behave when she handed out her gifts. She sent the girl multiple emails about this and explained that many others (60) had contacted her to thank her for saying something because they felt the same way but just hadn’t had the courage to tell the girl what a snotty brat she was.

The girl began to cry, and wondered if she had been a total fool to imagine for even a moment that she could make a difference. Throughout the night, and the entire next day, the girl just sat on the couch without moving or speaking. She was looking deep in her heart to decide if it was finally time to stop offering the gift.

At this point, her small town country boy decided it was time to step into her private hell and make his own difference. He told her that a huge part of the success she had experienced when she had been in the corporate world for 22 years had been because of her straight forward (sometimes brash) approach.

He also told her that the small town country girl that he knew and loved would not even consider giving up if there was even one person left that she could reach out to and help. Then, one by one, he began to read all of the beautiful notes to her that she had received from people over the last three years. He gently reminded her why she gave the gifts.

All of the sudden the small town country girl got mad. No, that isn’t quite right. She did not get mad.

SHE GOT PISSED!

Once again, love it or leave it, she was going to speak her mind.

She was going to explain that there was no way in hell that she could please everyone, so she would continue to give the gifts in her own way, with her own style, and personality.

She was also going to explain one last time that it was 100% their decision to choose to accept the gift and the giver as they are. If they were unable to do that, she was going to respectfully request that take full advantage of their right to find the gift elsewhere.

Just a Small Town Redneck Country Girl…

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

Okay, bear with me for an odd ball post here …

John Scott tagged me, so I am supposed to come up with five things that y’all don’t know about me and post it here on my blog. I will find a way to pay you back for this someday John!

Considering the fact that I have even told the embarrassing story about how I got my name, finding five things that you might not know about me is a lot more difficult than it sounds! Okay, here goes…

1. I am extremely left handed.

2. My desk usually looks like a hurricane hit it!

3. When I first meet someone new, I tend to be on the shy side.

4. I absolutely love NASCAR and have been a major fan of Jimmy Johnson (#48) since he was a rookie.

5. I do an awesome Donald Duck impression, which comes in handy for embarrassing my daughter in front of her friends.

I’m tagging: Julie, Laura, Dustin, Chris, and Rob.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

True shopping carts (those that are added to your already existing website) do not need to be SEO friendly. Other than the buy now or add to cart buttons, which lead to the actual payment page, they only come into effect once your customer decides to make a purchase.

Unless a store is selling literally thousands of products, using your own website and adding a cart to it, gives you the ultimate control.

An example of this type of shopping cart is what you see with companies such as Mal’s. They have both a free and a premium cart. They can be integrated with many programs, such as PayPal, PayPal Pro, and many other popular credit card payment gateways.

Taking a look at their site will help you understand exactly what you are looking for in a shopping cart only solution.

If you are in a situation that requires a full store, then I highly recommend fully understanding the basics of SEO before proceeding. Using your SEO checklist, speak to a representative of the company (or look through their specific features) to determine what you can and cannot do with their program,

You also will want to consider who owns the store once you put all the work into it. With many of these companies if your leave their services (or change web host in hosting provided solutions) you are suddenly left without a store (website) at all.

For most new businesses, I highly recommend starting out very simple while you learn your business and what your specific needs will be. Many small business owners find themselves very happy with a program as simple as PayPal Pro (very different from standard PayPal) and adding a Mal’s shopping cart.

As your needs grow, you will find that you have learned more and are better able to determine your needs. At that point I think you will find the process of choosing a shopping cart much easier. 

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

As small business owners, none of us can afford to lose time dealing with computer issues. Arming ourselves with knowledge about our computers and operating systems can go a long way in preventing issues from happening to begin with.

A great place to start learning the basics about your computer and operating system is to sit down and actually read the owners manual and help files.

You may also find some of the very best tips by talking with others about those things that have been helpful for them.

I asked members of the Tech Talk Hideaway to send me their favorite computer tips. The following tips are their responses.

One of the best tips I have learned over the years is to back up my computer onto a CD as often as possibly. You never know when the electricity will surge, the lightning will strike, or the hard drive will just give out. By backing up your saved documents often you will never have to spend hours upon hours recreating everything you lost.

DaNel Resha, Smyrna, TN
Darswinkle’s Delights

It is always important to keep your computer well maintained. One thing the inexperienced computer users forget to do is keep their anti virus program up to date. Anti virus programs are not install and forget programs. They need to be kept up to date! Check the instructions on how to have the program automatically update itself. If it doesn’t have this feature make sure you do a manual update regularly (i.e. at least once a week, more often when there are rumours of viruses going around). Even if the program is set to update automatically it wouldn’t hurt to do a manual update every day or more often when the word is out that a virus is going around.

S. R. Emerson, Canada
Computer Basics

One of my favorite computer tips: When you install a new program, check the options in the program to see if you can disable the program from Startup. If there is no way to check in options, then check the Startup tab in Start/Run/MSCONFIG.

Every programmer seems to think their programs should load in Startup and after awhile it slows a computer down if too many things are loading in Startup. Your firewall and virus scanner should load at Startup, but just about every other program you install does not need to run in the background all the time, which is what happens if programs load at Startup.

Martha Fort Worth, Texas
Martha’s Web

Windows Tips: Useful Shortcuts using the Windows Key:

WinKey +
E Opens Windows Explorer
D Minimizes all programs.
R Opens the command line Run dialogue box.
U, + U Shuts down Windows.
U, + H Hibernates Windows.

More shortcuts here:
www.mistywindow.com/windows/tips/shortcuts-1.htm

Alan Henderson, New Zealand
MistyWindow Windows Help

Read the rest of this entry »

If I would have only known then, what I know now. How many times have we all said something like this when our computer is giving us trouble, or just isn’t designed to do what we want it to do?

Making mistakes when we are learning to run an online business are inevitable and a normal part of the learning process.

The mistakes we make when buying a new computer though, can be frustrating and very costly, but are very preventable.

I asked members of the Tech Talk Hideaway to send me their tips for buying a new computer. The following tips are their responses.
 

I have found that when looking for a new computer you should write down a list of minimum/preferred recommendations from your software boxes. If it is affordable try to go with the recommended guidelines or above. This will ensure your new computer runs all your current software smoothly in addition to giving you room to grow with new software in the future.

DaNel Resha, Smyrna, TN
Darswinkle’s Delights

Buying a new computer? I look for USB 2.0 since I use an external hard drive for backup and USB flash drives for travel. Fast disk speed (10,000 rpm vs standard 7200 rpm) is important as well as a *lot* of RAM (2 GB minimum) since I do a lot of development work. A big monitor 19″ minimum or multiple monitor capability.

Doug DePrenger, Henderson, NV
Smartlab Software

When choosing between a faster CPU and more memory (for general business use), chose more memory. A faster CPU might be better for a power-gamer, but for the general business user, more memory will be far more effective at increasing performance.

James S. Huggins, Texas
The Eclectic Power Company

When looking for a new computer, check out the internet sites that allow “consumer comments and ratings”. I neglected to do this when buying a major brand laptop and have since discovered that the tech support is terrible and the warranty is only as good as the paper it is written on. I checked customer comments after the fact and could have saved myself a lot of problems if I had read these before buying the computer. Their experiences mirror mine.

Joyce Reid, Arizona
Gift Basket Network

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best teachers that any of us can have is the voice of experience. Over the years, the tips that I have learned from others has been invaluable to me. When it comes to learning web development skills, the little bits of information we pick up here and there can make all the difference in the world.

I thought it would be great to have a collection of some of these tips, so I asked members of the Everything Web Design group to share their favorite web development tips. Following are their responses.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned thus far is to research your web hosting company thoroughly and try to stay clear of site builder programs which add a lot of unnecessary code to your pages. Once I switched my site to hand coded html pages, and added a sitemap, it took less than 2 weeks for Google to index every page on my website!

Renée Dawson, Ontario, Canada
North Shore Business Services

My favorite website development tip is to structure your website logically; make each page cover a single topic or category, and to be very modular in your web design. This makes the website development process go smoothly; makes it easier to estimate project timelines, results in an easy-to-navigate website and even facilitates SEO.

Julie Languille, Washington
Dinners In A Flash

My tip is, one should learn to ask questions, the only stupid question is the one that never got asked.

Tina Clarke, Cheshire, England
Expression Web Designs

My most recent favorite tip is to very clearly, attractively, and concisely express on the top half of your home page why a visitor should stay on your site. A visitor on your site is similar to you shopping for a home. You drive by and the first impression determines if you take the next step. If you are unimpressed by the yard and the front of the house, you may not even pull into the driveway. The house of your dreams may be behind the front door, but most people would not take the next step. Thank goodness changing the front page of your website is cheaper than changing the front of a house, but the results are the same. When a visitor lands on your site, you need to get across very quickly and attractively why they should take the next step. If the visitor is unimpressed, confused, or just does not see a real reason to stay, then he just drives by. I recently changed my website banner to include clear text that expressed the keywords my target audience wanted to hear. I was astounded with the results as my sales jumped 25%+ overnight.

Allen Farrish, Georgia
Tie Dyed Shop

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People often ask me is how I go about keeping group email straight. The truth is that I really do organize email using the same methods that I teach the members of my online groups and classes to use.

By setting rules to make sure that every email goes straight to the folder it belongs in, I save myself hours of frustration.

Organized Group Email Folders

Although I have tried several email programs, I am most comfortable using Microsoft Office Outlook. I don’t think which program you use is nearly as important as making sure you are using one you are comfortable with though.

Additionally, I find it makes my life easier if I use specific email addresses for specific purposes. Yes, these means I set up a ton of email addresses, but in the end, it does save me time and effort. It also helps if I need to track down where spam is coming from.

Finally, I flag every email that I may need to follow up with later. This not only helps me remember to respond to the email, it also makes it much easier to track the email down later on, when I am ready.

In the beginning it may take a bit of time to get everything set up in an organized manner, but it definitely keeps me from getting overwhelmed with a large volume of email.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved

People seem to have a need to know what others think before they place an order for a product or service. They tend to ask everyone they know, both offline and in forums. They will often even research the net for reviews and testimonials.

Unfortunately, testimonial letters have gotten a bad rap because of all the sales websites that use fake template style testimonials. Very few people find these types of testimonials believable and it can destroy the credibility of the company using them. If you want to develop a successful online business that you can depend on, both now and in the future, do not even consider using these types of testimonials.

If it isn’t so, don’t say it. Don’t even imply it.

There are legitimate techniques to start using testimonials effectively though. It is a simple matter of adding credible information in the footer of every testimony. There should be a way of verifying that each testimonial is real, such as a name, location, and link to their website. You can examples of this technique on the following pages:

- SEO Training Testimonials
- SEO eBook Testimonials

Often your clients will send thank you letters that are perfect for a testimonial page, but make sure that you ask for permission before publishing it to your website. Most of your clients will appreciate the link, but if you cannot get permission, do not use it. Testimonials without credibility will not benefit your business.

Another method of getting testimonials is to simply ask for them. You will be surprised at how many people would love to help you out when you have given them service that is beyond what they expected.

Once you have a few testimonials, you will want to make it easy for your site visitors to find them. Every place on your website that you ask your visitors to take action, such as subscribing to a newsletter, or making a purchase, there should be a link to a testimonial page.

Try to be creative with the text you select for the link to help entice your visitors to click the link and find out more. (Examples Below)

- What Our Subscribers Have to Say About Our Newsletter
- What Others Have to Say About Our Customer Service
- What Others Have to Say About Using Our Services
- What Others Have to Say About Using Our Product

Initially, if you only have a couple of brief testimonials to use, you might want to place them near the part of the page where you are asking your visitors to take action, rather than linking to a page.

Using testimonials effectively can and will help your visitors reach a decision. If you take the time to provide legitimate information in a credible manner, you will not be disappointed with the results.

I WILL DEFINITELY SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Small Business Marketing Consultant and SEO Training Specialist
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of GNC Web Creations All Rights Reserved 

Update: September 6, 2006
Google has now changed the cache date to reveal the last date the page was accessed by Google

“We’ve recently changed the date we show for the cached page to reflect when Googlebot last accessed it (whether the page had changed or not). This should make it easier for you to determine the most recent date Googlebot visited the page.” Google Webmaster