If you are reading this page on the internet, then you are already using domain names, even if you don’t understand the principles involved. But what is a domain name? A technical term for the ‘address’ of a particular website on the internet, the domain name tells your browser where to look to access the pages you want to see. The domain name for this website, for example, is “netregistry.com.au” and you arrived at this page from clicking through one webpage to another, moving from one domain name to another, or by typing the exact address into the address bar of your browser.

What is a URL?

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, and forms the entire address used to access a particular website, including the domain name. URLs were devised as an easier form of internet navigation over IP Addresses that traditionally identify the host server for a website through a series of numbers. A URL uses easy to remember words and letters to replace the impractical IP Address method. Therefore, a URL for the Philhosting website would be ‘http://www.philhosting.net’ and will contain the Hypertext Transfer protocol” (http) allowing you to use words instead of an IP Address, and the domain name itself (www.philhosting.net) identifying the server and the particular files on that server to be accessed.

What are Top Level and Second Level Domain Names?

You may have noticed that some domain names end in fewer dots and letters than others. For example, the domain name mysite.com has fewer components than mysite.com.ph.

Dot Com domains (.com) was the first domain style to be introduced, and is considered a Top Level Domain or TLD as it features only one suffix. Top level domains also cover any other domain name form that only has one suffix – for example; .net, .info, .biz, and so on.

Second Level Domains or 2LDs are domain names that contain another level of qualification to this. For example; .com.ph is a second level domain style as it contains an additional suffix after the .com.

Second level domains are no less effective or desirable than top level domains. In some cases they can actually be MORE desirable as the additional suffix can help to say something about your business, such as where in the world you are located.

What are Subdomains?

Subdomains are additional sections to the url that further divide the existing domain name. Subdomains take the form www.subdomain.mysite.com.ph, placing the new section title before the primary domain name identifier. This is most commonly seen with blogs, as it cleanly partitions off a section of the domain for this purpose. Subdomains do not need to be registered separately from your existing domain name, and can be created as you build your website.

Summary

Although there are many more issues involved with domain names, particularly as new domain suffixes and rules are created on a regular basis, this is enough information for you to be able to start working with domain names for your website. Of course, before you can use a domain name, you will need to register it, and Philhosting has the best value domain name registration packages in Philippines.

This is a guest post by Julie-Ann Amos who is a freelance writer who covers topics such as online university ratings and reviews, elearning tools, and more.

Social bookmarking is a highly useful tool for educators since it allows specific categorization of websites for easy access and sharing. It works on the basis of the user creating tags or categories in which websites are then placed. Unlike standard search engines that are generated by computers and therefore often misclassify or categories websites, social bookmarking is done by people, usually people that are knowledgeable and informed on the particular subject.

Individuals can set up social bookmarking tools similar to how they have bookmarks grouped on their own computer. Teachers and educators can then make these sites available to students, other educators or groups to facilitate information dissemination in logical and simple fashion. Typically all social bookmarking tools will allow users to develop their own tags or categories, plus provide a short description of the website. Educators can view each other’s social bookmarking tools to enhance or more further develop their own list of reference sites. Through this shared research and categorization or tagging it is possible to cut down on search times and wading through websites that aren’t relevant to what you are looking for.

The following social bookmarking tools can definitely help out in the classroom, both in sharing information with your students as well as other educators in the field.

1. Stumble Upon – this free service allows you to click on the Stumble integrated browser and instantly receive a list of relevant topics that have been rated by other Stumble Upon subscribers. Each member can click on a thumbs up or thumbs down icon or choose not to rate the site.
2. Del.icio.us – specifically designed for teachers and teaching, this social bookmarking site allows for continuous access to all social bookmarks from users from any computer, anytime.
3. Furl – ideal for storing and archiving webpages and bookmarks, this is another free application that is great for sharing information with students, parents or other professionals.
4. uLinkx – music, video and multi-media social bookmarking site, perfect for projects and presentations.
5. Connotea – great for high school and upper types of educational settings, this social bookmarking site is free and designed for researchers, scientists and clinicians. Bibliographies and references are saved when you add any article or website to your internet library.
6. Scuttle – this is a specialized social bookmarking program that can be run right on a school’s server. Data is held in the server and not through a third party site, giving schools maximum control over content.
7. SocialbookmarkIt.com – the basic service is free and provides opportunities to automatically link to other social bookmarking services. You can also decide to opt into a premium which allows customization of your social bookmarking page plus you can track who else is using your bookmarks.
8. Newsvine – as can be expected, Newsvine focuses on current events and newsworthy articles. Members can add content to the different categories with a simple click of a button, keeping everyone abreast of happenings around the world.
9. Pixrat – this social bookmarking site is designed to allow users to collect, tag and categories pictures and create albums. The service is free and you can make notes about the pictures that will be displayed with your collection. Bookmarks can be made private if you don’t want public access.
10. Squidoo – Squidoo allows users to create their own unique web articles that are then searchable. Authors are credited for their work and readers rank articles as to their quality.

Using social bookmarking tools is just as simple as adding a favorite to your own computer. Teachers and students alike can share information easily and simply using these free and easy to download applications.

However, although it’s very difficult to protect yourself from receiving spam email, there is a way you can still display your email address on your web site and protect it at the same time.

Instead of displaying the usual mailto:you@yourdomain.com email link within your web page, use the following code within your HTML:

<A HREF=”mailto:you&#64;yourdomain.com”>Contact Us</A>

When your email link is clicked on, it will display your email address correctly. Change the email address in the example above to the email address you would like to display. By using this simple little code, you can protect your email address from spam bots.

To configure Thunderbird, please follow these steps:

1. In Thunderbird, from the Tools menu, click Account Settings.
2. From the Account Settings screen, click Add Account.
3. Select Email account and click Next.
4. Enter your name and email address and click Next.
5. Select POP as the incoming server type.
6. Enter the Incoming Server, mail.domainname.com.
7. Check Use Global Inbox to store mail locally, otherwise it will be stored in a separate folder.
8. Enter the Outgoing Server, mail.domainname.com.
9. Click Next.
10. Enter your full email address as the Incoming User Name and click Next.
11. Enter an Account Name and click Next.
12. Confirm the information is correct and click Finish.

This does not mean that your email account was compromised. It means that the sender has fooled the mail client into believing the email originated from a different address.

This is usually done for malicious reasons, either to distribute unsolicited email or to distribute email viruses. Unfortunately, there is no real way to prevent spoofing from occurring. If you receive an email that has questionable content, it is recommended to delete the email message or use an antivirus program to scan the message before opening it.

1. In Outlook 2007, from the Tools menu, select Account Settings.
2. On the E-mail tab, click New.
3. Select Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP and click Next.
4. Check Manually configure server settings or additional server types and click Next.
5. Select Internet E-mail and click Next.
6. Enter the requested information:
   • Your Name: your name
   • Email Address: the email address the messages will be sent from
   • Account Type: POP3
   • Incoming Mail server: mail.domainname.xyz
   • Outgoing Mail server: mail.domainname.xyz
   • User Name: the full email address
   • Password: the password for the email address

   

7. Click More Settings.
8. On the Outgoing Server tab, check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
9. Select Use same settings as my incoming mail server and click OK.
10. Click Test Account Settings to verify everything is configured correctly.
11. Click Next and then click Finish.

Outlook

1. In Outlook, from the Tools menu, select Email Accounts.
2. Select Add a new email account and then click Next.
3. Select POP3 and then click Next.
4. Enter your email information:
   • Your Name: your name
   • Email Address: the email address the messages will be sent from
   • Incoming Mail server (POP3): mail.domainname.xyz
   • Outgoing Mail server (SMTP): mail.domainname.xyz
   • User Name: the email address used to log into the webmail interface
   • Password: the password for the email address

   

5. Click on More Settings and select the Outgoing Server Tab.
6. Check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
7. Select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
8. Click Ok. Click Next. Click Finish.

Outlook Express

1. In Outlook Express, from the Tools menu, select Accounts…
2. A box will appear. Click Add and select Mail.
3. Enter your name as you want it to appear on your emails and click Next.
4. Put in your email address, which consists of a user you set up in webmail and @yourdomain.xyz, and then click Next.
5. Set the server type as POP3.
6. For incoming and outgoing mail servers, enter mail.yourdomain.xyz (where yourdomain.xyz is your domain name and extension such as .com).
7. Click on Next.
8. Enter your email address for the Account Name. Enter the password you set for this account.
   Note: Do NOT check the box “Log on using Secure Password Authentication”.
9. Click Next and then click Finish. After you click Finish, you should see the following window. If not, go to the Tools menu, and click on Accounts. After clicking Accounts the window will appear. In this window, click on your domain until it is highlighted, then click on Properties.
10. When the next screen appears, click on the Servers tab. Under Outgoing Mail Server, check the box next to My server requires authentication. Click Okay. Note: You MUST do this step so you can send mail from your domain.
11. Now, you’re ready to send and receive mail. To set up multiple accounts, follow these steps again.

What do the error codes mean?

The following article discusses the meaning of error codes that may appear in your browser window. When a problem occurs loading a webpage, an error code and message will appear in the browser instead of the webpage. The error code and message that appears is determined by the type of error. Typically the error code consists of a 3 to 4 digit number and a brief message describing the error. Below, you will find a list of the common error codes and some suggestions for resolving them.

Note: To see the error code and message, it may be necessary to uncheck Show friendly HTTP error messages in your browser. This is usually found under Tools -> Internet Options -> Advanced.

The following is a description of the most common error messages:

The following is a complete list of client and server error messages:

4xx – Client Error

A client error is one that occurs on the users computer. For example, the user may request a page that does not exist, or the user may not provide valid authentication information.

5xx – Server Error

A server error is one that occurs on the server when the page is requested in a browser. The server cannot complete the request because it encounters an error.

Additional information about less common error codes and messages can be found on Microsoft’s website.

1. Tell your audience what kind of support they’ll get after they buy. It could be free consulting, tech support, free servicing, etc. This may also answer some of their buying questions ahead of time. People don’t want to buy products without knowing you will be there to help if they have problems.
2. Ask people at the end of your copy why they decided not to buy. This will give you new ideas on how to produce ad copy that’s more profitable. Have a web form or e-mail link in place so they can answer you. You may find out they don’t like your guarantee or graphics. It could be anything.
3. Think of ways to get your site or business in the the news. You could sponsor a fundraiser, break a world record, hold a major event, etc. Simply write a press release about what you’ve accomplished, then send it to media outlets that cater to your target audience.
4. Hold a contest on your Web site. Give other web sites the option of offering it to their visitors. This’ll multiply your advertising all over the Internet. It would become a viral contest. Of course the contest must either be ongoing or held regularly so you could allow other online publishers to offer it to their visitors or subscribers.
5. Tell your potential customers that your ordering system is highly secure. Also reassure them that you take every effort to protect them. People want to feel they are safe online. They want to know that you care about their well-being. Tell them all about what you currently do for them to make them feel more secure.
6. Carry business cards with you wherever you go. Have your Web address printed on them. You can hand them out to anyone you meet. Just think of all the people you meet on a regular basis: grocery clerks, post office workers, bag boys, family members, friends, salesmen/women, etc.
7. Contact national radio stations to ask them if they are looking for guest speakers. Tell them your area of expertise; maybe they’ll book you for a show. Of course you would want to contact targeted stations and shows which would want to know more about you and your area of expertise.
8. Join clubs related to your area of business. You could trade leads with other businesses. Learn new ways to run your business and sell your products. You could also create your own online business club. You could provide private chat rooms, message boards, articles, etc.
9. Think of a domain name for your Web site that’s easy to remember. It should be related to what your business does, sells or provides. If there aren’t any business names available, use your actual birth name. You could at least brand yourself. Your own name will give you credibility.
10. Position your Web site at the top of pay-per-click search engines. You will only pay your set amount for each click-through you get to your web site. Just make sure your profits will pay for your advertising cost. If they won’t, maybe you could share a web site with another related business and split the costs.
11. Allow your visitors or customers to increase your traffic or sales. Ask them how you can improve your business, Web site or product. You can ask them at your Web site, in your e-zine, on your message board, in your chat room, in your guest book, in your product packages, etc.
12. Team up with other e-zines that have the same target audience. Combine subscriber bases and then publish one e-zine together to increase subscribers. You could all include your ads and announcements in the e-zine. You could also take turns for the top advertising space.
13. Swap endorsement advertisements with other Web sites. Endorsement ads usually pull more sales and traffic than regular advertisements. People have taught themselves to ignore advertisements because they see hundreds of them every day. Endorsements usually don’t look or sound like normal ads.
14. Outsource part of your workload to save time and money. You can spend more of your time and money promoting your business. You’ll save money on employee costs, space costs, training costs, etc. Keep the work you enjoy doing to keep you motivated and ship out the work you don’t like.
15. Include a signature file on all the e-mails you send out. Provide your business name, phone number, e-mail and web address, etc. Also include a brief blurb for your business or the product you’re selling. For example, you could say, “How To Wash Your Car In Two Minutes or Less!”
16. Use pictures or graphics on your Web site that support the product you’re selling. They could give your visitors a clearer vision of your product, the benefits of the product, people’s emotion when they own the product, etc. You could also use “before” and “after” pictures.
17. Create a friendly, long-term relationship with all your customers. Practice good customer service and follow-up with them on a regular basis. You could follow-up with gifts, greeting cards, free things, coupons, special offers, reminders, your e-zine, helpful advice, etc.
18. Create strategic alliances with other Web sites. You could exchange banner ads, sell each other’s products as back-end products, cross-promote, etc. You could also create a web site together and promote it on your separate web sites. You would both just split the costs and profits.
19. Increase the perceived value of your product to skyrocket your sales. Add on free bonuses, after- sale services or an affiliate program. Other factors that would help are: your own domain name, a professional web design, a good-looking product graphic and persuasive ad copy.
20. Give customers a discount on their total order to increase sales. You could give them a discount for ordering over a set dollar or product amount. For example, you could say, “Buy over $39 worth of products and get a 20% discount on your order!” Another example, “Get a 15% discount if you order 3 or more products!”
21. Allow your visitors to reprint the content on your Web site. Just ask them to include your resource box and a link to your site in exchange. This will turn your content into a traffic machine and the external links will help increase your ranking in some search engines.
22. Provide a free contest or sweepstake at your Web site. It’s a fact, people like to win things. If you can fulfill that need, people will visit. You can also attract them to revisit by holding one every week or month. You could also start an opt-in list for people who enter your contest or sweepstake so you can follow-up with them regularly.
23. Save time and money by using ad submitters. You will reach a larger part of your target audience far more quickly than by manually submitting your ad. You should manually submit your ad to the most popular web sites so you have a better chance of being listed or placed in a good position.
24. Create a good first impression. You will not be able to sell very many products if your visitors think your web site looks unprofessional. Use crisp graphics, attractive color combinations, a readable text size, even spacing, even margins, bold headlines, indent benefits, etc.
25. Stop procrastinating and start finishing all your business tasks. Do one at a time. Don’t get caught up thinking that you can never get them all done. Make a list. Do the easiest or most crucial one first and move down the list. Cross off each task as you complete it.
26. Develop a relationship with all your visitors and customers. Tell them how much you appreciate them visiting your web site or buying your product. Invite them to online and offline events like free chat room classes, parties, dinner gatherings, business events, etc.
27. Hire a business coach to help improve you and your business. That could help increase your sales, motivate you, balance your workload, etc. It would be like renting an extra brain. You would have double the thinking power.
28. Stay away from being too comfortable with your income or life. You should always be making new goals for yourself and developing new sales ideas. The world keeps changing and if you pause too long, you might miss out. You only live once.
29. Make sure you don’t become a workaholic. Your mind needs time away from your business life. This will help your brain think clearly while working. The best time to get profitable ideas is when you’re not thinking about them. They just pop into your brain.
30. Create and follow short/long-term goals for your business. The short-term goals can create early success and the long-term goals can create future success. Design each goal so they all add up to your ultimate goal. Don’t make your goals too unrealistic otherwise depression and frustration could move you farther away from them.

Good Luck and get busy promoting!

There are a number of methods you can use to improve your site. Follow these steps and you too can have a moneymaking site that will practically run on autopilot. These sites make money in many different ways.

I don’t say this idly. I, and a thousand of other marketers do exactly this. It’s a guaranteed blueprint if everything is set up correctly. And it’s not difficult.

The type of site discussed here is the “free” site – one that offers a valuable product at no cost up front. These are powerful ways of generating income.

Here are the top 7 elements that make a website into a cash-cow…

1. The Copy

“Copy” is basically the text on your website. It will take up most of the page, apart from the graphics and interactive elements (e.g. forms or buttons). In fact, you shouldn’t use too many graphics. Focus on the wording instead. A header image, a cover image, and a screenshot are usually sufficient.

Copywriting is a skill that can be worked on, and the subject is far too big to go into detail here. However, one of the worst things you can do is to endlessly tweak the page. You should get *something* up as soon as you can and edit it over time. Copywriting is one of the two most important tasks for a website (the other is promotion) and it’s an ongoing process.

There are a number of factors to be taken into consideration.

• First and foremost, you need a strong headline. This should attract the visitors’ attention and get them to read more. A number of ‘tricks’ top copywriters use are “How To…” headlines, “x Ways To…” headlines, and question headlines. You can also have sub-headlines and even sub-sub-headlines. Establish the point of your site right here at the start.
• The body text can be thought of as a letter to your prospective customer. It’s best to write in a friendly way, focusing on their needs and wants, and providing the solution. Above all, remember that the point of this page is to get the visitor to take action, such as fill in a form, click a link, make a payment, etc. Anything else, such as “multimedia overload”, or links away from the page, can prove to be a distraction.
• You can jazz up the copy with judicious use of Bold, Italics, Underline, boxed areas, highlighted text and coloured text (usually red, but whatever you use, keep the colours to a minimum).
• Certain words and phrases can elicit an emotional response (e.g. “Free”, “Secret”, “Hot”, “Important”, etc.), and curiosity is always a good way to keep your prospect interested.
• Because some people tend to just scan a webpage, the use of sub-headlines throughout the text and bullets can help catch their attention. Here we use a tick-graphic as we list the content.
• Finally, testimonials can help provide proof on your website. You can get these easily by asking for them after a few sales, or by providing free pre-copies in exchange for a review/testimonial. You can also show proof in other ways, such as images of your income (Paypal account, Cheque scan, etc) if you are running an online business site.

(Tip: If all this seems a little confusing just view existing sales-letters on the web. You’ll soon get a feel for it. All top Marketers ‘copy’ and have a “swipe file” of great ads.)

Google AdSense is an easy way to a monetise a website and would be your first income stream (see point 3). However, don’t just jump the gun and place ads everywhere, as they can take your visitor away from your site.

Everyone seems to use Google AdSense these days so it’s also important to know there ARE alternatives, which are reported to have varying degrees of success. AdSense provides context-targeted ads (they automatically relate to your site), and some of the others don’t. If you’re interested, look into Chitika MiniMalls, Yahoo Ads, or the clickbank-based Affiliate Power Ads.

2. The Form

Some sites are not interested in selling up front. The point of these pages is to capture the visitor’s name and e-mail address.

After we do this we provide the download. It’s a quick and easy process and most interested prospects are happy to do this. It’s a win/win situation. The webmaster gets the new subscriber, and they get a quality ebook bundle.

You create a form easily, as most autoresponders (whether you use a third-party or a script on your site) will build one for you.

Getting new subscribers is very important, as they could be customers for a long time to come. Just don’t abuse the relationship.

3. The One Time Offer

This is the first income stream on a “free” site. It’s an ‘upsell’, even though there is no real sale on the first page (just a subscribe action).

Income Streams are simply the various ways you can make money. For example, if you are an online business person you could be selling software, using Ebay, consulting, designing websites, copywriting, promoting sites and more. Each of these would be an income stream. If you also work in a regular job that too would be an income stream, possibly your primary one. It’s far easier to ‘get rich’ if you have a number of options working for you.

The One Time Offer here will show another related product, in this case a premium bundle of marketing-related software and books. For a One Time Offer to work you should price it low and over-deliver on the contents.

4. The Product

Your main product should provide whatever you promise. That is a given. It could also be working for you in many more ways and act as your ambassador on the Web.

• First, provide giveaway, resell, master-resell rights or all three. This means the product can be passed on and provide a viral effect. It’s up to you whether you charge for your product or not. If you do, then these sales are your second income stream.
• Sometimes the product will spread further if it’s a sold item as the prospect of making sales will encourage other marketers to promote it. You can provide a website and sales materials, such as pre-written ads, to make the task easier for them.
• Within the product include links to your main site(s). If you have many sites then there should be a web of links connecting them all to each other. You can also provide ads to affiliate programs or other products you sell / giveaway but don’t overdo it, and don’t do it at the expense of the product itself. Always deliver what you promised!

5. The E-Course

Since you’ve captured the prospect’s e-mail address, it’s worth your time setting up an e-course to be delivered over a period of days, and it can both provide valuable information to them and keep on plugging your product (or an upsell).

Make sure you tell the customer that they will receive this information.

Each e-mail in the course can also promote another product, so even after the free software is downloaded the e-mails will continue to make sales.

It’s usually considered OK to keep subscribers past the course as long as they are aware of this fact and can unsubscribe at any time (a legal requirement). Automated un-subscribe links are usually available from your Autoresponder, or you can allow them to contact you manually – the usual way is by replying to the message with ‘Remove’ or something similar. I prefer the latter as I have had many, many subscribers who report clicking the automatic link by mistake.

6. The Upgrade

This is the third and main income stream at the “free” site. There are many ways a visitor could get here, from clicking directly, from the links in the free ebook, from the links in the e-course, or from links from affiliates.

The entire website could have easily been more traditional and just offered a sales page for this package (as most do). However, the techniques described above provide far more scope for sales, as I hope you can see.

This premium package is again priced realistically and over-delivers on its content. There are also other benefits included that can help promote the site, and as above, they are a win/win situation.

First, the package comes with a 50% Affiliate Program, paid instantly. This turns all your customers into a potential affiliate. It’s a fair system used across countless sites on the internet, since any profits are split equally.

Secondly, there is a brandable version of the giveaway and a copy of the website. This gives the customer the power to be a copy of your “free” site themselves. It allows them to give away the product, as before, but now with potential of making an income from it.

Sometimes branding rights are given with the product as an incentive to purchase. In our case, the main product is free, so the upgrade provides those rights. However you do it branding can create a massive viral effect.

7. The Future

To summarise the action of a visitor so far:

• He/she arrives at the website,
• fills in the form,
• is offered a one-time-offer,
• downloads the ebook,
• starts receiving the e-course.

The book and course link back to the upgrade page. That is the “visitor path.”.

The income streams are:

• Sales of the one time offer,
• affiliate program links in branded books,
• sales of the upgrade.

So, what now?

• Even though you could have made money in three or more ways by this point an actual e-mail address of a happy customer is perhaps the most lucrative. If they stay with you, you could keep in contact with carefully chosen and relevant content for years to come.
• You could provide an e-zine, periodical free downloads (perhaps branded to earn you commissions), articles, and affiliate offers. This is technically an income stream in itself, for a well-built subscriber list will literally allow you generate cash on demand – all you do is press a ‘send’ button.
• After you’ve built your site and it’s working correctly all you need to do is promote it. This is a subject unto itself but remember: a well designed site with interested visitors is almost guaranteed to succeed…

The rules of the marketing game have changed big time. The new reality:

• Over 80% of all web traffic is coming via search engines.
• 88% of economically active Americans go online everyday
• A recent study showed that 85% of users research products and services on the Internet before they purchase.
• 77% get their news online through Google or Yahoo news.
• 80% of all business on the Internet goes to the first three listings on the first page of a search result.
• Research shows that searchers (your customers) regard good placing in the natural search results (as opposed to pay per click or sponsored links) as an indicator of a company who is tops in their field.
• 99% of reporters start their research for a story on the Internet.

The bottom line is that your potential customers are researching their purchases online before spending their money. This also includes big-ticket items like cars and houses.

In a recent study, “Search Before the Purchase” from DoubleClick and comScore Networks notes half of all online purchases are preceded by multiple product-specific searches.

For the brick and mortar retail world keep in mind that consumers are using the search engines like product catalogs to research products and services — then printing out a map on how to get there. Yellow pages may become a thing of the past.

Use these tips to take advantage of the ever-increasing influence of the World Wide Web:

1. Do your homework on key words. The huge majority of people use search engines to find products and services that they are looking for. Find out what key words they are using. This is the heart of an Internet Marketing strategy. Consider it a mandatory form of survey and market research. Once you have determined the key words that people are searching for, check the number of competing pages on that keyword or phrase in the search engines. Create your key word strategy from your research.
2. Tune up your web site. Re-structure the content of your site so it attracts the users you want. Change the keywords in your title, description and keyword tags. Rewrite the home page and interior pages text using the key words that people are searching on.

   Remember search engines can’t read pictures so include lots of text on your site. The home page should have a minimum of 250 words of text.

   Keep in mind, that your web site has to attract the search engines before anyone can find it. The design, content and programming of your site all influence your search rankings. A well-written and designed web site is the foundation of your Internet marketing program. No matter how great your product is, if the public can’t find you the sales are lost in the second it takes to click the mouse. On the flip side, the content of the site is primarily for your visitors. Don’t only write for the search engines. An effective web site is the key to quality leads and volume sales.

3. Create regular online newsletters and encourage all visitors to the site to sign up for the free newsletter. A newsletter is an excellent and cost effective way to stay in touch and build a relationship with prospects and customers. Get an email distribution program that tracks the stats i.e. quantity sent, opened and clicked through to your web site. Use the free offer to build your list — you want to get a large volume of subscribers. Add the newsletters to your web site to increase content.
4. Start a blog to raise search visibility, create page-one search results and build an audience. A business blog can position you as an expert and drive tons of qualified traffic to your website. The May 2005 cover story in Business Week magazine was “Blogs Will Change Your Business, Look past the yakkers, hobbyists, and political mobs. Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up…or catch you later.”
5. Syndicate your content via RSS (really simple syndication) feeds so that you get exposure in other places on the Web. This also increases the number of links to your website. Syndication is a process of providing your content to others, doing updates of information and generally spreading your content from one place to another. One example is syndication in newspapers. You sometimes see a column that appears in several papers at once. It is syndicated. Syndication online allows you to share your content with your visitors and other websites. Search engines are paying attention to RSS feeds right now.

   Online syndication has many advantages: It vastly improves your site’s visibility; makes your content available in a more convenient manner; feeds your content directly to interested parties; broadens your reach on the Internet and best of all, costs almost nothing to implement.

6. Send out optimized press releases about your products or services so they get into the News Search Engines and New sites. Your audiences are actively online searching for news, products and services. It is no longer enough to send out press releases only to the media — or pitch journalists and hope that you will reach the right audience. This will attract visitors and increase the number of links back to your website, which will raise your ranking in the search engines.

   As consumers are actively searching for you using key words, then you need to put your press releases where they’re looking — on the search engines and news engines. 98% of journalists start a story by doing a keyword search in the search and news engines.

The vast majority of economically active people are Internet savvy today and are using the Net to research products and services before they buy. Use these effective marketing and PR tools or you will simply be cut out of the picture.