The Individual Guide

When I trace back some of my favorite internet marketing eBooks, systems and courses I find that they were written by people residing in the UK. Internet marketing UK style is no different than how the rest of the world is doing it but in my humbled opinion the books I’ve found out there are written very well and explained both for the newbie as well as seasoned professional internet marketer. The UK is also a pretty big place and many new marketing concepts come out of there every day. I am fascinated with learning how these brilliant concepts come to be.

The internet is as much commercial as it is information services. The beauty of the internet is they have built an infrastructure that utilizes both marketing and information services together. Unlike television for example where by you watch the show then see the commercial, the web shows you both and the commercial is often very much in line with the information and offers you something valuable in line with your interests (the site you sought out for example). In much the same way product placement in movies works. Internet online marketing advertising business is brilliant if you ask me, its very non invasive so long as you don’t use it in the way of spam but in line with website marketing.

If your website generates large volumes of traffic, a dedicated server is likely the best choice. Many web sites start by using a shared hosting plan but as they grow they need to scale their site to meet the added requirements. A dedicated server is the most effective way to do that.

Dedicated servers are used strictly for your website. There are no other sites sharing the resources on the machine. This lets you have ultimate control over the way the server is configured.

If you need more storage or more RAM, the hosting company can add that for you (at an added cost naturally). If you need to install a particular program or operating system, you can do that.

When looking for dedicated hosting services, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, ensure that you have a technical support and administration plan in place. This could be someone in your own company or the hosting company may provide these services for you.

Be sure the hosting company has planned for redundancy in case of system failures. If your server crashes, there needs to be a backup in place that can take on the load with minimal downtime for your website.

If your hosting company is managing the server for you, make sure they have a maintenance schedule in place for things such as security upgrades and operating system patches.

These kind of security updates are released on a regular basis, and you need to be sure that your web server is updated so it isn’t vulnerable to attack.

Web hosting companies are not all created equal. When choosing your hosting provider, you need to be sure that they are going to be able to keep your site up and running consistently.

If your website is large enough to justify a dedicated server, you can’t afford to have any downtime.

There are a lot of directories on the internet and there is probably room for a lot more although building a directory that is beneficial to the users, webmasters who add their site and yourself takes a little bit of forethought and a lot of work.

There are many types of directories including general directories and niche (often reffered to as vertical) directories. There are also many ways these can be structured.

The first step in planning to build a directory is deciding what it will be a directory of. You could choose to be general and have a vast array of categories and sub categories where a website on any topic can be submitted or you can choose to have a niche directory which are often reffered to as vertical directories. Vertical directories are becoming popular with users and webmasters due to the entire site and it’s listings being related to one topic.

Your next choice is whether to have static pages and create each page manually or use a script that creates pages, manages your listings, site submissions and more. Using a script is the popular and sensible choice and if you have programming skills you may choose to build your own. Otherwise there are numerous directory scripts available and some are even free, for example: PHP Link Directory, Barracuda Links Directory or WSN Links to name a few.

Once you have your directory up and running with all the categories relevant to a general directory or your chosen topic the next task is get listings as without those it’s not much. For other webmasters to submit their link they need to be able to find your site so getting links from ‘directory of directories’ sites are a good place to start in promoting your site. Although there may be catch, those sites may not want to list yours if it’s not populated with listings to some extent so choose some quality sites and add them to your categories and sub categories.

For a start you may need to give free listings to get things going although there’s something to watch in who you list on your directory which is summed up by quality attracts quality and trash does trash. Screen your listings and be sure they aren’t banned by search engines,low quality sites, scrapper sites or just plain spam. The quality of your listings will reflect the quality of your directory to users, webmasters and to some extent search engines.

Your next choice once your directory starts to grow is how you will benefit from your work. Choices here can be running Pay Per Click advertising, banner ads, affiliate ads or charging for links or maybe both.

To get submissions from quality sites and maybe payment for links webmasters will be looking at or for Higher the Google PR the better, well keyworded title and category description, low density of links/listings per page and the quality of the other sites listed. Here is a neat trick, add top ranking sites under the appropriate categories and other sites trying to achieve top ranking for that particular keyword/category title will probably submit to have their site listed.

From there it is a matter of constantly promoting your directory via links to your site, advertising and marketing.

Rod Charles is the owner of the Directory of Directories site where you can find over 1000 directories categorised by submission type or topic.

The FAQ page… a standard addition to almost any site. It usually lists questions customers ask on a regular basis, and the answers to those questions. But what befuddles me is that hardly any sites I’ve visited use this page as a sales tool.

Did you think of that? If not, you’re losing out on the use of some valuable real estate! FAQ pages are generally well-trafficked areas of your site. With just a few adjustments, your FAQ page could become one of your leading sources for sales conversions.

Let me give you a before and after version of one site I visited. I’ve changed some of the information so as not to promote (or embarrass) the site owner.

BEFORE

What is the source of the minerals used in your supplements?

We use all-natural minerals from sources such as limestone and dolomite. Nothing artificial.

[back to top]

What is the source of Vitamin C?

Ascorbic acid, which was originally gained by isolation from fruits and plants, is produced today by an industrial process. The basis for the industrial ascorbic acid synthesis is D-Glucose (grape sugar or corn sugar), one of the most common organic compounds in nature.

[back to top]

Informative? Yes. Does it answer the question? Yes. Does it contribute to making the sale? Not really.

Now, let’s change these two answers just a bit, add a link or two, and see how much more powerful they can become.

AFTER

What is the source of the minerals used in your supplements?

We use all-natural minerals from sources such as limestone and dolomite. These 100% natural minerals are then carefully processed under low heat to remove impurities and preserve quality. Many minerals are processed under high heat, which literally kills the beneficial elements of the mineral. Because of our devotion to producing quality vitamins and minerals, we take additional precautions that other manufacturers skip. To ensure you receive the most potent supplements possible, choose XYZ Vitamins.

[shop for minerals]
[back to top]

What is the source of Vitamin C?

Ascorbic acid, which was originally gained by isolation from fruits and plants, is produced today by an industrial process. The basis for the industrial ascorbic acid synthesis is D-Glucose (grape sugar or corn sugar), one of the most common organic compounds in nature.

XYZ Vitamins uses only organically-grown grapes and corn, and we extract our own D-Glucose to ensure the process remains 100% natural. No other manufacturer in the world has developed its own facility specifically to produce the highest quality of Vitamin C. We go the extra mile to ensure the vitamins and minerals you buy from XYZ Vitamins are the most beneficial for you and your family.

[shop for vitamins]
[back to top]

See the difference? The “before” versions JUST answer the questions. The “after” versions boost consumer confidence, promote unique qualities of the products, and offer easy-to-follow links to buy the products in question.

By using some imagination and salesmanship, you can turn your FAQ page into a highly productive tool that not only gives visitors the information they need, but also encourages more sales!

by Karon Thackston © 2006

Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com Be sure to also check out Karon’s latest e-report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword

Website design guidelines and tips - just common sense
By Mary Magdalene Chia

Here are some design guidelines and tips to help you build a user friendly websites.

1. First, figure out what you want to do and make a plan for it. This may involves some brain storming. Then, translate your ideas and plans onto paper by drawing a diagram or a flowchart so that you can visualize it. Then, ACT on it.

2. Keep your design simple, clear, consistent and user friendly.

3. A simple design, layout makes it easier for you to build your website. The end result will be a website which your visitors will find easy to navigate and easy get whatever information they want.

4. Your content should be simple, complete and direct to the point. It should make clear the intention of your web pages, cover the subject matter thoroughly and convey the messages direct to your visitors.

5. If your design look complicated, redesign and simplify it. Complicated design/layout will only make it harder for you to build your web pages. It may also confuses your visitors if your site is full of complicated mess of information.

6. Be consistent throughout in your design approach. The background, color usage and text format should be carefully chosen and the screen layout for all your pages visibly consistent.

7. Create a simple logo to identity your website. Have a captivating tag line somewhere with the header, and write an About Us page which describes the uniqueness of your website. These will leave an impression for your visitors to remember your website. Make a copyright statement at the bottom of you web pages.

8. Have a clear color scheme based on the theme of your website. Choose carefully a set of colors you use for your background, text, border, tables and cells etc. The color scheme expresses the characters of your website and makes it unique and attractive.

9. Identify who are your target visitors and how you would make your presentation. Decide the tone of language usage and the approach that will best suit your visitors. Whether your language usage should be casual and simple or formal and technical? Whether you should use pictorial or language oriented approach in your website.

10. For ease of reading, the length of a text lines should not exceed certain width within the computer screen. To limit the length of a line of text, use indent text or use a table with the pre-set width.

11. Long blocks of text passages can be tedious and strenuous to read. Try to use short sentences, short paragraphs and bulleted or numbered list form to break them up.

12. The width of you web pages should preferably not exceed that of the computer screen. People viewing your site usually don’t mind scrolling up and down the screen; but will be annoyed when they have to scroll left and right.

13. Font size: use larger size font; Bear in mind that some of your visitors may have poor eyesight; some may have partial impaired vision and some ordinary people who just can’t stand reading tiny script on the computer screen.

14. The text color should contrast well with the background color to be easily read. Likewise, Background image or texture chosen should contrast well with the text color, so that it is easy to read on screen.

15. It looks great on the screen and soothing to the eyes. But it is not recommended to use white text on a dark background. When somebody wants to print out your page for reference, it won’t print because the background will not be printed; while the white text is printed on white paper, you see nothing.

16. The images you put in a web page are not there just for decoration. They should be relevant and necessary to use as visual to help to convey the message, or serve to break a long and monotonous text messages.

17. Limit the size of an image you insert in a web page. Large image takes longer time to display, and most visitors don’t like to wait too long to view a certain image.

18. Keep the size of a web page small so that it will open up fast - preferably less than 10 seconds. If the page is too long, have too many items to load and slow to display, you should consider breaking it into smaller pages and link them up.

19. Contents such as video, audio, flash animations etc. are huge in size. They will slow down the display of the page. If it takes too long for to load a page, the viewers might give up and leave. They also use up more of your bandwidth.

20. Ensure that the visitors get around navigating your ,website, with ease. They should be able to find what they are looking for in quickly and get there. Use a menu or image map, a site map, arrows, links and buttons to provide direction to your visitors.

21. Make sure the pages are interlinked for easy navigation. Links should be well organized, strategically placed and easy to detect by using appropriate colors. Use anchor links to facilitate navigation on the same page. Always check for any broken links and fix them.

22. Load all the important and essential information in the first page that the visitors see. Give a quick introduction to your website with brief header, bookmarked lists, short summaries, etc. This will quickly let them know whether your page is what they are looking for.

23. Is your website screen layout look neat and tidy? Ask someone to have a look at it and get her feedback. You will be surprised!

24. The contents inside a table should have a little space between the borders. Set a padding around the table or set indent to your content.

25. Don’t simply add every neat gimmick and animated images you can find just because you think they are cool. In reality they are distracting and confusing.

26. Decide whether to use or not to use pop-up windows. They are great for catching the attention of the viewers; but can be distracting and annoying as well. Some viewers would dismiss pop-up as ads and close it immediately. Pop-up also will not work if the viewers have installed a pop-up blocker.

27. Encourage visitors to contact you by providing a Contact Us page with your email link. It is even better to have an opt-in box that serves to collect visitors’ contact and data.

28. Study other’s website design and set up. See how they layout and organize their header, links, menu, buttons, images and etc. Then choose, adopt and modify whichever design that suits your need.

29. Use website templates if you don’t have any designing flair.

30. Make a back-up copy for all your web pages. It will save you a lot of trouble in the event that you have to rebuild your websites.

Well, some website design guidelines and tips - It’s all common sense.

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About the Author

Mary Magdalen Chia is the author of “How to design and build your own websites”.It is written for anyone who wants to design and build websites in 8 hours with simple, easy to follow step by step guidelines.

To learn more, visit:
http://www.108diywebdesign.com

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Mary Magdalene is the author of “How to design and build your own websites”. It is written for anyone who wants to learn to design and build websites in 8 hours with simple, easy to follow step by step guidelines.

To learn more, visit:
www.108diywebdesign.com