SEO And Web Design - When Should You Go It Alone And When Should You Get Help?

When you create a website that you’re proud of, it can often end up feeling almost like ‘your baby’. You’ll have poured hours of work into its creation, and in many ways it will reflect your personality. You’ll feel almost protective of it and want to protect it, and that’s a great way to feel. Only sometimes this can actually be a negative thing. Sometimes being too ‘close’ to your project can end up clouding your judgement on important issues, and sometimes it can end up actually damaging your progress. 

One way this can happen is if you find yourself insisting on handling every part of your site on your own. Some web designers and webmasters will end up wanting to handle everything from the HTML, to the design, to the content, to the SEO. 

Problem is, few of us will be equally talented in all of these disparate areas and as such we can end up doing a sloppy job. If your skills are in HTML and SEO, then why would you inflict your design skills on your site and create the background image yourself? 

Even if you do an adequate job, a professional designer from Fiverr could probably do a better job and end up bringing far more visitors to your site. 

So when is it time to step back and trust someone else to work on your baby? Read on to find out…

When You Know It Could be Better

In the example of the wallpaper, you will probably know on some level that a designer would do a better job. Even if you’re good at something, you shouldn’t settle for that level and should instead persist until you get great. If you aren’t able to objectively judge your own work, then just ask a third party what they think.

Here’s a tip though: you should still create your own design too. This way you can show it to the professional designer, compare it with what they create and most importantly – gradually learn to do the work better yourself so that one day you can legitimately do it yourself.

When it Will Take a Long Time

Some jobs require a little expertise and creativity to begin with, but then subsequently involve lots of repetition and work to do the same task. An example is SEO. While your overall SEO strategy takes a lot of expert knowledge, the actual act of writing articles and sending them to guest bloggers etc. is really just repetitive. In such cases your expertise could probably be put to better use, so this is a perfect example of when to outsource a job to a company or service.

When You Need to Know the Details

Some jobs are a little too sensitive and personal to outsource. Coding can sometimes be this way if you have written a long code with little by way of annotations. To pass this on to someone who doesn’t know the ins-and-outs of your site, or the precise effect your aiming to achieve, could end up making matters worse and proving a mistake. When the data is personal, complex or sensitive, then you’re best off going it alone. Other times? When you love something, you have to let it go…

About the Author:  Mike is a consultant at Wisdek, a company that specializes in internet marketing. He likes talking about SEO strategies and helps many web designers achieve their goal. During his holidays, he likes spending time with family and friends.

5 Things To Look For In The Right Web Hosting Company

Why do you want to build a website? Most people choose to build one because they want to start a business. A business that will one day make a lot of money if they're lucky, so you can already see why you would want to take everything seriously right from the get go. Some people must forget about what they're trying to do because they don't exactly make sensible business decisions. The worst thing they can do is choose a terrible hosting company just because it's cheap.

If you decided to start a furniture making business would you start off with a plastic saw because it was cheap? It might take you a while to cut through the wood, so your business could end up being destroyed before it even had a chance to become successful. We're going to look at some of the things you should look for in a hosting company. You will then know why each thing is so important, plus what could happen if you go for an inferior option.

24/7 tech support

When you're starting out you really need someone on the other end of the phone who can give you support. 24/7 support is great, but not essential. Whenever you have a problem you can basically get it solved straight away. If a company gives you hosting for practically nothing you have to expect next to no support because they won't be able to afford it. If those companies helped everyone it would end up costing them money to host your website.

Very little downtime

Don't be fooled by all these companies who tell you they never have any downtime. They do and you need to find out about this before you hand over your money. You will end up with people emailing you asking why they can't get onto your site. Every time your website goes down it could cost you a certain number of sales. Those are the times when you finally realize it's worth paying a little more for a decent hosting company.

Decent bandwidth

You will probably start on shared hosting, but it's not the best idea in the world if you expect a lot of traffic. If you use cheap hosting these is no way it will be able to handle an avalanche of traffic coming to your site within a short amount of time. Your website will just be taken offline, and so it should be. You can't impede on other people because you're cheap. Choose a company that gives you enough bandwidth to get a decent amount of traffic before it cuts you off.

Great security

This is probably the most important thing you want in any hosting company, because nothing else matters if a hacker comes and steals your website. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how exposed some companies leave themselves. Some hosting companies will also make backups of your website at regular intervals. You can't rely on these backups, but they're definitely nice in the case of something tragic happening. At least you will be able to throw a saved version of your site back up.

A good reputation

Some companies will screw you over at every opportunity. If a random competitor emails your hosting company with a fake complaint they might take your website offline. You then have to pay them money to put it back up again. If you also register your domain name with them they might hold you to ransom. Before you choose anyone it's good to look around to find out about these little things that might crop up from time to time.

About the Author: Linda Phillips is a part of Yarra Web, a company offering complete web design packages and much more. Being tech savvy, she is well versed with the latest technological advancements. Click here to know more about her and her company.

Important Elements Every Website Should Have

Websites come in all shapes and sizes, and each should have its own unique flair. But sometimes, too much time is spent on the fancy, unnecessary parts of a website and the essential elements are lacking. This article will cover the essential elements and features your website should have, to make sure all of your readers are happy.

Simple navigation

There’s no use having the best content on the internet if no one can find the page it’s on. Users will not want to search through a jumble of badly organised web pages to find an interesting product they once saw. Make it easy to find by having a clear navigation at the top of your website, as this is where most users will look for it.

It also helps your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) by having all your web pages set out in a clear fashion. Your Site Map is not just a great place for your web viewers to find what you offer, but it also helps search engines to match your site to searches. Keep everything nice a tidy, with minimal pages hidden away, to make sure your website gets the traffic it deserves.

Mobile compatibility

At the end of 2012, it was estimated that 13% of internet traffic came from a mobile device. Considering the amount of internet traffic there is a day, it makes sense to ensure your website works on mobile devices. This includes everything from a tablet to a smartphone.

It’s best to have a mobile version of your website. This version should load up automatically when your website is accessed on a mobile device. If you can’t get a site specially developed for this, make sure that your current site resizes and looks good when viewed on mobile. Cater to all your web users and make sure it looks good across all browsers and on all devices.

Contact information

Your website may be all about buying products, but it always helps to have contact information available. Showing that you are a real person or company makes your customers feel safe purchasing from you.

This can be done in the way of contact forms, which let your get in touch with you by filling in appropriate fields to make an enquiry. Telephone numbers, email addresses, or even an office address make your users feel safer whilst on your site. 
 

Avoid the 90’s
Gone are the days of busy animations, crazy colour combinations and busy backgrounds. Although you may feel that it shows off skills to your website’s viewers, but simplicity is what’s fuelling customers nowadays. Ways to keep your website away from the 90’s mistakes include:

1.  Minimal use of animated images and Adobe Flash creations.

2.  Simple colour schemes that fit your brand image.

3. Use stock imagery rather than clip art, or better yet, your own images.

4.  Too much text. White space is just as important as content.

 Your website needs to not only attract people, but make them want to stay and read what you have to offer. These essentials can help you to tailor your site to reach and retain your target audience. To make sure that your website keeps your viewers reading, keep it simple, succinct, and up to date.

About the Author: Ryan Holmes is a freelance copywriter from London. His passions in life include art, photography, films and Mango sorbet. 

Designing A Website That Drives Traffic

Do you remember the early days of the World Wide Web? Back then, consumers were so thrilled by the prospect of communications forum that they were pretty forgiving when it came to website design. If they stumbled across a website from their favorite brand that was little more than contact information and a few pictures, they were still pretty happy - but that’s not how the Web works today.

After a couple decades online, most consumers have very high expectations when it comes to corporate websites, even when it comes to small businesses. 

They not only want websites that look great, they want websites that provide useful content. Though that’s a tall order, it’s definitely not mission impossible for a small business.

Designing a website (and web strategy) that consistently drives traffic, and boosts revenue, is a very hands on process. It also requires a certain flexibility that allows site owners to embrace news technologies as they emerge.

If this sounds like a project you’re willing to tackle, here are some things you’ll want to think about.

More Than Just a Website

Those simple websites we described earlier are what’s known as, “static sites,” and wouldn’t really pass muster on today’s Web. These days, websites require a steady a stream of both content and promotion via e-mail newsletters, social media sites, search engine optimization, and word-of-mouth references.

Though the long-term goal of the aforementioned strategies is to start making these things happen on their own, this outcome can takes months or even years to achieve. The important thing to keep in mind is that your multi-pronged web marketing strategy can’t be executed haphazardly, and needs a solid foundation.

Actually Building and Designing a Site

If you’ve ever thumbed through an HTML for Dummies Book or a Guide to CSS3, you might think you’ve got what takes build your own site from the ground up. This do-it-yourself approach is definitely doable, but you need to really understand what you’re getting yourself into.
 

The day-to-day operation and maintenance of a website can be very time consuming. You might also find out that reading about something like CSS3 and actually implementing it are two entirely different concepts. Unless you’ve really got a knack for technology, you can get in over your head in to no time.

To avoid this outcome, you might want to consider hiring a professional website designer to help keep things on track. While there’s definitely no shortage of designers offering their service on the Web, you don’t want to hire just anyone. Make certain that your designer can come up with references and a solid portfolio.

We would also caution you to enter your dealings with web designers only after you’ve done some research on your own. The last thing you want is to be sold a lot of flashy bells and whistles that distract your customers and wind up costing you money in the long run.

Finally

Building out a successful web strategy is something that takes time and patience, but offers serious rewards. If you’re willing to make that investment, you’ll see a pretty solid return.

About the Author: Kelvin Thomas has many years experience of designing professional websites and promoting websites online.

A Few Tips To Help You Launch A Home Business

Launching a home business is an excellent strategy if you want to earn a living from home. You should review the following ways to take your home business online and learn how you can get started as a home business owner.

You need a solid product or service for your business. Take the time to learn more about the audience you want to target and compare the kind of products or services you want to offer with what your potential competitors are doing. If you find your products will not be competitive enough or that your target audience is more likely to purchase products in stores you will not have access to, you should try finding another idea for your home business.

Do More Research About Your Business Idea

You should learn more about the brands you would be competing against and the prices they offer. Define your target audience and assess how many potential customers you would have. Some markets are already flooded or simply not large enough regardless of the quality of your merchandise. Spend as much time as needed researching different ideas for your home business. Talk to different home business owners who work in the field you are interested in.

Make Sure Your Business Idea Is Compatible With Working from Home

If you need to fabricate your products with some great machines, renting a shop would be a better choice. Determine how your customers are likely to shop. If you find that the customers you want to target only shop in stores, a home business is probably not your best choice. Ideally, your customers should be likely to shop online or at trade shows and conventions you can easily attend.

Put Together a Business Plan

Do a cost analysis for your business and put together a detailed business plan before launching your home business. Assess how much the equipment you need will cost you and how much you should invest in supplies to offer your products or services. Calculate the prices you can offer and how many sales you need to generate to cover your original investments. Find a way to finance your business, for instance by putting money aside for a few years or by borrowing money.

You also need to find an efficient way to reach out to your audience and assess how much you will be spending on marketing. Keep in mind that what you spend on advertisement is tax deductible, but your marketing campaign still represents an important original investment. Have a business counselor help you establish your business plan, if you need to.

Register your business with the Small Business Administration

You can easily find all the forms you need online as well as information specific to registering your business with state agencies. Once you formally register your business, you will receive a tax ID and will be able to legally operate your business. You might need additional licenses if you work with dangerous products. Look for professional organizations you can unite to build a rich network and obtain access to useful resources.

You should expect to work very hard when you first launch your home business. You will have to develop a strong online presence if you want to use this platform to reach out to your audience. If you decide to sell products or offer services in your community, you will have to work on developing your network. Do not hesitate to work up to ten hours a day to be as much done as possible. Avoid procrastination and put together lists of tasks you need to accomplish on a weekly or a daily basis.

Build a Detailed Plan to Develop Your Business

You could for instance start by launching your website and developing a strong online presence. If you do not want to use an online store for your product, start working on your network or look for events you can attend to meet potential clients. Monitor your results closely and modify your strategies if you are not meeting your goals. Do not hesitate to work for long hours or to invest more in your home business if you need to. Get some help from a business adviser if your strategies do not seem adapted.

You should be able to launch a successful home business by following these tips. However, do not give up if you are not getting the results you wanted. Get help from a business counselor and take some business classes, if you need some help. Some business programs online such as Pure Leverage even offer complete training guides to assist you learn the ropes. Do plenty of research on the market and the niche you are interested in before getting started with the project.

About the Author: John L. Bishop is a father to two daughters. He earns a living for him and his family through being an affiliate at several internet marketing businesses.

6 Things Every ECommerce Website Should Have In Place

Running an E-Commerce site doesn’t have to be difficult when you know what your site needs to work at the best level possible. Ultimately, you want sales, but in order to achieve these you need to have a few essentials in place, so you can build up a great website and encourage both existing and new customers to choose you for the product or service they require.

Logo

Your logo is the key visual of your entire brand and you should put a lot of effort into what it implies and the message it sends to customers. Your logo should be memorable and completely unique, so that your business is easily recognizable to people choosing you. If you go for a generic logo, you may have to rely on the size of your business to see you through, this may not work for a smaller business relying on new customers, so make it enticing and interesting. 

Call To Action 

As we mentioned, your site is there ultimately to achieve sales, so this needs to be reflected in your calls to action on your site. You should concentrate on optimising these for the best possible results in terms of conversions. By learning the basics of conversion optimisation you can ensure that you make the most of your banners and linking elements of your pages.

Shopping Basket 

It is crucial that your customers have a smooth service when they go to purchase products, so you should make sure that you have a good and reputable shopping cart set up. If there is any sign that your shopping cart looks iffy, or falters as your customers are browsing the site, then it’s likely that  they won’t trust that your shopping systems are secure. If you’re running your site via a Content Management System (CMS), then try installing a trusted plugin such as WooCommerce or WP E-Commerce.

Strike A Balance With Paid and Organic 

Although it is possible to attract a lot of traffic through good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) practices, which you should be doing anyway, it is sometimes a good idea to invest a little budget into paid advertising. Although this doesn’t have to be your sole source of traffic generation, it does often pave the way to solid and targeted leads. If budget doesn’t permit, then maybe set in place a plan to progress onto paid search as business increases. 

Trust Signals 

Showing your potential customers that you are a reputable company can include a number of things. From gaining great reviews on sites such as TrustPilot, if applicable, or simply getting on-page testimonials from clients can really improve the likelihood of people choosing your business over your competition. The main thing you need to show the world is that you are a great place to buy from and that you will deliver on what you say you will. Other trust generating factors can include offering bonuses that others don’t, such as guaranteed delivery or loyalty rewards.

Linkable Assets 

The Internet is a social place, so offer content that people want to see and in turn share. This will make sure that your website gains attention from Social Media sites and not just through search engines. Connect with your customers and you will be sure to reap the rewards.

No matter what you choose to do with your site, always make sure that you focus on what your customers specifically want. This will be different for every business depending on what products and services you are offering, so make sure you tailor an individual approach.

About the Author: Katie Belliveau is an Internet marketing nut and likes helping businesses make money. She suggests you take a look at Davpack if you’re looking for reputable packaging supplies for your E-Commerce business.