In today’s business environment of reduced marketing budgets business owners are forced to do ‘more with less’. How can you deliver an impressive ROI in terms of your marketing efforts? First things first, you must commit to using affordable email marketing as a strategy within your business. Don’t worry about whether or not it works because it does. Recent research has shown just how effective email promotion is, especially when done correctly.

• According to the Direct Marketing Association, for every dollar spent in 2009 email promotions generated a ROI of $43.62 with 2010′s expected figure at $42.08.

• The DMA surveyed over 5,000 senior US executives who stated email was the marketing channel most likely to see a budget increase.

• Hurwitz & Associates found 46% of North American small businesses use email advertising, with another 36% planning to do so in the coming year.

Read on for some tips on affordable email marketing and how you can level the marketing playing field.

Tip 1- Use this marketing method as part of your marketing strategy not your entire strategy. If you have successful marketing techniques, by all means, continue to utilize them knowing affordable email marketing can work as a low-cost addition to your current marketing mix.

Tip 2- Realize that email marketing builds relationships, loyalty and trust AND supports sales through other channels.

Tip 3- Due to the low cost of sending emails, even small businesses have been able to take advantage of the benefits of affordable email marketing.

This is the tip of the iceberg. The most important piece of information is that email promotions can be an affordable solution that will help grow your business and get your message heard.

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There are various types of e-commerce solutions like hosted e-commerce, shopping cart provider, dedicated and outsourced e-commerce. Choose accordingly your needs. Shopping cart providing option is suitable for those small businesses which opt for simple and secured payment solution so that it can be easily reflected to their sites. Shopping cart is nothing but software which is organization’s online catalog as well as process of ordering. It helps customers in selecting merchandise, reviewing their selected items, making modification of the list by adding or deleting items and then purchasing those selected merchandise. This software helps in calculating the total price to be paid for the order including all postage as well as packing charges long with the associated taxes if applicable.

You will be required a proper and reliable money transaction process for your business. To accomplish that there are many e-commerce solution available in the market which you need to fit to your existing web site. If you don’t have a site then you can choose solution from online solution providers like Yahoo, Google or Amazon where a minimum or no design for the site is required. This e-commerce software may require merchant account provider (MAP) to get permission for accepting credit cards over the internet.

It’s always advised to have a web site for running e-commerce business whether it’s small or not. What you need is to register a domain name for the website, do web hosting, and hire software professionals to get the website built with user friendly features and attractive design.

Always try to make your web site a successful one by providing the features of mailing by customers to your service provider, providing adequate information about your business, and encouraging customers to write feedback about your service via email or online forms.

It’s advised to outsource a search engine optimization to get to know about your web site rank in the world. It will help you to promote your business.

There are a large number of ecommerce solutions for small business, choosing which one is not one easy thing to do. Before you have chosen the company that provides your ecommerce solution for small business you need to ensure that they are able to support your full requirements.

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So what is simplicity and how do you achieve it?

Simplicity starts with having a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve. You need to be able to state quickly and clearly the purpose of your website. Is it to sell books, to inform people about a topic, to encourage debate? Whatever the reason for your site you need to be really clear in your mind about it.

Once you can easily explain your website idea, the next thing to do is work out the fewest number of pages you need. Don’t forget the aim is simplicity so start with a few pages, build it up to a large number and then hack away until you are left with the bear minimum you need.

Typically you’ll have 6 main menu items each of these will have between 6 and 10 sub menu items and each sub menu item will have a number of pages. This means a 3 level site. The top level to show where to go (contact us, topic 1, topic 2 etc). The next level down will expand on the major topic areas and the level below expand further.

A structure like this is simple to understand and is tried and tested on many web sites. However it doesn’t need to be religiously adhered to you should do something that works for your web design but with the simplicity principle in mind.

Armed with a menu structure the next stage is to build the site itself. The easiest and often the quickest method is to get a company to undertake the web design for you. However if you choose not to do this then you should think through your pages carefully. The key to simplicity is to think in terms of similarity of pages. You don’t want to design six different top level pages. It’ll just confuse your visitor and they’ll end up leaving. Instead pick a basic layout that works for all the pages and stick to it.

If all is well you’ll now have a menu structure and a template (or templates) for each of the level within the menu structure. Now you should think about building a draft site. This is a site that has the look and feel of the final site but without the content. This allows you to review the functionality and layout without being distracted. You should iterate the look and feel until you are happy and then add the content.

If this all sounds a bit complicated and challenging then you are probably better off to get someone to build the site for you. This allow you to concentrate on the content. However sometimes on a budget this isn’t possible and in those cases try to follow these web design principles.

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After all if only the visual impact of the site is good then only the users can take another step and read through the site to see the services that the site is trying to endorse. Website design companies therefore should offer services that are fully comprehensible, offer good visual impact, and also offers ease and clarity of operation in the designs that they offer. The services rendered should be such that they provide a product catalog of their services, however also has the flexibility of offering customizable operations. If someone wants to use the designs from the templates or the provided catalog they should be offered the avenues that can be obtainable in design manipulations as well.

That is they should be told as to how the templates that they have chosen can be worked upon to suit their company profile better, so that it offers the best design utility for them. In addition to this they should also always keep it in mind that there is simplicity and clarity of objective. Implying that it is not always essential that anything that is visually appealing has to come with lots of ribbons and frills, doing this can distract the users from the main company objective and they can get deviated to the design aspect of the site only, without reading the content. There should be simplicity and ease of operation in the website.

The users should be very clear about the fact as to why they are on a particular page of the website, what would they gain out of it, and where do they have to go from there. In case at any point if the users feel lost then they would simply press the exit button, never to come back to the site again. Therefore the companies of Web Design India have to tread a very difficult path to maintain a fine balance of impressing the users but at the same time reinforcing the company objective so that the users get tempted to try out the services offered by the business. This spells success for both the business houses and also the website designing companies too and is a sure shot way to success.

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Online Marketing: Yet Another Way To Promote Your Site

Service professionals (such as lawyers, coaches, consultants and planners) often want to get more clients online. They set up websites, blogs and social media connections. But if you are marketing your professional services online, you have a special opportunity that most marketers miss. Every time you receive an award,  certification or any other professional recognition, you have a chance to command recognition and increase credibility in a very special way.

Everybody celebrates good fortune. But if you’re an online marketer, you have a special way of cheering. Once you understand this concept, you will probably become alert to more opportunities. Have you completed a training course? Been mentioned in a media feature? Attained a milestone in your business?

For example, one coach just sent out a timid Twitter post. “Just became a Professional Certified Coach.”  That’s a great first step. I would start your promotion with Facebook and Twitter announcements. They’re fast and free. As an online copywriter, I can recommend several more. This coach can also send an online press release. She can send a special email to her list (and it’s a great opportunity to make a special offer, too).

No need to stop there! The coach can publish a special ezine issue. She can write articles sharing the journey (with a tie-in to her coaching specialty). She should also update her web site, especially the home page, “about” page and “services” page.

Of course, without a strategic communication plan, these activities can amount to a lot of useless busy work. As a professional service business, you need to tie every communication to the WIIFM question: the “What’s In It For Me” in your client’s mind. The most important challenge any professional faces is to tie the achievement you are celebrating to a benefit for your clients and prospects.

It’s not always easy to take this extra step. Most professionals would rather be boiled in oil than promote themselves. But when you do…you have even more success to celebrate.

Organic Search Engine Optimization, also called Natural SEO, is used for the purpose of increasing traffic through the search engines by using several techniques and other methods that may seem complex but do not use any fake methods to increase the ranking. It refers to the manual type of page optimization vs. automatic submittal and page alteration. It is called Natural SEO as it is the purest form of optimization, in which there are no unauthorized means used to increase traffic. It gives a long lasting impact.

For optimizing the site, with a goal to achieve higher rankings in the search engines few changes needs to be made on the site so that it becomes more search engine friendly. Other factors that may add to increased ranking is checking the incoming links & see if they are important for the site or not.

Some benefits of Organic Searching are:

• Increase in targeted traffic: Organic SEO aims at improving Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) of a website for certain focused & relevant keywords. With the increase of rank of the website on Google, the traffic of users searching for those particular keywords becomes more.
• Long term results: Organic SEO leaves long term impact. The results persist, even if the SEO activities are stopped. It is in contrast to the web promotion techniques like PPC, which lasts till the budget is over.
• Accessibility and usability: Natural SEO makes the website more accessible and usable for users
• Brand Building: By organic or natural way of SEO, any company can aim for top rankings in Google & other search engines.
• High ROI: Organic SEO gives higher Returns on Investment than PPC.
• Increase in sales & demand of website: Organic SEO gives tremendous increase in rankings and traffic to a website, which results in more sales and increases the number of users on the website.

It is a common practice that half of the users abandon their internet search by looking at first few SERPs. Organic SEO is the best way to attain top rankings on search engine platforms. PPCs can give the rankings abrupt jumps but can not with hold the affect for a longer period of time. There is every day something new in the field of organic SEO. You need to be constantly updated about these new events, to ensure the right track. Hiring professionals is useful in Organic SEO of your website.

YourLocalSite.com — There was a time not too long ago when all you had to do to have a successful online presence was piece together anything resembling a website and wait for people to come. Unfortunately, today there is a much higher requirement for the professional quality of your website. This is in part due to the increased level of competition today, as well as the increased expectations that users have after browsing the web for so long since its early days.

A professional web design company can provide many benefits for your website. One of the key factors that determines the success of your website is the first impression it makes when a visitor lands on your page. How does the site look and is it professional and friendly? Can a visitor immediately recognize what your site is about and what you are offering? These are areas where a professional company can come in and improve your site’s performance.

A site that falls short in one of the above questions is not going to attract very many prospects. People will land on your page and then immediately hit the back button. No matter how great your product or service may be, if your website isn’t attractive and appealing, people will be turned off and will find someone else to look into. Therefore the premium on top quality, professional local web design is at an all time high.

Another area where a professional web design company can help you and your website is with the usability of the site itself. Your site needs to be easy to navigate, with a clear structure that allows visitors to move from one page to another page with ease. If people are having trouble finding what they are looking for on your site, they will just end up leaving. You need to make the process as easy as possible for them; professional companies with experience knowing what works the best can provide the best possible navigation and design for your site.

There should also be a clear flow on all of your pages, and from one page to the next. This can be derived from several different factors. Your pages need to have a consistent look, feel and design to protect the image that you are looking for. The most important information on a page has to be placed and highlighted appropriately so that visitors can quickly find and view it. Additionally, your pages need to be interlinked appropriately so that you can drive people efficiently from an informative page to a contact or sales page, for example.

There are definitely a number of different ways that a professional web design company can help your business. It’s all about improving the success you see online, and being as user friendly and appealing to visitors as possible. If your site looks professional, is easy to navigate and features a consistent and friendly approach, the results will go through the roof for your company.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses.
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By Mike Adams, YourLocalSite.com Founder
Last Updated: July 6, 2009: 4:24 PM ET

Baton Rouge (YourLocalSite.com) –The problem with most “link building” services it that they spam you content across the internet. Also most if not all of the links/ pages are not indexed. If the pages are not indexed or re-indexed then the search engine i.e. Google does not know that the link is there.

Make sure that you don’t place the emphasis of your campaign on the number of links, instead place your emphasis on quality of links. I would take one PR5 link over 100 PR1 links. See Google indexes, sorts and ranks pages based on a process called Referential Integrity, not by the most widely known process of LSI or Latent Semantic Indexing. Google, and most other search engines, place value in what other pages on the internet “say” about you. This is called Page Reputation.

My linking strategy is one by where I can get you quality, one way, rel=dofollow links to your site. These pages that you link is on will then get re-indexed by Google over the next few days or weeks. Remembering that it is tough enough to get the search engines to re-spider your page much less a page that you don’t control. So the process may take some time.

Keep these points in mind when considering a SEO company. YourLocalSite will deliver the above and more.

Creating and maintaining a website is one of the keys to success for small businesses.

By Mike Adams, YourLocalSite.com Founder
Last Updated: June 19, 2009: 11:38 PM ET

A website not only draws clients to your business but it could also open a door for further sales and exposure. Many business owners are unclear on the costs that are associated with a website. It is important to understand each component, how it works and what it will cost. Websites are the leading source of revenue for many small businesses, so make sure to plan accordingly when preparing a new site. It may seem like a high cost, but in respect to what it can generate for your company, it is a small price to pay.

Costs of a website are broken into two main categories. The basic costs and the added extras. The basic costs will include your company domain name, the design on the website, maintenance and hosting. These are very important aspects of every website. The extras can greatly benefit those who conduct business online. These can include Pay-Per-Click advertising, Search Engine Optimization and E-Commerce Solutions.

Most companies will start with the basics, so it is important to know what you will be paying for. Your domain name is one of the most important parts of a website. This is the actual Internet address that allows computers to find your website. Many domain names can be registered for many years. The price will vary depending on how long you wish to have that domain name.

Hosting is another critical component. The host is where your website is located. The purpose of a host is to allow the site to be viewed. Hosting costs can vary and will largely depend on the size of your website. Small businesses who are just starting a website will be able to find hosting accounts to suit their needs but need to ensure that the servers are safe for their user to access. The servers need to be maintained and VIRUS FREE!

The design of the website is where a most of money can be spent. You will need to set a budget for your overall website costs and go from there. Many people get carried away with design and are soon paying more money per month than they expected. However, do not sell yourself short in this department. In essence, website design is your advertising. You want to make sure the site is easy to navigate, visually appealing, informative and makes a great first impression. This is very important if you intend to conduct most of your business online.

When planning your budget, don’t forget the cost of maintenance. Many people overlook this expense. While your domain name and design will remain the same, the information offered on the site must be updated! It would be a shame to have a successful site for the first few months, only to fail because your information is outdated.

Your website should be a reflection of you and your company. Plan a proper budget to allow for improvements after the basics are met. A website can cost as little or as much as you want. Your choice, however, will directly relate to the success of the site. This is why we offer all of the above for one flat rate! See how we manage our clients websites

How PPC Marketing Can Change Your Website

By Mike Adams, YourLocalSite.com Founder
Last Updated: June 16, 2009: 10:38 PM ET

Pay Per Click Marketing, or what is more commonly referred to as PPC is an internet advertising system used on search engines and content sites such as blogs, where an advertiser only pays the hosting site when the ad is clicked. With most search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or Ask.com, the website wanting to take advantage of pay per click advertising will usually bid on a keyword or phrase that a person would put into a search field that would be relevant to the products or services offered by the advertiser. When the price is agreed upon or won, the advertiser will pay the agreed amount for the number of times a consumer visits their site via clicking on the link provided from the search engine. Most content sites usually have their own set fee already in place per click rather than having to use a bidding system to determine price.

Pay per click advertising methods have can sometimes have very strong benefits over typical advertising using say a banner ad placed at a set fee for one month. For one thing, with pay per click advertising, you only pay for the customers that see your advertisement and follow up by taking the time to come to your website. This will encourage the host of any advertisements to really showcase your ad, getting as many people to notice it as possible, because they only receive money for those that click the advertisement. Another benefit is the power to see what ads and where are having the most success, but letting you see how many customers clicked on a specific ad. If you were to have an ad placed for one month on a certain type of blog site, and another ad placed on a search engine, you would be able to compare the two ads to see which was generating the most traffic to your website. If the blog site was generating 50% more clicks to your web site then the link from the search engine, you could decide from there that it may be wise to look into more advertising on sites that get the same target audience as the blog site.

As well as number of clicks that you can use to help you determine where your advertisements will reach the target consumer best. If you notice a fairly large amount of traffic being generated by other sites that have a very specific target audience, allowing you to specifically model certain advertisements at the target audience for the other websites. For example if you are a website selling clothing, and you notice a large amount of traffic coming from an ad on a teen advice blog, you could design ads catering to the teens. PPC is a definite for businesses that need solid advertising that can also let you track advertising success.