Whether you run a business totally online, or you operate a bricks-and-mortar business and have a promotional website, you should consider “article marketing”. If you aren't marketing your business with articles, you're missing a huge chunk of the marketing pie. Let me give you a few reasons why.

Firstly, article marketing is low cost. Every business owner knows that advertising isn't cheap. Every newspaper or magazine ad you run costs you dearly. By spending just a little extra time writing and submitting several articles each month, you'll save quite a bit of money. And writers are often less costly than paying for a team of advertising “creatives”.

Branding your business
Article marketing also helps to brand your business. Have you ever wondered how some businesses seem to become so well known in such a short amount of time? They're getting their name out there. They're giving away something of value for free to their potential customers. Your articles will brand your business and make it a well-known name.

For this reason, article marketing makes you, or your key employees, an expert. If you write articles about the subjects you know well, you'll quickly become known as an expert in your field. Do you run a website on bird watching? Writing and submitting fifty articles on bird watching will show people that you know what you're talking about.

When you do submit articles, they create back links to your website. Without getting into the technical details of this, back links to your website are good and you'll want lots of them. Back links help boost your rankings in the search engines, thus gaining more exposure for your website.

Remember that article marketing isn't the cure-all answer to advertising your business; it's one piece of the pie. It requires persistence and patience. You should plan to spend a certain number of hours each week writing and submitting articles to promote your business. Pencil in this time faithfully and stick to it. Within a few months (maybe even a few short weeks!), you'll begin to see the results of your hard work pay off.

Making article writing easy
Many people I speak to equate article writing with onerous tasks such as writing school or university essays. The memories of the pain involved in this form of writing can take time to fade away. The good news is that after learning a few simple steps, writing your own articles isn't as hard as it appears.

Once you have decided on a general area, a good way to narrow the topic down is to focus on the problems that people have. Typically, people read articles because they want to be entertained or they want information. Writing entertaining articles is a particular and more difficult skill. However, writing informative articles can be as simple as sharing tips that you have learned.

You will probably already know the common problems that people have in your particular field, but if not, a good source of information is to look at related online forums and note the most common questions asked. If you don't have all the answers a small bit of research can assist. Often the answers are readily available with a Google search which the readers could do themselves. However, you are adding value and convenience by providing a range of answers in a single document.

Articles online can also be as short as 400 words long, so they aren’t as onerous as school or university essays. If you break the article into an introduction, a small number of sub-headings and a conclusion you may only have to write about 100 words in each section, making it even easier to write.

The first draft should be for your eyes only. Don't try to produce a final copy as you write. It tends to be much quicker to get your thoughts down and come back to edit later. The final step in the writing process is to proofread your article making sure that the writing flows and would be interesting to the reader. Ask yourself, 'does the article provide information the potential reader is looking for?’ It can also be helpful to have someone else proofread the article. This is also the time to remove spelling and grammatical errors.

Once you have written your article you should add it to your own web site, as well as submit it to article directories. Article submission can be a tedious process, but software and websites that can submit to multiple directories in one go exist to make the job much easier.

After writing your first few articles you will find it is not as daunting as it first appears. You never know, you may even want to offer your services as a freelance writer on the Internet as a way to make some extra income...!

Generating ideas for article
So just how do you come up with ideas for your next article? Here are several suggestions that may help...

Hang out in online forums. Watch what people are talking about. Look at the questions they are asking. The topics that are bringing the greatest number of visitors would make for an excellent article.

Watch TV. Take a look at what information is being broadcast on TV, radio, newspapers, and online. This information is usually a hot topic.

Read blogs. What are people posting about? What kind of comments are they leaving? What questions do they have? Blogs are the hot internet marketing medium right now and you can literally find them everywhere on any topic. This is an excellent source for your next article idea.

Take polls. Survey your current customers or website visitors. Ask them what kind of article they would like to see in your next ezine or published on your website.

Check bookstores online. What are the top sellers? This can be a good way to come up with an article that catches the attention of what people are reading.

Be seasonal. Write about what is going on that time of year. Holidays, festivals, sports, graduations, etc. all make for an article that someone will want to read.

Be fashionable. Write an article about a current fad. There is always something that is hot at the time and could make for interesting reading from you.

Take notes. Keep track of what your customers and prospects are asking you. If you get an email or phone call with a question this may make for a good article. Others may have the same question, but are afraid to ask it.

File things. Start a swipe file on what others are writing about. If it is of interest to you it will probably be of interest to others. Never plagiarise the work of others, but you can certainly get good ideas this way. The biggest benefit of a swipe file is having it handy to refer back to over and over whenever you are ready to write your article and are not sure what you want to write about.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to come up with your next article. The online business that has interesting articles has a huge leg up on their competition. If you can master this strategy you will be amongst the top of your profession or industry.

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At May 17, 2008  Anonymous said…

At May 17, 2008  Anonymous said…

At May 18, 2008  Graham Jones said…

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Your web site's "domain" name is important - it is the address which people will type to get to you. A "domain" name is made up of three parts - "www", telling us it is on the "world wide web" rather than on any other part of the Internet, such as usergroups (Usenet). The second part of the domain name is the descriptive part, such as a company name. The third part, which might be "com" or "uk" is known as the "TLD" or "top level domain" which is an indication of either the country, or of the type of web site (com = commercial, org = non profit organisation, for instance).

Many people visit web sites as a result of typing in the domain name. Or the domain name may be mentioned to them, by friends, or they hear it on the radio. So, your domain name needs to be memorable and short, as well as being descriptive. Here are some handy hints on how to select the right domain name for your online business or organisation.

1. Ensure your web site is focused
Far too many businesses try to put everything about their business on one web site under one domain name. But imagine your business is a hotel. Your guests could include people looking for a short break, a father looking for a special place for his daughter's wedding or a business owner hoping to organise a meeting. If the hotel domain name is "berkshirehotel.com" there is no reason for any of these potential visitors to remember it. But if the domain name is "shortbreaksinberkshire.com" or "greatberkshireweddinghotel.com" or "bestberkshirebusinesshotel.com" the individuals are much more likely to recall the names. However, it means that the hotel itself needs several, highly focused web sites, each devoted to specific groups of customers. It makes domain name selection much easier if this approach is taken. It also has significant search engine benefits.

2. Think like a web site visitor
Before you start considering potential domain names you need to be sure you are thinking from the perspective of your likely visitors. Often they will use different words to you for the same thing. For instance, real estate companies will often use the word "property" whereas their customers will use the word "house". If a domain name uses words that are less familiar to your potential audience, it won't work as well. If you don't know what words are those which your audience uses, then sign up for Wordtracker and do a search on the keywords people use. Then use the popular words you find to start your thinking.

3. Collect a range of ideas
Use the Wordtracker results, as well as discussions with your colleagues, friends and potential web site visitors, to produce a range of potential domain names. You may need to engage in some "brainstorming" or to use creativity software to help you come up with ideas. You also might like to use domain name creation web sites like Nameboy, which help you produce a range of ideas, using your keywords.

4. Buy all the top level variants you can
Once you have settled on a good domain name, it's a good idea to buy all the variants, such as "com", "co.uk" and so on. They can all point towards the same material, or you can produce country specific versions of the web site, for instance. But if you leave obvious variants of your domain name "on the shelf", other people can buy them and that could impact on your business. Similarly, you could buy variations of your domain name that include hyphens and non hyphens, such as "bestberkshirehotel.com" and "best-berkshire-hotel.com". The hyphened variation and the non-hyphened one can both point to the same material, but the version with hyphens are more appealing to the search engines. The non hyphened version is easier for us humans to remember and type.

5. Keep an eye on things
Constantly monitor your web site traffic and what's going on in your business world. Trends change, words change and the kind of domain names that worked one year, might not work the next. Hence you may need to change. You may also need to separate good performing parts of your web site into individual sites that will be more attractive to potential visitors under an even more specific domain name. You could also buy a domain name that is merely redirected to a particular page on your web site, to take advantage of new trends and ideas.

6. Final tip - be careful of the name you choose
Be aware that when you combine words into a domain name, they can have different meanings. For instance "penisland" is "pen island" not "penis land", or what about "therapistfinder"? This is actually for "therapist finder" not for "the rapist finder". You can find some other unintentionally weird domain names at Independent Sources.

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At December 12, 2007  Rob Watson said…

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With billions of web pages it can sometimes be hard getting yourself noticed. What can you do to stand out from the crowd? How can you get your web pages highlighted and sought after? Here are 12 ways in which you can get more attention for your web site.

1. Fill your web site with content
Your web site visitors are not interested in you, they are more concerned with their own world, their own problems, their own difficulties. If your web site is full of information that can help them cope in their world, remove their problems, or ease their difficulties, they will appreciate you. So, focus your web site on the content you provide. There are several ways you can do this. One is to provide a blog as part of your site, though you will need to update this at least daily if it is to have any real impact. An alternative is to have an articles section where you include more detailed information than you might have in a blog. You could also have in-depth reports that people download directly from your web site. However you do it, just focus your strategy on providing content - and lots of it. But the content must be practical, useful material that your readers can directly benefit from.

2. Use the words your web site visitors use
Whatever your web site is about, it will only attract attention if it is using the language of your target audience. If, for instance, you have a web site that offers "take-away foods" it is not going to get much attention in parts of the world where they call such things "carry-outs". In other words, your content must match your audience. Don't use the words and jargon you might use in your business, but use the words your potential customers use. If you don't know what they are, ask them. Also make sure you check the words that people will use to search for your site using Wordtracker.

3. Have a design that follows the standards
People have become used to certain online conventions - links in blue, underlined, for instance. Even though it may be tempting to appear different or unique, if you do not follow the standard conventions your web site becomes less appealing to people. So this means, for instance, having the navigation down the left hand side of the page, or along the top. It means having a footer on each page with your contact details. It means using the conventional colours to signal links, emails and so on. If you try to do something different you confuse your visitors meaning they are less likely to return and even less likely to tell their friends about your site.

4. Get your site listed in directories
People often use directories to find appropriate web sites. You need listing in all the relevant directories to your business. To find specific directories that you can get listed in, use a program like Internet Business Promoter. This helps you locate subject specific directories and manage your submission to them. Also, get yourself listed in DMOZ - it might take some time, be patient, but a listing here is helpful as many other directories and search engines use data from DMOZ. Getting a listing in the Yahoo Directory is also worthwhile paying for. Within seven days you could be listed on one of the most popular online directories.

5. Gain benefit from Wikipedia
One of the most popular online resources is Wikipedia - the online encyclopaedia edited by volunteers. Contributing content on your areas of expertise will help bring attention to you and your web site. You cannot simply put up a Wikipedia page all about your business - that would be considered "spam". But adding to existing pages, including your links where appropriate to relevant content on your web site, would be valuable to readers of Wikipedia and to your business.

6. Get links to your site
Having other people link to your site is essential. It shows that they trust you and like you enough to recommend you. Don't look for any old link; have a strategy to gain links from relevant sites that are also respected. A link on a relevant and respected site is worth many, many times more than a link on someone's site just because you happen to know them. So, if you are selling lawn mowers, get your site linked on gardening sites, web sites about grass growing and so on. Another way of generating useful links is to get your site bookmarked in del.icio.us and on Digg. Look for other social bookmarking sites like these in your specialist field. Try also StumbleUpon and ReddIt. To find useful sites to link to your web site you need Internet Business Promoter's Arelis feature.

7. Get involved online
Take part in forum discussions, Google Groups, Yahoo Groups and other discussion sites. Contribute also to Yahoo Answers. In doing so you bring attention to your expertise and also you get the opportunity to add a link to your web site or some of your appropriate content. Also, be on the lookout for blogs to which you can add comments, again showing your expertise and adding links to your web site, bringing it even more attention. To find suitable blogs use Google Blog Search.

8. Use traditional Public Relations
Many web site owners focus all their efforts online, forgetting that the "offline" world is a great way to publicise their web site. Indeed, the owners of Google did a considerable amount of PR to get their venture up and running. So take a tip from them, get as much "offline" publicity as you can. Get yourself listed in Expert Sources - journalists use this to find people to interview. Also make sure your web site has a "media" page that has all your contact details, examples of the kind of media exposure you are available for, links to articles about you, radio programmes you have featured in etc. Also, your web site media centre will need a selection of high resolution photographs of you and your business as well as a short business and personal biography. Your media centre should also include your press releases, if you have them. Journalists look at your web site and if they see a media centre they realise you are "friendly" towards the media and therefore are more likely to approach you. You can also distribute press releases automatically using Press Equalizer.

9. Take part in social networking sites
Use sites like Facebook, MySpace and Ecademy to bring attention to your expertise. On Ecademy you can become a "club leader" for your particular topic and on Facebook you can set up specialist groups on your area of expertise. By contributing to these sites - and others in your specialist area - you bring even more attention to your web site. Furthermore, you make it easy for your online contacts to mention your web site to other people online, thus further promoting your site. For a list of sites you can work with go to this list of social networking sites.

10. Take up public speaking
Every day there are thousands of business meetings that need speakers. All sorts of meetings are taking place from Chambers of Commerce breakfast meetings to lunchtime seminars to workshops and conferences. All need speakers. By offering yourself to business organisations as a speaker on your topic you can promote your business and gain further attention for your web site. In your talks all you need to do is mention your web site and some of the additional content you have available. Give everyone in the audience a handout or business card and they will all go to your web site as they have heard you speak and already have a relationship with you as a result. If you are nervous about speaking in public get some advice or training in presentation skills.

So, there you have it, ten ways you can get your web site noticed - and you didn't have to go near search engine optimisation!

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Your web host needed to be reliable, capable and affordable. But what features should you look for in a hosting company? Here are some ideas.

Reliability and Speed
Often "hosting companies" are actually resellers. This means they own nothing other than the web site where you sign up. What you want is to deal with a company that owns its own equipment and can guarantee 99% or better availability of your web site. That means you can count on your site being live virtually all of the time and that you will have access to it and your email. Being able to guarantee that type of reliability will generally require that the host have back up server capability. If you're not sure, check before you commit. Resellers can be a good thing if they bring better and more knowledgeable support to their resold services. Unfortunately, many resellers do not really have the resources or knowledge to adequately support you.

Easily accessible customer support
Look for both web-based and telephone support. One or the other should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Web solutions may include both email (or an email-based support ticket system) and live chat. You'll also want the support to be intelligent, reliable, and friendly. In addition, it will be helpful if they offer help files you can download or access online. Actually try their support and see if they respond quickly enough for your needs and if their support staff is helpful and knowledgeable.

Operating Systems
Do they use a standard operating system configuration that they keep updated on a routine basis? If they do not, you may have trouble getting newer scripts to work. They should offer both Linux and Windows servers for greatest flexibility.

Multiple domain hosting
If you never plan to create more than one website, this feature may not be important to you. But for most businesses, this is an important consideration when choosing a web host. Most web hosts today offer cost-effective options for hosting more than one domain on an account. Some even offer unlimited domains for one low monthly (or quarterly) rate. See www.hostseveralsites.com for a good example.

Email
How many email accounts do they provide? Are they POP email accounts? Can you add forwarders and email aliases? Look for web mail access as well. The better the service, the more options they will provide for email.

User Control Panel
Look for a comprehensive user control panel that allows you to manage your hosting account. There are many control panels than these so take a look at their demo system if they have one so that you can test it out.

Storage space and bandwidth
You want to plan for future growth of your site, both in terms of the size of the site itself, and in the amount of traffic it attracts. Ideally, you'll sign up with a web host that won't penalize you for your growth, at least not for a long time. 1Gb is a good minimum, and if necessary you should be able to easily upgrade your space without having to switch hosts.

Language and Database Support
They should support the key programming languages and databases that are used by web site scripts and should keep these up to date as well. On Linux you should look for PHP and Perl at the least. For a database, look for MySQL. You should be allowed at least one database. You should have your own CGI Bin. On Windows systems, look for MS Access at the least and MS SQL Server for power and speed. If you want to use the Microsoft .NET framework, your hosting will need to support that.

FTP Access
Many inexpensive hosting services do not provide File Transfer Protocol (FTP) access. You will need FTP access if you plan to add much material to your website or if you need to install scripts on your website. Also check that you can change permissions on your files via FTP or through SSH.

Domain Names
You should be able to register your domain names through the web hosting company. Otherwise you will find it difficult to administer things and set up sites. So check they do domain registration. There should be no restrictions on sub-domains.

Log files and statistics
You'll want to evaluate your site's performance over time, once it gets going. So having access to free statistics software and web logs will help with that analysis. Does the hosting service include a statistics program so you can monitor your website traffic?

Bandwidth
The main difference between the basic and expensive plans of any hosting service is the amount of bandwidth allowed per month. To figure how much bandwidth you need per month, multiply your visits per day x page views per visit x average page size x 30 days.

Example: 100 visits per day, 5 page views per visit, with a page size of 45 kb: 100 x 5 x 45 KB x 30 = 675,000 KB = 675 MB.

Try to get as much bandwidth for your money as possible, but beware of web hosting services that offer unlimited bandwidth. Read the fine print and their terms of use carefully. There is usually some kind of restriction that you will need to be aware of. Make sure you read up on how they charge you if you exceed your monthly bandwidth and what upgrades they have available.

Backups
There should be some sort of plan for backups with your web host. Ideally, they'll include it in your price, but you may have to pay extra. All companies, though, should be doing some sort of backing up as a routine security measure. Find out, too, what is backed up, e.g., files, databases, server settings, etc.

eCommerce
If you plan to run a shopping cart or secure payments or data transfers on your website, you need to make sure that the hosting service supports SSL.

Additional thoughts
You pay for what you get. If you find free hosting or very cheap hosting expect very cheap levels of service. You are asking for trouble because they probably do not make enough money to adequately support their equipment, systems or you.

Windows servers are usually more expensive than Linux servers because the Windows operating systems are not open source. The hosting company has to pay for using them.

When you are comparing plans, keep in mind that you are getting a better deal at £14.99 per month for ten domain names than £3.99 per month for one.

When you are looking for hosting don't be afraid to ask questions. Good hosting services have no problem directing you to helpful information or answering your questions in a way that you can understand.

Go virtual
A virtual dedicated server lets you run your sites as if you had your own "dedicated" server, except it is cheaper because you are really just using part of a server that has been split into multiple virtual dedicated servers.

You will find virtual dedicated server accounts starting at just £14.99 a month. You'll get a much larger chunk of bandwidth compared to shared hosting, and none of the problems that go with a shared host. You can also get multiple IP addresses that are exclusive to your sites.

So what's the catch? Not much. You'll probably spend a bit more on hosting each month. The main disadvantage of upgrading to virtual dedicated hosting is that you will need to be more technically proficient so that you can administer the server.

This requires a bit of time learning the necessary skills to make sure your server runs smoothly.

Many hosting providers will have a "premium" support offering that includes a bit more hand holding - this is definitely recommended if you don't have much experience with Linux, or are new to virtual dedicated hosting.

With the increased speed and bandwidth that a virtual dedicated host offers, and none of the shared hosting headaches, the move is one you will never regret. So, the question now becomes, are to ready and willing to take-on the challenge of virtual dedicated web hosting and save yourself some hard earned cash?

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