1) A Solid Business Plan
Develop a business that provides a services that people want or need and create a game plan or overall strategy to follow that is analyzed and adjusted over time
2) A Memorable Name
Create a business name that people will remember and that reflects the product or service you provide. (ex: Networking Wave)
When selecting a name for your website, there are 2 trains of thought:
A) Choose a domain with your business name (ex: NetworkingWave.com)
B) Choose a domain that contains words associated with your business (ex: online-business-networking.com)
3) Website Structure
The internal structure or computer programming and coding of a website has much to do with the navigation, architecture and overall usability of a website. If the structure is poor, search engines such as Google.com cannot or will not be able to view the content of your website, and thus, will either rank your website lower or not list your website at all.
A) Use http://validator.w3.org to view coding errors.
* There should be little to no coding errors.
B) Content to Coding Ratio
* Methods should be used that reduce the amount of coding that search engines have to sift through in order to find the quality keyword rich content.
4) On Page Content
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) was initially developed to put newspaper articles online. HTML provides the ability to control style and position of content on a web page.
Here are some good basic practices to create good web page content:
A) Keyword Research – https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
* Keywords are words or phrases that people input in search engines such as Google.com to find websites and information online.
B) Meta Tags – Title and Meta Tags are generally hidden from the user but are important to search engines. – http://www.longhurstsolutions.com/character-word-counter.html
1) Title – Located at very top of the web browser. No more that 66 characters long and full of relevant keywords (ex: B2B Network, Online Business Networking Groups, Leads & Referrals).
2) Description – No more than 150 characters (ex: B2B Network of Online Business Networking Groups with Member Directory, Events Calendar & Discussion Forum to Get Sales Leads, Referrals, Testimonials).
3) Keywords – No more than 5 to 10 keywords or phrases per page listed in order of importance (ex: b2b, referral, referrals, lead, leads, network, networking, business networking, networking groups, online business).
C) Internal Navigation – http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
* A client should be able to easily find information. Search engines prefer text-based links. Use the tool provided to find broken links on a website.
D) Headers and Copywriting
* Content categories should be listed using H1, H2 and H3 tags. Copywriting is the technique of integrating keywords and thoughts into a coherent, readable and relevant message that attracts clients.
5) Offsite Content and Internet Marketing
There are a number of strategies that can be used that can increase web page traffic without altering the web page.
A) Register your URL with search engines and directories
B) Sitemap – A list of internal web pages (ex: http://www.networkingwave.com/sitemap.txt)
C) Link Building – Put a link on another website that points back to your website – (ex: <a href=”http://www.networkingwave.com/“>Online Business Networking Groups – NetworkingWave.com</a>).
D) List website on all marketing material, including email.
6) Standard Networking
Join business and networking organizations, such as a chamber of commerce and NetworkingWave.com, to create business connections and opportunities.
7) Advertisement
There are numerous ways to advertise a business both online and offline. The value in advertisement should be calculated in relationship with Return On Investment (ROI).
8) Public Relations and Social Media
There are numerous ways to improve relationships with the general public, including newsletters, email campaigns, blogging and online social media. Here is a short list of opportunities.
A) Newsletters and Email Campaigns – http://www.mobilestorm.com, http://www.contantcontact.com
B) Blogging
* Blogging is a science and artform in and of itself. Essentially, you want to create relevant content that is related to your industry that people want to read about that will create positive name recognition and drive traffic to your website. There are numerous blogs to choose from, including: Blogger.com and Wordpress.com.
C) Social Media
* Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other others help create social connections and a following of like minded individuals. It is not enough to just create a profile. It is an ongoing process of generating contacts, describing yourself and fostering stronger relationships.
9) Track and Analyze
It is critical to be able to objectively analyze where you are obtaining your clients from – http://www.google.com/analytics/. This tool, once integrated onto a website, provides a wealth of information about traffic on a website.
10) Purpose, Goals, Passion
Technique is only half the battle. It is critical that you believe in your product or service, be willing to put in the effort, and have the passion and commitment to see it through.
Valentine’s Day Sidewalk Sale – Saturday February 13, 2010
