Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Every online and offline business operates through a series of practices. Practices are essentially systems you’ve established to accomplish something for your business. For example, when someone sends you an email inquiring about your products or services, what you do with that email is considered a practice.
How you communicate your practice is considered a policy. Many businesses publish a number of their policies. For example, a return policy or a privacy policy. When you maintain good online business practices and policies, you retain customers.
There are essentially five criteria a policy or practice is evaluated by. It must be:
* Fair and reasonable – Additionally, if you state a policy or a practice you must follow through on it. For example, if you say a client can return a product within thirty days, you must honor that agreement.
* Communicated clearly – Your practices don’t all need to be published on your website. However, they should be communicated clearly when it’s a relevant time to do so. For example, during your shopping cart procedure a customer should be made aware of your return policy. They should also be made aware of your return policy when you thank them for their order and/or when you ship or deliver the product.
* Effective – Your practices should help you accomplish your goals. They should also support and enhance your customers’ overall experience with your company.
* Transparent – Your policies and practices need to be clear and easy for your customers and prospects to find and understand.
* Legal – They need to be legal so you and your customers are protected under the law.
One of the most common practices is your data collection practice and subsequent privacy policy. People want to know how you collect their information and how you protect their privacy. When you make this information readily available on your website and it’s communicated clearly, it’s fair and reasonable and you follow through, you’ll keep customers. It strengthens your relationship with them.
Business Practices Offer Business Benefits
Each practice you create and put into action becomes become part of your business. When your business practices support both you and your customer, your business will run efficiently and effectively. When you miss something along the way, you risk losing customers.
Good business practices support you to:
* Communicate effectively
* Motivate loyalty
* Enhance word of mouth
* Spur positive reviews and feedback
* Generate testimonials
* Operate efficiently
* Profit consistently
Take the time to review your business practices. Do they support your customer to have a fantastic experience? Do they support your success? Are they fair, legal, communicated effectively and honored? When you respect your customer through your business practices, they’ll return again and again. It’s one of the best ways to establish long-term success through customer loyalty.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
An SEO boost can be invigorating both for your profits and also for your mindset. It’s an accomplishment that can have a serious impact on your business. Here are seven ways to give your website an SEO boost.
#1 Target an easy search phrase – one that has lots of demand and little supply. These phrases are often the phrases that are three or four keywords long. They may begin with “How to” or “Tips for”. Use keyword tools to help you find those unique keyword phrases to focus on.
The reason for targeting these easy search phrases is that you can quickly achieve a top page rank. You can then use these content pages to link to other pages within your website – the pages where you ideally want your traffic to go.
#2 Social bookmark your key pages – Choose a few key pages and list them with social bookmarking sites. Sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and Delicious. Social bookmarking sites create both traffic and incoming links.
#3 Link to your key pages from social networking sites and blogs – Commenting on blogs and participating on social networking sites drives traffic to your site. It can also give you an SEO boost. People may link to your website and specific pages on your website once they learn about your valuable content and information.
#4 Internal linking – Targeting the same key pages, create an internal linking structure within your website to draw attention to these pages. You can identify a keyword or keyword phrase you’re trying to optimize and link to pages that use those keywords.
#5 Write more content on your niche keyword phrase or phrases – Content is ultimately what search engines index. The more relevant content you have, the more value the search engines place on your site. Creating keyword-focused content can give you the SEO boost you’re looking for.
#6 Make sure your existing content is optimized – This is accomplished by:
* Placing keywords in your headline
* Placing keywords in your subheadings
* Placing keywords in your first and last paragraph
* Place relevant and supporting keywords throughout the body of the copy
#7 User-generated content – You can use interactive features to motivate user-generated content. This content can give you a great SEO boost. Look for opportunities to ask for contributions. For example, ask advice and then let people post their responses to your site. (Of course you have full rights and control over the content).
Boosting your search engine optimization takes a goal and a plan. Choose the keywords or keyword phrases you want to focus on. Then embrace these seven tips to increase your ranking for those keywords. Watch your rankings increase and your traffic grow.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Think about the people and companies you buy from. You buy from people and companies you like. You buy from people and companies that represent credibility and authority. You buy from people and companies who have created a strong image in your mind.
Your customers buy for the same reasons. They buy from companies that have a strong online brand. Here are five strategies to establish a strong online brand:
#1 Publish off site
Publishing is a wonderful way to establish a brand. Each piece of content you create represents who you are and what you stand for. Your personality carries through in your content. If you publish on other websites, you’re able to reach out and attract more customers. You’re able to develop a strong brand. Publish on:
* Blogs
* Article directories
* Other websites
* Newsletters
* Syndicate your content
And don’t forget offline publications too, including:
* Magazines
* Newspapers
* Journals
#2 Network
Networking, both online and off, helps establish you as a real person. It helps you connect with others in your industry and your community. The more people you connect with, the stronger your brand will grow.
And don’t forget social networking sites. Each interaction, post and comment is an invaluable opportunity to strengthen your brand. In fact, social networking is one of the most effective tools you can use to strengthen your brand.
#3 Be consistent
Consistency establishes a strong brand. If your personality changes from communication to communication, your prospects and customers can become confused. However, if you’re consistently thoughtful, funny, controversial, or serious then your brand will get stronger. This includes social networking interactions, email, articles and content, video and interviews.
It’s one of the most important reasons why you should be your authentic self when branding your business. If you brand your business to be controversial but that’s not your personality, it will be difficult to hold onto that brand image. A small business owner’s brand is most often their personality. It may be emphasized but it’s still uniquely you.
#4 Share
One of the best ways to strengthen your brand is to share. Share a photo or video of yourself instead of a logo or a graphic image. Share stories and experiences as they relate to your topic. Also share your knowledge. Host workshops and seminars. Host online classes. Share information that’s important to you as well. The more people get to know you and who you are, the stronger your brand will grow.
#5 Give stuff away – especially content
Finally, consider giving things away. Everyone likes to get something valuable for free. And you can brand your giveaways. Encourage people to share your freebies with others. For example, you could write an e-book and brand it to you and your business. Give it away for free and encourage others to share it and the information inside. Each person that reads your amazing information will gain a positive image of you and your brand.
There are many strategies to strengthen your online brand to attract customers. Remember that we buy from people we trust and we like. Embrace your unique personality as your brand and apply it to everything you do. You will attract customers naturally through your brand personality.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Analytics are a business owner’s best friend. They can help you optimize your strategies and tactics. They help you get a better understanding of what your customer wants and needs. Website analytics can be the most valuable asset you have. However, choosing the right analytic tools can be overwhelming. There are many to choose from. Here’s a brief list of some of the more popular analytic tools, and advice on how to choose the right one for you.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is free. You simply register with Google if you don’t already have an account. Sign up for the analytics tool by providing a bit of information about your website. Then it’s merely a matter of cutting and pasting the code into your website.
You can choose your settings and the data you track. Google tracks visits, average time on site, page views and the referral source. It also tracks geographic data and can be used to track split testing results. It’s a comprehensive analytics tool that provides just about everything a website owner could need.
Piwik
Piwik is an open source type of analytics. That means it’s free. It’s also open for development. This can be a big advantage if you want your analytics to accomplish something new. Piwik is designed to be the open source alternative to Google analytics so their offerings are similar. With Piwik your analytic data is on your server. You own your data. Additionally, you can customize your interface to suit your needs.
AWStats
AWStats is another popular analytics tool. Again, it provides much of the same data as most other analytics tools. However, it also provides some unique data. For example:
* Visits of robots
* Worm attacks
* HTTP errors
* Number of times your site is added to a visitor’s favorites
AWStats doesn’t work with all websites. You’ll need to double check before you install it. It can work with all web hosting providers which allow Perl, CGI and log access.
Site Meter
Site Meter offers two options. They offer a free version. They also offer a paid version that starts at $6.95 for 25,000 page views. The rate increases depending on your page views. Site Meter offers a vast amount of information including page views, bounce rate and time spent on your site. Site Meter also tracks the path your visitor takes when they arrive at your website. This is extremely valuable information. It can help you tighten your website content and copy to achieve a desired result.
Which Analytic Tool Do You Choose?
Decide which data points will be most useful. What do you need to know to optimize your website? Also consider who you trust with your data. If you utilize a service, then they have access to your website data. If you install the software on your server then you’re the only one that has access to your data. Also make sure you can easily read and understand the reports. All of the tools mentioned provide demo data and reporting.
Once you have a trusted source and the data you need to grow your business, it comes down to price and personal preference. Most analytics tools are free or very inexpensive. Choose your tool, install it and start taking advantage of the information website analytics provide.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
There are millions of websites. This is both an opportunity and a challenge. If you’re a website owner, you want to stand out from the crowd. When you achieve website prominence the competition no longer matters. Here’s how to stand out from the crowd:
#1 Easy navigation
It sounds so simple, yet many websites are a navigational disaster. When a visitor cannot find what they need quickly and easily, they leave. Ideally your website will be designed to facilitate a visitor’s experience. Not only should they be able to quickly and easily find what they’re looking for, you also want to guide them to achieve your goals.
For example, if you’re an affiliate marketer you want to guide your prospects to the second and third tier pages where your affiliate links and ads are placed.
#2 Keyword research
Keyword research supports easy navigation. Your visitors and prospects find your site with keywords. That means those same keywords need to be present on your site and easy to find. They not only need to be part of the content, they should also be part of the navigation. Research your keywords to support your customers and prospects. Include them in the navigation flow.
Additionally, keyword research helps you provide the most valuable and beneficial content possible. When you know what your customers and prospects are looking for, you can provide it. Providing top quality content will set you apart from the majority of your competition.
#3 Analytics
Analytics provide valuable inside information. They help you track where your customers go on your website. They also tell you:
* How long people stay on a single web page
* How long they stay on your site
* How they found your website
* What keywords they use to find your website
* How many visitors return to your website
This information is invaluable. Create a practice where you analyze your website analytics regularly. Create content and navigation systems that support your findings. And take the initiative to test and track your results. For example, if you add a new feature on your website like a survey, test and track where on your site it receives the most attention.
Standing out from the crowd isn’t difficult. However, it does require a solid plan. Know your audience. Research your keywords. Create a navigation structure that supports your customers and your business goals. And pay attention to the data. Your website analytics are the key to helping you achieve website prominence.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
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