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' WEBSITE101: READING LIST
Reaching Great Minds Online
June 5, 2000 Issue #47
Mike Valentine, Editor, learn@website101.com
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"WEBSITE101: READING LIST".
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Sponsor Ad: BigSmart!
=> Feature article: Eight Cylinder SEO Convertible!
=> Our Guest Column: Don't Let HTML Scare You!
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Eight Cylinder SEO Convertible
(or How to Learn Search Engine Optimization)
by Mike Banks Valentine
I started at ZERO (or maybe lower) with my advertising budget,
but I've just read an article that convinces me beyond a doubt
that the best method to success for small business or home office
web sites is to work tirelessly at search engine optimization and
submission.
There are barriers to entry starting to be raised for the newcomer
to ecommerce. It used to be that the web provided a level playing
field and allowed everyone entry into the race of internet commerce.
Some large companies are now paying upwards of $15,000 to $20,000
per MONTH for visibility and marketing through public relations,
press release campaigns and search engine optimization.
As a guerilla marketing specialist, I emphasize the affordable
grassroots method of learning to effectively promote yourself
online.
Here's an extensive list of articles addressing these issues for
small business, read them and learn some of the "Secrets"
that
are usually *sold* to newbies looking for success online.
http://website101.com/arch/
Statistics show that the average purchaser online saw your message
(link, newsletter, banner ad, classified ad, direct mail piece,
newsgroup posting, email signature line) up to 7 times before
they chose to visit your website and consider buying. Then only
one percent of them actually do so. If that were true then you
would have been expected to make only 4 sales with 400 visitors.
And that is only if they came because they were ready to buy what
you sell! People comparison shop looking for best price, free
delivery, perks, frequent buyer clubs, discounts, etc., and if
you don't offer the right combination to capture that surfer,
you are gone in the time it takes to click a mouse.
The surprise to many new online businesses is the extremely high
amount of traffic they must generate in order to produce each sale.
*Assuming you make it easy to buy by offering real-time credit card
approval only one or two clicks deep into your site with clearly
labled links that they understand easily.
*Assuming your site is attractively designed and professional
looking.
*Assuming you have convinced your visitors that they can
trust you to handle their money or their credit card.
*Assuming they are satisfied at your posted privacy policy and
your promise not to offer their personal information to third
parties like advertisers or even spam lists.
*Assuming all of that, you can expect to make sales to about one
percent of your visitors.
This means you must increase your traffic tremendously to generate
any sales, even if you are doing everything well. Statistics show
that 46% of all traffic comes from the search engines. If you
don't do well in the search engines (show up in the top 30
listings for your chosen keyword/subject) you can forget about
making it online unless you DO have a massive advertising budget.
It all boils down to one thing. Learn to do search engine
positioning, optimization and submission yourself and do it
effectively. All of this is the main reason that web marketing
"secrets" are the biggest sellers online for the internet
marketing gurus. It's getting tougher to make it online, I wish
you luck in the future as you learn the art of search engine
positioning and guerilla marketing tactics.
But I won't leave you stranded by the side of the road, here's
a tutorial to help you to learn Search Engine Positioning. If you'd
like access to "Eight Ingredients to Search Engine Success"
just
drop by WebSite101 at http://website101.com/join.html and we'll
give you the keys to this little beauty so you can take it for a
spin. You'll see for yourself how to zoom to the top of the search
engines.
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This article is available for reprint with the following resource
box and links included:
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Mike Banks Valentine operates WebSite101 Short Course, Small
Business Internet Tutorial mailto:website101@smartbotpro.net
Join the WebSite101 "Reading List" Small Business Web
Marketing
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and will hold any TEN Rocket Edition eBooks!
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Don't Let HTML Scare Or Deter You From Getting
Your Business Online!
By Joe Reinbold
Many new internet marketers or prospective online business
owners balk at the idea of having to become familiar with
HTML so that they can create and/or modify their future web
pages. And it is one of the most common questions I get
asked by new subscribers and visitors to my site - "Do I
have to know HTML?" I went through the same anxiety and
reservations when we were first considering taking our
business online. I took a look at the HTML that made up
some of the web pages and said WOW, what the heck is that!
HTML or HyperText Markup Language is one of the major
languages on the Web used to write web pages. It gives you
the ability to combine text, pictures, sounds and links
all in one page.
I had no background in programing or even an inkling of
what HTML was or how it worked. It seemed like an obstacle
that I wouldn't be able to get around. But I was determined
to get my online business up and running and I didn't have
a budget that would allow me to contract out my web page
development.
So I started asking around about HTML on different discussion
boards and did some searches and was surprised at the amount
of information that was available free. There are many sites
out there with lessons on how to use HTML to construct a web
page. Likewise there are many sites with free graphics,
free cgi and java scripts. So it wasn't long before I had a
basic web page put together and it also wasn't long before I
started understanding some of the coding and could mess around
with it to make a page look different.
I want to digress a bit here in discussing my learning curve.
During my research about HTML, I found out that there were a
number of software products that made working with HTML in
constructing a web page relatively simple. These programs
actually allowed you to construct a great web page with out
really knowing HTML at all. The one that I started out with
was called "Hot Dog" available at www.sausage.com.au (I
am
not kidding about the name, that's what it's called) and its
cost is just under $100. I have been using it since mid-1998.
I don't sell it so I am not looking for a commission. I found
it easy to learn and use even though I had little or no
experience with HTML. I subsequently purchased Frontpage2000
but I still use Hot Dog because I find it simpler. If you are
interested in Frontpage you can find some tips and how to
tutorials at www.microsoft.com/frontpage
This type program basically creates the HTML code for you.
You enter the text and use drop down lists to select what
action you want to take in respect to creating the HTML code.
It really is great and as you use it, you are learning the
actions that each piece of code can do to or for your page.
I mentioned earlier that there are many sites where you can
get free information regarding learning how to build your
own web pages. Here are a few:
HTML Tutorials in Web Design
http://www.bfree.on.ca/HTML/index.htm
HTML: An Interactive Tutorial For Beginners
http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html
A Crash Course in HTML
http://www.w3-tech.com/crash/HTMLMenu.html
HTML Help
http://www.htmlhelp.com
Those are just a few of the many sites that offer free help.
As indicated above, there are also sites where you can get
other resources you can use to design your own site/page. And
they are all free. If you would like links to free cgi scripts,
java scripts, banner generation services, graphics and more
just visit our free resource page at:
http://www.homebizlink.com/freeserv.htm
Don't look at the HTML of some page you think looks great
and let it scare you or deter you from your goal of getting
your business online. It looked awesome to me too when I
started but now I do all my own web pages and my site now
has over 50 individual pages. Play around with it, change
it, test it and you will learn it! AND you will be online
before you know it!
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Article by Joe Reinbold, Publisher of Home Income Quarterly
E-dition, a free weekly online marketing newsletter. To subscribe
just mailto:subscribe@homebizlink.com with "Subscribe"
in the
subject. Or visit The Entrepreneur's Home Business Link where you
will find the solutions to your home business needs at:
http://www.homebizlink.com
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Copyright © 2000 Mike Valentine
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-------------------WebSite101: Reading List-------------------
ISSN: 1527-5094
Mike Valentine
WebSite 101
learn@website101.com
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June 9, 2001
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