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Casual Articles - Is Your Company Name Killing Your Online Business?
You’ve spent a lot of time, energy and money setting up your customer list – so how do you make your list efficient and hopefully profitable?Make sure people actually want your email: Sounds silly I know, but an unwanted email is SPAM and not only gets sent to the junk folder but also reflects badly on your business. Always use a double opt in process and provide an unsubscribe link. Let your readers know when and how they joined your list.Let them know who you are: Some people join lots of lists, or don’t remember what they signed up for. Tell them at the top of each email when and where they signed up. Always sign your email with your name and contact details – including your telephone number. This not only inspires con
Looking again at the above example, this would mean that your title in almost all of the directories would be "The Brewmaster." This means the only place you would have left to put your keywords would be the description, and this again is up to the editor. This means that any site that has the search term "coffee" or "gourmet coffee" in both the title and description would come up far ahead of your site in the search results, costing you traffic and sales that could have been yours.
*The URL*
Here is another very much overlooked tool. Whenever possible, your URL should contain your most important keywords. Many engines and directories will give your site a boost if your keywords are found within your URL. Also, when you submit your site to the directories, if your URL, your company name, and yo
Contrary to popular belief, selling is the oldest profession in the world. Selling is also the most lucrative profession in the world and from the earliest days some of the wealthiest people have always been involved in selling. With the internet, selling once again took on a new dimension and what once started as the information super highway, soon became a global market place. Of all the many success stories, none can match Ebay and as the world biggest marketplace it dominates a huge part of the internet shopping market. On Ebay, you can make money selling virtually anything.When Ebay first started it was predominantly an auction site where people could ‘flog’ their unwanted goods. Today, Ebay is the largest online 'shopping mall' and you can f
Your identity. What separates you from everyone else.
I would be willing to bet that you spent a good deal of time coming up with the perfect name for your company. Am I right?
Something catchy, easy to remember, and unique. How am I doing so far?
What if I were to tell you that your company name is possibly the single biggest hindrance to your business's success online.
Unfortunately, for many companies it is.
Choosing a name for your business online is much different than choosing a name for a brick and mortar business.
You see, in the real world, a business with a catchy, easy to remember name will get traffic simply from people driving by on the street or walking by in a shopping center even if they have never heard of you before.
Unfortunately, this is not how things work online. Online, there is no drive-by traffic, no people walking in to your business because they were next door shopping.
Online, you must be found among a pool of tens of thousands of other businesses.
Online, people don't casually browse with friends to pass the time.
Online, people search... and unless your name is Microsoft, Wal-Mart, or another extremely well known and well branded name, people are not going to search for your company name.
Studies show that approximately 80% of Internet users find what they are looking for by way of search engines (i.e., Yahoo, AltaVista, Excite, etc.), and I guarantee you, they are not going to be searching for your wonderful catchy name, they will be searching for the topic they want.
Let me give you an example. Let's say you own a gourmet coffee business called "The Brewmaster" that you decide to take online. Of course you love your name and create your online identity around your offline name. You reserve the domain name "www.brewmaster.com," keep your company name, and title your site "The Brewmaster."
You've submitted your site to Yahoo as well as all the other directories and search engines. Ahhh... life is good. Orders should start rolling in any minute now...
Guess what? Unless you have a HUGE marketing budget for banner ads, etc., you've just doomed your business.
Let's look at why.
First, let's look at the...
*Site Title*
Whether you're dealing with a directory or a search engine, the site title is the single most important aspect of your listing. For search engines, the text found within the title tags of the page is given more weight than any other single factor on that page (i.e., keyword density, keyword frequency, heading tags, etc.). In a directory, your entire listing is comprised of two things, your title, and your description.
In both cases, if the keywords related to your business are not found in your title, your chances of coming up in a search are virtually non-existent. If your site is about "gourmet coffee" then those words, or at the very least, "coffee," should be somewhere within your title.
*The Company Name*
Just as your site title should have your most important keywords within them, so should your company name.
Why, you ask?! The answer... directories.
In directories, when a visitor uses the search function (which is what the vast majority use) you will only be found if the search term the visitor uses is found either in your site title or your description. Unfortunately, virtually all directories require your site title to be your actual company name. Remember that directories are powered by humans, not software. A human reviews the site, and assigns the title and description that he/she decides is correct. Yes, they all let you suggest a site title, but ultimately, regardless of what you submit, your title almost always ends up as your company name.
Looking again at the above example, this would mean that your title in almost all of the directories would be "The Brewmaster." This means the only place you would have left to put your keywords would be the description, and this again is up to the editor. This means that any site that has the search term "coffee" or "gourmet coffee" in both the title and description would come up far ahead of your site in the search results, costing you traffic and sales that could have been yours.
*The URL*
Here is another very much overlooked tool. Whenever possible, your URL should contain your most important keywords. Many engines and directories will give your site a boost if your keywords are found within your URL. Also, when you submit your site to the directories, if your URL, your company name, and you
I receive many jokes in my inbox. Jokes are brilliant because not only do they make you laugh, but if you pay attention, you can usually find an imbedded lesson. The fascinating aspect is that the same joke can impart a different message depending on the recipient’s head space and time.In my training and coaching practice, we often start with assessments. Let me share this joke with you and then I’ll describe the lesson I learned from it with relation to assessment tools.A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinarian’s office. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your Duck Cuddles has passed
Online, you must be found among a pool of tens of thousands of other businesses.
Online, people don't casually browse with friends to pass the time.
Online, people search... and unless your name is Microsoft, Wal-Mart, or another extremely well known and well branded name, people are not going to search for your company name.
Studies show that approximately 80% of Internet users find what they are looking for by way of search engines (i.e., Yahoo, AltaVista, Excite, etc.), and I guarantee you, they are not going to be searching for your wonderful catchy name, they will be searching for the topic they want.
Let me give you an example. Let's say you own a gourmet coffee business called "The Brewmaster" that you decide to take online. Of course you love your name and create your online identity around your offline name. You reserve the domain name "www.brewmaster.com," keep your company name, and title your site "The Brewmaster."
You've submitted your site to Yahoo as well as all the other directories and search engines. Ahhh... life is good. Orders should start rolling in any minute now...
Guess what? Unless you have a HUGE marketing budget for banner ads, etc., you've just doomed your business.
Let's look at why.
First, let's look at the...
*Site Title*
Whether you're dealing with a directory or a search engine, the site title is the single most important aspect of your listing. For search engines, the text found within the title tags of the page is given more weight than any other single factor on that page (i.e., keyword density, keyword frequency, heading tags, etc.). In a directory, your entire listing is comprised of two things, your title, and your description.
In both cases, if the keywords related to your business are not found in your title, your chances of coming up in a search are virtually non-existent. If your site is about "gourmet coffee" then those words, or at the very least, "coffee," should be somewhere within your title.
*The Company Name*
Just as your site title should have your most important keywords within them, so should your company name.
Why, you ask?! The answer... directories.
In directories, when a visitor uses the search function (which is what the vast majority use) you will only be found if the search term the visitor uses is found either in your site title or your description. Unfortunately, virtually all directories require your site title to be your actual company name. Remember that directories are powered by humans, not software. A human reviews the site, and assigns the title and description that he/she decides is correct. Yes, they all let you suggest a site title, but ultimately, regardless of what you submit, your title almost always ends up as your company name.
Looking again at the above example, this would mean that your title in almost all of the directories would be "The Brewmaster." This means the only place you would have left to put your keywords would be the description, and this again is up to the editor. This means that any site that has the search term "coffee" or "gourmet coffee" in both the title and description would come up far ahead of your site in the search results, costing you traffic and sales that could have been yours.
*The URL*
Here is another very much overlooked tool. Whenever possible, your URL should contain your most important keywords. Many engines and directories will give your site a boost if your keywords are found within your URL. Also, when you submit your site to the directories, if your URL, your company name, and yo
Many franchise companies fail to send the proper message to their prospective franchisees. This is partly due to the over regulation and intensity of litigation in the industry. Smaller franchisors are generally hurt the most from these factors and consumer or buyers of their American Dream seem to feel slighted at a the impersonal approach. Many franchise company’s sales departments walk a fine line between disclosure laws and the information they are allowed to depart to the prospect franchisees. This immediately causes friction. To alleviate this problem smaller franchisees need to send a more personal message in the name of their founder to re-assure prospects that they care. Below is a sample letter our company, The Car Wash Guys, www.carwashguys.co
You've submitted your site to Yahoo as well as all the other directories and search engines. Ahhh... life is good. Orders should start rolling in any minute now...
Guess what? Unless you have a HUGE marketing budget for banner ads, etc., you've just doomed your business.
Let's look at why.
First, let's look at the...
*Site Title*
Whether you're dealing with a directory or a search engine, the site title is the single most important aspect of your listing. For search engines, the text found within the title tags of the page is given more weight than any other single factor on that page (i.e., keyword density, keyword frequency, heading tags, etc.). In a directory, your entire listing is comprised of two things, your title, and your description.
In both cases, if the keywords related to your business are not found in your title, your chances of coming up in a search are virtually non-existent. If your site is about "gourmet coffee" then those words, or at the very least, "coffee," should be somewhere within your title.
*The Company Name*
Just as your site title should have your most important keywords within them, so should your company name.
Why, you ask?! The answer... directories.
In directories, when a visitor uses the search function (which is what the vast majority use) you will only be found if the search term the visitor uses is found either in your site title or your description. Unfortunately, virtually all directories require your site title to be your actual company name. Remember that directories are powered by humans, not software. A human reviews the site, and assigns the title and description that he/she decides is correct. Yes, they all let you suggest a site title, but ultimately, regardless of what you submit, your title almost always ends up as your company name.
Looking again at the above example, this would mean that your title in almost all of the directories would be "The Brewmaster." This means the only place you would have left to put your keywords would be the description, and this again is up to the editor. This means that any site that has the search term "coffee" or "gourmet coffee" in both the title and description would come up far ahead of your site in the search results, costing you traffic and sales that could have been yours.
*The URL*
Here is another very much overlooked tool. Whenever possible, your URL should contain your most important keywords. Many engines and directories will give your site a boost if your keywords are found within your URL. Also, when you submit your site to the directories, if your URL, your company name, and yo
Has your sales team just completed its third record-setting month in a row? Did your advertising team pull off a spectacular campaign under a tight deadline? Have you just closed the books on your most successful year ever? One of the best ways to motivate your employees to continue working hard is to reward work well done with fun.It's a simple enough concept, and one that is central to the concept of team building. People work harder when their hard work is noticed and appreciated. While a little extra swag in the pay cheque is always appreciated, there are other ways to show appreciation and recognition that can help cement the team spirit you've been working so hard to foster. One of the best of these is to offer special corporate event weeken
*The Company Name*
Just as your site title should have your most important keywords within them, so should your company name.
Why, you ask?! The answer... directories.
In directories, when a visitor uses the search function (which is what the vast majority use) you will only be found if the search term the visitor uses is found either in your site title or your description. Unfortunately, virtually all directories require your site title to be your actual company name. Remember that directories are powered by humans, not software. A human reviews the site, and assigns the title and description that he/she decides is correct. Yes, they all let you suggest a site title, but ultimately, regardless of what you submit, your title almost always ends up as your company name.
Looking again at the above example, this would mean that your title in almost all of the directories would be "The Brewmaster." This means the only place you would have left to put your keywords would be the description, and this again is up to the editor. This means that any site that has the search term "coffee" or "gourmet coffee" in both the title and description would come up far ahead of your site in the search results, costing you traffic and sales that could have been yours.
*The URL*
Here is another very much overlooked tool. Whenever possible, your URL should contain your most important keywords. Many engines and directories will give your site a boost if your keywords are found within your URL. Also, when you submit your site to the directories, if your URL, your company name, and yo
The purpose of a resume is to get an interview.If you are not getting interviews, chances are that your resume is not doing its job.Either that, or you’re not applying for the right jobs!You can go a long way to having success with your job search by remembering a few simple ideas related to resume writing:1. Don’t forget the goal of your resume.The goal of your resume is to simply get an interview. It’s not to tell people the salary you are looking for, it’s not to let the reader (ie. the hiring manager) know of everything you have ever done in your career or life, it’s simply to get to the interview stage.Getting an interview means that your resume has successfully shown the reader that you have the prof
Looking again at the above example, this would mean that your title in almost all of the directories would be "The Brewmaster." This means the only place you would have left to put your keywords would be the description, and this again is up to the editor. This means that any site that has the search term "coffee" or "gourmet coffee" in both the title and description would come up far ahead of your site in the search results, costing you traffic and sales that could have been yours.
*The URL*
Here is another very much overlooked tool. Whenever possible, your URL should contain your most important keywords. Many engines and directories will give your site a boost if your keywords are found within your URL. Also, when you submit your site to the directories, if your URL, your company name, and your site title all match, that will virtually guarantee that you will get the title you requested.
Let's tie the three previous areas together with an example of what you could have named your site instead of "The Brewmaster."
Here's one possible alternative: "Gourmet Coffee Brewmaster."
The above alternative would give you a company name that includes your most important keywords and the perfect title for your page.
You could then reserve the domain -- http://www.gourmet-coffee-brewmaster.com -- giving you a perfect trifecta. The same company name, page title, and URL -- practically insuring that you get the directory listing you want.
Of course, this is only one possibility, but I think this should illustrate the point.
To Summarize
- Unless you have a huge advertising budget or are an extremely well branded business, DO NOT name your online business something like the above example.
- Use a business name that contains your most important keywords.
- Use this business name as your site title.
- Use a URL that contains your most important keywords and whenever possible, is the same as, or as close as possible to, your keyword-laden business name.
Follow these rules and you should have no trouble developing a very steady flow of large amounts of traffic from the directories, and you will be well on your way in the search engine arena as well.
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BB link (for phorums):
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