Business Alone

Online business owners need to become familiar with the concept of "keyword research."

I will explain, in a very basic way, what keywords are, why they are so important, and how they are found and used.

Very simply, keywords are the words you use on your web site and in your marketing to let your prospects know exactly what your business is all about.

They are the words that succinctly "target" your audience.

Keywords are used so that search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN will understand what your business is all about so they can send you customers that are looking for what you have to offer.

From your prospect's point of view, keywords are the short phrases that they will enter into web searches in order to find what they are searching for.

Anyone can choose a name. Anything will get you by. But the way I see it . . . why not find the very best name you can that will give value and meaning to your business?

Sure it will take a little bit of effort and some time to come up with the perfect name, but I can tell you that finding it will pay you great dividends over time.

Especially on the Internet, your business name sets you apart, defines your niche, and is the address that customers will be hunting for if your marketing reaches them.

So what's in a name? What considerations are important as you mull over the choices that you have? How do you find the best alternative available?

One of the first considerations in choosing a name for your new online solo enterprise should be to find out if someone else has already reserved and registered the same (or a similar) name.

You can hire this chore out to a professional firm if you have lots of money for such things or if you don't trust your own research capability.

Handing this chore off would probably be a good idea if you were treading on thin ice with your preferred name. For example, if you planned to register a name that is very close to a protected name, something like Amazon Jungle for your new book service, you may want to put the burden of proof on a company that will guarantee their results and have the legal muscle to steer the process through to conclusion.

What I am about to say may strike a chord of discontent among many of you . . . but that's okay.

It will bring to light a strategy that many of the Internet's most successful and profitable business persons have adopted on the road to increased business and nice incomes.

I will ask the question again, "Who gives out points for creativity and innovation?"

Most entrepreneurs and new small business owners feel that in order to be successful at Internet business, they must create or invent the next unique and valuable product - something different from all others in the same niche market. I beg to differ.

Now I am certainly not opposed to being creative or innovative, all of the other things being equal, it's a real blessing to have these personal characteristics manifest in your business. . . but . . .

Most often though, success is found in other ways. Here are some examples:

Over the years I've been watching and participating in small business development, I've noticed that the successful businesses tend to be the ones that are driven by an owner that knows how to execute a plan.

The successful owner may not be overly intelligent, have a cutting edge business idea, or the latest technology infused in his business.

The successful owner doesn't have to be too creative or even a great writer.

Often, this is simply the guy that knows where he wants his business to go and he executes the plan consistently over time without a lot of distraction.

Here are ten not very creative ideas to try in your business if you want to be noticed as standing apart from the crowd.

Before we get to today's post, let's take a minute to remember the victims of the September 11th tradgedy of 2001. It's hard to believe that it's been six years since we endured that nightmare.

Let's remember what has made our country strong and each do our individual part to continue that heritage of courage, hard work, and a never say die attitude - each an important trait for small business owners.

Okay, we'll move on.

I've been thinking a lot about Internet real estate and branding, and whether they are important undertakings of solo business. I've been asking myself questions like:

- Is it worth the effort and expense for a small business owner to try to establish a brand of some kind for his business?

- In the Internet world of big corporations, net real estate has increasing value. But does that same concept apply to small businesses as well?

- Is there a way for a solo business owner to add value to his property beyond the value of the information he publishes at his web site?

The owner of a solo digital information business is the perfect candidate for a targeted niche blog authored by the business owner and directed to support and advertise the business and the product.

Remember that the solo business owner is generally an independent, a free spirited thinker, one who prefers to do business alone without the constraints of employees, physical overhead, or management induced policies and rules.

This is exactly the profile of a successful blogger: one that is not shy about forming his own biases and opinions based on his life experiences and then publishing and sharing his knowledge and ideas with other like-minded nichers that hunger for the same type of information.

Every small business owner wrestles with understanding how to increase his business.

The bottom line is this: "How do I bring additional revenue into the company?"

Well friends, you have just two choices: sell more or charge more.

Regardless of how complicated you try to make this puzzle, these are the only two things you can do to increase your business.

Everything else you do supports your ability to make additional sales or charge more for the products and services you sell.

Now comes the critical question: "What can the business owner do to increase sales?"

How many ways are there for a small business to fail?

Don't try to count them . . . life is too short as it is . . .

I want to talk a bit about one of the dangers of solo Internet business.

I have always preached the message of niche specialization for the solo business owner. I say you should dig down deep and become an expert in a very tightly focused market.

I have to be careful here because I'm not a search engine optimization wizard.

What I am going to tell you is either what I have experienced or what I have gleaned from others that I consider to be very knowledgeable on the subject.

Often business owners wonder what the best URL or business naming strategy is for an online business or product. Sometimes they even wonder if the domain name has any bearing whatsoever on the search engines.

Of course, the reason to be concerned about SEO is to be able to get as much "organic" (or non-paid search engine) traffic as possible to your web site.