http://www.businessalone.com/ Home based business resources, strategies and tools for the solo business owner en Copyright 2011 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:37:27 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web sites should be designed to facilitate and encourage efficient and effective human-computer interactions. Designers should make every attempt to reduce the user’s workload by taking advantage of the computer’s capabilities. Your web site prospects will make the best use of you site when information is displayed in a directly usable format and content organization is highly intuitive. Prospects also benefit from task sequences that are consistent with how they typically do their work, that do not require them to remember information for more than a few seconds, that have terminology that is readily understandable, and that do not overload them with information. Your site visitors should not be required to wait for more than a few seconds for a page to load, and while waiting, they should be supplied with appropriate feedback. Prospects should be easily able to print information. In addition, designers should never ‘push’ unsolicited windows or graphics to users.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/16_ways_to_give_your_prospects.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/16_ways_to_give_your_prospects.html Computers Customer Service FAQs How to . . . Internet Services Niche Sites Online Helps Search Engines - SEO Security Traffic (Web Site) Web Site Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:37:27 -0700 There are several usability issues, methods, and procedures that you need to consider when designing and developing new business web sites, regardless if you hire a professional for the design or attempt to build the site yourself. Most important are issues relating to ’upfront’ decisions such as setting clear and concise goals for your web site, determining a professional and smart set of user requirements, ensuring that the new site meets user’s expectations, setting usability goals, and providing useful content within the niche you've chosen. To ensure the best possible outcome, designers should consider a full range of user interface issues, and work to create a site that enables the best possible user experience. The latest research suggests that the best way to begin the construction of a web site is to have many different people propose design solutions (parallel design), and then to follow up using an iterative design approach. This requires conducting the appropriate usability tests and using the findings to make changes to the Web site.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/new_web_site_design_considerat.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/new_web_site_design_considerat.html Computers Copywriting FAQs Graphics - Design Niche Sites Search Engines - SEO Security Web Site Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:30:22 -0700 All small business owners will be faced with the decision to use less than truthful advertising and promotional strategies in their sales letters, email communications, ads, and other promotional material. How do I know? It seems to be the way business marketing has evolved on the Internet. Deceptive practices include all those little white lies, half truths, and marketing tactics that many feel are perfectly legal, excusable, and appropriate in this day and medium. Some, I know, would question why we are even discussing this topic as they feel anything is game as long as you don't cross the line of outright lying in your presentations. I don't see it that way. I believe that Internet marketers has a responsibility to their prospects and customers that includes being upfront, honest, and ethical in everything they publish, say, and do.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/how_ethical_are_your_marketing.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/how_ethical_are_your_marketing.html Advertising Biz Opps - Make Money Classified Ads Email Guarantees Information Sales Marketing Owner Traits Publicity - Releases Selling Web Site Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:17:55 -0700 When it comes right down to brass tacks, I would say every Internet business owner should consider herself or himself an information publisher. It seems to me that all business web site owners need to be publishers of: a) website information; b) sales letter copy; c) site content in the chosen niche; d) products in digital or hard copy form; e) blog content; f) email communications; g) customer service responses; h) advertising / marketing copy; i) articles and press releases; j) probably other things I'm forgetting about ... My point is, whether you consider yourself to be an info marketer or not, you really need to pay close attention to your publishing (i.e. putting it out on the net or in emails) and how it can affect your overall business.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/profit_from_your_info_publishi.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/profit_from_your_info_publishi.html Automate Your Biz Business Principles Competition Computers Customer Service Email Fulfillment - Download Information - Content Internet Services Marketing Membership Sites Ordering Products Selling Web Site Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:02:32 -0700 We are continuing our discussion of the fear of Internet selling. You see, many would-be entrepreneurs have extreme fear of offering products and services online to potential customers. Some have expressed their frustration with fears so intense and debilitating that their business has stalled and they have not been able to get past this single obstacle. In our previous discussion (Part 1 of the same title) we listed the top seven fears that seem to be fairly common among new business owners. Today's discussion is about how to approach those fears and move past them in order to push a new business idea forward. Here is a very simple but undisputed fact: only a small percentage of the people that have ideas about making money online ever get to the point of actually doing it! For many, one or more of their fears have paralyzed their ability to implement their business plan and carry it through for income generation.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/are_you_afraid_of_internet_sel_1.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/are_you_afraid_of_internet_sel_1.html Business Principles Competition E-Commerce How to . . . Marketing Niche Markets Owner Traits Selling Start a Business Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:25:14 -0700 There are a lot, and I really mean A LOT, of entrepreneurs that have a fear of offering products for sale online. Now, you may not have that specific kind of fear, but many others have mentioned over and over again that their fears are holding them back from moving forward in business. I'd like to examine that topic and see if we can break those fears down and overcome them be (1) identifying the problem, (2) analyzing how and why it happens, (3) proposing solutions that anyone can implement, and (4) moving beyond the barriers that block action. We will make this a two part series because of the details that we need to discuss! Lots of new business owners (or would-be owners) have said that they have not been able to start a business because they have been halted in their tracks by one or more crippling, paralyzing roadblocks that they just can't find their way around. Here are the most often mentioned reasons (fears) for failing to get started:]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/are_you_afraid_of_internet_sel.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/11/are_you_afraid_of_internet_sel.html Biz Opps - Make Money Competition Niche Markets Owner Traits Selling Start a Business Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:59:07 -0700 Online business is a game of sorts. You are competing against others in your niche for customers and their dollars. There are only so many "winners" in the game within a niche. When enough competing businesses divide up the available customer dollars, at times, the niche can become saturated with a excess number of players. When the "pie" (customer purchases in a given niche and time period) or prize is divided up, too many sellers can mean a small share for each winner - sometimes not enough revenue to justify the work that is going into the business. Of the many challenges that an online solo business owner faces in growing and maintaining a business, few are as exasperating as finding that previous work you have done has been wiped out (for some reason) through no fault of the owner. Online business owners are in the game of creating enticing offers for their products and services (or affiliate products), driving web traffic to those offers, and hopefully converting the prospects who come to the offers into paying customers.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/are_you_a_victim_of_the_google.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/are_you_a_victim_of_the_google.html Advertising Blog Classified Ads E-Commerce Meta Tags Niche Sites Pay Per Click Ads RSS Search Engines - SEO Web Site Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:49:31 -0700 My guess is ... most entrepreneurs don't go into solo business with the exit door in mind. Why would they? Entrepreneurs are frantically focusing on starting and growing a business and the last thing they spend time worrying about is how to get out of their business when they are done with it. Simply put, an exit strategy is a game plan of sorts. It's a thoughtful plan for going out of business. Why would a business owner want a plan for going out of business? For some profitable businesses, at least, an exit strategy can include realizing a significant profit above and beyond the revenue that comes from daily operations. As a solo operator, wouldn't it be important to "collect" or receive payment on the sale of your business that you had created, grew, nurtured, and monetized over a significant number of years?]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/do_you_have_a_business_exit_st.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/do_you_have_a_business_exit_st.html Business Plan (The) Business Principles Business in General Owner Traits Selling Start a Business Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:02:52 -0700 Often business owners unknowingly leave good potential customers turned away at their front door! No business person would consciously make this mistake because new prospects who come calling on your business are the whole reason for your marketing and advertising campaigns. But the way you greet and welcome your prospects could be turning some folks away from your efforts even before you realize it. Most folks who are in business on the Internet and who own web sites have heard of "squeeze pages" or "landing pages." They are the initial spot where prospects "land" or arrive when they come calling. These pages are shown to convert prospects into targeted potential customers because they have a sole function: to get the viewer to give his/her contact information so they can be called upon by the business.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/greeting_your_customers_proper.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/greeting_your_customers_proper.html Advertising Autoresponders Business Principles Copywriting Customer Service How to . . . Marketing Niche Sites Web Site Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:40:04 -0700 One of the "tricks" of search engine optimization has to do with the way images are treated. It might be a revelation to many site owners that are not familiar with the way the search bots work that images are not "read" like text on the page. Images are not really "read" and therefore usually contribute nothing to the on-page SEO efforts of the webmaster. Nevertheless, they can contribute to search engine ranking if they are optimized properly. It's easy to find great detail on the subject if you simply go to Google and search on the phrase "optimize images."]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/optimize_your_site_images.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/optimize_your_site_images.html Graphics - Design How to . . . Keywords Marketing Meta Tags Niche Sites Search Engines - SEO Web Site Mon, 18 Oct 2010 06:40:25 -0700 More than once I've been asked about the saturation of deep, focused, tiny niches. It's a logical concern as business owners evaluate their potential for success, either in a new niche or in expanding into a different corner of their currently occupied market. The reasoning goes like this: "I realize that I need to specialize - to drill down deeply into my niche so that I can focus very tightly on what I do best." "But I'm worried that if I focus too narrowly, one or more of three bad things will happen: (1) I'll be so targeted in what I'm doing that there will not be a large enough pool of prospects to draw from to support my business; (2) the other businesses already in my narrow niche already have a strangle hold on most of the potential customers and I'll be playing 'catch up' forever; or (3) if I am able to compete in my extremely narrow focus, what happens when I've exhausted all the products and information there is to give my customers?" Well, I have an answer for each of these concerns!]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/there_is_always_a_place_for_yo.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/there_is_always_a_place_for_yo.html Biz Opps - Make Money Business Ideas Business Principles Business in General Competition Niche Markets Start a Business Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:18:48 -0700 Internet marketing for the solo business owner is an interesting study of very unique principles that you won't find in other fields. On unique topic is that of "keywords." If you want to be successful, you need to master this arena because on the Internet today, it is absolutely imperative that you focus and target your marketing effort. If you don't pay attention to this aspect of your business, you'll lose your shirt in advertising costs and you won't attract the audience that will be hungry for your offers. The phrase "drilling down" refers to the approach in your marketing that suggests you dig deeper and deeper into your niche in order to come up with extremely targeted and focused products, customers, advertising, partners, and keywords that will be used to position your business in a tightly focused manner. There is so much information online these days ... if you don't tightly target what you're doing ... you will appeal to no one.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/drilling_down_on_specific_keyw.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/drilling_down_on_specific_keyw.html Advertising Classified Ads How to . . . Keywords Marketing Niche Markets Niche Sites Pay Per Click Ads Search Engines - SEO Traffic (Web Site) Mon, 11 Oct 2010 08:18:07 -0700 I found a great online resource that I'd like to share with you. It's an online service that "grades" your web site. It can be used as a tool that will help you to see and understand what deficiencies your site may have. Of course, the idea is to then work on fixing those details. The site allows you to type in your URL (like "www.mydomain.com"), press a button, and a few seconds later your grade pops up. The grade is a number between 1 and 100. Just like a test in school, the higher your grade, the more your web site conforms to all the things that make a web site good. To see all the variables that are tested, you will need to go to the web site itself. I just graded my web site at Business Alone and was given an "89." I'm doing OK, I suppose, but there is certainly room for improvement.]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/what_grade_does_your_web_site.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/what_grade_does_your_web_site.html Blog Business Principles Competition Computers E-Commerce How to . . . Internet Services Online Helps Traffic (Web Site) Web Site Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:19:40 -0700 In the previous post we began discussing where to look (in your business) to find areas that you might grow in your business. What can you do to become more successful? "Where do you look for answers if your web site and business are not successful as you would want?" It seems that lots of business owners these days are moving to the Internet as a way to make a living or even a supplemental income. No doubt they've heard all the hype and raves about how much money there is waiting for those who want to extract it from the Internet. Business is a complex thing and any one trouble spot could be to blame for an under-performing business entity. And if many trouble spots are present, the task of identifying them all and fixing them becomes a major undertaking. If your business isn't performing ... or if it is performing but not at the level you expect, here are the ten areas of your business that I would first analyze in order to remove potential trouble spots: ]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/10_areas_of_growth_for_every_s_1.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/10/10_areas_of_growth_for_every_s_1.html Automate Your Biz Business Principles Business in General Competition How to . . . Marketing Niche Markets Owner Traits Selling Traffic (Web Site) Mon, 04 Oct 2010 06:42:32 -0700 Often I am asked something like the following: "Where do you look for answers if your web site and business are not successful?" It seems that lots of business owners these days are moving to the Internet as a way to make a living. No doubt they've heard all the hype and raves about how much money there is waiting for those who want to extract it from the Internet. Business is a complex thing and any one trouble spot could be to blame for an under-performing entity. And if many trouble spots are present, the task of identifying them all and fixing them becomes a major undertaking. If your business isn't performing ... or if it is performing but not at the level you expect, here are the ten areas of your business that I would first analyze in order to remove potential trouble spots:]]> http://www.businessalone.com/2010/09/10_areas_of_growth_for_every_s.html http://www.businessalone.com/2010/09/10_areas_of_growth_for_every_s.html Business Principles Business in General How to . . . Marketing Niche Markets Niche Sites Owner Traits Products Selling Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:26:01 -0700