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Most of the tools you need can be found at w3.org
HTML Validator - http://validator.w3.org/
CSS Validator - http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
Link Checker - http://validator.w3.org/checklink
Competitor Analysis can be found at http://www.ineedhits.com/free-tools/competitor-analysis.aspx or http://www.alexa.com/ (also good for a page ranking of sorts)
Calculate your Google Rank http://www.prchecker.info/check_page_rank.php
Site grader: http://website.grader.com/
We can all use a few extra bucks. But picking up a second (or third!) job just isn’t feasible with the kids’ afterschool activities and the long, rush-hour commutes.
Solution: Find a product or a service you like and sell it globally. It’s not as tough as you might think. Here’s what you do:
Determine what you want to sell. It’s best if it’s unique and easy to ship.
Go to GoDaddy.com and register your domain name. Choose something catchy, easy to spell, and easy to remember. Get the .com version. Don’t worry about all the other .net, .org, etc. Register the name for 5 years or more. Search engines think 1 year domain registrants are spammers, so those domains aren’t ranked as high. GoDaddy (http://www.godaddy.com/) offers the best rates for domain registration.
Go to HostGator.com and purchase hosting services. HostGator (http://www.hostgator.com/) is good and cheap. They also let you have deep technical control over your hosting – more than GoDaddy. Buy the ‘Hatchling’ host package. PS. You can click on the Host Gator banner ad to the right of this post and receive a discount on hosting. Have HostGator help you setup WordPress. They will know what to do.
Choose a WordPress theme. WordPress (http://wordpress.org/) was originally designed for blogging. It’s open source and free. Over the last few years, though, WordPress has morphed into a very powerful content management system for websites. In other words, using WordPress, you can update and edit your site just like you were using Microsoft Word. No need to know any techy stuff. WordPress also offers a bunch of powerful tools for search engine optimization. Go here for free WordPress themes: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
Add pictures, video and text to your new site. Keep the site simple and intuitive. Emulate the successful businesses like Amazon, Google, Target for ideas per layout and color schemes but focus like a laser on what your are selling. Remember, internet users want more meat, less bun. Keep the text to a minimum. Navigation or ‘flow’ through your site should be so natural even a caveman can do it.
Use PayPal for processing payments. PayPal gets the job done. You don’t need a credit check and you don’t have to pay a ton of upfront fees. Thirty minutes of setup gets you a robust merchant processing system which also support subscriptions, i.e. you can automatically charge clients monthly for ‘membership’ to your new service.
Install Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free service offered by Google. Signup for it here: www.google.com/analytics/ It takes all of 5 minutes to get started. You will need your FTP login and password to insert the code into your web site. Once you’ve done that, though, you will have real-time data on critical metrics like: who is visiting your site, where are they coming from, what are they looking at, how long are they on the site, and how many people leave your site without clicking on anything. This kind of info is gold. It will help you determine whether your marketing efforts are paying off and whether your site is facilitating real sales.
Get feedback. It’s amazing how often we think we’re communicating well but upon confirmation we discover we’re doing a good job. Your website must convey the benefits of your products and services. It must encourage and ultimately convince the potential client to buy. Show your site to 5 different people. Let them give you some feedback on their impressions of your site. Don’t be combative or make excuses for anything. Just shut and listen to what they have to say. Listen to one thing and try to understand 10 things. You’re the boss. You will decide what needs to be done after collecting sufficient input. Five good people (potential buyers) should be enough to get most of what you need. Strangers are fine.
Modify your design. A simple design change can dramatically boost conversion rates. Conversion rate is how well you convert a potential client into an actual customer. So, if 10 people visit your site but only 1 person buys, then you have a 10% conversion rate. Higher the rate, the better. Don’t neglect upsells. An upsell is someone initially wants a coach seat but you sell him/her a business class seat instead. And don’t forget to cross-sell. A cross-sell is when someone wants a belt and you ultimately sell that person a belt, a pair of shoes and a suit! Finally, repeat business is smart business. It’s infinitely more efficient to generate repeat sales (multiple sales to the same customer) than to find many customers for one sale. In any case, fine-tune your site’s layout so it’s very efficient in selling. Think high conversion rates, fat gross profit margins, and repeat (subscription-based is best) sales.
Use Google AdWords. Many businesses fail simply because they are unwilling to spend money to make money. Consider for a moment how successful companies like Apple and Lexus are and how easily we recognize their brands. Yet, both companies continue to advertise aggressively to people like you and me. Your business is no different. You have to pay to play. Skip the yellow pages and stay away from the gimmicky stuff online where someone will try to sign you up for a year of online advertising. Instead, go straight to Google AdWords: http://adwords.google.com/ You can create an account it minutes. Google AdWords lets you create online ads. You decide everything, including how much to spend per click through, how much to spend per month, where you want the ads to run, etc. You have total control. You can even start an ad today and pause it tomorrow. But what makes Google AdWords really powerful are the qualified leads. Only people who are interested in your product or service will click on the ad. That means your ad will send you people who are genuinely interested in what you’re selling. I would rather have 10 qualified leads than 1000 unqualified ones. Get going with Google AdWords asap. Experiment with different ads to see what works.
People often come to me wanting some kind of magic bullet to kick start their online business. The good news is you can enjoy good success selling online. The nor so good news is it requires effort.
Thomas Edison once said something like: Opportunity often comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.
The same is true with your website. Invest the time and effort into your site and it will pay off. Let me know if I can help with anything.
Click here if you need help.
James Kerr is Chief Geek of SuperGeeks. He can be reached at http://supergeeks.net/ and (808) 531-GEEK. Twitter: SuperGeeks
www.google.com/analytics/ It takes all of 5 minutes to get started. You will need your FTP login and password to insert the code into your web site. Once you’ve done that, though, you will have real-time data on critical metrics like: who is visiting your site, where are they coming from, what are they looking at, how long are they on the site, and how many people leave your site without clicking on anything. This kind of info is gold. It will help you determine whether your marketing efforts are paying off and whether your site is facilitating real sales.
This is post part 1 fo 2.
We can all use a few extra bucks. But picking up a second (or third!) job just isn’t feasible with the kids’ afterschool activities and the long, rush-hour commutes.
Solution: Find a product or a service you like and sell it globally. It’s not as tough as you might think. Here’s what you do:
This column is part 1. To be continued next week…
James Kerr is Chief Geek of SuperGeeks. He can be reached at http://supergeeks.net/ and (808) 531-GEEK. Twitter: SuperGeeks
A friend of mine is opening a new law office. It’s an exciting time for him -especially since this will be his first business.
But as you can imagine, it’s also a risky time for him. He’s not well funded and will need to bootstrap the startup every step of the way.
He asked me for advice about what to do for his IT systems. For now, his office will have only 3 employees, including him.
Here’s what I recommended to him:
Don’t waste money on fancy hardware.
Computers are like screwdrivers: Old ones work just as well as new ones.
Because he and his staff will use the computers primarily for documents, internet access and email, I told him to skip buying anything new and just re-format his Windows XP computers.
By reformatting his used PCs, he wipes out any malicious software which may be hiding on the machines. Reformatted computers also run faster. It’s win/win.
I did advise he buy nice 22” LCD screens from Office Depot. One shouldn’t compromise on what he/she looks at all day long.
(Savings from opting for used hardware: $1500)
Go Google.
Microsoft Office is so old school. It’s expensive and it’s bloated.
Instead of Office, I told him to signup for Google Docs. Google Docs does everything Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It even looks and feels similar to Office.
The beauty of Google Docs, though, is it’s free. Moreover, the files can be shared online with other employees. This means improved productivity.
In addition to productivity software, Google also offers free email and free calendaring. No need for Outlook nor Exchange Server.
(Savings from opting for Google Docs: $2000).
Get a simple website.
Simple does not mean crappy. As a business, your ‘face’ to the public must be smart, clean and professional. A ghetto website screams: “Our company does not get it!”
Don’t ruin a potential client’s impression of your organization. Get a nice site.
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to have a successful site. Take a look at WordPress themes. Google it. Find a theme you like and have it customized. You won’t regret it.
Note: Not all WordPress themes are created equal. Email me for a list of good ones.
(Savings from insisting on a decent site: priceless.)
Create accounts for Google Maps, LinkedIn and Facebook.
All roads lead to Rome. You should think of social media in the same way: links to your website.
Now, those ‘roads’ leading back to your website need not be sexy. They can even be ‘dirt’ roads – provided your company’s website looks great.
I told him to focus just on Google Maps, LinkedIn and Facebook for now. It’s enough.
Cost: free.
Define your tech policies.
Most companies skip this step and they ultimately pay for it in the long run. I told him to spend 1 hr and list what’s acceptable computer behavior and what is not.
For example, is it OK for the company’s computers to be used for personal things like chatting, downloading bootleg stuff from file sharing sites, watching porn, etc?
How about storing confidential info on laptops used in the field?
These are important policies and if they don’t exist somewhere in written form, then essentially the company has no policy.
I told him to create a working doc using Zoho Wiki and ask employees to contribute to it on a regular basis. His practice will be worth more as a business.
Backup the important stuff.
Businesses can lose everything in a blink. Fire, flood, theft, viruses…It happens all the time. We see people in tears nearly every day, having lost everything, and no backup.
I told him to designate one computer as a file server and configure the network so all files are automatically stored on that computer. I also told him to use two external drives for daily backups and rotate the drives weekly so there’s always one good backup offsite at his home for safekeeping.
You worked really hard on your business. You mopped the floors, prepared a business plan, and hired top-notch people to help you grow it. You did everything you were supposed to do: got the perfect location, professional business cards, great signage and a decent-looking website. Sometimes you wonder if you are working too hard and if there is anything (anyone) out there who can make it easier on you.
In fact, there is. Your website, if properly configured, can be an invaluable help. It can take some of your tasks on, including attracting new business and retaining existing customers. In these stormy economic conditions you definitely need all help you can get. Yes, it’s simpler to ignore it and continue to rely on a phone book and other traditional advertising to connect with your customers. However, traditional advertising is costly and its results are difficult to measure.
Optimizing your website will allow you to capture all of the customers who rely on Google or Yahoo to search for a product and service. Customers increasingly rely on uncle Google for advice. Who haven’t you seen piles of new phone books in an apartment complex’s mail room? As an experiment, try Googling a service that your company provides and locale, e.g. “dog grooming Honolulu” or “food catering Hilo” and take a look at the results. Is your business showing up anywhere on the first few pages? Is your competitor’s?
We often hear from local businesses: we get our business from existing customer referrals. That’s how we get most of our business too and it is truly a Hawaii way. However, no business has ever suffered from having too many customers. If your website brings additional (probably younger) customers, there is nothing wrong with that.
There are free and inexpensive ways to improve your company’s website’s performance.
Improve your content and design. Make sure your website is adequately educating your customers about services and products you offer. The language should be clean and free of technical terms. The layout should be nice and easy for reading. No giant blocks of text and ugly neon colors. As with a house you are trying to sell, the colors should cater to the public (think neutral) and not to your personal preferences (hot pink or chartreuse). Try to be very specific about what you offer. “We offer best personal care products in Honolulu” does not tell your prospective customer much. You need to specify what it is and why it’s better than another store down the road. Finally, lower the barrier to entry – offer free consultation, money back guarantee, or good FAQ section.
Make it easier for search engines to find you. Search engines are designed to look for a relevant and popular content. Thus, your site should be current and contain links and articles relevant to your line of business. For example, if you are in floral business, your site should have tips on flower arrangements, links to other websites with interesting information regarding flowers, and any upcoming festival which uses your leis. Participate in local forums and social media providing links to content to your website. Make sure you are on Yelp (or if you are in tourism industry – on Trip Advisor).
Leverage your connections. If you have a partnership with another business or group of businesses – exchange links to each other’s websites. For example, if you are a piano studio and provide lessons in one of the private schools – provide a link to the school on your site and ask them to do the same. Do the same for any professional organizations you belong to – bar association, Rotary, Small Businesses Hawaii, etc.
To evaluate the quality of your current website, go these sites: www.websitegrader.com or www.validator.w3.org. They will list some of the things you can do now to help turn your website into a sales monster. Get started today!
