More Challenges of Technology: Websites, HTML, and Ecommerce

 
Well, it’s been the technology week from hell, what with the computer crash, launching the website, and trying to set up my PayPal account.

This will probably sound a lot like whining – and it is – but hopefully, there will be some useful advice mixed in as well…

First, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. My computer’s fixed – now all I have to do is re-install all my applications and restore my backed up files. Here’s hoping…

I’ve also come to the conclusion that using a web host-provided template is not all it’s cracked up to be. Not that it’s terrible, if you don’t want to modify it very much and are just going to upload your own content. In that case, it should work fine. Although there will still be some nasty surprises.

The big one is HTML or HyperText Markup Language. The bad news is you’ll have to learn a little of it, even if you use a site template, and it can drive you crazy until you learn to think like it does.

If you’re lucky, HTML is the only programming language you’ll have to deal with because there are others out there and they make HTML look easy.

Then, you’ll have to figure out how the site development program works. There are tutorials, but I found that they only cover the basics and are sometimes out of date. No matter how you look at it, it takes time. This can either be your time – as I’m doing – or someone else’s time that you have to pay for. You just can’t get away from it.

And if you think you can get along without a website, forget it. When a dinosaur like Yellow Pages has an online presence, you can be sure you’ll have to do it too, or you’ll be watching your customers flock to the competition.

I’ve mentioned  before that I know enough about DreamWeaver – Adobe’s web development software – to be dangerous and I’m about to find out just how dangerous I really am. I’m really tired of being hamstrung by the constraints of my host-provided template when I know that the things I want to do can be done, with just a little know-how.

For example, anchors. Not the kind used on boats, although these perform the same function for spots on your web pages. You’ve probably seen one in action when you get to the bottom of a web page and there’s a link that says “back to top.” You click on it and that’s where you go.

You can also link to anchors on different pages, which is something I’d like to do. However, according to my host’s online support, I can’t do it using the template I have and they recommended that I find a good book on HTML. Thanks a lot!

I hit another glitch when I tried to install my PayPal buttons. Everything went fine until I tried to use the “Continue Shopping” button. I spent most of the day going back and forth with support and reading through the 384 page users’ guide. Do we really need anything so complicated that it requires 384 pages to explain? Unfortunately, we do because setting up your own ecommerce program will probably cause your head to explode.

I found the solution by accident and I’ll share it with you – as I did with the folks at PayPal – in case you have a similar problem.

First, they don’t tell you that you have to paste additional HTML (there it is again!) code into your link to redirect it back to your website.

Second, the instructions in the users’ guide are unclear and don’t match what their website shows in many cases. Not that I blame them; it’s easy to update the website and a nightmare to rewrite the users’ manual – believe me, I know.

Third, you have to past in the link from the website page you want shoppers to return to.

Finally, and this is what really drove me insane, the instructions show the sample code ending in “.html” but don’t you believe it. About 90% of my problem was the fact that the code I used included the “.html” at the end. I deleted it and – what a surprise – it worked just fine!

Now I’ll grant you that everyone I’ve dealt with in tech support over the last few days has been very nice and helpful. They just couldn’t figure out what my problems were or how to fix them.

So be prepared. You’ll have to endure a lot of frustration and figure out a lot of things for yourself, unless you’re willing to pay a professional.

Is it worth it? I think so. Technology is rushing along and the competition is using it. If we don’t, we’ll be watching our customers go somewhere else and won’t be able to do a thing about it.

Making Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Work for You

 
Now that my art website is up and running – somewhat – it’s time to focus on making the Internet work for me – and you. My expectation is that by using all the options available, to the degree that they fit my business, I’ll be able to drive traffic to my website and generate sales.

Using Keywords

One of the easiest things to do is to incorporate key words into your website’s Title Tags or Meta Tags. If you’re using a web designer, this is easy; just tell them what to change.

If you’re building your own site using templates provided by a hosting service, it’s not much harder. For example, JustHost, which hosts my website, has a video tutorial titled How to Set Meta Tags which walks you through the whole process, and it really is easy.

The hard part is deciding what keywords to use. In a recent post titled Use Google AdWords to Increase Website Traffic I touched on the subject. The important thing is to do some research first to get an idea of what words will work for you. Then, review them regularly to see if there’s anything new you might add to keep your site high on search engine lists.

There are no hard and fast rules for this, you just have to experiment and see what works for you.

Create a Blog and Use It Regularly

Search engines regularly search for new content among the millions of websites, blogs, forums, and social networking sites on the Internet. It’s easy to get lost, but a blog that’s updated frequently – a couple times a week at least – will push your website up the list.

Content is important as well. Your blog shouldn’t be promotional. Readers are interested in information they can use. Of course, if you can integrate your product or service into an informative post, that’s just gravy. Just be sure you’re providing information readers can use.

Leverage Social Media       

At its most basic, social media is any user-generated content, whether it’s blog posts, videos, Facebook pages, or any other content created by users rather than by the owner of a site. You can take advantage of social media by creating your own pages and profiles on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and other sites and link to your business website. Adding friends to your social network extends the reach of your marketing activities.

Send Out Press Releases

Press releases will create visibility for your business in news results and regular releases will increase your standing with search engines. Just remember that to get coverage, they must be newsworthy and follow the same public relations rules on the Internet that you would using more traditional channels.

I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: The old rules of marketing still apply. To be successful, all we need to do is leverage them in the new media we have available.

Developing Promotions that Increase Your Bottom Line

 
First, I can’t say enough good things about Marketing Sherpa – www.marketingsherpa.com. I can’t afford to purchase any of their reports and research at this point, but even their free information – I subscribe to their newsletters – is exceptional. Applying just the free tips and ideas will put the average marketer far ahead of the pack.

Today’s newsletter featured  the Chart of the Week: Ecommerce – Its’ Not All About Price, which shows a breakdown of how Consumer Products Marketers Rate Engagement and Sales Tactics.

While the focus is on ecommerce, the good news for those of us with just a toe in the water is this: the top performer is the good old fashioned Limited Time/Limited Inventory Promotion, which doesn’t require complex ecommerce software to implement. In fact, it doesn’t require an online presence at all! Marketers have been using this technique for – well, for as long as there have been markets.

Of the marketers surveyed, 49% rate it as Somewhat Effective and 43% rate it as very effective.

Second was Loyalty Programs, with 41% rating them as Somewhat Effective and 31% as very effective. This was followed by: Adding Customer Reviews and Ratings (to your website), Product Videos on the Site, and Special Offers such as gift wrapping, etc. I wonder where free shipping falls in the rankings…

The LTO (Limited Time Offer) is easy to use, even with a static website.

For example, with my online gallery – which is now up and running at www.thebacongallery.com - I plan to use PayPal to handle my online sales.

I haven’t set it up yet and don’t know what promotional options will be available to me with their services. However, I know I can announce an LTO in my website News section, post it on my social networking sites, send out an email blast to my customer database, and even Twitter it – when I have all that stuff set up.

When developing any promotion, it’s important to remember that all the old marketing rules apply; all that’s changed is the media we use to communicate them. And, thank goodness, most of the Internet options are still free!

Integrating Your Brand Image into Your Website Design

 
If you’re building your website from scratch, integrating your company’s brand into the design is pretty straightforward. However, if you – like me – are relying on templates provided by your website host, it’s a little more challenging.

Of course, this assumes that you’ve created a brand image for your company. For those of you that haven’t, here’s a brief branding tutorial.

Essentially, your brand identity is the physical representation of “who you are” as a company, as communicated by every facet of your business, especially those that are “customer facing.”

The primary purposes of branding are to differentiate your business from the competition and to make it memorable in the minds of your customers.

Your brand should be consistent with the image you have of your company – whatever that may be – and it should be integrated into all areas of  the company from stationery and business cards to email blasts. Whether you’re conservative and old-fashioned or high-tech and trendy, the type styles, colors, and images you choose should reflect and reinforce that image.

The most obvious application of branding is in the graphics your business uses. For example, Wells Fargo has specific colors for its logo and promotional materials. It has specific type fonts and rules on when and how they are to be used. It has an image bank of photos and line art along with guidelines on what to use and how to use it. It even provides training for employees and vendors on how to support the corporate brand.

While you may never reach the level of brand awareness of Wells Fargo, Nike, or McDonalds, employing proven branding techniques consistently and over time will help your company stand out from the competition and be memorable in the minds of your customers.

So, if you’re looking at website templates – as I am now - be sure to pick one that either: (1) already reflects your corporate brand through color and image selection, or (2) can be modified to do so.

This may sound a little silly if you’re just starting out and aren’t really sure if your company will even survive, but careful planning – your business plan and marketing plan – and effective implementation – branding, advertising, public relations, and promotions – will go a long way towards helping you succeed.

Launching Your Small Business Website

 
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that – as a practical exercise in business development and marketing – I’m starting an online art gallery from scratch and documenting the process.

That way, my experiences will be available to others, hopefully helping them avoid my mistakes and learn from my experiences. And, if the economy ever picks up and someone wants to hire me as a consultant or for a full time position, I’ll be at the top of my game, marketing-wise, from all the practical experience. My gallery business is the laboratory where I sharpen my business and marketing skills.

Of course, what I’d really like is for the gallery to be successful so I don’t have to go back to a cubicle at some corporate machine. Consequently, I have a lot of personal satisfaction and future happiness riding on its steady growth and profitability and will do everything I can to make it work.

Finally, since I’m on a budget of practically zero, everything I do is going to be either free or very inexpensive. Thanks to technology, I think it really is possible to create a successful business for next to nothing, just by taking advantage of what’s free on the Internet.

But now I’ve arrived at the next big step: starting up my gallery website. After much research, I’ve chosen Just Host as the best option. I should also point out that this is a subjective decision. There are many options available – including free hosting – but I decided that Just Host had everything I wanted and it’s worth a few bucks a month to me. In fact, it will be my principle monthly business expense for now.

Getting Started with Just Host

Now, having gone through several of the online tutorials and poked around their website, I’m ready to put lay my money down.

So far, so good. The live online chat helped me answer a few, last-minute questions, there are several pricing options to choose from and the order process was easy. Of course, after signing up, I’ve been offered several options I can add to my budget package. Some may be of interest to you and worth the money. For now, I’m going with the bare bones to see how it goes. For those that are interested, some of the options are:

Search Engine Submission – Get your website listed on all the major search engines including Google, Yahoo and MSN which combined send over 90% of all internet search traffic! Let our search engine submission specialists, submit your website to over 200 of the world’s largest search engines, so you can start appearing in natural search listings and receive free site traffic

Search Engine Submission Pro – Search engine submission PRO will give you Priority Submission, automatic re-submission every 6 months and your website will be analyzed by our professional submission specialists, before every re-submission. This will help you start to receive free natural search traffic from over 200 major search engines including Google, MSN and Yahoo.

Advanced Statistics - Advanced Statistics can make or break a company. Knowing exactly what is happening on your website allows you to make strategic decisions to improve conversion rates, increase sales and quickly notice any bugs or problems your website may experience.

As you promote your business online, Search Engine Submission will probably be a good idea. You can do it yourself, but having the help of experts – they probably have it all set up and just hit a couple keys – will make it a lot easier. It’s all about how you want to spend your time and money.

My invoice and confirmation emails arrived faster than I could log onto my email, so confirming the transaction is the next step. I have my login and password now and received this note:

“It may take between 2-72 hours for your nameservers to propagate.”

Which means it may take up to 72 hours for me to be able to use the direct link, however, they did provide me with an alternative link if I want to log on immediately. Just a quick observation, because I’m lazy: your password and login will probably be case-sensitive, that is, you must type capital and lower case letters as they’re shown or it won’t work.

I’ve used my temporary link to get to my cPanel (my website control panel) so I can get started. Once again, I’ve been presented with add-on options, which I’ll ignore for now. God bless ‘em, they’re working really hard to get more of my money – I have to admire that!