Attracting Super Affiliates To Your Online Business

Author: Jeff Smith

Article:
Copyright 2006 Jeff Smith

Let’s face it, if you could give up a portion of your profits in exchange for a worldwide, 24X7, plugged-in, highly productive sales force that only get paid when you do, who wouldn’t jump up and take notice?

In fact, if your dream is to publish once and move on, having a strong network of partners where you can simply announce your new products, sit back and watch the sales roll in is a must.

A recent forum posting got me thinking about what has worked (and what has not worked) in terms of attracting the most productive affiliates and joint venture partners to my business. Here is the extended version of the response I posted – just for you.

Here’s a powerful system that attracts long-term, super affiliates who will continue to promote your products months and years after initial contact.

This approach has the added benefit of also creating reviews, testimonials and potentially truly joint venture created products and services as well as resellers.

Step 1. Praise Them Up – Offer A Review

Lets face it, when you first approach a joint venture partner, they won’t know you from a hole in the head. Anyone who has been in business and created a certain level of success online will have been approached by many joint venture partners – most of them not worth the time to review.

So, what is likely to happen when you send them an email cold introducing yourself and asking them to become your partner?

Delete!

Sure, you might succeed in getting 1 in 10 to respond, but chances are the best partners, the busiest and most successful partners simply won’t have the time to review every one of these.

A better approach that will get you a much higher response rate is to introduce yourself and offer your relevant product for review.

Start your letter by making special mention of something you noticed about their site, business or product (if you own one of their products).

“Mr X, just wanted to tell you how valuable your article on “Y” has been to my business. You really have put together one of the best sites on “Topic X”

“I myself have some experience with “Topic X” and have just finished “product Y” and wonder if you might want me to provide a copy for you to review?”

“Its clear that you really understand the market, have a very professional business and know a great deal about your customers, it would be a great priviledge if you would take a few minutes to review this package?”

“If you agree, please let me know where I can send the review copy and I’ll make sure it is sent asap.”

“Thanks again, and I wish you ongoing success with your business”

How would you like to be approached with that kind of praise, respect and positive attitude? Seems logical that this would work, yet in reality this sort of approach happens less than 1% of the time.

When I’ve used this technique I get over 80% to accept the initial offer of a review – assuming your product is highly relevant to their market.

Make sure your praise is legitimate and specific, not just made up from a few second review of their site.

If you find a particularly hard nut to crack, consider picking up one of their products. Contacting the owner after you have purchased their product is much easier than before you were a customer (HINT: Listening to you becomes customer support rather than a pain in the *ss)

Step 2: Review To Testimonial

The next step is critical. There is no sense pursuing a joint venture partner who is not convinced that your product is truly great.

One partner who thinks your product is incredible is worth a hundred more who are not convinced and so never really promote or endorse your products.

So, you want to push for reviews of your products with an aim to seek out the reviewers who really love your products. Those are your super affiliate candidates.

What about the rest?

Some will provide negative feedback – great, their feedback can often be used to improve your product or develop additional products.

Others will simply not get back to you – either they are too busy and its not the right time or they didn’t like your product but didn’t have the heart to tell you. In either case, they would not likely have promoted your product well anyway, so no big loss.

Step 3. Mutually Beneficial Offer

Once (AND ONLY ONCE) you have succeeded in getting a glowing review from your potential partners, you can easily follow up with an offer they can’t refuse.

You want to look at each case separately.

Here’s an example of some offers I’ve had success with:

1. For one website owner with a heavy content focus, I offered to write a half-dozen, exclusive, high quality articles that he could use to promote my product. In return, he promised top billing and extra promotion – its over 1-year later and I still get sales each month from this site.

2. Yet another super affiliate, I offered to interview him over the phone and give him a full license to the recording as well as a paid transcript – for that I received both a bonus product, a series of endorsements and a relationship I can use in subsequent promotions.

3. Another example involved an owner who wanted a special, custom site setup for his students – in return he made the product mandatory for his course – nice!!

As any affiliate manager will tell you, 80% of your affiliate business comes from 20% (or often less) of your affiliates. Using this formula, you can save yourself a great amount of time and maximize your results by going after the top 20% right in the beginning.

About the author:
Jump-Start Your Information Marketing Business With Private Mentoring, Video Tutorials, Interviews With Experts, Ultimate Information Marketing Checklist, eBook and report Templates and Lots More…visit the Information Marketer’s Zone To Get Ahead: http://www.infomarketerszone.com

Fraud Protection and E-Commerce

Author: Derek Gardner

Article:

Fraud Protection on the Short term

The bad guys that have this debit card data are not going to attack online merchants for goods that they will have to convert to cash. They have been walking straight to the ATMs for the green dollar.

The impact on merchants in the CNP world will be minimal; certainly no more than a few numbers of credit cards but probably less. I do not think the CP merchants will feel it much either. Consumers, on the other hand, are going to take a huge hit. As you probably know, credit card holder’s liability is limited to $50 under FTC regulations but I do not think there is any such limit for debit cards. The card holder is responsible for keeping the PIN private and shame on him if it gets out and he does not report the card stolen.

And yes the banks will almost certainly do what they can to keep their card holding customers happy, particularly if the cleaned out account can be traced to a compromised PIN by whoever it shakes out is accountable. Will that responsibility always be traceable? I do not know. But even if the banks in the end cover those losses, the cardholder has to deal with his account being cleaned out and all that goes with it.

Fraud Protection on the long term

The big concern for the merchant, on line and off, is if the consumer confidence disappear. We already have confirmation that confidence in online transactions has been falling a bit. This first debit/PIN compromise by itself is survivable, but if it turns out that it was not a one-time thing and we have all of a sudden discovered that PIN transactions are not as safe as we thought. Well, then on line merchants are in trouble and brick & mortar could be in trouble as well.

And I wonder how long the banks are able to calm down their debit card holders. When will they begin to pass the losses to the cardholders like they already pass them on to the online merchants now? It could become a matter of continued existence.

About the author:
Much more information about Fraud
Protection on this website. See for your self.

How To Set Up Your Squeeze Page

Author: Karl Stadler

Article:
Copyright 2006 Karl Stadler

We are all working our buts off, or so we think, trying to make a living or an extra income on the internet. Many of you are affiliate marketers promoting someone else’s products, through your web pages, websites or PPC campaigns.

I am quite sure that you have heard by now that you have to use squeeze pages in your marketing efforts. You may, or may not, have given it a look or a thought, but few have implemented this marketing tool.

Why?

It is extra work, you are very busy just getting your ads to work never mind tracking, doing split testing and priming every other ad to get the best results for your money. Which of course is the way to do it.

But think for a moment, if you could half this work, take 25% off your costs, and still make 25% to 50% more profit, would you be interested?

That is the beauty of squeeze pages also known as landing pages. At the beginning you will have to put more time and effort in creating and refining them, but once you’ve got it all up and running you can certainly expect more profits.

The basic purpose of a squeeze page is to gather email addresses and build your list. The list is where the money is, all successful internet marketers will tell you that. By building a list through squeeze pages you will gain the knowledge of who the people are that are interested in a specific type of product or service.

So the next time you market a new product in this line, you already have interested people who can easily become customers.

Now you see, the squeeze page is an essential tool in any marketers arsenal of marketing armory.

Now let’s look at the elements of a squeeze page.

The all important heading. It has the same purpose here as on a sales page, you have to catch the attention of the reader to read on.

A sub-heading leading your prospect into the page. A short sales message containing 5 to 10 benefits of the product you are promoting. A submission form where he or she can enter their details. After submission they are taken to the sales page.

So,. how am I going to write a sales letter on my page asking for a name and email address?

The best way of going about this is to offer something for free, a report, ebook, some useful software, subscription to a newsletter, anything relating to the product you are selling.

Lets look at an example of a squeeze page for a new keyword analyzing software program.

In Search Of That Perfect Keyword Phrase Getting All The Sales?

How would you feel if I told you now you can:

Find out how many others are using the same word you are aiming at. Know what they are paying in an instant. What you should bid to rank first. Know which phrases have the best sales conversion rates. And which keywords are just going to cost you money.

Get yourself in the FIRST place in the race for sales, and easily beat the top guns at their own game.

Just fill in your details to receive weekly tips on keyword analysis and how it can increase your sales. You will then immediately be redirected to ‘Name Of Your Product’.

A very valid argument is that if I have a squeeze page that is not well written, a person landing on the page might just leave the entire site and could have purchased if he or she was sent straight to the sales page.

There is however a way around this problem. If you feel uncertain about your writing or asking someone to give you their email address, just add a button with text below the form saying something like ‘click here to go directly to the product page’.

Be assured though that by building your list will ensure more customers and sales for your products. It will also give you the opportunity to get to know and communicate with your subscribers.

Don’t obliterate them with product emails every day, only send them quality products addressing their specific needs, that you either use yourself, or know is good, and write a small review on how it has helped you solving a certain problem.

Long term good relations with your subscribers will turn into good long term good relationships with paying clients.

About the author:
Karl Stadler is a author and internet marketer. You can view or download a video showing step by step how to create and implement squeeze pages here http://www.yourenterprize.com/squeeze-page-video/squeeze.htm

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Is Working at Home for You?

Author: Tansy Heathfield

Article:
Copyright 2006 Tansy Heathfield

There is a lot of talk these days about working at home. Home businesses are cropping up everywhere and internet marketing is becoming very popular. Today more and more people are discovering it is the most convenient way to source goods and services and are making purchases online. This therefore has opened up a whole new market that was not available in the past.

Like many people it may be your dream to work at home, but you may be reluctant to get started because you are not sure if it is the right thing for you. There are several things to keep in mind as you decide if you should take the plunge and begin working at home. First of all, it is important to determine what you will do at home. What product or service will you provide? Make sure that it is something that is marketable and that people are interested in purchasing. Think about how much time you will have to devote to your home business especially in the early stages, if this is something which is completely new to you there will be many challenges and some frustrations too, especially as you are educating yourself with the necessary tools of the trade. You must also make sure that you will be able to make enough per hour to justify your business.

Secondly, how will you promote your product or service? Internet marketing is a popular way to find customers and may be a good option for you. This is a way to reach millions of people with just the click of a mouse. There are a number of great resources available that can teach you how to promote a website. Make sure that you look into internet marketing and see if it will work for you. There are also many ways of promoting your business off-line too such as through flyers, leaflet distribution and local advertising. You should be prepared to spend a small amount of money on advertising.

Finally, are you motivated to do what it takes to make your home business work? Starting a home business takes a lot of dedication and stamina. Most people will not be successful overnight. Instead, it is a gradual process. Make sure that you are willing to put your time, energy and finances into creating and maintaining a successful home business.

Working at home can be a great option and many people have found success with this type of entrepreneurship. However, it is important to consider your options and to properly prepare before you begin your home business. Once you have taken the time to consider the idea of working at home, researched the market potential for your product or service and drawn up a business plan, then you are ready to take the plunge. Armed with information and a product that people want, you can be successful with your home business.

About the author:
Tansy Heathfield former catalogue editor now offering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home Free subscription to Internet home business tips and website marketing secrets newsletter. http://www.Home-Biz-Workz.com

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Simply Effective Sales Tips

Author: Angie Hewerdine

Article:
Copyright 2006 Angie Hewerdine

Use these simple and effective tips to boost your prospecting performance.

1. Always use a conversational tone…don’t come from a script. People hate to hear scripted sales pitches. Ditch the script and come from your heart. Even if you find yourself saying the same things over and over to different people, say it as if you are talking with them, not at them. Once you get a groove going, this gets easier. Your confidence and ability to assist others grows with each consecutive call.

2. Don’t chase anybody. Chasing just defeats you and angers them. You’ve got no chance to help someone if all they want to do is get you off the line. Repeatedly trying to contact those who are not returning your call only wastes your time. Use the rule of thumb “Second call, or not at all!”.

3. Make the objective of your conversation to find out what they are specifically looking for. Is your product or service something that they really need? Something that will benefit them in some way? Can you help the person? Ask them. Don’t just launch in on a list of why your product or service is better than others out there. You’re not trying to sell them, your helping them sell themselves.

4. Never assume that you know what the person wants or needs. Get to the truth of their objections by asking pertinent questions. If they “can’t afford it” then ask “If you knew that ___could absolutely help you change your life for the better, what would it take for you to be able to afford it?” Make them think about why they are parroting out a response.

5. Give them questions that they really need to think about, rather than questions with cut and dried answers. Questions like “What do you mean when you say…” or “Can you elaborate on that a little?” assist the person in expanding their own reasons why they feel a certain way about something. Sometimes this is enough for them to see that they really don’t know WHY they think this way, and that it is no longer serving them to do so.

6. Don’t defend yourself or your product. You have absolutely no need to justify what you are selling or doing. If someone challenges you, don’t buy into it. If someone asks “Is your company any better than so and so?” Move forward with questions like “If it were better, is that something you’d be interested in knowing more about?” Resolve again to find out specifically what they want and if you cannot offer that to them, let them go.

7. Assume that you don’t need the sale. Your only concern is to find out if you and your prospect are a good fit. What you want to achieve is to discover whether or not you can help them. If you don’t need the sale, then you won’t be pressured to rush through a script or badger a prospect into buying.

8. Always end the conversation on a positive note, even if there is no sale. If you let someone go, do it with dignity and wish that person success. Mean it. It’s possible that after mulling it over, they decide that your product or service is right for them. If your conversation was a friendly, helpful one, chances are good that they will remember that and come back to YOU for the sale.

9. Always come from a place of peace. Take 10 minutes to meditate and get quiet before you prospect. Get your mindset in the right place. You have something of significance. You want to assist people. You want open communication. Expect that these things will occur.

10. Be the leader that others are looking for. Your attitude, more than anything else, is what will affect the outcome of your efforts.

About the author:
Angie Hewerdine is a successful home business owner in the fields of Wealth Creation and Personal Development. She has a passion for helping people attain personal and financial freedom using a simple 3 step system. For more information call 1-800-491-4758 or visit http://www.TheTimeForChange.com

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Increase Your Internet Traffic With the One-Line Attention Grabber

Author: Brett Fisher

Article:
There are many articles on the Internet today that advise people on how to promote a successful e-commerce website. These articles are valuable resources, yet I find that most do not go beyond the technical aspect of website promotion. Mainstream topics of web promotion today explain how to rank high on a search engine, how to create viral affiliate programs and how to create targeted e-direct mail. These techniques are very important and I encourage every e-commerce businessperson to become an expert in these subjects; however, it is my opinion that many Internet entrepreneurs are not tapping into their full profit potential because they are ignoring the basics of marketing. Whether you are an established Internet guru or brand new to the e-commerce scene, I think this short article will serve to light a fire under your proverbial rear end as I reintroduce one of the basics of marketing known as the one-line attention grabber.

A one-line attention grabber can be used like a neon sign to attract interest and to encourage curious web surfers to visit your site. Your attention grabber should wake people up, startle them and create an irresistible desire to read more about your web page. A good attention grabber leaves the reader eager for answers. Also known as a slogan or tag line, a one-liner can help you grab a potential customer’s attention so you can introduce what you do or what you can do to benefit the customer. Here are a few well-known examples from some popular and successful companies.

“Always Low Prices!” -Wal-Mart

“Have it Your Way” -Burger King

“The Quicker Picker-Upper” -Bounty

“It’s Everywhere You Want to Be” -Visa

“Reach Out and Touch Someone” -AT&T

Creating a slogan does not require a great deal of creativity. It could be simple as stating what you or your company does. For example, if you have an Internet business that sells nutritional supplements, you can have a slogan that states “your source to a fitter and healthier life.” A good slogan is simple and merely invites potential customers to read or learn more about a company or website. It can also make for an interesting title to a web page. Now that you have the attention you want, it is up to you to make these potential customers fully grasp what you can do for them and to convince them that acquiring your product or service is in their best interest.

Getting traffic to your website will require some work. Even if you have a firm grasp of the technology involved in website promotion, you would be wise to not overlook proven marketing techniques such as simple attention grabbing slogans.

About the author:
http://www.ebookgeeks.com Brett Fisher, Avon OH United States brett_fisher@ebookgeeks.com Brett Fisher is the owner of many successful home business sites and holds a bachelors degree in education. His websites are straightforward and give step by step instructions on how to get started with your own home based Internet business

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On-Demand and Live Streaming Video On The Internet

Author: Cathy Linderman

Article:
Copyright 2006 Cathy Linderman

Using streaming video is a choice driven by many factors…

Streaming Video over the internet is in essence a task that has been occurring for the last ten years. But with the recent updates in technology and broadband being available around the world, only recently is it now considered a top trend for the internet. It’s available for everyone to learn and use.

Businesses and organizations, both small and large, are using streaming video for communicating, training, informing, educating, promoting and selling services and products across the internet. One major decision an organization or business must make is what their major usage of video on the internet will be for them. This decision is usually the determining factor on whether or not the information is offered on-demand or live.

What Is On-demand Streaming?

On demand means that viewers click on a link for that video and actually watch it either immediately on the website or as it progressively plays in their media player on their computer. The event that is being displayed as video actually has occurred another time and not necessarily the same day of viewing when doing on-demand.

Many television stations will state coming live to you from….but this is not really occurring at the time you are watching it. It was taped live and being presented at a later date. This is referred to as ‘simulated live’. When you watch American Idol on television, it states it is live from wherever they are that day, but actually it was taped months ago.

What Is Live Streaming?

Live streaming is when it is actually happening at that moment you are watching it. A live stream is delivered to it’s viewers within seconds of it happening. Many sports games now are coming ‘live’ over the internet. They are happening at that exact time.

Events can be streamed live from one side of the world to the other with high quality viewing. Our company did a stream of a live sporting event in Germany and viewers watched it in Canada, Europe and the United States. It was occurring live at that time, and viewers watched it as it happened.

Corporations are doing live trainings from their headquarters in one country to offices in other countries – live and on-demand. Universities and Colleges are doing long-distance training of courses live with interaction amongst students and professors from one side of the world to another. Live streaming is being used in many ways for events around the world. When the new Pope was inducted it was one of the largest live streaming events in the world over the internet.

Cost Can Be a Determining Factor

Many live events take a more experienced, and professional crew to produce as encoding (compressing and decompressing to send that large file) is done at location prior to sending it over the internet. Content Delivery Networks (CDN’s) can be expensive if doing large on-demand or live streams of extreme length. Smaller video streams can be uploaded to your website using your own hosting service. Whether or not you have to use DRM (Digital Rights Management) is also another factor to consider. So there are a lot of factors involved in streaming on-demand and live video.

So your first decision when consider streaming video over the internet is whether it can be on-demand or whether it must be live. Your event at hand will determine that and your viewers’ needs will also affect that decision. The extra costs for a live crew on location can be a determining factor also.

About the author:
Cathy Linderman currently works with internet audio and video and her business provides related resources, practical training and products for all websites, whether personal or business. Cathy and her business associate, Komee, are known for their simple, practical, easy-to-learn techniques for using audio or video on websites. Editor: Komee Carpenter http://www.GlobalInternetBroadcasting.com

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The Importance of the “Human Touch” in the Virtual Marketplace

Author: Dana Wallert

Article:
“A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.” -Emo Philips

For those of us who have moved our businesses into the virtual world, it’s sometimes easy to forget that our customers are real, live breathing human beings. Some of us may even have moved into this area to avoid all the human interactions. However, it is imperative that we don’t forget the importance of the human component of sales, even online.

It’s easy for us to just see our clients as a number or an e-mail address because we don’t actually see them on a daily basis or in some cases, ever. But, it is important to realize that the majority of people are still not one hundred percent comfortable doing business with a faceless entity over a DSL line. It can be very hard for a client to put their trust and more importantly their money into someone or something they can’t see.

This is where communication comes into play. We all know that in business communication is key. However, in the virtual world, it is all-powerful. No matter what your product or service, if you expect to make a living in an online venture, you must be accessible to your existing clients and potential customers.

It is crucial that you offer as many avenues of reaching you as possible. You must give them e-mail addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and as many different instant messenger options as you have. They must feel that just because you’re not in their office or around the corner, you’re just as available to them.

Now this may sound obvious, but just having all of those communication tools isn’t enough. You must make it priority number one to be accessible. None of those handy devices are any good if they don’t help get you on the line for that customer. You must always put answering messages, replying to e-mails and simply checking in from time to time at the top of your priority list!

Making the decision to hire online companies can be a major step to business owners who have never ventured into this new world, and it is your job to make sure they have a positive experience.

There is no question that computers have made all of lives easier and are growing the global economy at an astonishing rate, but let us never forget the importance of the “human touch!”

About the author:
Dana Wallert is the owner of an online virtual assistance company. She has many years experience in sales, marketing and office management. Find more about Dana and sign up to receive her free monthly newsletter at DW Office Solutions

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Your E-Commerce Website and Search Engine Optimization

Author: Barry Hooper

Article:
E-Commerce has been around only since the early 1990s, when Amazon.com and eBay.com became two of the first companies to sell products on the Internet. But E-Commerce is already revolutionizing the way goods are bought and sold around the world.

Buyers love E-Commerce because they can “shop till they drop” while lounging at home in their pajamas or riding the subway during rush hour. Sellers love it because they can offer their wares to people around the world without expensive marketing campaigns.

But successful internet
marketing has become more and more challenging, especially for new businesses. With the proliferation of websites offering similar products, buyers have become overloaded with information. Typing one simple item in a search engine can return thousands of entries spanning multiple screens. A small entrepreneur can invest a huge amount of money to create a fantastic website, but the website won’t attract customers if it appears far down the list produced by a search engine. Competition has become fierce among vendors to ensure that their company is listed at the top of the list, on the first screen that the searcher sees.

One way to accomplish this is with a Paid Listing. These are advertisements, similar to paid ads in a magazine or newspaper. Whenever a potential buyer searches on a particular word or phrase, these ads will usually appear on the right side or very top of the page under the “sponsored links” heading.

The other way to get your company listed near the top of the search list is to employ a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist. Search Engine Optimization basically means getting qualified customers to visit your website by insuring that your website is ranked high on the list when a potential buyer searches on a particular word or phrase related to your product. A good SEO will also be able to easily tie their software to your existing software, including your financial packages and shopping cart software, in order to help you track sales and produce return sales.

SEOs use a variety of techniques to get your business and to drive customers to your website. Unfortunately, they aren’t all ethical. Google and other search engines are able to spot unethical techniques, and will remove your website from their index if it employs such techniques. You can find advice on Google’s website for choosing a reputable SEO firm. Google’s first admonition is to be wary of SEO firms that send you emails out of the blue (spam) soliciting your business. Google also recommends that you have a contract in writing that includes pricing. The contract should also require the SEO to stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine to include your site in its search results.

Achieving a high search engine ranking has become so important in the world of E-Commerce that experts now recommend including search engine optimization techniques in the design of any new website.

About the author:
None

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Title: How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Business Website

Author: Paul Coulter

Article:
A website’s domain name (also know as a website address or URL) is an important consideration when developing your online presence. Choosing an appropriate domain name is the first step in the process of building online credibility. Remember to choose carefully because this online address may be where your business resides for the rest of its operating life. Now, some important tips to consider before choosing your domain name: Choosing Your Domain Extension A domain extension or top level domain is simply the suffix of your website address: (.com, .net, .org, .ca, etc.) Most Internet users are familiar with the “.com” extension, and will generally use this extension by default when typing an address into their browser. Choosing a “.com” extension should be your fist choice in case your potential customers forget that your address is “www.mybusiness.NET”, and visit your competitor at “www.mybusiness.COM” by mistake. Choosing the “.com” extension gives your website the most credibility in the eyes of your customers. If your business only caters to the local community, then it makes sense to get a country specific domain name, such as the “.ca” extension. A country specific domain benefits you in two ways: both your customers and search engines such as Google will know that your website is registered to a Canadian and operates in Canada. Potential customers will feel more comfortable knowing that they are dealing with a Canadian company, and not a U.S. based business pretending to be a Canadian company. Also, search engines will give your website higher placement in the search results when a user is performing a Canadian specific search. I personally recommend that my clients, if possible, register both the “.com” AND “.ca” extension. This way, your Canadian based website will benefit from using the “.ca” extension, while at the same time ensuring that they reach your website if they accidentally type the “.com” extension into their browser. Using Your Business Name The first choice for any domain name would be your business’ name. This ensures that your customers will remember your website’s address. You can’t expect your potential customers to remember a phrase that just relates to your business. Choosing Choice Keywords Including specific keywords in your website’s address will help your rankings in popular search engines such as Google or Yahoo. It is best to choose a keyword that you think your potential customers will use to search for your business. A search engine optimization (SEO) professional such as Cost Effective Design can assist you in choosing your keyword(s). These type of domain names are used in instances where the client does not want to use the business name because it is either already registered by another company, or the company name is simply too long. Any company that is serious about generating traffic through search engines should acquire a domain name with a keyword in addition to your business name.

Don’t Confuse Your Customers If possible, try not to use domain names that include: “2” for “To” or “4” for “For” or “u” for “You”. These may make your domain look “cool” or “hip”, but in reality they are not very practical. These domain names create a problem when directing your clients to your website verbally or over the phone. For example, if you owned http://www.UsedCars4U.com, every time you verbally directed someone to your website, you would have to specify that the URL uses the actual number 4, and letter U. To Use, Or Not to Use Hyphens Given that more and more businesses are registering domain names every day, getting the website address you want is becoming increasingly difficult. One or two word domain names are usually already registered, forcing new registrants to choose URLs containing three or four words. To some people, these URLs can look like a big mess of words. Using hyphens in between the words can make them visually more appealing. For example, “www.used-cars-for-you.com, looks better than “www.usedcarsforyou.com. The jury is still out on hyphenated domain names. The advantages are that they look better and search engines can easily distinguish the separate keywords for better search placements, but the disadvantages are that they are difficult to verbally communicate and type. The best solution would be to register both the hyphenated, and the un-hyphenated version of the domain name to ensure that there is no confusion. Domain Name Length Even though you are allowed to use 67 characters for a domain name, the general rule of thumb
is: shorter is better. Although, in some instances, the website address may be more memorable if it is more descriptive. For example a domain consisting of initials only, such as “www.waa.com”, may not create a lasting impression compared to the domain name “www.windsorautoassociation.com”. Therefore, it is best to choose a name that, while short, contains enough description for your customers to easily remember. Buying an Existing Domain Name Maybe the domain name you really want is already registered, either by a legitimate company, or by a “domain squatter” who merely registered the name to sell for a profit at a later date. You can make an offer for these types of domains, although they make cost several hundred, or even thousands of dollars. There are advantages to purchasing an existing domain name. In addition to getting the domain you want, it may also rank highly in the search engines for certain keywords and / or generate topic specific traffic that you will benefit your business.

About the author:
Paul Coulter owns and operates a full service, custom web design company in Canada. Contact Him by visiting his website at: Custom Web Design.ca

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