Find content for your website in your brochures, sell sheets, product lists and other printed material.

Last week we talked about updating your website with new
content so it works better in searches and makes visitors want
to stick around. Here are more suggestions for updating website content.

If you’re like most people, the sight of a blank paper or screen gives you sweaty palms and a rapid heart rate. And, writing about yourself or your business puts panic into really high gear. But, I’m willing to bet a month’s hosting that you are literally SURROUNDED by website content that you haven’t thought of yet. So, no worries. The writing is already done.

Look at your printed stuff:

your brochures. Is all the stuff from your brochures and sell sheets on your site? You probably spent a long time writing that stuff, (or paid someone) so put it to good use.

your ads. Do you have ads running in newspapers or magazines? How about the phone book? Are you advertising for new staff? I am honestly amazed when I see ads in the paper for hiring new employees and there’s not a WORD about employment on the company site. You can be absolutely certain that the first thing job seekers do is jump online to check you out.

your list of products or services. You may be advertising tires, but do your customers know you do oil changes? How many times have you heard “I didn’t know you did that!”? Then they admit they’ve been going to your competition for that service. Yipes.

your employee list. Well? You’ve probably got some interesting, talented or skilled people hanging around your business (you wouldn’t hire them if they weren’t) and they may have interesting back stories. There are also lots of reasons people are qualified . . . do your customers know the unique qualifications of you and your staff?

articles. Many of the businesses I visit have a wall dedicated to framed articles about them that have appeared in newspapers and magazines. Are yours on your site? Even better, create a link to the online version of articles! Links are SOOO easy to create.
Here’s a great example: I get newsletters every week from all the Chambers of Commerce to which BeeLine belongs. Every issue features news items about members. If it’s about YOUR business, put it on your website! What are you waiting for? It’s as easy as sending us an email: “Will you post the Chamber article on our site? Put it on the front page and call it ‘Grand Opening’”.

testimonials. Your customers say nice things about you, don’t they? Testimonials are one of the most powerful convincers of all time. People truly believe what other people say. So, put some of those comments on your website! And, add more as they come in. If they come by email, hit Forward and send them to us. It takes a second and it’s SO effective

And, what about photos? So, you went to a trade show and someone snapped your mug while you were in the booth. Did they email it to you? Then forward it and we’ll get it posted. Or, you got a new sign for your building. Snap a picture for your website. Now. Before it gets old.

Remember, Google and the other search engines love new content. Your site will rank higher in searches and remain more appealing to your customers if there’s fresh stuff to see. So, grab all that new content and let’s get it online.

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CHRISTMAS!! Even though temps are still in the 80’s and the grass is green, Christmas is coming up fast! Catch those shoppers before they go off to a distant mall and spend all their money!!

~ Barb Emerson, BeeLine Design – www.BeeLineDesign.com

Google LOVES new website content. In fact, all the search engines love new content so much that when they see something’s changed, they push your site higher on the search results pages. This means your site is more likely to be found by people who are looking for your stuff. They click through to your site, find the new stuff that wasn’t there last time and are MUCH more likely to stick around to see what else you’ve got to offer.

So, how do you add new stuff? Email us! A quick email only takes seconds:

-  we changed our hours

-  could you add a map?

-  we got a new employee

-  our address changed

-  widgets are on sale this week

-  opened a new store

-  etc. etc. etc.

I see new ads in the local newspapers every week. I see big, expensive ads in slick magazines. When new phone books come out, YIPES! There’s new stuff about your business. It amazes me that business owners don’t think about their websites! You’ve already got the content ready to publish! Just send it to us and we’ll make sure ALL your customers can find it!

Google LOVES updates and so do your customers. They’ll appreciate seeing fresh content on your site.

–begin email

~ Barb Emerson,  BeeLine Design – www.BeeLineDesign.com

Amanda, the office manager, didn’t know how to send BeeLine the updates for their website, so the site got outdated. “We weren’t showing our latest products on our website, so we were losing business.” Mike had separate emails for home and office and couldn’t access them both at once. Business was great, but they were wasting time trying to communicate with each other, with their customers and to keep their site up to date.

Last Thursday, Mike and I got on the phone together. Within an hour, we had him plugged into a system where he could access his email and calendar from the office, at home and on the road. Amanda and the rest of his staff can see his calendar and add appointments.

Then I got on the phone with Amanda and we installed a program on her computer that quickly organizes their hundreds of photos. We set up an online photo album where they can easily upload photos for us to put on their website. They can write comments on the pictures letting us know exactly how to use the pics on their site, and give detailed descriptions of the products they represent. BeeLine’s designers access the photos, then optimize them to make sure they load quickly and look stunning on the site.

Here’s what Mike had to say:

“Thanks for all of your help. I am already using my calendar and new email. You helped me to have more time to enjoy life.
You not only run a very professional business, you are a great friend.”

Did you know that BeeLine can help make life easier for you? There’s no software to buy. Just a better way to get things done. In fact, if you’re a BeeLine-hosted customer, these products may already be in place. Let us show you how to use them! Send me an email right now: bee@BeeLineDesign.com.
Or give me a buzz: 262.767.8887

We want to help your business thrive!

This is a real email from a real customer. It’s the most-asked question in the Web World, so let’s get the right answer. The MOST IMPORTANT item in getting Google to notice your site is….

Content: A very well-written website that clearly tells customers what you do is most successful in Google searches. Let me say that a different way: Content is King. The text content on your website is hands-down the most important factor in pushing your site to the top of the search results.

There are other factors that affect your Search Engine Rank, but this is the one that you should look at right now. If your site is languishing on page 5 of the searches, start re-writing and we will gladly add your new text to your site.

Don’t like writing? Well, we love it. It’s what we do. And, we’ve made sites EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL by writing great content. Pick up the phone right now: 262.767.8887.

And, I’ve talked to others who swear their socializing has brought them more business…

What’s your take? Is Facebook a help or a hindrance?

No worries!
If BeeLine is managing your domain name — which we do for most of our customers — you never need to worry about the domain expiring. We take expirations very, very seriously. Because if your domain expires, your Web site goes away.

So, we have a system in place that’s nearly foolproof:

- When your domain comes up for renewal, we notify you well in advance of expiration dates…usually about two months in advance. Just in case you decide to take a trip to Tahiti for a month without your laptop and cellphone.

- Then, as an added safety net, we automatically renew the name for another year, no matter what.
Let me say that again: Your domain name is set to renew AUTOMATICALLY whether you’ve paid the fee or not. We know that your domain name is crucial to keeping your site online… and therefore to the process of running your business. So in essence, your domain name doesn’t expire unless we haven’t heard from you in over a year.

Why do we renew domain names at our own expense? Because we’re nice. And, because we know how hectic your life is. We know that running a business and taking care of employees and products and customers can be more than a full time job. We feel it’s our job to take all the worry out of your online life while you get on with your offline life.

Do we sometimes get stuck paying for a domain name we can’t use? Of course we do. But, we’d rather risk that expense than have our customers’ Web sites go offline. Every day that passes more people are looking online for products and services. This means that your Web site becomes more crucial to running your business successfully. . . and your success is ours, too.

So, we mean it when we say Don’t Worry. Bee happy.

If you do have one of those coupons and you haven’t thrown it away yet, give us a buzz. 262.767.8887. It really is worth a hundred bucks! And, it’s an excellent way to push your Web site to a better position in the search results. In other words, using your FREE $100 for some online advertising could ultimately result in more people visiting your Web site…. and finding out what you offer ….and then buying the things you offer…. which is how you make your money!

The Short Story: Google’s $100 coupon = money in your pocket.

Don’t throw it away. Give us a buzz: 262.767.8887 or email or comment on this posting!

PS: We never lie. There is never a guarantee that your site will be ranked higher in search results. And, if anyone says anything resembling the word “guarantee” when talking about Google rankings, they’re not telling the whole truth. Your rank depends on lots of things, including

• your competition
• how savvy they are about online marketing
• your location
• and most of all the quality of your site. It needs to have a great structure, lots of keywords, links and informative content (among other things)

Hi, I received notification and an invoice from the Domain Registry of America for a reply to register my website. I don’t recall if this is something your company has done for my website or not. Please let me know how I should respond.

Thanks,
Mary

Grrrrrr. This makes me so mad. Domain Registry of America sends you an “invoice” indicating that your domain name is expiring. They ask you to pay immediately to keep your Web site available online. Wow. The nerve of some people.

Trouble is, Domain Registry of America has NOTHING TO DO with your domain name. If they snag you into paying the fake invoice, THEN, they have succeeded in taking control of your domain name. In essence, control of the domain name results in control of your Web site.

You’ve worked hard to promote your business through your Web site by including your Web address on all your printed materials, billboards, and other advertising. If someone nabs your domain name, you may need to start over with a new name. It would be like changing your phone number, which would require you to reprint business cards, brochures, re-letter your vehicle, etc. etc. What a pain.

If you’re a BeeLine customer, in most cases we manage your domain name for you. Or, if you’ve opted to manage it yourself, we’ve given you detailed instructions on how to keep your domain name safe. When we manage names (recommended), we always notify you a couple of months in advance of the expiration. This leaves plenty of time for renewal before there’s any danger of the name expiring. That notification always comes from BeeLine, not from any other company or registrar.

If you ever receive notification from any company claiming to be “renewing” your domain name, be absolutely sure you’re dealing with a legitimate company and that they are really your domain registrar.

If you’re not a BeeLine customer or don’t know who is managing your domain name, give us a buzz. We’ll be glad to tell you the status of your domain name for free. And, if you need help managing your domain or site, we can do that, too. We’ve helped dozens of companies straighten out domain name and hosting problems. ]]> http://beecompany.com/techtonic/?feed=rss2&p=63 0 http://beecompany.com/techtonic/?p=59 http://beecompany.com/techtonic/?p=59#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:40:08 +0000 bee http://beecompany.com/techtonic/?p=59 OK. I just got off the phone with a woman who wanted to “update my information” for the White and Yellow Pages. I have nothing against phone books. They’ve come in quite handy over the years when I’ve needed anything from plumbers to pizza. (Well, I’ve never NEEDED pizza. But it does come in handy now and then, especially when facing a couple of dangerously starved teenagers.) And, phone books are actually still handy for some things. . . although I can’t think of any at the moment.

There are a couple of things wrong with this woman’s approach. First of all, she failed to mention that I would have to pay for my “updated” phone book listing. While she rattled off my address (which was wrong) and phone number, I interrupted to ask if there was a charge. Oh yes. Minor detail of $389. BUT, she continued , you’ll get a bold listing AND (here’s the Grrrr) a “premium listing on major search engines Google, Yahoo,  etc.” (This is a direct quote.) I think she was kind of annoyed when I told her it isn’t true that she can give me a premium listing. In fact, she hung up when I said it was totally absolutely and in all other ways inconceivable that she could give me or anyone else a “premium listing” on any search engine. There’s no such thing.

If it were possible to demand top billing for specific businesses, then they wouldn’t be search engines. They’d be advertising engines. And, the guy with the most money would get the Most Highly Profitable and Pretentious Premium listing. Take the Super Bowl. Who even watches the game anymore with so many clever commercials all stacked up waiting to pay their millions for few seconds’ rent on a bunch of pairs of eyeballs? Well, LOTS of pairs of eyeballs, I guess. (And, sometimes the half-time show has some interesting equipment failures, too.) Only the very, very rich can afford ads on the Super Bowl.

The fact is, it’s the quality of a Web site that determines placement on search pages. Searches are designed to return the most relevant information based on the words typed in by the searcher.  That’s it. If the text on the pages of your Web site is relevant to exactly what’s being sought, that page will be more successful in searches, because the text explains exactly what you do or sell and it matches the searched words.

So buy phone book ads if it helps customers find you and brings in revenue. But be sure to question anyone who guarantees higher (“premium”?) placement in Google or Yahoo! searches. That’s not how search engines work.