Why Small Business Websites Fail

This excerpt from a published article includes my short list of what you need if your goal is website traffic and new customers. These facts have been overlooked or misunderstood by many of my small business clients, and in most cases the errors of omission are due to inexperience.

1. You need a trusted site with name, address and phone number, not just a PO Box.
2. You need to be online 6-12 months or longer to achieve search engine ranking.
3. You need a large site with 10-20 or more pages of quality content for credibility.

Discuss your needs with your site designer. It should not be a cousin, uncle, or friend who happens to have software to make websites. A truly successful site takes more... much more. Professional help may be more cost effective than you realize. Some service providers will try to take advantage just because you are in business. I regularly save clients more than they pay me for designs with free advice to shop for economical service providers for a domain and hosting.

Realistic expectations up front will help you avoid disappointment. Be prepared with an ongoing annual budget to add fresh content and features to your site. A smaller site is okay to get started. If you cannot meet the goals in the above list, your traffic and new customers must be pointed to your site with direct marketing efforts. If presenting your company online achieves a positive first impression that may be enough to begin. As your budget increases you can revise expectations as you continue to grow your online presence.

Read the full article here... Questions or comments are welcome.



TAGS: small business advice website design search engines

Roll Screen Solutions Launched

Another site designed in XHTML with CSS has launched for Roll Screen Solutions, LLC of Orlando.

Roll Screen Solutions sells, installs, and services retractable screens and awings for home or business. This client chose to scrap an existing site and service provider in favor of a redesign, and saved more than the cost of the new design. Their monthly costs went from $179 to less than $10 a month almost instantly.



The site features an animated ad on the home page to demonstrate a garage door solar retractable screen in operation. The cat that appears at the end (and shown in the screenshot) is our family pet, Rover, gone but not forgotten. Who names their cat Rover? The site design uses XHTML and CSS per W3C with zero code errors.



TAGS: small business services custom website design website redesign

Internet Expert Mentor Ric Raftis

Ric Raftis from Australia is an internet marketing expert, a trusted friend, and former partner in an online business. Our collaboration in international website design was a distraction from our two very different long term strategies. Early in 2007 we ended the promotion of our joint venture but certainly not our friendship.

Ric's focus is helping new players who want to make a living as internet marketers with sales of informational products such as ebooks, and providing other resources for online success. Much of his advice is free. My strategy is helping small business owners who have a brick and mortar building and a physical product or service with custom website design and matching graphics for print.

Since meeting Ric in 2004 through an online technical forum, we have each grown substantially by bouncing off ideas for success based on truth, integrity, and character. Our philosophy has proven that the secret of success online is trust. Anything a person does to promote what they offer must strike a nerve to establish credibility and trust beyond a doubt.

Here are links to some of the current websites that Ric Raftis owns and manages:

Bushsong, Bendigo and Beyond is his custom website design services business in Australia.
Articles on Tap is an article directory for web authors to submit content for publication.
No Bull Internet Marketing features anything and everything to do with online marketing.
404 Error Pages has valuable website design advice in his ebook about pitfalls and strategies of custom 404 pages.
I Need to Know About is a new site in development to offer ebooks and a variety of informational products.
Bush Verse has Australian bush poets including Ric who performs original work plus old masters.

As you can see, Ric is prolific in many ways, not just internet marketing. Our collaboration drove us both to new levels in XHTML for coding websites to custom graphics and artwork for a professional look. Take the time to visit his sites, and expect more quality work out of Australia from Ric Raftis.



TAGS: internet marketing online marketing advice informational products ebooks

Print Ad Layout Tutorial

This illustrated tutorial for a print ad layout used creative ways to redesign an advertisement from existing flat artwork. All design work was done using Xara Xtreme which is my choice for vector art and photo edits for professional printed marketing materials.

For this lesson the client, an audiologist, had a small gift certificate ad in dollar bill proportions for featuring one hearing aid product. The original blank form was long gone, and a larger version with new content was required. Here are illustrations and an explanation of how the new print ad was created to feature multiple hearing aids.

First Steps to Create a Resized Blank
The circled numbers in the next drawing relate to the steps taken to change the title from "Gift Certificate" to "Coupon Specials" and cover the existing ad content as follows:

1. The original dollar size gift certificate showing all borders
2. The small square was cut from a copy of the original flat artwork
3. The small square is stretched horizontally to make a rectangle
4. "Coupon Specials" text added to the rectangle to cover the old title
5. A blank background partially covers the old ad before stretching it 100%



Enlarging the Blank and Doing Photo Edits
Once the blank dollar size print ad was created, a segment was clipped to include the left and right border and blank area in between and stretched vertically. Photos included the hearing aid and patient, plus 2 photographs of older hearing aid options. Finally, a segment of the blank coupon was clipped for just the bottom border. The preparation of the blank and photos are illustrated as follows:

6. The blank coupon with left and right decorative borders stretched vertically
7. The hearing aid photo was traced and the background cropped as shown
8. The older hearing aid photos were cropped to identical size and shape
9. The patient photo was traced and the background cropped as shown
10. Finally, the bottom of the blank coupon was clipped


*Note: Cropping backgrounds was necessary for a cleaner design so that the hearing aid and photo of the woman would display well over the blank background.

Final Text Layout Done
The last illustration shows the text layout for all 3 hearing aid products to be featured in the printed advertisement. Note from the final version shown below that the photos were resized from the previous set of steps to fit perfectly into the final composition. To separate each product a dotted line rectangle was placed around each of the hearing aids.



Compare each step to the finished print ad shown below. Most designers prefer to create from scratch. If all you have is flat artwork, there are techniques as shown here to overcome some of the difficulties.

Illustration of Finished Printed Advertisement


Did this help you? Comments or questions are welcome.



TAGS: design tutorial print ad design custom graphic design xara design tutorial

Trifold Brochure Template Download

Designers who use Xara Xtreme are welcome to download this free trifold brochure template. The set of files includes the inside and outside as two separate documents for 8-1/2 x 11 trifold brochures. The inside right panel and outside left panel are each slightly smaller so the fold tucks in nicely without creasing.

Right-click and Save Target As... to download the free trifold brochure template here (zip files). The 6 panels are identified for the inside and outside artwork. Visit my main site for a trifold brochure tutorial including sample artwork to illustrate each panel for an actual brochure.

Tip: Dimensions for the overall size and 6 panels are 3 places past the decimal point for greater accuracy. To adjust the setting from 2 to 3 places in your Xara Xtreme programs, reset your computer's regional settings in your control panel under date, time, language and regional options. Select "customize" in XP and change the decimal placement to 3. Exit and open Xara Xtreme again, and all dimensions will be precise to 3 digits.



TAGS: trifold brochure template xara xtreme trifold brochures design advice

Spybot Search and Destroy Review

This fantastic freeware scans your system looking for hidden adware or spyware placed on your computer by websites that you visit. The search may take 5-10 minutes and identifies all known problem items. Once the scan is done you have the option to "destroy" the files by safely removing all of them.

SpyBot Search and Destroy is available here at no cost.

Based on one experience with a client with over 1000 adware and spyware infections on their computer, once you run this program the first time, do it again immediately. There are some creative programmers designing spyware that tries to avoid being detected by SpyBot Search and Destroy. The second pass usually gets all the problem items.

Run Spybot Search and Destroy weekly for a better sense of security, and use the option to check for updates on spyware definitions each time, also. My choice for firewall, anti-spam, and virus protection is Norton Security. Add Spybot Search and Destroy to your arsenal to fight off spyware and adware.



TAGS: review freeware advice spyware adware

Corporate Image and Print Strategy

Here is an excerpt from a published article I wrote to help small business owners understand the strategy for printed marketing materials and your corporate image.

Understanding the purpose of your printed materials is the basis of my print strategy advice. The viewer's reaction to your corporate image in print is like having a silent salesperson 24/7. Marketing materials are not intended to close orders. They should stimulate interest based on a professional image. Don't overdo it or your efforts may backfire.

Business Card
Your business card is the introduction. That's all. A professional look and positive first impression may get you to the next step. If you attempt to sell your product or service on your card, it will most likely be too crowded and ruin the purpose. The back of your card should be used and include a small ad that goes beyond who you are, and briefly presents the benefits of what you do. Keep the design simple. Violate what I call My 5 Second Rule for Small Business Owners, and the card will be tossed.

Post Card or Flyer
A 4x6 or 5x7 flyer or post card is an introduction, also. However, with more space for creating a favorable first impression a design with less content is still more effective, and preferred. The purpose here is to impress the viewer and include a call to action which may be as simple as call us or visit our website. For example, I created full color artwork for a real estate post card that tells how effective the "less equals more" worked. The message was simply "If you are looking to sell, buy, or rent, please give me a call", and it worked wonders. The stunning graphics included a gorgeous background photo of Orlando and the real estate broker in the foreground. Again, you have 5 seconds to impress the viewer.

Trifold Brochure
Your 8-1/2 x 11 full color trifold brochure is the first opportunity to go overboard with photos and a more direct sales pitch with benefit statements and color photographs. The key turning point in the buyer-salesperson relationship is when the prospect reaches out and they contact YOU. Your trifold brochure's purpose is to go beyond the call to action as mentioned for your post card or flyer, and it needs to convince the buyer to make contact by presenting realistic benefits for what you offer. Brochures still cannot close orders. If there is a remote possibility that the viewer has a need, the positive first impression and list of benefit statements may make the difference between the brochure being saved or tossed. The lifespan is still 5 seconds if your printed piece is unprofessional.



TAGS: small business advice corporate image business cards post cards flyers trifold brochures

Websites Designed for Free

Some clients who order custom graphic art services already have a website, and that's okay. I'm busy, so if they're happy I never push for a custom makeover. If asked, I may provide tips to consider for the future depending on their situation. You will probably receive value equal to what you pay with a free website design.

The typical client is a realtor or mortgage broker tied in to an association who offers free websites for members. For new business owners who are just starting out this fits their budget perfectly. Sometimes it's enough just having a www domain name for your business to print on business cards. Once established, the downside is you have a website that looks just like 1000 others surrounded by a family of competing businesses.

If the cookie cutter clone meets your expectations and budget, websites designed for free are worthwhile. If your intent is to attract new business through search engines, being just like everyone else may not be enough. The value weakens if you are hosted as a subdomain of an association's main website and you do not have a company top level domain, or TLD.

Free is okay to get started. To attract search results to your site, an independent website that is not stored with similar competing businesses is the best way to go.

Another scenario is a small business owner with a cousin, nephew, or other relative who offers to do the website as a courtesy. If the project drags out or you're unhappy with the work, firing a relative may not be easy. Software allows practically anyone to create a website with drag and drop features. If your amateur web designer doesn't understand the hidden features necessary in the code to attract search engines and visitors, success will be difficult.

It's all about "if". Count the number of times the word "if" is in this post. Consider your expectations, and then get quotes from established web developers for comparison to help in your decision.



TAGS: small business advice website design search engines small business resources

Free Xara Post Card Template

This free Xara post card template includes 4x6 inch and 5x7 inch sized flyer designs illustrating the safe area, bleed, and margins. Xara Xtreme (affiliate link) is my choice for creating custom graphics for print or online. Download the 7K zipped post card template here by right clicking the link and selecting "save target as" to retrieve the Xara file.

You may want to view custom full color flyer examples on my main website. Meanwhile, here's a screenshot of the template shown smaller than actual size.



The template includes a CMYK palette in the lower right corner to help you get started, and unlike the business card template download, the 4x6 and 5x7 designs are exact overall size because they do not require trim after printing.



TAGS: free xara template post cards custom graphic design

Google Page One PDF Report

Get this PDF report for SEO website promotion here. Imagine a search in Google with 155 million results. My site made page one for a very generic search. It's time to share this with customers and friends.

Most clients ask about website promotion, and conversations can take hours to discuss the fine details. It was time to provide advice in writing to help more clients faster, so here we go. Read on to find out more about how I made Google page one in less than 9 months. Page one result screenshots for Yahoo and MSN are included in the report, also.



In May 2006 I promised clients documented and proven advice for website promotion with search engines. After 9 months, the results are in. My methods have been proven and the outcome was better than I could imagine. I'm releasing a series of 6 reports for Small Business Do-It-Yourself Website Promotion, and the first one is done.

Visit my blog to subscribe to posts, and get announcements as other reports are released. Comments or questions are welcome.



TAGS: small business advice website promotion free pdf report search engine optimization seo

Menu to Feed Search Engines

A new page on my main site, the Small Business Resource Center is a menu of SEO advice to feed search engines. Using a restaurant menu as an analogy, the new page gives my take and advice on search engine optimization.

Here's a summary of the Main Menu

1. Keywords in the Page Title
2. Keywords in the H Tags
3. The Age of Your WWW Domain
4. The Size of Your Website
5. Backlinks (inbound links to your pages)
6. Keywords in Text Links
7. High Quality, Fresh Content

Two other lists include the appetizers and dessert. The concept will be in a series of reports beginning with "Google Page One in Just 9 Months" due for release later this week. Subscribe to this blog from any page to receive announcements in your email.



TAGS: small business advice website design search engines search engine optimization seo

Trifold Brochure Photo Advice

Learn why your website photographs may not be acceptable for professional printing of trifold brochures and other marketing materials like a business card or flyer. Any picture viewed on a computer monitor may look great on an illuminated screen, but they are usually low resolution and unsuitable for printing on paper. The file size online is small and low resolution (72 dpi or 96 dpi) and needs to be large (300 dpi).

Here is a comparison of a photograph intended for a client's website showing why it would not be suitable for their trifold brochure.



The online version will look great (inset), yet the enlarged version is very fuzzy which will be unsuitable for printed materials. Zoom in 500% to test yours or use the following advice.

As a guide, most photographs for print need to be at least 1 megabyte (1000KB) file size. Check yours as you view the "size" column under the directory in your My Documents folders. Photos from your website can be 5KB to 50KB and look great. Better quality is required for print advertising.

View examples of printed material with photographs including trifold brochures, full color business cards, and post cards or flyers on my main site.



TAGS: advice trifold brochures printing photographs

GoDaddy Domain Registration Tutorial

This free 17 page report in pdf includes website domain tips for small business owners that may save you money. My choice for domain registration is GoDaddy.com.

This free tutorial gives you step by step illustrated instructions for how to register while avoiding unnecessary add-ons. It's easy to make errors or buy more than you need if you're not careful.



A 5 year www domain registration and prepaid hosting for 24 months is less than $115 from GoDaddy as of March 2007. Once paid, you don't pay again for 2 years.

The tutorial is loaded with additional bonus advice for small business owners who are buying a domain registration for the first time.

Download the zipped GoDaddy Domain Registration Tutorial in pdf here (right click and save target as). File size: 1.1 meg zipped.



TAGS: small business resources advice domain registration free pdf report

Parked Domains Earning Revenue

Check the terms when you register a domain on specualtion. A website design client reported concerns that one of their www domains was hijacked. They asked me to investigate a domain registered on speculation for future use. Their site was supposed to be parked, but instead it displayed a one page directory with links and advertising.

The site was not hijacked because the temporary content is within the agreement terms for hosting with their service company. The income stream enjoyed by others while your sites are waiting for launch may be characterized as opportunistic by some, yet it is perfectly legitimate if the registrant accepted those terms.

Visit the welcome message of your parked domains. Is advertising shown? You may be entitled to a percentage of the revenue. It doesn't hurt to ask.



TAGS: domain registration advice parked domain